Small-scale Organic Egg ProductionBob Thompson of the certified-organic ThompsonFarms produces organic eggs for three NewMexico farmers’ markets. In this session Bob willdiscuss all aspects of organic egg production fromcleaning up fields at the end of harvest, to favoritebreeds, to feeding and housing.

Other workshops include: Student Farmers:What They’ve Learned; Fine Tuning Composting;Managing Mammal Marauders; Under Glass:Greenhouse Pest Management; 10 Things to KnowAbout Getting Certified Organic; Managing SoilSalinity; Something New: Teff, Guar, Hops;Understanding Your Water Rights; Destocking andRestocking: How to Weather It; The LegumeReport: Top Green Manures; A Helping Hand forPollinators; Heirloom Chile Varieties; GrazingManagement in Times of Drought; Fruit TreeGrafting; Building Pest-Suppressive Farms;Looking at Inputs for Organic Production; StartingUp a Small Dairy; Navigating the LivestockMarketing Maze; Bring in the Bees; Fruit inUncertain Times: Organic Orchard Managementin Times of Drought; Food Safety Update;Feathered Friends; Cultivating Native Crops;Cooperative Marketing; Agri-Tourism; and LandRestoration.

On Friday evening from 6-8PM in the YucatanRoom enjoy a Winter Mixer that brings togetherfarmers and gardeners of all ages for a fun socialevent complete with organic wine and beer, andgreat music by Wildewood. Sponsored by the RioGrande Farmers Coalition, please RSVP towww.riograndefarmers.org. Then on Saturday,participants will feast on local and organic food ata luncheon recognizing the New Mexico OrganicFarmer of the Year. Farm to Table, the NewMexico Department of Agriculture, and NewMexico State University Cooperative ExtensionService organize the conference. La Montanita Co-op, Skarsgard Farms, New Mexico Farm andLivestock Bureau, Santa Fe Farmers’ MarketInstitute and the Silver City Food Co-op sponsorthe gathering.

Registration for the conference, includingSaturday’s luncheon, is $100. For more informa-tion call 505-889-9921, or look for conferencecatalogues at the Co-op. For hotel reservations,call 877-622-3056 by January 30. Say you arepart of the Organic Conference to get the specialroom rate. HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!

FARMING in a LESS PREDICTABLEENVIRONMENTBY JOANIE QUINN, NEW MEXICO DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

ORGANIC PROGRAM

Registration Open NOW! Join organic farmers, ranchers,market gardeners and researchers for the New MexicoOrganic Farming Conference at the Albuquerque Marriott

Pyramid, February 14-15.

Dr. Margaret Hiza Redsteer leads off with the keynote “Is It Drought orIs This the New Normal?” Hiza Redsteer has spent yearsresearching the effects of climate change in the southwestand is the lead author for a chapter in the 2014 Report ofthe International Panel on Climate Change. HizaRedsteer’s look at the future of climate in the southwestwill set the stage for a conference focused on farming in adrier and less predictable land. Thirty-six workshop ses-sions will cover a wide range of topics. Highlightsinclude:

Tapping Into the Wisdom of the Desert:Sustainably Growing Food in the Face of ClimateChange and Water Scarcity. Over the next half century,climate change will dramatically affect which wild foodplants can be integrated into edible landscaping andwhich horticultural crop varieties reach optimum qualityin nearly every foodscape in North America. Our plantselection options in each microclimate will be radically reworked bydeclining chill hours, extreme summer temperatures, the changed fre-quency of tropical storms, and extended droughts. By surveying theworld's desert horticultural oases for such adaptations, Gary PaulNabhan, author of the recently published Growing Food in a Hotter,Drier Land, offers a variety of ready-to-implement acclimations to cli-mate change that have been tested over centuries by food producersamong diverse desert cultures. Gary will be available to sign his new bookimmediately following the session.

Farming in Drought: Water Harvesting for FarmersAfter a bone-dry winter New Mexico got most of its average annualrainfall in one week in September. Water Harvesting? Hmmmm. BillyKniffen has been a director and education coordinator for theAmerican Rainwater Catchment Systems Association (ARCSA) andhelped organize the Texas Rainwater Catchment Association, servingas its first president.

Top Tomatoes: An Integrated SystemCertified organic farmer Tom Hyden of Rhubarb Ranch in SanAntonio, New Mexico, has worked for years to create an integrated sys-tem for production of tomatoes and this year he hit the jackpot. Tomwill detail all aspects of the system from variety selection to trellising tonutrient management and harvesting.

Trap Cropping: What Works and Why + Invasive InsectUpdates (Bagrada, Drosophila, Brown Marmorated Stink Bug)Trap crops can be a great way to keep insect pests off your market crop.Trap crops can also become a nightmarish incubator for those pests. Dr.Tess Grasswitz, Integrated Pest Management Specialist at NMSU’s LosLunas Ag Science Center, and 2012 Organic Farming Educator of theYear, will take on this tricky technique and provide guidance for suc-cessful trap cropping for common southwestern pests.

A Farm Travelogue: Sustainable Agriculture in theUkraineThis special treat for conference participants features Dr. Ron Godin,2010 Organic Farming Educator of the Year, and Colorado StateUniversity Extension Agronomist for Organic and Sustainable Agri-culture, on lessons from farmers on the other side of the world. For thelast decade Ron has spent time every year working with farmers in theUkraine. Poor in cash and technology, these farmers have generations ofexperience behind their practices that stem from working with nature andits resources to produce a crop. Ron thinks they can teach us a lot.

Farming in Drought: The Nuts and Bolts ofDrip IrrigationTwo organic producers join forces to bring you a down-to-earth discussion of what’s involved in getting a dripirrigation system up and flowing, how to choose fromthe bewildering variety of systems, sizing pumps, wells,controls, fertigation, irrigating with drip through the ace-quia and using leased water. And, some kind adviceabout what to do when the kit arrives and some of thefittings just won’t fit. Wesley James of Skarsgard Farms

and Nolina Bryant of Nolina’s Heavenly Organics willtake the suspense out of switching to drip.

Grasspower: Farming with Draft AnimalsPrice of diesel got you down? Tired of messing withhydraulic fluid leaks? Brett Ellison from Las Trampas,New Mexico, and Kyle Skaggs of Frisco Farm inPleasanton, New Mexico, invite you to take a look at amore sustainable and enjoyable method of getting theheavy work of farming done.

Reduced-Tillage Ecological WeedManagementHelen Atthowe of Woodleaf Farm, long-time organicfarmer and researcher, compares two long-term, organ-ic farms which are successfully using Ecological WeedManagement and reduced tillage tools/strategies on theground for managing weeds.

