WHOLE CROPS HARVEST
Stay tuned for 2019 plans!
In Fall of 2018 World Wildlife Fund supported Whole Crops in a pilot project to develop an Educational Program and Harvest Team to work with farms in Maine to measure, harvest, and market surplus crops.
FARM SERVICE: The Whole Crops Harvest Team will select five farms to measure surplus and assess the business opportunity of any given crop left behind in the field. Leveraging a network of buyers being developed through a USDA Local Food Promotions Grant "Scaling for Growth in the Portland Foodshed" the team will find business opportunities for crops based on the measurement assessment.
Download the Whole Crops Harvest Pilot Report.
HARVEST TEAM:
-
Training: Whole Crops Harvest Team members will be trained in harvest methodology and will be expected to follow established protocol to ensure a high quality of work. Training will be online with videos, and in-field during harvest, with a one day training with Whole Crops Harvest Method author.
-
Location: Whole Crops Harvest team will work with five select farms in different areas around the Portland Foodshed and match team members to locations best suited to them.
-
Transportation: You may be asked to use your own vehicle to reach the harvest locations and possibly work with your institution for other transportation options such as College or University Vans. *You will not be asked to transport food unless you are volunteering for a food security organization.
-
Compensation: Payment may be provided through Work Study, Internship, or other programs through educational institutions, as well as by Whole Crops depending on the student.
-
Timeframe: Whole Crops Harvest Team members will be given a choice to be on call or establish a weekly schedule for half day harvest service depending on team schedule needs.
Whole Crops Harvest Measurement Protocol: developed by Lisa Johnson as part of a USDA SARE grant.
Community Gleaning Systems
Working with the Hancock County Food Security Network, supported by Healthy Acadia and UMaine Cooperative Extension (Ellsworth), I designed a farm-to-pantry gleaning program that revolves around shared infrastructure and trust-based self-managed distribution in three different locations Mount Desert Island, Ellsworth and Blue Hill. For some food pantries whose operations are too far from the shared infrastructure hubs we chose to develop direct relationships with farms or farmers' markets, and recruited volunteers to support the gleaning systems.
Feeding the 5000 Portland, ME
Through my relationship to Feedback and just as Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-ME) announced her work on food waste, we got started on Feeding the 5000 in Portland, ME. Co-led by Healthy Acadia, Natural Resources Council of Maine and Cumberland County Food Security Council, this event made its way into 24 media and news channels, and has impacted how Maine's food economy perceives surplus food on farms, and wasted food in food business and homes. Since the event, a Food Recovery Coalition, evolving from the event's organizing team, continues to meet every month, facilitated by Deborah Bicknell, of Deborah Bicknell Consulting.
Contact: hannahmsemler@gmail.com to get involved.
Maine Gleaning Network
A project supported by Healthy Acadia and UMaine Cooperative Extension, bringing together organizations statewide to collaborate on developing efficient and safe farm-to-pantry food rescue systems. Activities include a monthly informational and resource sharing online event, joined by an average of 15 Maine-based organizations, as well scheduled participation from food recovery organizations around the country. The Maine Gleaning Network organized two successful statewide gleaning events in 2016 recovering 20,000lbs of food, as well as participated in the Feeding the 5000 event and in 2017 organized the Maine Gleaning Week rescuing 18,00lbs of food in a week across Maine.
FOOD RESCUE
Maine Gleaning Network
A project supported by Healthy Acadia and UMaine Cooperative Extension, bringing together organizations statewide to collaborate on developing efficient and safe farm-to-pantry food rescue systems. Activities include a monthly informational and resource sharing online event, joined by an average of 15 Maine-based organizations, as well scheduled participation from food recovery organizations around the country. The Maine Gleaning Network organized two successful statewide gleaning events in 2016 recovering 20,000lbs of food, as well as participated in the Feeding the 5000 event and in 2017 organized the Maine Gleaning Week rescuing 18,00lbs of food in a week across Maine.
Feeding the 5000 Portland, ME
Through my relationship to Feedback and just as Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-ME) announced her work on food waste, we got started on Feeding the 5000 in Portland, ME. Co-led by Healthy Acadia, Natural Resources Council of Maine and Cumberland County Food Security Council, this event made its way into 24 media and news channels, and has impacted how Maine's food economy perceives surplus food on farms, and wasted food in food business and homes. Since the event, a Food Recovery Coalition, evolving from the event's organizing team, continues to meet every month, facilitated by Deborah Bicknell, of Deborah Bicknell Consulting.
Contact: hannahmsemler@gmail.com to get involved.
Community Gleaning Systems
Working with the Hancock County Food Security Network, supported by Healthy Acadia and UMaine Cooperative Extension (Ellsworth), I designed a farm-to-pantry gleaning program that revolves around shared infrastructure and trust-based self-managed distribution in three different locations Mount Desert Island, Ellsworth and Blue Hill. For some food pantries whose operations are too far from the shared infrastructure hubs we chose to develop direct relationships with farms or farmers' markets, and recruited volunteers to support the gleaning systems.