Glynwood, the agricultural non-profit whose mission is to save farming, has announced the winners of its annual Harvest Awards. The Harvest Awards were created by Glynwood in order to highlight innovative work being done on a community level to increase access to fresh, locally-produced food and to recognize leaders across the country whose exemplary work support their regional food systems.

This year the winners will participate in a panel discussion open to the public to take place on Monday, October 24 at the 92YTRIBECA in downtown Manhattan. Moderated by Glynwood President Judith LaBelle, the winners will discuss their work, their challenges and the models they’ve created to increase their community’s access to locally produced foods. Guests will have the opportunity to speak with the winners at a reception immediately following the event; they will enjoy small plates prepared with regionally-produced food by chefs whose restaurants support local food on their menus -- Chef Jimmy Carbone, Jimmy’s No. 43; Chefs Charles Rodriguez and Heather Carlucci-Rodriguez, Print Restaurant; Chef Bill McDaniel, The Red Cat, and Chef Alex Raij, Txikito -- as well as Slyboro Ciderhouse and Doc’s Draft Ciders, [hard] ciders produced in New York.

This year’s Harvest Award Winners  [read about the winners and their work below]
The Glynwood Farmer Award: Sean Stanton, Blue Hill Farm, Great Barrington MA
The Good Food Entrepreneur Award: Farm 255, Athens GA
The Award for Connecting Communities, Farmers and Food: Buffalo Hump Sanctuary, Pine Ridge SD
The Wave of the Future Award: AmpleHarvest.org, Newfoundland NJ

Details of the Manhattan Event on October 24
The panel discussion is free and open to the public, but space is limited and reservations are required.

Location: 92YTRIBECA, 200 Hudson Street near Canal
Time: Panel Discussion 6pm, Reception 7:15pm to 8:15pm
For reservations: email msmith@glynwood.org; a confirmation will be sent via return email.

About Glynwood
Glynwood’s mission is to save farming by strengthening farm communities and regional food systems. The goal is for small- and mid-sized farmers to thrive, on the land and in the marketplace. Located in the Hudson Valley and operating its own sustainably managed farm, Glynwood’s unique niche is to empower communities to support farming and conserve farmland through its community programs, public education and leadership in environmentally sustainable agriculture. Major Glynwood programs include Keep Farming™, the Modular Slaughterhouse Initiative, the Glynwood Institute for Sustainable Food and Farming, and the Apple Project: Saving Orchards with Cider, [and this year’s organizer of Cider Week in NYC, Oct 16 – 23]. To learn more about Glynwood and its initiatives, visit www.glynwood.org.

For media: to arrange for interviews with the Harvest Award winners and Glynwood President Judith LaBelle and to attend the October 24 Harvest Awards Event [reservation required], please contact Geralyn Delaney Graham, geralyn@resourcescommunications.com  or telephone 281. 980. 6643.

Read about the Glynwood Harvest Award Winners and their Achievements below:

The Glynwood Farmer Award: Sean Stanton
Blue Hill Farm, Great Barrington MA

A first generation farmer and self-proclaimed “hands-on learner,” Sean started farming at age 25 with 10 acres of family-owned land called North Plain Farm. There he raised heritage breed pigs, broiler chickens and laying hens within an all-natural model he crafted on time-honored principals of sustainable farming and some 21^st century technology. Sean’s products were so delicious that Chef Dan Barber and his brother David of Blue Hill restaurants took notice, not only buying his meat and all the tomatoes he could plant and harvest, but eventually offering Sean the opportunity to manage their family’s own Blue Hill Farm. At Blue Hill Farm, Sean now operates 135-acres that include dairy cows, pigs, laying hens and veal; his meat products and tomatoes go to Blue Hill’s two restaurants, and his raw milk is sold to a loyal clientele in his community who drive to his farm weekly for the fresh, delicious milk.

