Tufail Ahmad Receives Neal Potter Path of Achievement Award
Congratulations to MCA board member Tufail Ahmad on the 2012 Neal Potter Path of Achievement Award! Read on…
Neal Potter Path of Achievement Award
Established in 1998 to honor volunteers aged 60 and older, the award was renamed in 2009 in memory of former County Councilmember, County Executive and longtime civic activist Neal Potter.The award is presented in partnership with Montgomery County’s Commission on Aging and The Beacon newspaper.
Tufail Ahmad has been a community leader in Montgomery County for 40 years. He has earned the respect, trust and confidence of the community through his consistent efforts to bridge the gap between Muslim Americans and the larger community. Recognizing the need for Muslim Americans to play a vital role in redefining their identity after 9/11, Ahmad initiated a dialogue between diverse groups to design grassroots initiatives and consequently, co-founded Montgomery County Muslim Council (MCMC). The organization pursues equal social, economic, educational and political development opportunities for all County residents. He also spearheaded other community-wide efforts to help those in need.
Tufail Ahmad has been a community leader in Montgomery County for 40 years. He has earned the respect, trust and confidence of the community through his consistent efforts to bridge the gap between Muslim Americans and the larger community. Recognizing the need for Muslim Americans to play a vital role in redefining their identity after 9/11, Ahmad initiated a dialogue between diverse groups to design grassroots initiatives and consequently, co-founded Montgomery County Muslim Council (MCMC). The organization pursues equal social, economic, educational and political development opportunities for all County residents. He also spearheaded other community-wide efforts to help those in need.
May 24th – Shop at any MC Whole Foods & help the Reserve…grow!
MCA’s Work Recognized with Wayne Goldstein Award!
We are pleased to announce that the Montgomery County Civic Federation, a non-profit supporting civic engagement and good government in MoCo since 1925, is honoring MCA with the Wayne Goldstein Award. The award is given each year to honor an individual or group for outstanding public service to the people of Montgomery County.
Many thanks to the folks at MCCF for the nonor – we will continue to work hard to live up to it!
More info on the award’s history here.
Right to Farm-SB 1100 Does Not Pass
First the bad news- despite the best efforts of a coalition of more than 20 organizations and the backing of many sponsors and most importantly, the calls and emails of our members, neither MC 16-12, HB 722 or SB 1100- all bills seeking to protect farming from being prohibited in the Reserve under homeowner covenants- passed the General Assembly before the end of the 2012 session. Read all the background here.
We would like to thank sponsors Senators Montgomery, Garagiola , Frosh, Madaleno and Raskin. Along with Delegates Lee, Mizeur, and Miller. Got a minute- say thanks!
The following organizations were steadfast partners in pushing for these bills: Audubon Naturalist Society, 1000 Friends of Maryland, Environment Maryland, League of Women Voters, Montgomery County Civic Federation, Conservation Montgomery, Montgomery Victory Gardens, Maryland Horse Council, Montgomery Farm Bureau, Montgomery County Ag Advisory Committee, Sugarloaf Citizens’ Association, growingSoul, Manna Foods, Izaak Walton League, Montgomery Soil Conservation District, Mixed Greens Inc., Montgomery County Park and Planning, Montgomery County Council, Montgomery County.
But… we remain undaunted and next session we will be seeking state level recognition of the public policy behind the Reserve- the underpinnings of the right to farm bills taken up this session. This will be a powerful step in cementing the Reserve as a place with purpose, and that purpose is farming.
It is clear that more needs to be done to show the importance of the Reserve to our representatives in Annapolis- even some who represent the county itself are unaware of its history or even existence. And so we redouble our efforts and rely on all our supporters and the allies that do get it- like Delegate Mizeur:
“The agriculturally-based principles we are working hard to advance in the legislature – buying local food and other products, preserving open spaces, protecting the environment through sustainable agriculture, and safeguarding Maryland’s agricultural history – are only achievable if Maryland family farmers are given the ability to operate successfully. Hampering that ability, especially in regions like the County Agricultural Reserve specifically created for farming, would be harmful for our agricultural future.” - Delegate Mizeur- MoCo District 20
Thanks for your Support
Maryland the First State to Ban Arsenic in Chicken Feed
A victory for Maryland, and for Chickens
As the 2012 General Assembly session ended this week- we are pleased to announce that one very important bill made it through at the last minute.
