Frostburg Grows Connect

Amidst soil clad tools and muddy puddles we have trundled

ambitiously this summer, working on new projects on the farm and in

the community. With new local buyers in the market and volunteer

dill, squash, and amaranth in our compost pile, we are diversifying

our harvest this season. Some of the vibrant additions to the farm

include broccoli, parsley, kale, swiss chard, onions and salsify, a root

vegetable described to taste like an artichoke heart- yet to be

confirmed. Amongst some of the better fairing crops that have made

it into local business including SHiFT and Dantes, there have been

some failed experiments as well. The tunnels proved too hot for our

snow peas and burgundy beans which scorched in a matter of days in

the high sun, while our bok choy and giant mustard proved too tasty,

a free lunch for the flea beetles.

There is a steep learning curve on the farm. Results are slow

to surface and the number of tries is limited. A farmer is restricted in

the number of times he can alter his methods to sowing crop or

rotating fields to perhaps 120 times in a 60 year career. Compare this

to a pianist who in preparation for an ensemble may practice a piece

hundreds of times over in a single month! Here lies the significance

of passing the knowledge we glean on the farm, to others and the

reason behind Frostburg Grows mission to increase the number of

growers in the region through training and workshops.

There is huge potential in expanding local foods reach to

educational institutions like schools and hospitals and big box stores.

Part of this food systems puzzle is creating or finding the demand and

then meeting it with supply.

Frostburg Grows is HIRING an AmeriCorps member for

2015/2016!

This is a full-time AmeriCorps position with a one year contract, totaling 1,700 hours (35 hours/ week).Major duties will be to assist with:

1. Operation and maintenance of high tunnel greenhouses and composting

2. Operation and maintenance of the shade house and tree nursery operations

3. Planning and coordination of volunteer work days and educational events at the site

4. Monitoring and data recording for tree seedling, food production and other operations

5. Providing education for community members on healthy living linked to growing, preparing and eating fresh local fruits and vegetables and sustainability

Go to FrostburgGrows for more information or email dafiscus@frostburg.edu

FrostburgGrows.com FB Frostburg Grows Email cbarmstrong@frostburg.edu

New Farm Staff! Michael Myers has been a sustainable food advocate

since working on a medium scale farm in Salisbury, MD

in 2007. Since then, he has worked on and visited

different farms in MD and WV, deepening his

understanding and appreciation of the connection

between the soil and human health. He returned to

finish his education at Frostburg University in 2011,

earning a BS in History. It is Michael's conviction that

sustainable food systems can transform our society and

culture in powerful ways while also providing important

benefits to the natural environment in which they exist

by promoting biodiversity and healthy ecosystems.

Upcoming Projects During this significantly wetter than average summer, we have been fortunate enough to maintain high levels of

water for irrigation on the farm. While local farmers are facing crop decay and too-wet-to-work soils, we have

been able to better control the conditions of our beds, which are housed within high tunnels. It is uncertain

whether in the years to come this climate pattern will intensify, plateau, or dramatically shift. As farmers,

relying on the climate and our soils, we build for resiliency and adapt. Beginning late summer, we will be

installing a french drain, Storm Water Collection System at Frostburg Grows that will add 40,000 gallons of

rain water to our current water storage capacity. The added environmental benefits are the hundreds of

thousands of gallons that will be diverted from running off and destabilizing soils, dumping sediment into water

bodies, and percolating through old mines picking and emptying into Braddock Run and Wills Creek as acid mine

drainage.

What better to do with all this water than start our Aquaponics

operation! Having built 4 completed tanks so far, we are on track so

finish the construction of our aquaponics system this Fall. By combining

conventional aquaponics, fish farming, and hydroponics, cultivating

plants in water, in a symbiotic environment. Excretions from the

animals being raised will be fed to a hydroponic system where the

by-products are broken down and used as nutrients by the plants.

The water is then recirculated back into the aquaculture tanks. Example of recirculating Aquaponics system

http://www.popularwoodworkingprojects.com

Another project we will be pursuing in the Fall is the development of a Food Council for Allegany, Garrett

and Washington Counties. Funded by the Town Creek Foundation, this project will work to assess the needs of

the region as related to local production, processing centers, markets, and buyers. Through community

charrettes, surveys, and other methods of data aggregation, we will map the current food system and work to

foster new collaboration to increase local food production and consumption while supporting agricultural and

other private industries.

Jules Hong is working with us this summer as an

AmeriCorps Member. It is not her first time devoting

many waking hours to growing and thinking about

food. She initially moved to the area to attend

Frostburg State University and study the relationships

people have cultivated with the earth; what theyve

grown, how they used it, and how those relationships

have changed us. Above all she desires to continue an

ongoing relationship with the earth; Getting back to

nature and sustaining myself in this world is my way

of saying thank you for my existence and health, and

farming is the only existence in which I've felt this

sense of wholeness.

Allegany County STEM Allegany Coal and Land Allegany County Solid Waste Management Board AmeriCorps and ASTAR! in Western Maryland American Rivers Appalachian Regional Commission City of Frostburg Chesapeake Conservation Corps C&S Landscaping EPA Deep Creek Lavender Farm Frostburg First Frostburg Lunch Box Frostburg State University Garrett Growers Georges Creek Watershed Association H.F. Lenz and Sean Kozielec Maryland Conservation Corps Maryland Department of Natural Resources Maryland State Highway Administration Mountain City Traditional Arts Native Plant Society Presidents Advisory Council on Sustainability (FSU) Ron Graunke (Professional Nurseryman) Rural Maryland Council Sierra Club (FSU) State Highway Administration Sustainability Awareness Society (FSU) University of Maryland Extension Western Maryland Resource Conservation & Development Council Wildlife Society (FSU)

Volunteer Groups APO, DPO Sororities/Fraternities Bishop Walsh Catholic School Chesapeake Conservation Corps Catholic Heart Work Camp ECHOSTARS Maryland FSU Sustainability 155 FSU Physical Geography FSU Physics and Engineering Club Westminster Venturing Crew Amongst many others!

Local Farms Back Bone Farm Cedar Rock/Leaning Pine Goodness Grows DeBerry Farm Five Aces Breeding Higsons Farm Lavender Farms Savage River Farm Working H Farm

Businesses A Place To Eat Dantes El Canelo Giuseppes Frostburg Freeze The Draft SHiFT

Please help support our non-profit sustainable farm, tree nursery and education center to

continue to innovate and share our practices within Western Maryland and beyond. We are

currently largely subsistent on grant funding and could use your support, whether in the form of

a monetary gift or time commitment.

You can make a tax deductible gift by:

Mail: Fill out the form below and make checks payable to the Frostburg State University Foundation at 101 Braddock Road, Frostburg, MD 21532 . Include Frostburg Grows in memo line Phone: 301- 687- 4161 (we accept all 4 major credit cards) Online: www.frostburg.edu/makeagift (indicate Frostburg Grows as donation recipient) In person: 20 E. Main Street, Frostburg, MD 21532

I believe that People, the Economy, and the Environment must support one another.

Enclosed is my tax deductible donation of $ _______________

Name: _______________________________________________

Address: _______________________________________________

Phone: _______________________________________________

Email: _______________________________________________

Get Involved or Request a Tour! Volunteer opportunities are always available whether you

are interested in coming up for a day, once a week or working on a project for a longer term.

Tours can be set up by reservation. Contact Corey Armstrong at cbarmstrong@frostburg.edu or

at 301- 687-3136, or message us on Facebook for more information or to set up a tour/volunteer

hours