Sean’s philosophy on sustainability is a simple one: “You learn how to make the most of the soil terrain and the natural ecosystems found on the farm. If one tries to fight against nature, it becomes a constant battle as opposed to a cooperative relationship.”

But the 35-year old Stanton is not just a successful agricultural entrepreneur -- he shares his hard-earned knowledge and his successful models for an economically viable small-farm operation by mentoring other young, beginning farmers through internships on his farm. In addition, he serves on the Board of the National Young Farmers’ Coalition, acts as a USDA reviewer for the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program, and Chairman of Great Barrington’s Board of Selectmen.

The Good Food Entrepreneur Award:  Farm 255, Athens GA
Olivia Sargeant & Jason Mann, Co-Owners

The public face of an ingenious model of vertical integration in the sustainable agriculture sector, Farm 255 restaurant is part of a cluster of businesses: Full Moon Farms, their own farm operation which supplies up to 50% of the produce served at Farm 255 and also supplies food to 45 families via its CSA; Farm Cart, a food cart that serves “street food” at the farmers market; Farm Burger, two neighborhood burger joints using 100% local, grass-fed beef; and Moonshine Meats, a collective of pasture-based-producers that raise all the meat for Farm 255 and Farm Burger, in addition to operating a CSA for families in Athens and Atlanta, GA. Everything is raised using sustainable and organic agricultural methods. This creative business model has proven to be successful: it supports the owner-farmers of Farm 255, the member-farmers of the cooperative, and the health and wellness of the patrons of their businesses.

Farm 255 is also a community hub, serving as a meeting place for those who appreciate locally grown fare and for those who want to learn more about it. Co-owners Olivia Sargeant and Jason Mann consider themselves agricultural entrepreneurs who wear many hats -- as mentors for beginning farmer interns, young cooks and service industry professionals; as educators, teaching classes to local Future Farmers of America high schoolers, as well as lecturing at the University of Georgia; and as food activists, providing ongoing awareness about the importance of supporting local food systems to their community.

“We believe,” says co-owner Olivia Sargeant, “that our tireless work within our extended community has been a key piece to introducing the South to a new perspective on farming and food that positively contributes to all points on the food supply chain.”

The Award for Connecting Communities, Farmers and Food: Buffalo Hump Sanctuary, Pine Ridge SD
Henry John Red Cloud, Founder & President

Buffalo Hump Sanctuary is the result of Henry Red Cloud’s father’s vision of reclaiming the land of their Lakota tribe (which for generations had been leased out to non-indigenous people and businesses), and building a successful bison ranching operation that would better support their family economically and culturally. The work was started in 2000, beginning with the complex process of identifying and reclaiming the land, then restoring the overgrazed land to fertility. With the help of Village Earth, an organization that helps communities reconnect with resources that promote human well-being through empowerment and community self-reliance, Henry implemented an “Adopt a Buffalo” program; this enabled the release of over 100 head of buffalo onto the reservation, helping native bison ranchers to start or expand their ranching operations. By 2005 Henry, along with two other families on the reservation, formed the Lakota Buffalo Caretakers Cooperative, composed of Lakota ranchers who agree to comply with strict ethical standards for the care of the animals. Participating producers are then able to market their meat under the Coop’s label. To further assist in distributing the Coop’s pasture-raised and field-harvested bison, Henry and Village Earth partnered with a local entrepreneur who markets the products online and sells throughout northern Colorado. Today, even the smallest producer can find a market for their meat through the Cooperative.

The financial and cultural implications of this work for the Lakota families cannot be underestimated. About two-thirds of the reservation’s lands have been leased for generations, stripping the families of their connection to their land as well as economic opportunity -- leasing the land brings only one-third of the potential profit that working the land can offer. Additionally, the reservation has been identified as “food insecure,” with little access to fresh, healthy food and a history of related medical issues that result. The production of fresh bison meat has given members of the Lakota access to nutritious protein. To further the goal of supplying fresh healthy food to its community, the Lakota Buffalo Caretakers Cooperative recently created the Tatanka Talo project to help the elderly members of the reservation by distributing fresh meat to them.