Selecting Seeds to Achieve Desired TraitsSaving seeds is not only an economical choice fororganic farmers, but allows producers to improve qual-ities such as drought tolerance, resulting in crops thatare better suited to the southwest. Nels Lund of HighMowing Seeds will help you produce viable seeds forimproved production.

The Veteran Farmer Projectcontinues to grow both literallyand figuratively. With nearly 30cold frames covering our gardenproject at the Alvarado UrbanFarm in downtown Albuquerque,planting the early spring cropsstarted just after the New Year. Weare looking forward to harvestingearly beets, radishes, carrots, peas, turnips, cabbageand a host of hardy winter greens.

We are also growing our collective skill base with ourwinter season offering of a classroom series on WholeFarm Planning. This series of five classes includesfarm decision making, financial planning, resourcemanagement and more. We are most pleased to haveas one of our sponsors, with special thanks to StaceyCooley, the Paul Horn YMCA. This VFP Whole FarmPlanning series of classes will be held at the “Y,”located at 4901 Indian School Road, just west of SanMateo, on Thursday afternoons from 3-5PM onJanuary 16 and 30 and February 6, 20 and 27.

Whole Farm Planning Learn the basics of developing a whole farm goal andhow to make on-farm decisions more effectively(including a special focus on financial decisions) inthis Whole Farm Planning Series. This series willfocus on helping participants manage all resourcesmore effectively (human, natural and financial).Whether you are just considering starting to farm oralready in the business, this series will help you ask

New Mexico OrganicFARMING CONFERENCE

the right questions and make the critical deci-sions to move you forward. These tools, devel-oped by Holistic Management International,

have been used by farmers and ranch-ers around the world to improve quali-ty of life, land productivity and health,and business profitability.

This series will be facilitated by AnnAdams, HMI’s Director of CommunityServices and a whole farm planningeducator for 15 years. Ann has a smallhomestead with goats and chickens inthe Manzano Mountains.

COME FOR ONE SESSION OR THE WHOLE SERIES:Jan. 16: Identifying Key Values and Resourcesfor SuccessJan. 30: Creating a Whole Farm GoalFeb. 6: Value-based Decision-MakingFeb. 20: Whole Farm Financial PlanningFeb. 27: Easy and Effective Enterprise Analysis

As always our VFP trainings are FREE andopen to veterans from all branches of service,National Guard and active duty personnel arewelcome. Space permitting, the classes are also open to the larger community. PleaseRSVP, as seating is limited, to Robin Seydelat robins@lamontanita.coop, or call 505-217-2027 or toll free at 877-775-2667.

THANK YOU!Co-op

Community!

Once again, you, our fabulous CO-OP COMMUNITY, havecome forward to show just how GREAT you are! THANKS TOYOU, nearly 600 children in need in our communities hadtheir holiday gift wishes come true. From the bottom of ourhearts we thank you again this year, for your support of this pro-gram. We are proud and honored to be able to serve a communi-ty with such a generous heart. You’re the best!

YOUR CO-OP MEMBERSHIP DEPARTMENT

MAKE A CHILD SMILE

UPDATEBY ANN ADAMS & ROBIN SEYDEL

VETERAN FARMER PROJECT 2014

FREE wintertrainings:WHOLE farm planning

PPPPRRRROOOOJJJJEEEECCCCTTTT

givingTREETHANKS!

FEBRUARY14-15

REGISTER TODAY!

healthy new year January 2014 2

La Montanita CooperativeA Community - Owned Natural Foods Grocery Store

Nob Hill 7am – 10pm M – S, 8am – 10pm Sun3500 Central SE, ABQ, NM 87106505-265-4631

Valley 7am – 10pm M – Sun2400 Rio Grande NW, ABQ, NM 87104505-242-8800

Gallup 10am – 7pm M – S, 11am – 6pm Sun105 E Coal, Gallup, NM 87301505-863-5383

Santa Fe 7am – 10pm M – S, 8am – 10pm Sun913 West Alameda, Santa Fe, NM 87501505-984-2852

Grab n’ Go 7am – 6pm M – F, 10am – 4pm SatUNM Bookstore, 2301 Central SW, ABQ, NM 87131505-277-9586

Westside 7am – 10pm M – Sun 3601 Old Airport Ave, ABQ, NM 87114505-503-2550

Cooperative Distribution Center9am – 5pm, M – F 901 Menaul NE, ABQ, NM 87107505-217-2010

Administration Offices9am – 5pm, M – F 901 Menaul NE, ABQ, NM 87107505-217-2001

Administrative Staff: 217-2001TOLL FREE: 877-775-2667 (COOP)• General Manager/Terry Bowling 217-2020terryb@lamontanita.coop• Controller/John Heckes 217-2029johnh@lamontanita.coop• Computers/Info Technology/David Varela 217-2011 tech@lamontanita.coop• Operations Manager/Bob Tero 217-2028bobt@lamontanita.coop• Human Resources/Sharret Rose 217-2023hr@lamontanita.coop• Marketing/Edite Cates 217-2024editec@lamontanita.coop• Membership/Robin Seydel 217-2027robins@lamontanita.coop• CDC/MichelleFranklin 217-2010mf@lamontanita.coop

Store Team Leaders: • Valerie Smith/Nob Hill 265-4631valeries@lamontanita.coop• John Mulle/Valley 242-8800jm@lamontanita.coop• William Prokopiak/Santa Fe 984-2852willpro@lamontanita.coop• Michael Smith/Gallup 575-863-5383michaels@lamontanita.coop• Mark Lane/Westside 505-503-2550markl@lamontanita.coop

Co-op Board of Directors:email: bod@lamontanita.coop• President: Martha Whitman• Vice President: Marshall Kovitz• Secretary: Ariana Marchello• Treasurer: Susan McAllister• Lisa Banwarth-Kuhn• Jake Garrity• Leah Rocco• Jessica Rowland• Betsy VanLeit

Membership Costs:$15 for 1 year/ $200 Lifetime Membership

Co-op Connection Staff:• Managing Editor: Robin Seydelrobins@lamontanita.coop 217-2027• Layout and Design: foxyrock inc• Cover/Centerfold: Co-op Marketing Dept.• Advertising: Sarah Wentzel-Fisher • Editorial Assistant: Sarah Wentzel-Fisher sarahwf@lamontanita.coop 217-2016• Printing: Vanguard Press

Membership information is available at all four Co-op locations, or call 217-2027 or 877-775-2667email: robins@lamontanita.coopwebsite: www.lamontanita.coop

Membership response to the newsletter is appreciated. Email the Managing Editor, robins@lamontanita.coop

Copyright ©2014La Montanita Co-op SupermarketReprints by prior permission.The Co-op Connection is printed on 65% post-consumer recycledpaper. It is recyclable.

