The summer 2014 newsletter is here! Check it out using the link below.

Happy December Everyone! Inside our latest newsletter, you’ll find an article about Nelson Mandela from Ralph Paige, a recognition of Arden Tewksbury’s long service to his community,and reports from Ben and Kathy. Also, we have two pages dedicated to member group Holiday Items for Sale!!

From the President by Ben Burkett: As I write this message, Mississippi, Louisiana and other states near and north of the Gulf Coast are recovering from the floods left from Hurricane Isaac. While many regions of the
country have been parched by drought this summer, our state was in relatively good shape. Suddenly we’re fighting the opposite dilemma – too much water, too quickly. The reinforced levees around New Orleans held, but another tropical storm has left turmoil in its wake, with homes and streets and fields flooded.

This fall was particularly busy with extensive travel. At the beginning of November, I attended the Community Food Security Coalition Conference in Oakland, CA, where I participated in two workshops. In one, Alicia Harvie (Farm Aid), Steve Schwartz, Kathy Ozer (NFFC) and I discussed credit access and its impacts. In another, Joel Greeno (ARMPPA), John Peck (Family Farm Defenders), Mike Hudson (Hudson Fish Company) and I discussed farmer and fisher cooperatives. George Naylor, past NFFC president, Florida farm workers and I joined the Coalition for Immokalee Workers on their march to Trader Joe’s Supermarket.