The Wave of the Future Award: AmpleHarvest.org, Newfoundland NJ
Gary Oppenheimer, Founder & Executive Director

In 2010 America had 50+million “food insecure” people living in our country; the same year, more than 40 million Americans grew fruit, vegetables and herbs in home and community gardens. Two years earlier, when Gary had become the director of a community garden, he discovered that local food pantries and shelters rarely had access to fresh vegetables or fruit. Gary did some research and discovered that an outdated, hierarchical delivery system of donated food -- including fresh fruits and veggies -- is first routed to a community’s regional food bank before it’s delivered, days or weeks later, to local pantries. It was then that Gary created AmpleHarvest.org, an innovative internet model that fights hunger and improves nutrition for the under-served by connecting fresh food produced by home and community gardens directly to local organizations that help feed their community.

AmpleHarvest.org is the nation’s only registry of food pantries. And the need was so dire that within one years of its launch, more than 2,000 food pantries across all 50 states had registered to receive locally-grown produce, providing an estimated 3 million pounds of fresh food to local pantries. Today, the site serves more than 4,300 food pantries nationwide and is growing at a consistent rate of about 70 more each week. In addition, the AmpleHarvest.org website is a go-to primer for those who want to learn more about hunger in America and how they can help. The inspiring work of AmpleHarvest.org was highlighted last year when CNN named Gary Oppenheimer one of their CNN Heroes for his work as a Community Crusader and when First Lady Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” campaign asked AmpleHarvest.org to be one of their partners. AmpleHarvest.org has since been added to the White House website.

Glynwood

Glynwood

Glynwood is one of the nation’s leading sustainable agriculture and food organizations, with a mission to save farming by strengthening farm communities and regional food systems. Founded in 1995 and located in the Hudson Valley, Glynwood operates its own 225-acre farm, which models sustainable farming practices, conducts science-based soil and pasture restoration, and trains young farmers.

To further its mission, Glynwood conceives and implements community-based programs like Keep Farming®, and tackles infrastructure challenges such as the shortage of slaughterhouse facilities so that small to mid-size farmers can thrive and supply local and regional food systems. Through a national and international network of like-minded professionals and organizations, Glynwood gathers, develops, tests and shares innovative ideas and initiatives from around the world that may be effective in local communities in the Northeast and other regions of the country. In addition, the organization sponsors conferences, educational programs and public events to further a sustainable and robust food system. In 2010, Glynwood founded The Glynwood Institute as an incubator for ideas and action, a "creative action-tank" that develops and promotes realistic solutions to critical issues within the food system.

Glynwood's main programs:

• Keep Farming® is Glynwood's unique, step-by-step program for empowering communities to develop and implement plans to support local farming and conserve farmland.
• Glynwood Farm tests, innovates, and teaches techniques that demonstrate the economic viability of environmentally sustainable farming. With 225 acres in the Hudson Valley, it is a real-world model of farming practices that seek to optimize production while operating as an ecological unit.
• The Apple Project: Saving Orchards with Apples, is stimulating ‘apple entrepreneurship’ in the Hudson Valley by encouraging the diversification of apple varieties, promoting the production of high-value hard cider and spirits, giving growers new resources for knowledge and skill, and supporting a growing market for hard cider and apple spirits.
• Modular Harvest System™ is a revolutionary mobile system that is modeling the solution to the severe shortage of humane and high-quality meat processing facilities for pasture raised livestock - a solution that will benefit farmers, consumers, communities and the environment.
• The Harvest Awards honors farmers, organizations, and businesses across the United States for innovation and leadership in sustainable agriculture and regional food systems.
• The Glynwood Institute is a creative action-tank working to shift the U.S. to regional sustainable food and farming through its public programs like TEDxManhattan: Changing the Way We Eat.

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