JUICING FOR HEALTH&QUALITY OF LIFE11AM to 1PMBY JULIUS CAIN, BLACK VEGETARIAN SOCIETY

In our busy, sometimes hectic lives, it can be impractical toslow down and embrace the joys of having a healthy meal.In many instances, a persons health depends upon it and

research statistics show that many of the medical challenges peopleexperience can be reduced or eliminated by consuming a plant-based diet. The USDAs “Choose My Health Plate” denotes the dailyrecommended requirements for fruits and vegetables. For example,depending on the physical activity of a male from age 31 to 51, rec-ommended weekly consumption, amounts to two cups of dark green

vegetables, six cups of red and orange vegetables, two cups of beansand peas, six cups of starchy vegetable and five cups of other vegeta-bles. The same with adjusted amounts applies to children, girls, boysand women. How can we consume veggies, fruits, grasses (grains),nuts and seeds given the hectic pace of life? In some cases many of uslack the knowledge, time, concern or resources to access the foodsthat have much to do with augmenting a healthier lifestyle. One wayto get there is to embrace the benefits of juicing to get the nutrient-dense foods which promote one’s health and well-being.

Juicing has been around for a long time. Ordinary peoplefrom all walks of life from ancient to modern times,including Dr. Alvenia Fulton, Jack Lalanne, Dr. ArisLaTham, Dick Gregory, Norman Walker, Arnold Ehret,Edgar Cayce, Dr. Llaila O. Afrika, Dr. Max Gerson, Dr.Michael Greger, Queen Afua and many others have advo-cated the benefits of juicing, since its inception by theancient Greeks who referred to pomegranate juice as “alove potion.” The late Dr. Linus C. Pauling, a biochemist,peace activist, educator and creator of the Linus PaulingInstitute for micronutrient research for optimum healthdefineed the essential nutrient components the body andmind need to achieve optimum health.

An excerpt from the Oregon State University articletitled "Crisis in the Juice Aisle" sheds light on the chal-lenges faced when confronted with store-brought juice;

"...studies have shown that reconstituted orange juice from concentrateloses vitamin C faster than bottled juice purchased from the store.”While the chemistry is complicated, orange juice is still a good source ofvitamin C. Just keep in mind that over time vitamin C is lost. Read moreat www.blogs.oregonstate.edu/linuspaulinginstitute

Healthy EssentialsJuicing is one of the most effective ways to obtain essential nutrients.Individual testimony of its benefits are countless throughout the worldand result from the absorption of nutrients that work holistically one’sphysical and mental well-being, while promoting detoxification and theremoval of difficult to eliminate wastes. Toxins leading to candida, anovergrowth of yeast and fungus often referred to as “Leaky Gut” andother preventable debilitating physical conditions can also be mitigated

with juicing practice. Juicing provides a means toward rejuve-nating and strengthening the organs and the performance of theimmune system which supports the prevention or reduction ofeven the most common afflictions. Of course, what many peoplefind as the downside of juicing has much to do with learning tochange one’s taste, from what has been eaten for many years tothe palate that enjoys the abundance of nature’s finest; aka veg-etables and fruits. Another concern is the difficulty of letting goof refined sweeteners, salts and fats in the standard Americandiet. Also to be remembered is that there are more bathroom vis-its often associated with ridding the body of unhealthy sub-stances. While the physical affects can be quite challenging tobear at the outset, one must keep in mind that it is a natural partof the experience as the body sheds unhealthy waste.

A timeless maxim by Benjamin Franklin, “An ounce of preven-tion is worth a pound of cure,” has never been truer. Consult

your physician to ensure that learning and starting a juicing regimendoes not cause any health problems, exacerbate certain illnesses, can beutilized with medications or practices currently being addressed.

The information presented in the above article and at the JuicingWorkshop is not intended to diagnose health problems or to takethe place of professional medical care. All content, including text,graphics, images and information is for general information pur-poses only.

WINTER JUICING WORKSHOP AT THEWESTSIDE STORE, JANUARY 25

CO-OPYOU OWN IT WWOORRKKSSHHOOPP FFEEBB..88

Sponsored by the Black Vegetarian Society and LaMontanita Co-op. Start the year off right with a resolu-tion to take time to become healthier for yourself andthose you love. Bring your fresh veggies or purchasesome at the Co-op to experience, hands-on, a variety ofjuice machines and fruit and veggie juice combinations.FOR MORE INFORMATION contact Julius at events@bvsnm.org.

JUICING WORKSHOPTEST before you invest!

BY SUSAN CLAIR

Biting winds, serious snow and subfreezing temperaturesarrived before the solstice, the official first day winter.New Year’s Day and well-intended resolutions have come and

gone. And we’re still a month shy of Punxsutawney Phil’s predictionof the duration of winter’s chilling effects.What’s a high-desert New Mexican to do tokeep body and soul warm and content for afew more months?

Although New Mexico and China are ondistant continents, their inland regions aresimilar in weather extremes, and their pop-ulations often seek similar ways to stay coolduring summer months and warm duringwinter months. I have long been a propo-nent of Traditional Chinese Medicine(TCM), including acupuncture, Chineseherbs and the healing properties of foods. According to TCM, certainfoods and spices produce internal heat to counteract a cold externalenvironment or to balance the naturally cool, physical constitution ofsome people. Interestingly, some heat-producing foods are not hot intemperature but result in a warming effect when metabolized.

The Chinese system of food cures is about maintaining balance inthe human body. Although the full system is more complex than canbe described in this article, it may be helpful for you to know aboutcertain heat-generating foods than can relieve symptoms of the com-mon cold, induce perspiration, and warm your body during the cold,short days of winter. Consuming such warming foods will balancethe energy in your winter-time body.

Foods that result in a warming effect in the body include garlic,leeks, squash, peaches, sunflower seeds, raspberries, coconut, freshginger, clove, coriander, rosemary, spearmint, sweet basil, aspara-gus, dates, cinnamon twig, grapefruit peel, walnuts and cherries.

Chinese physician, herbalist and acupuncturist Sun Shu Maopublished his seminal food book, One Thousand Ounces ofGold Classic, in 652 A.D. Since then, the Chinese system hasevolved to teach us how foods can warm us in winter, cool usin summer, increase energy, tone and optimize specific organfunction, provide lubricating or drying effects, tonify deficien-cies, relieve symptoms of illness, promote circulation, andenhance general vitality. To learn more about TCM and thehealing effects of foods and herbs, I recommend Dr. Henry C.Lu’s book, Chinese System of Food Cures: Prevention &Remedies.

