ABOVE: Santa Barbara and Ventura County farmers touring Abbott Ranch in Carpinteria at the Farmer Gathering hosted by SBCFAN, CAFF, and CalCAN on November 20, 2021.
CREDIT: Katya Baty |
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| Hello,
Winter is fleeting, as it often is in California and throughout our coastal county. Santa Barbara County’s unique micro-climates allow for so much to be produced here this time of year while other parts of the country struggle to get the bare necessities to take root: winter crops such as celery root, beets, hard squash, bok choy, collards, cilantro, and citrus abound. As lobster season comes to a close, fishermen are reeling in halibut, seabass, and dozens of varieties of cod and rockfish. Soon ranchers will bring lamb to the market, a sign that spring is just around the corner.
As we welcome spring, we look forward to gathering with food system actors like you to listen, learn, and share resources.
If you’re a food producer, don’t miss CAFF’s Regional Farmer Gathering – it’s sure to be a valuable day of networking and knowledge sharing. If you’re working in education, consider checking out the School Wellness Summit, where participants will learn how to foster a culture of health and wellness in their school community. Everyone is welcome to attend the Annual Seed Swap, an incredible day of education, seed sharing, and community. And mark your calendars for May 16-22, 2022 when SBCFAN will co-host countywide food system talks and farm tours at the Taste of Santa Barbara. (See below for details on all events.)
We can’t wait to see you.
Eat well,
Shakira Miracle, Executive Director
Santa Barbara County Food Action Network
P.S. Do you have an upcoming event that you’d like us to help promote? Add it to the community calendar and we’ll make sure to share it on our social channels. |
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Community Alliance with Family Farmers
Virtual Conference and Regional Gathering
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| The California Small Farm Conference features over 50 virtual workshops, webinars, interactive forums, and in-person events for farmers, ranchers, and food advocates who support them. Entry to this year’s conference is on a pay-what-you-can basis. Learn more and register.Join SBCFAN at the in-person Regional Farmer Gathering on March 3, 2022 from 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. at McGrath Family Farm in Ventura. Rodale Institute, McGrath Family Farm, and Farmivorewill host a Soil Health and Extreme Drought Field Day for food producers. Learn more and register.
The Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF), one of our critical food system partners, advocates for California family farms, environmental regeneration, and equitable, resilient local food systems. Stay tuned for future collaborative events. |
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Santa Barbara County School Wellness Council
School Wellness Summit
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| The Santa Barbara County School Wellness Summit is on Wednesday, March 2, 2022 from 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. at Hotel Corque in Solvang. Local education authorities will have the opportunity to network with colleagues and attend trainings on nutrition promotion, management and leadership, Local School Wellness Policy (LSWP), and workplace wellness. Learn more and register. |
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Santa Barbara Permaculture Network
14th Annual Seed Swap
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| Join SBCFAN at the Santa Barbara Community Seed Swap on March 20, 2022 from 11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. at the Santa Barbara Community Arts Workshop. Share and receive seeds and knowledge, connect with other local food system actors, and learn from a host of guest speakers. Learn more. |
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Santa Barbara Culinary Experience
Taste of Santa Barbara
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ABOVE: Showing off the harvest at Elder Flat Farm in Los Alamos.
CREDIT: Colin Dewell |
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| SBCFAN is excited to partner with the Julia Child Foundation and Santa Barbara Culinary Experience for their Taste of Santa Barbara event on May 16-22, 2022. From panel discussions to food producer-led talks and farm tours, we hope you join us for countywide opportunities to engage with our local food system. Learn more and stay tuned for details. |
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Brighter Future Fund Grant Program
Applications reviewed on a rolling basis
Who should apply: BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, women farmers and ranchers
The American Farmland Trust is offering a second round of funding from the Brighter Future Fund. Awards up to $5,000 each will be distributed to California farmers to help improve farm viability, adopt regenerative practices, access, transfer, or permanently protect farmland, or access professional services and pay for equipment or infrastructure costs. Learn more and apply.CDFA Healthy Soils Incentive Program
Open until February 25, 2022
Who should apply: farmers, ranchers
The goal of the Healthy Soils Program (HSP) Incentives Program is to provide financial assistance to California growers and ranchers for the implementation of conservation management that improves soil health, sequesters carbon, and reduces greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Growers and ranchers may request up to $100,000 to implement on-farm healthy soils practices. Learn more and apply.
2022 Lunch at the Library Program
Open until March 10, 2022
Who should apply: California public libraries
The goal of Lunch at the Library is to help libraries provide free summer meals and programming at library sites, and take pop-up libraries to other community-based meal sites like parks and schools. This program also provides free books to help children build home libraries, summer reading and learning programs for children and teens, and health and wellness programs for families. Up to $800,000 of funding is available. Learn more and apply.
Fertilizer Research and Education Program
Ongoing
Who should apply: individual, non-profits, public agencies, tribal governments
The Fertilizer Research and Education Program (FREP) funds and facilitates research to advance the environmentally safe and agronomically sound use and handling of fertilizing materials. FREP invites research, education, and outreach project proposals in three priority areas: Improving Input Management, Understanding Plant-Soil Processes, and Evaluating Loss Pathways. Learn more and apply.
Review all food system opportunities on SBCFAN’s Classified Advertisements page. |
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