NOFA-NH to host Fun on the Farm event
By Mya Blanchard
There is no time like summertime for barbecues, blueberry picking and live music, which is exactly what you will get at Grounding Stone Farm in Contoocook during its Fun at the Farm event. Presented by the Northeast Organic Farming Association of New Hampshire, the event is happening on Thursday, July 13, and will feature Celtic music performed by the Jordan Tirrell-Wysocki Trio, along with a Southern-style barbecue and an opportunity to pick your own blueberries.
According to NOFA-NH education program coordinator Kyle Jacoby, the nonprofit started in 1971 to promote organic and sustainable agriculture. Today, this is done by supporting and advocating for the standards set by the federal government, some examples of which include improving soil quality through the use of things like compost and practicing crop rotation, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
“At the end of the day I think that’s all about trying to use things that are plant-derived [and] not using synthetic fertilizers, but [it] can go beyond that, like trying to reduce our consumption of certain energy practices to make things more sustainable,” Jacoby said. “It’s all about input, what you’re inputting into the earth to get your outputs, and it’s a never-ending learning and growth opportunity.”
In addition to the advocacy for these standards, NOFA works to improve policies and educate people to build skills among farmers, food producers, students and homegrowers, also striving for food security.
“Food security is all about how we can ensure that people in our community have access to quality local food,” Jacoby said.
This means ensuring that food producers are able to connect their food to those in the community, and that those in the community are able to gain access to that food. NOFA works to establish an infrastructure that will connect farms to people, and also helps those in the community financially through farm share programs.
“Whereas a lot of farms can defer to getting subsidies from the government, I think the ideal case scenario is that we as a community are investing our time and money into our farms,” Jacoby said.
Through the Fun on the Farm event, attendees will be supporting NOFA as well as Grounding Stone Farm, which has been growing blueberries since 1986, according to their website. Since 2016 the farm has been owned and operated by Kathleen Jacobs and David Miller.
“Growing organic blueberries includes manually pruning to keep the bush open, airy and lush, weeding by hand, mulching and farming the way our ancestors farmed,” Jacobs said in an email. “It means working with nature and not against it.”
Supporting local farms like this one not only strengthens local infrastructure, but also results in better-tasting, more nutrient-rich food. According to Jacoby, it all comes down to the community to make these investments.
“That’s why we like an event like this and why we’re doing an event like this,” he said. “It’s just an opportunity for people … to come together and connect and have our farms be a backdrop for that community connection.”
Fun on the Farm: An evening of blueberries and Celtic music at Grounding Stone Farm
When: Thursday, July 13, 6 to 8 p.m.
Where: Grounding Stone Farm, 289 Maple St., Contoocook
Cost: $10 for NOFA-NH members, $12 for non-members, or $30 per family of up to five people; free for children ages 3 and under
Visit: nofanh.org/funonthefarm
Featured photo: Courtesy photo.