For the past four years, I have been helping people learn how tostay healthy through organic, plant-based nutrition. I invite youto join me at the next “Eating for Your Health” workshop onSaturday, February 8, 2014, from 10:30AM to 12:30PM at theHighland Senior Center, 131 Monroe NE (between Central andCopper). Registration is required. Seating is limited. A dona-tion of $10 is suggested, but no one will be turned away. Formore information, please contact SUSAN CLAIR: 505-281-9888/clair@nmia.com.

EATING FOR HEALTHWARM BODY AND SOUL WITH FOOD!

Eating for your

HHHHEEEEAAAALLLLTTTTHHHH!!!!

HHEEAALLTTHHYYaanndd HHHHEEEEAAAALLLLIIIINNNNGGGG!!!!

11AM-1PMJan. 25

getting creative January 2014 3

pay particular attention to the greater good for our entire community. Infact, the benefits of co-op health plans are already starting to be realized.In the thirty-six states that have federally run health-exchanges, the aver-age price for insurance is nine percent lower in states that have co-ops

than in the states that don’t. That’s a realadvantage for consumers in states with co-opssuch as New Mexico Health Connections.

At New Mexico Health Connections, every-thing we do is focused on keeping our commu-nity healthy. We want to make sure every NewMexican has access to affordable health cover-age and have worked hard to make our healthplan available throughout the state with a widenetwork of nearly 6,000 health-care providers.

And, in an effort to help keep costs low andour members healthy, we offer no co-pays ongeneric medications for nine chronic condi-

tions. This will not only help people save money, it will also help pre-vent costly and frightening hospital stays.

We are a doctor-led organization that believes no one should go withoutthe security of health coverage. I know from my experience as a doctorthat having quality, affordable health care more available and accessiblemakes communities healthier as a whole. Doctors are able to seepatients early, before minor problems become chronic conditions. Thiskeeps people healthy and active—and that’s a true benefit for the com-munity as a whole.

If you’re interested in this unique brand of PATIENT-CENTEREDNew Mexico built health coverage, we’d love to talk to you. Youcan visit us at www.mynmhc.org, find us on the Health InsuranceExchange website at bewellnm.com or call us at 855-769-6642.

BY MARTIN HICKEY, MD, CEO OF NEW

MEXICO HEALTH CONNECTIONS

As members of La Montanita Co-op, youunderstand the value of belonging toan organization that was created by

the community for the benefit of the com-munity. Co-ops don’t exist for profit, they existfor the greater good. In La Montanita’s case, thatmeans supporting New Mexico growers, sourc-ing healthy food locally and giving consumersmore options when it comes to what they put ontheir tables. Much like La Montanita, NewMexico Health Connections is a co-op.

But unlike a food co-op, we are a co-op focused on provid-ing New Mexicans with an affordable, non-profit option fortheir health coverage. We were created by the AffordableCare Act as a consumer operated and oriented (co-op) healthplan. Our mission is to improve the health status of all NewMexicans and offer an alternative to the larger for-profithealth plans.

We are one of twenty-four health co-ops created by theAffordable Care Act and are part of a movement to injectnon-profit competition into the health-care marketplaceacross the country. We will be governed by a local board ofdirectors elected from our membership, and any profits wemake must be driven back into expanded benefits, lowercosts and an improved primary care system for New Mexico.

Most important: we were created to shake things up in healthcare. We see ourselves as agents of change, and that means we

CONNECTIONS

BAG CREDIT DONATIONof the monthBY RON BREEN

Strengthening resilience, build-ing self-esteem and positiveself-identity, that is the mission

of OFFCenter Community ArtsProject, this month’s grateful recipientof the Co-op Bag Credit Donation. Nowin our 12th year of operation, OFF-Center provides free art making, art salesand art education resources to anyonewho wishes to participate. Open fivedays a week, Tuesday through Saturday,fifty weeks a year, we share an abundant assortment of donated artmaterials and offer exhibit and sales venues in our safe, non-judg-mental studio environment. At OFFCenter everyone is an artist.Participants regularly exchange roles as teacher and student while lis-tening and sharing personal experiences with one another. The envi-ronment fosters authentic self-expression and holds a space for every-one to interact as creative equals and experience a sense of wellnessand acceptance. Those who participate strengthen their creative iden-tity and are better able to cope with life’s stress.

OFFCenter offers educational workshops in visual arts techniques,writing and music. Each year hundreds of local artists exhibit their artin our studio gallery and art sales shop and 2,000 artists of all ages andabilities utilize our open studio. Our annual “We ART the People!”Folk Art Festival (every September in downtown Albuquerque) hasbecome a part of Albuquerque’s cultural fabric for thousands of resi-dents. It features a Giant Puppet Parade, art making activities for kidsof all ages, live music and dance performances, and over 100 low-income artists selling affordable, locally handcrafted arts and crafts.Besides supporting these programs the Co-op’s Bag Credit Donationwill also fund our outreach programming for at-risk children/youth by

providing free art making activities for under-served, K-5 childrenat our After School Art Program at Reginald Chavez Elementary

and our Summer “Kids Only” Open Studio sessions with YDIand children from the general public.

95% of our studio users (from child to elder) live well belowthe median income, 65% are at or below the poverty line.Often our artists are also living with social vulnerabilitiessuch as homelessness and disabilities. Twenty social-service,therapy and health-care agencies as well as individual occu-pational/art therapists and their clients rely on OFFCenter’sstudio and services as a community reintegration site. Hereis what some of our artists have to say about OFFCenter:

• “I’m on disability and sometimes never go out of my apart-ment. OFFCenter helps me to get out around people and have agood time, and learn skills in a safe atmosphere.” • “Healing trauma in a safe place. Thank you!”• “It keeps me busy, and I like to come. I have good friends. Ilike to make things that make me happy.”• “OFFCenter helps improve the quality of my life and those ofmy clients. I bring people with developmental disabilities hereand they can make art. Most important they feel welcome andaccepted. [OFFCenter] fulfills requirements by NM Dept. ofHealth [for] people with disabilities to be integrated with thecommunity. Also, it improves the quality of the neighborhoodwhere I live!”• “It makes mommy happy!”

At OFFCenter our diverse group of artists create and sell art sideby side in a climate of inclusion and support—instilling hopeand resiliency, increasing self-esteem, a sense of belonging,responsibility and purpose with each other and with the publicthrough the arts. Visit OFFCenter Community Arts Project at808 Park Avenue SW, Albuquerque, at www.offcenterarts.org, or call 505-247-1172 for more information.

