1

Letter from December 2012 to the local papers

To the Editor:Have you heard the conversation taking place around the town of Canton regarding small-scale agriculture within the residential zones? (For reference see The St. Lawrence County Plaindealer or Watertown Daily Times, Dec 11th 2012.) We thought this would be a good time to share our story with the community. The link below leads to a slideshow we presented at the most recent Town Planning Board meeting, during which we shared details of our Community Supported Agriculture project. Also in attendance were the Canton Town Board and Supervisor, as well as over 40 fellow citizens. In the coming weeks a discussion document will be offered to the Planning Board from the Small Scale Farming Advisory Group (A local group with a broad base of knowledge in this field). This draft will take into account safeguards for neighbors, while allowing new freedoms for all landowners in the current residential zone.

Please take a few minutes to watch the presentation to see one of the ways our community can grow together. Whether or not you are able to view the presentation, you are welcome to contact us directly with questions.

www.slideshare.net then type “Grow Canton NY”

Thank You,Bob Washo & Maria Filippi (Flip)littleGrasse FoodworksMiner Street Road, Canton

Rethinking Residential Zonesin the Town of CantonHow thoughtful small-scale agriculture

can beautify our neighborhoods and give us all more economic stability

through self-sufficiency

2

littleGrasse

FoodworksMiner Street Rd

Canton

A community supported agriculture (CSA) farm feeding local families

3

What is CSA exactly?

4

Community supported agriculture (CSA) is a locally-based socio-economic model of agriculture and food distribution.

A network of individuals pledge support a local farm, with growers and consumers sharing the risks and benefits of food production.

CSAs eliminate distributors, forging direct connections between farmers and consumers.

5

Once the season begins, we harvest the food and shareholders pick up vegetables weekly at the share barn.

6

CSA members pay at the onset of the growing season for a share of the anticipated harvest.

The members join in the garden to socialize with each other, have a connection with the land and be in touch

with the growing season.

7

Integrated, humanely managed systems

Chickens for soil fertility

Pigs for clearing/opening

new ground

8

Lambs for pasture management

Growing Practices

Extensive crop rotation

ZERO use of Pesticides or

Herbicides

Planned animal rotation

9

With just a couple acres in

production, littleGrasse is feeding over 120 Canton-

area residents this season.

10

Contributors to the local community:

Re-circulating monies back into local economy, ex. Wight and Patterson

Sharing decades of food production experience

Reclaiming underutilized land and enhancing open space

Attracting interested college students off campus and into the town

Bringing national attention to Canton through radio, magazine and newsprint

11

In the past two growing seasons we’ve had 200+ high school and college students in the gardens.

12

Why on the outskirts of the village?

Can’t this farm just move out of town into the vast rural area??

13

accessibility

People can easily bike, walk, run, canoe and drive to the gardens. 14

visibility

Seeing the source of your food is educational and requires higher accountability for the farmer.

Why on the outskirts of Canton?

15

neighborly

Dynamic, small-scale food projects lend diversity to the landscape.16

National Trends

Data collected in 2007 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture indicates that

12,549 farms in the United States reported marketing products through a community supported agriculture (CSA) arrangement.

17

Civic Agriculture

"Together with farmers markets, farm stands, U-picks and

agritourism, CSAs constitute a ‘civic agriculture' that is re-embedding agricultural production in more sustainable social and ecological

relationships, maintaining economic viability for small- and

medium-scale farmers and fulfilling the non-farm-based population's

increasing desire to reconnect with their food.“

Ryan Galt, UC Davis assistant professor in the Department of Human and Community Development, and co-authors wrote

in California Agriculture journal.

18

19

We’re not alone.

Revising the residential zoning for the town would allow land owners the

right to produce their own food and maybe start a small agricultural

project of their own.

20

Agricultural Code, a nuanced issue requiring:

Foresight

Expert advising

Safeguards for neighbors

Community input

21

There are multiple community organizations with a vested interest in this issue including:

Canton Farmer’s Market

North Country Grown Cooperative (NCGC)

Garden Share

Cornell Cooperative Extension

Local Living Venture

USDA

22

Additional Resources

http://www.littlegrasse.blogspot.com/

Our blog to keep in touch with shareholders

https://attra.ncat.org/

National Sustainable Ag Information Service

http://afsic.nal.usda.gov/farms-and-community/urban-agriculture

Urban Ag resource Guide from USDA

http://www.mrsc.org/subjects/pubsafe/animal/livestock.aspx

Sample language from other populated areas

http://www.recoverypark.org/wp-content/uploads/11-11/Urban_Agriculture/Urban%20Ag%20Studies/urbanagpaper.pdf

Paper on the practical & economic benefits of food security

23

24

If you have input on this issue, let your thoughts be known.The town and planning boards meet once per month.Planning Board: researches options and writes languageTown Board: votes on language

The next Planning Board meeting is January 22nd and a draft of the proposed language will be submitted at that time by community members.

Chairman of Planning Board:Mike Morganmorgan.mikek@gmail.com

Town of Canton Supervisor David Buttonsupervisor@cantonnewyork.us or 386-2962

Join in the conversation

Thank you.

If you have any questions, comments or concerns contact us at: littlegrasse@gmail.com or 386-3513

25