Announcement: Monday, Feb 10, 2014 Mtg of SWFSFN in Ft Myers, Lee County

Hello members & supporters of the SW FL Small Farmer Network (SWFSFN)!   I am very pleased to send you this announcement and invitation to the next meeting of the SW FL Small Farmers Network (SWFSFN) on Monday, Feb 10, 2014.  Following up our successful October 21, 2013 SWFSFN meeting at the H.E.A.R.T farm in Lake Wales, we are continuing to provide you another event to support your sustainable, small farming and enterprises in SW Florida.                                                                                                                                               We are very fortunate this time to being hosted by Ken Ryan of Herban Gardens (see http://elizabethssecretgarden.blogspot.com/2011/01/micro-green-production-at-herban.html) with coordination by Roy Beckford of UF/IFAS Extension Lee County.  Ken is a veteran micro-greens producer and farmer  who will give a farm tour of his facilities and techniques on how to grow, nurture and excel at producing micro-greens as an agri-business enterprise.   We are also sure that you will not want to miss this opportunity for social and business networking with your fellow small farmers in SW FL.  Come meet your fellow producers and purveyors who are making our local food systems a reality!   Remember to bring seeds to share for our Seed Swap activity and help promote such collective actions of SWFSFN members.  Finally, we are planning to have another spectacular pot lunch so bring your locally-grown foods prepared with you special recipes of your seasonal crops!   For your reference, here 's our meeting’s details and agenda:   Date:            Monday, Feb 10, 2014   Location:     Herban Gardens, 8400 Dosonte Lane, North Fort Myers, FL 33917   Cost:            free   RSVP:         yes, please, to Roy Beckford at FBeckford@leegov.com  or (239) 533-7512   Note:            bring folding chair & eating utensils, and home-made food to share at the pot luck lunch   Agenda: 9:00 to 9:30 am -                  Registration and welcome   9:30 am to 11:30 am -          Farm tour   11:30 to 12:30 pm -               Pot luck lunch & seed swap   12:30 to 1:30 pm -                  Growers meeting - introductions & announcements     a)  news from attending county SWFSFN county grower leaders     b)  growers sharing of events, issues, etc of interest to the      small farming community   1:30 to 2:30 pm -                 UF/IFAS county Extension agents’ announcements a)    Upcoming workshops & courses                                               b) Evaluations   Please, feel free to pass along this announcement to your fellow small farmers and local foods promoters who would be interested in the activities of SWFSFN.  If they are not familiar with SWFSFN, please, refer them to both our webpage (see http://sarasota.ifas.ufl.edu/AG/swfsfn.shtml) and Yahoo Group (see http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/SW_FL_Small_Farms/) Thanks, Robert