CCOOMMMMUUNNIITTYY

NEW LOCAL CO-OP: BUILDYOUR OWN

HEALTHPLAN!!!!

OFFCenter COMMUNITY ARTS:ART&HEALING

Co-op ValuesCooperatives are based on the values of self-help, self-responsibility,democracy, equality, equity and solidarity. In the tradition of theirfounders, cooperative members believe in the ethical values of hon-esty, openness, social responsibility and caring for others.

Co-op Principles 1 Voluntary and Open Membership 2 Democratic Member Control 3 Member Economic Participation 4 Autonomy and Independence 5 Education, Training and Information 6 Cooperation among Cooperatives 7 Concern for Community

The Co-op Connection is published by La Montanita Co-opSupermarket to provide information on La Montanita Co-opSupermarket, the cooperative movement, and the links between food,health, environment and community issues. Opinions expressed here-in are of the authors and are not necessarily those of the Co-op.

WESTSIDE3601 Old Airport Ave. NW

505-503-2550

Alameda Blvd.

Old Airport Ave.

Coors

Blv

d.

Old

Airport

Ave

.CO

-OP

BAG CREDIT ORGANIZATIONof the month:This month your bag credit donation goes toOFFCenter Community Arts: Instilling hope,resiliency and a sense of belonging, in a cli-mate of inclusion, through the arts.

In November your Donate the Dime bag cred-its totaling $2,292.81 went to Rio GrandeFood Project. Thanks to all who donated!

DONATEEyour BAG CCRREEDDIITT!!!donate

THEDIME!

BY SARAH WENTZEL-FISHER

A s you shop for your groceries, consider, theroutes your food took to get to you. Whatif there was only one route for your food to get

to you, and there was a snowstorm or a bridge collapsedon that road? What sorts of food delivery systems do weneed to ensure that healthy and fresh food is readilyavailable for our families all the time?

In this month’s Co-op Distribution Center installment,we’d like to review the defintion of food hub. A food hubis a business or organization that actively manages theaggregation, distribution and marketing of source-identi-fied food products primarily from local and regional pro-ducers to strengthen their ability to satisfy wholesale, retail and institu-tional demand. It also is the new buzzword in local food for the types ofprograms that folks like our Co-op staff have managed for a long time.

Food hub is a big word used to describe everything from a multi-farmCSA like La Cosecha, to a pack and wash facility like the South ValleyEconomic Development Center, to a small-scale distribution center likethe Co-op Distribution Center. And the reality is, we need a wide varietyof different kinds of food hubs to make for a healthy local food system.

Recently the county and New Mexico State University have done feasi-bility research and planning work for food system development in andaround Bernalillo County, with particular attention to food hub devel-opment. While the research has captured the attention of many localfood advocates, the conversation about food hub development getsmurky, even amongst the most informed, because it can mean so manydifferent things.

growing the local food system January 2014 4

The Co-op Distribution Center fits squarely in thedefinition of a food hub. It purchases productsfrom producers like Heidi’s Raspberry Jam,Valencia Mills, Old Windmill Dairy, and Sweet-

grass Beef Co-op, all local producers, and re-sellsthese goods to other co-ops, grocery stores, andrestaurants. In addition, it sells goods like organicsugar, packaging, dried herbs, and other items theseproducers need for making and marketing theirproducts. The CDC works with these producers tofind new markets for their products, and in turntries to meet more of their supply needs. Finally, itoffers pick-up and delivery services for food pro-ducers to and from select locations for a service fee;so even if the CDC doesn’t carry their product onits shelves, it still helps get it to where it needs to go.

Currently, the CDC focuses primarily on meat anddairy distribution and market development. Itoffers limited produce services, which may grow inthe future, but this is not its main focus. Further, onmost products it doesn’t offer direct retail sales tothe public; you must be operating another foodbusiness to hold an account. Unlike a buying clubor CSA, it does not sell direct to consumers. Otherentities do some of these types of work, but as thenumber of local producers grows, the need formore food hubs with specialized services of allvarieties will grow.

The beauty of the food hub concept is that itrequires many small and medium sized businessesto have strong collaborative and cooperative rela-tionships with each other, to have many differenttakes on what a food hub does and to form aworking fabric where food has many possibleavenues to move from farm to table. When wehave a system with many different distributionchannels for small and medium producers, our foodsystem is less likely to fail and leave us lacking foraccess to food.

If a huge blizzard hit Arizona, with current large-scale, aggregated food distribution systems, groceryshelves may get slim for a few days. If we have athriving system of many local and regional distrib-utors using different delivery systems, all located indifferent nearby places supplying more of what weeat, there is less chance we will experience short-ages when one part of the food system fails.

CO-OP DISTRIBUTION CENTER UPDATE

During the month of December, the Rio Puerco Alliancefundraised for the Mobile Farmers’ Market project onthe crowd-funding site, Indiegogo.com, yet did notreach the amount needed to begin the first season of themarket. The Rio Puerco Alliance is therefore beginningtheir second fundraising campaign to reach the goal of$39,500. The funds raised will help support localNavajo farmers to expand and improve their fields, paythe salaries of two Navajo market employees and oneNavajo market coordinator as well as a refrigeratedstorage shed for market inventory.

The Tri-Community Mobile Farmers’ Market will re-establish the local food economy and provide a domes-tically controlled, sustainable food distribution systemthat can be an exemplar for other tribal food deserts inthe region and elsewhere. With each donation RioPuerco Alliance can successfully help these communi-ties improve their lives and the future for their children.

HOW TO GIVE: Donations can be made anytimethrough PayPal on RPA’s website: riopuercoalliance.org.To watch the Tri-Community Mobile Farmers’ Marketofficial video, visit our YouTube channel or ourFacebook at www.youtube.com/user/RioPuercoAlliance,or www.facebook.com/RioPuercoAlliance.

Rio Puerco Alliance: The Rio Puerco Alliance (RPA) is anon-profit working to restore the Rio Puerco Watershedin Northwestern New Mexico for present and futuregenerations through outreach, education and collabora-tive action. The RPA focuses on developing ecological aswell as community resilience within the region as ameans of sustainably addressing ever-changing environ-mental and economic conditions. RPA was organized in2005 by members of the Rio Puerco ManagementCommittee (RPMC) and interested citizens and incor-porated in 2006. We work closely with the RPMC, theSierra Club, local landowners, and other groups withinthe watershed. For more information contact SarahMeade at 505-401-0986, rpavista@gmail.com.

community members to form new socially as well asculturally significant business enterprises. One of

these projects is known as the Tri-Community Mobile Farmers’ Marketwhich is scheduled to launch early June2014. This project was initiated byHasbídító in partnership with the RioPuerco Alliance (RPA) and thanks tofinancial and technical support from theQuivira Coalition and Hunger GrowAway, all of which are non-profits.