Maryland joins the EU and Canada in banning arsenic additives in chicken feed- used to make bigger, pinker birds. Arsenic exposure has been linked to diabetes, heart disease and cancer. Use of the additive has already been discontinued by the Purdue chicken comany and McDonalds.
The additive is currently banned at the federal level while the FDA investigates its effect (really?). Pfizer, the maker of the compound, has suspended production but farmers with stockpiled supplies have continued to use it. As a result of the bill’s passage, no matter what the FDA finds, Maryland chicken will be arsenic free from now on.
Three cheers to the Food and Water Watch that lead this campaign and the state representatives that passed this bill!
Local Handcrafted Cutting Boards For Sale
maple, walnut, cherry and oak, locally harvested and crafted
boards made from maple, walnut, cherry, and oak harvested by municipal crews in MoCo and the District. Boards are 8″ x 14″ and 5″ x 8″ and will stand up to years of wear. Small ones are $15.00 and larger ones are $20.00. Part of each purchase goes to support MCA! Contact Chris at: woodsurgeon@juno.com to purchase. Farming at Metro’s Edge Conference- full brochure!
MCA has been involved with several local groups and both Frederick and Montgomery Counties to plan a farming conference called Farming at Metro’s Edge: Sustaining Agriculture in Montgomery and Frederick Counties. Learn more and support the conference by checking out this printable brochure or the Conference website.
WIC Training for Farmers
From our friends at Future Harvest:
Q: FARMERS: Are You Leaving Money at Your Farmers Markets?
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A: You might be if you are not certified to serve shoppers using federal nutrition benefits.
The newest benefit program eligible for use at farmers markets is the WIC Fruit and Vegetable Check (FVC). More than $11 million in FVCs circulate in Maryland each year, dwarfing the $487,000 in the better-known WIC Farmers Market Nutrition Program (FMNP). However, only 0.1% of the FVC redemptions in Maryland in 2010 were at farmers markets.
WIC FMNP vouchers provide a flat $20 for the entire market season per recipient. Recipients of WIC FVC receive between $6 and $15 every month, all year-round, to use for the purchase of fresh fruits and vegetables, a total of $72-$180 per year. With more than 144,000 WIC households in Maryland, if you are selling at farmers markets and you don’t accept WIC FVC, you are potentially leaving money on the table and cutting a significant number of shoppers out of your customer base.
One reason farmers are not getting a larger slice of this pie: only half the market vendors who are certified to accept WIC FMNP have also become certified to accept WIC FVC. With so few farmers accepting the FVCs, recipients haven’t realized they can bring their FVCs to market and use them in addition to their FMNP vouchers. While we all hope to see more integration of the various benefits programs in the future, why forfeit the potential revenue stream now?
Future Harvest CASA is making it easier for farmers to get certified to accept WIC FVC and to learn from other farmers at a market with high redemption rates. Our Waverly Market Tour and Workshop will offer a compact 1-2 hour FMNP (WIC and Seniors) & WIC FVC certification session following the market tour. Register now for this free event. (This event will also be offered at the Crossroads Farmers Market in Takoma Park, MD, in June.)
Saturday, March 24 – 9 am – 12 pmMarket Tour and Workshop:
Increase Your Farmers Market Revenue
with WIC FVC and FMNP
Waverly/32nd Street Market – Baltimore, MD
Registration: FREE, but required
Meet at the Market Manager’s tent, 32nd St & Barclay St
MoCo to protect Ag Reserve Easement Fund
The Gazette reported on the Council’s move to shift some of the Reserve’s costs to the General fund to cover a gap in funding for Ag Easements.
Ag Services Director Jeremy Criss says that there are 9,000 more acres of the Reserve that could be protected under these easements. Learn more about the easements here.
Balt Sun Op-Ed: Ban Arsenic in MD Chicken Feed
Arsenic in Chicken Feed? Yes its true, even though the FDA pulled the arsenic-laden chicken feed ingredient Roxarsone off the market last year while they investigate its safety (really?), most Maryland chicken farms are against a ban. This Op-Ed in the Baltimore Sun suggests that MD farmers are missing a huge opportunity to use a ban to tout their chicken as safer and healthier than that from surrounding states while the FDA takes its time to decide if a known poison has a place in our food system.