A Look Forward to 2021

If 2020 has any positives, it is that many people have realized that food security starts at home. Local farmers and community farmers markets saw an increase in local food sales this year and more people are seeking to raise and grow their own food.

This year has also seen a steady increase in new members for SBFNH. This is not a coincidence.

While we had to cancel most of our workshops for 2020, with the announcement of new vaccines, we are starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Though I’m sure that “normal” is still several months away, we are hoping that we will be able to start up our in-person workshops again next year.

With a focus on helping new and beginner farmers, we want to recreate many of the hands-on workshops we’ve done in the past.

For 2021 we are looking at workshops focused on:

· Poultry raising and processing including training on the MPU equipment. (More on this below)

· A gardening series including raised bed gardening, extending the growing season with hoop houses, seed saving techniques, and soil management including vermicomposting.

· Dairy goat workshops including raising goats and milking goats with a workshop on building your own milking machine.

We are happy to announce we now have a second MPU to rent in the Tri-county area. This unit will be located in Gilmanton to serve the many farmers we have in this area.

We also have a nine draw Excalibur Dehydrator we will be adding to our rental list. This is a great way to test drive one of these dehydrators before spending the money to purchase one of your own.

You can find more equipment for rent on the documents page of our website.

We will continue to work on bulk buys with the first being our potato bulk buy in progress now. This past year has seen many products sold out and we want to get a jump on spring planting. We will also be looking to do our garlic bulk buy through the same company.

Keep an eye on your in box and our website for more updates.

We hope 2021 is a great year for all.

Sincerely,

Cindy Shea

SBFNH – Tri County Leader