The Mobile Farmers’ Market, a con-verted concession trailer pulled by a

truck, will provide financial and technical support tolocal small-scale Navajo farmers currently farmingand soon-to-be farmers to increase production offood crops while providing a platform to sell theirproduce. Produce will then be sold at the threeNavajo community centers, providing fresh fruits andvegetables to around 900 households that otherwisewould not have such access. The market will alsooffer cooking demonstrations, educational outreachactivities, and encourage various vendors of home-made crafts to sell at the market, with the greaterintention of connecting community members. Thismobile market will help educate our communitymembers about the benefits of buying locally pro-duced and sold goods, thus changing market behav-iors that will in turn benefit communities and theirhealth. Profits will be invested back into the mobilemarket and also back into the community, providingan economic benefit as well.

BY SARAH MEADE, RIO PUERCO ALLIANCE

Many grocery or supermarket shoppersmay not stop to think of what a privilegeit is to have access to the bountiful food

these places offer, so close to home, in their own cityor town. Many in rural areas as well as urban areasmust travel long distances to unlock this door ofaccess. In the Tri-Chapter area of the Eastern NavajoNation, comprised of three chapters or “communitycenters,” residents must travel fifty to sixty miles oneway to buy food from a grocery store as none existwhere they live. The Tri-Chapter area, which includes the chaptersof Ojo Encino, Torreon and Counselor, is located in NorthwesternNew Mexico in a semi-arid USDA designated “food desert.” Theresidents of the area suffer from disproportionately high rates oftype-2 diabetes and obesity, very much related to food access, andhave an average per-capita income of $8,000, as past progress ineconomic development has been meager. Today, a brighter future isbeing created as the Navajo non-profit, Hasbídító, is working to cre-ate projects that both restore the eroding landscape and support

T R I - C O M M U N I T Y M O B I L E F A R M E R S ’ M A R K E T

BUILD A LOCALFOOD ECONOMY

FOOD ROUTESWHAT IS A FOOD HUB?

Sandia Natural History Center January 8BY MELISSA EWER

On January 8 at 7PM, the public is invitedto a program focused on the SandiaMountain Natural History Center, present-ed by Paul Mauermann, Director of theSandia Mountain Natural History Center.

Paul will discuss both the education initia-tives and the research being done at theSandia Mountain Natural History Center. The Sandia MountainNatural History Center is an environmental education centerlocated in the Sandia Mountains just east of Albuquerque, NewMexico. The beautiful 128-acre piece of pinon-juniper forest isowned by the Albuquerque Public School System, and is run

by the New Mexico Museum of Natural History andScience. Since 1967, the center has been teaching the stu-dents of New Mexico about the environment and how to

preserve it. The primary mission of the center andits staff is to educate the citizens of New Mexicoabout ecology, ecosystems, the environment andconservation.

A short chapter meeting precedes the talk. Nativeplant books will be on display and available forpurchase. This free public program is sponsoredby the Albuquerque Chapter, Native Plant Society

of New Mexico, and takes place at the New MexicoMuseum of Natural History, 1801 Mountain Rd. NW,Albuquerque. More information about the organization isavailable at www.npsnm.org

NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY: ECOLOGY, ECOSYSTEMS &ENVIRONMENT

COLLABORATIVE AND COOPERATIVErelationships!

Bringing together local farmers and Co-op shoppers for the best infresh, fair andlocal food!

CO-OPFood-ShedPROJECT

BUYLOCALSHOP CO-OP !

BY SAYRAH NAMASTE, AMERICAN FRIENDS SERVICE COMMITTEE

“We are all one big community with deepancestral knowledge and practicalknowledge," commented Gene Lopez at

a gathering of New Mexico farmers brought together bythe American Friends Service Committee (AFSC).

Gene has farmed in the Espanola Valley for fifty yearsand is a founding member of La Cosecha del Norte: AGrowing Co-op, a farmer co-op recently formed with thesupport of the AFSC that sells to the La Montanita Co-op in Santa Fe as well as the Espanola and the LosAlamos co-operative markets.

AFSC rebuilds food hubs in New Mexico through threefarmer networks: Agri-Cultura Network in Albuquerque; La Cosechadel Norte: A Growing Co-op in the Espanola Valley; and Sol y TierraGrowers in southern New Mexico. We link the farmers we train andthe networks we develop to move food throughout the state, collabo-rating to meet the demand for local food and to support local farmers.

The AFSC affiliated farmers sell to La Montanita Co-op stores inAlbuquerque and Santa Fe; co-op stores in Las Cruces, Espanola, andLos Alamos; three public school districts; the Mora senior citizen cen-ter; a daycare in El Paso; as well as numerous restaurants and growersmarkets throughout the state.

This summer AFSC brought thirty farmers together to build relation-ships and collaborate on ways to feed our New Mexico communities.The farmers ranged in age from fifteen to seventy years old, and sharedtheir stories of why they farm and their connections to the land. At theconclusion of the meetings, they made a pact to support each other inthe marketplace. “The meeting helped me see AFSC’s vision for astatewide network of farmers, and it was reassuring to know that wecan lean on them,” said Steven Jaramillo, who recently built a passivesolar cold frame on his Espanola farm. AFSC has built nineteen coldframes in New Mexico so that farmers can grow in the winter.

Due to the range of climates in New Mexico, farmers can support eachothers’ markets. For example, tomato growing in Espanola is over byNovember but northern New Mexico consumers still want local toma-

growing community January 2014 5

toes. In the small town of Anthony (near LasCruces) the AFSC-trained farmers are able to growtomatoes in November inside two AFSC passivesolar coldframes, then send some north. And whenheavy rains flooded the Anthony Farms this fall,setting back production, the Espanola farmers sent

GROWING FARM AND FOOD NETWORKS

REBUILDINGFOOD HUBS in New Mexico

their produce to help them fill existing orders withtheir customers in Las Cruces. The La MontanitaCo-op distribution truck is key to moving the pro-duce between northern and southern New Mexico.

Farmers trained by AFSC have been taught thesame methods for crop selection, planting, harvest-ing and post-harvest handling, which helps withquality control and consistency of product, espe-cially when farmers work together to fill largeorders for institutional buyers like the publicschools.

