| Hello members & supporters of the SW FL Small Farmer Network (SWFSFN)! This is your friendly final reminder of this announcement and invitation to the next meeting of the SW FL Small Farmers Network (SWFSFN) on Monday, September 15, 2014. Following up our successful February 10, 2014 SWFSFN meeting at the Herban Gardens farm in North Ft. Myers that was coordinated by Roy Beckford of Lee County Extension, 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 Lynn Steward of Mr Citrus Organics & Vegetables farm who was given the Innovative Farmer Award at the 2009 FL Small Farm and Alternative Enterprise Conference (see http://smallfarm.ifas.ufl.edu/featurefarmer/desoto_county_farmers/steward.shtml). Coordination of this meeting is by Christa Kirby, Acting CED of UF/IFAS Extension DeSoto County. Lynn is a veteran organic fruit and vegetable producer and farmer who will give a farm tour of his production facilities (field, orchard, greenhouse and hoop house) and techniques in farmscaping to provide beneficial insects as biological controls and pollinators of his many crops. In addition, Extension presentations and hands-on activities will be provided in techniques of Farmscaping that you will be able to implement at your own farm. 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, September 15, 2014 Location: Mr Citrus Organics and Vegetables, 1548 Sw Addison Ave, Arcadia FL 34266 Cost: free RSVP: yes, please, to Robert Kluson at rkluson@scgov.net – Thank you to those of you who have already sent me their RSVP! Note: bring folding chair & eating utensils, and home-made/home-grown food to share at the pot luck lunch Agenda:
10:00 am to 11:00 am - Farmscaping presentations by Mary Beth Henry, UF/IFAS Extension Polk County and Robert Kluson, UF/IFAS Extension Sarasota County 11:00 am to 12:00 - Farm tour 12:00 to 1:00 pm - Pot luck lunch & seed swap. Lynn Steward is providing a barbecue chicken cookout to add to everyone’s food contributions! 1:00 to 2:00 pm - Hands-on demonstration of rearing techniques of beneficial insects by Roy Beckford, UF/IFAS Extension Lee County, Lynn Steward and Robert Kluson 2:00-300 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 3:00 to 3:30 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 |
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Robert A. Kluson, Ph.D.
Agriculture & Natural Resources Extension Agent III
UF/IFAS Extension Sarasota County
Community Services Business Center
6700 Clark Road, Sarasota, FL 34241
(941) 861-9849 (ofc); (941-232-3090 (c)
"There are those who look at things the way they are, and ask why... I dream of things that never were, and ask why not?" - Robert Kennedy
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