AFSC honors the ancestral knowledge of NewMexico farmers like Gene Lopez and uses a farmer-to-farmer training program to mentor beginningfarmers and connect them to farmer networks formarketing their produce collaboratively. Look fortheir produce in co-op stores!

To LEARN MORE about this FARMER DRIVEN,INTER-GENERATIONAL COLLABORATION, goto: www.afsc.org/newmexico.

Grassroots INVESTINGand MICRO-LOANPROGRAM• INVESTOR ENROLLMENT PERIOD NOW OPEN• Investment options begin at $250• Loan repayment terms tailored to the needs of our

community of food producers• Loan applications taken on an ongoing basis

To set up a meeting to learn more or for a Prospectus,Investor Agreement, Loan Criteria and Applications, call or e-mail Robin at: 505-217-2027, toll free at 877-775-2667 or e-mail her at robins@lamontanita.coop.

rebuilding the

FOODECONOMY

tthheeLLaaMMFFFFUUUUNNNNDDDD

Board news January 2014 6

BY JESSICA ROWLANDS

Millennials—those born from theearly 1980s to the early2000s—have been described as a

generation that places heavy emphasis oncommunity engagement and social entre-preneurship. They value collaboration,accessibility, sustainability and self-expres-sion in their careers and personal lives. Infact, their practices mirror many of the Co-op values and principles. It appears thatMillennials are uniquely suited to becomeengaged in the cooperative community and move into positions ofleadership. This transition will be more effective if dialogue is facili-tated and relationships are built between younger generations andlongtime Co-op veterans.

As La Montanita Co-op grows over the coming years, it will be crit-ical to involve young stakeholders in the Co-op mission. To addressthis opportunity, the Co-op Board of Directors recently hosted astudy hour that brought together a wide range of Co-op communi-

ty members for an evening of intergenerational dia-logue. Participants, whose ages ranged from twentyto seventy, took part in a lively conversation andshared their perspectives on the importance andfuture of the cooperative model.

There was wide agreement that the Co-op’sstructure and principles align with individuals’(of all ages) personal values. The Co-op pro-vides a sense of belonging, and a way to con-tribute to and support the local community.The challenge was to brainstorm ways todescribe the importance of cooperatives tofolks who are unfamiliar with the model.

Younger generations may understand the coop-erative model best through the lens of collabo-ration and experiential learning. Working

together and sharing ideas often results in moreinnovative, lasting solutions. In contrast, the conceptof the co-op as an alternative (potentially more sta-ble) economic model that is an investment in thecommunity may resonate more readily with oldergenerations.

All in all, participants were surprised to realize thatmost of us share similar values and goals, and that

regardless of age, it is relatively simple to commu-nicate their importance. Perhaps there is actuallyless of a generation gap than was initially expect-ed. While we have much in common, at times it’sjust the methods for achieving the goals that differsomewhat.

A key theme throughout the course of the discus-sion was the importance of relationship buildingand working with mentors. One-on-one mentor-ship does not necessarily have to be older-to-younger, but can also be peer-to-peer. The key willbe to provide these opportunities to a small, butdiverse group of community members and ensuremultidirectional flow of ideas and expertise.

The Board will continue to work on facilitating adialogue among people of all ages and promotingthe relevance of the cooperative model to the widercommunity. We welcome members’ thoughtsand suggestions (email: bod@lamontanita.coop) and invite you to attend a Board meet-ing to get to know us better!

MEMBERSHIP isOWNERSHIPI N T E R G E N E R AT I O N A L D I A L O G U EA N D T H E C O-O P C O M M U N I T Y

The Co-op’s annual Board of Directors elec-tion was held this past November. The voteshave been counted and the Board formallyapproved the results at its December meet-ing. These results are as follows:

JEFF ETHAN GREEN 202 • ARIANA MARCHELLO

234 • LEAH ROCO 229 • JESSICA ROWLAND 251 • HARRY SNOW 79

• BYLAW AMENDMENT 1, LIFETIME MEMBERSHIP

Approve: 321, Disapprove: 11

• BYLAW AMENDMENT 2, CAPITALIZATION

Approve: 313, Disapprove: 14

• TOTAL NUMBER OF MEMBERS WHO VOTED: 352

Leah Roco, Ariana Marchello and JessicaRowland have all been elected to three-yearterms. We’ve included the winning candidates’photos here. Congratulations to the winners andthanks to all the candidates for offering to servethe Co-op.

In addition to electing the three board members,voters overwhelmingly passed two bylaw amend-ments. The Board wants to thank voters for sup-porting the Co-op by passing these important

amendments. They will help us to continue to servemembers as well as the larger community, while remain-ing competitive in the marketplace.

This is the second year of electronic balloting, with onlya small improvement in voter turnout. Only 352 mem-bers voted, out of a total of 8,000 members who hadprovided us with their email address. While the responsewas far less than what we would like, it’s similar to whatother co-ops around the country experience. If you didnot provide us with your email address this year andwould like to vote electronically next year, please stopby the information desk at any store.

We’d very much like to hear from you about what wentwell and what needs improving. Please contact MarshallKovitz, chairperson, Nominations and Elections Com-mittee. Email is marshall@swcp.com. Phone is 256-1241. You may also leave a written message for him atthe Nob Hill Information Desk.

As always, you are welcome to attend monthly boardmeetings and join us for dinner. Meetings are held onthe third Tuesday of the month and start at 5:30PM.Location is Immanuel Presbyterian Church across thestreet from the Nob Hill store. Enter through the north-ern most of the two doors facing Carlisle. The aboveinformation has also been posted on the Co-op’swebsite www.lamontanita.coop.

B O A R D O F D I R E C T O R S ELECTIONS!A N D T H E W I N N E R S A R E . . .

BACKGROUNDEach month, the Board of Directors spends one hour of its meetingtime considering topics relevant to La Montanita’s mission, and envi-sioning the Co-op’s future in a changing environment. Past study top-ics are diverse and have included the study of social media, socialcapital, the Farm Bill, local economies, systems of organization, co-operative economies in other countries, alternative economic modelsand sustainability, among others. La Montanita Co-op’s Board ofDirectors seeks a research assistant to support the board in its learn-ing and development through the creation, organization and facilita-tion of our study work.

JOB SUMMARY• Based on direction from the Board Development Committee, theResearch Assistant will increase her/his knowledge around the con-cept of sustainability, staying up to date on relevant topics andtrends through self-directed, independent learning.• Under the guidance of the Board Development Committee and in thecontext of determined study topics, utilize the information and knowl-edge garnered to focus the study areas, prepare detailed monthlystudy plans, and compile and submit study materials. As appropriate,identify individuals and organizations who are potential presenters.When appropriate, organize and guide monthly discussions. • Participate in the annual board retreat and/or other major vision-ing and planning events.

JOB OPENING: R E S E A R C H A S S I S TA N TBOARD OF DIRECTORS, LA MONTANITA FOOD CO-OP

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND APTITUDES• Excellent research skills.• Familiarity with current social, political, environmental andeconomic conditions as they relate to the idea of sustainability.• Strong facilitation skills.• Collaborative work approach.• Self directed and capable of working independently.

EMPLOYMENT STATUS, HOURS AND COMPENSATION• Employment status: Contract labor. • Hours: 6-12 hours per month. The Research Assistant isexpected to attend the monthly board meetings, (third Tuesdayof each month), for the second hour of work, approximately6:30PM to 7:30PM. On occasion, attend Board DevelopmentCommittee meetings, usually held after 5PM on weekdays.Once a year attend all or part of the board’s day-long planningretreat, held on the weekend.• Compensation will be $25/hr for research up to 8 hours permonth and one 18% discount card per hour spent at meet-ings/gatherings up to four hours (cards) per month.

Email resume and cover letter to: MARSHALL KOVITZ, VicePresident, Board of Directors, La Montanita Food Co-operative.marshall@swcp.com. Place the words, “Board ResearchAssistant” in the subject line.

COME FOR ONE SESSION OR THE WHOLE SERIES:Jan. 16: Identifying Key Values and Resources for Success

Jan. 30: Creating a Whole Farm GoalFeb. 6: Value-based Decision-Making

Feb. 20: Whole Farm Financial PlanningFeb. 27: Easy and Effective Enterprise Analysis

Contact Robin Seydel at 505-217-2027 or robins@lamontanita.coop to register.

YYYYOOOOUUUU VVOOTTEEDD!!

BOARDELECTIONRESULTS!LEAH ROCOARIANA MARCHELLOJESSICA ROWLAND WELCOME NEW BODMEMBERS!

BOARD OF DIRECTORSUPDATE

FREE!

VETERAN FARMER

PPRROOJJEECCTTCCLLAASSSSEESS

involvingYOUNG

stakeholders

Premium Compost • Our locally made Premium Compost is approved for use on Certified Organic Farms and Gardens.

Topsoil Blend• Ready for planting in raised beds or flower pots!Mulch • A variety of decorative and functional mulches.Foodwaste Recycling• Albuquerque’s only restaurant foodwaste recycling pick up service Greenwaste Recycling• Bring your Yardwaste to us and keep it out of the Dump!

9008 Bates Rd. SE Open Tues. through Sat. 8am to 4pmPlease come down and see us • www.soilutions.net

co-op news January 2014 7

CO-OPS: A Solution-Based System A co-operative is an autonomous association of persons

united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social andcultural needs, and aspirations through a jointly-owned and

democratically-controlled enterprise.

JanuaryCalendarof Events

WE ARE STARING ANOTHER NEW YEAR. I am alwaysamazed and shocked how fast the New Year getshere. This past year was a good one for ourCo-op. We were involved in more commu-nity work than ever, our La MontanitaFund project has succeeded in helping agood number of our local farmers getaccess to capital, our Veteran FarmerProject has grown, we opened the newWestside store and enjoyed record sales asan organization.

Every year I ask myself what will we do thisyear to improve from the past year. Each yearbrings challenges and unexpected road blocks. Wehave become very good at meeting whatever chal-lenges present themselves; we don’t get too excitedwhen all is going well and don’t get too disap-pointed when all has not gone as planned. Ourstrategy is to remain consistent, recognize the chal-

lenges before they become problems and treat ourCo-op with the respect it deserves; as long as wepractice these “unconventional” business methods,

all will be well.

My thanks to you, our member-owners, who make working atthe Co-op a true pleasure, andthanks to our staff, who workhard every day to serve ourmember owners. One cannotexist without the other—a gooddefinition of cooperation. One

constant during 2014 is our commitment to doingthe very best we can to serve all our neighborhoodsand our members.

I can be reached by e-mail at terryb@lamontanita.coop or by phone at 505-217-2020. I hope youryear is the best ever. -TERRY B

THE INSIDE SCOOP

N E W Y E A R!

1/16 Veteran Farmer ProjectTraining, see page 1

1/21 BOD Meeting, Immanuel Church, 5:30pm

1/25 Winter Juicing Workshop,co-sponsored by the Black Vegetarian Society, see page 2

1/27 Member EngagementCommittee, Administrative Office,5:30pm

1/30 Veteran Farmer ProjectTraining, see page 1

SHOPSHOP

CRAFTING AN

11-Point Plan for Good Nutrition and Good Health

EAT HEALTHYYEAR

BY ROBIN SEYDEL

Is eating better, getting healthier or losing afew pounds part of your New Year resolution?For many of us it is. I for one hate diets! Don’t tell

me what I can’t have, tell me what I can have.

Eating fresh fruits and vegetables, grains and beanswill not only support your healthy year resolutionbut will go a long way in creating a healthierpersonal economy. Steering clear of processedfoods with all the additives (salt, sugar, fla-vorings, etc.) and the increased possibility ofGMO ingredients, will also go a long way inhelping achieve the goal.

Instead of reaching for that candy bar at 3PMto get you through the rest of the work day—how about a cup of hot green tea and a fewdates, figs or jumbo flame raisins for an ener-gy boost and to quiet that sweet tooth. After work,instead of grabbing some high fat chips to get youthrough until dinner is ready, how about some car-rots or celery? For a special treat dab a bit of peanutor almond butter on it for the nutritional punch ofvitamins and fiber in the veggies and the protein inthe nut butter. And if life on the go makes you reachfor the fast food solution, try a quick fix of healthyfood from the Co-op deli or pop some almonds ortrail mix into your purse, computer bag or briefcaseso you always have a quick and healthy snack.

Here are a few essentials for the road toa healthier new year.1. Eat Plenty of Fiber. Fiber is found in wholegrains, fruits and vegetables. Grains are best wholeor only coarsely ground. Use rye, rice, barley, millet,quinoa, amaranth and other grains regularly. Theyhelp bind with toxins and improve elimination. 2. Eat plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables,especially green leafy ones. These are high in vita-mins, flavonoids, minerals, essential fatty acids (avo-cados) and fiber.

3. Choose organic as much as possible to avoidthe many endocrine and neuro-toxic agriculturalchemical residues that affect the quality of your foodand your health. Cook only lightly and eat some rawfruits and veggies with their important enzymes eachday.4. Cut down on your fat intake. Use animal

products as flavorings and condi-ments rather than as your mainsource of protein. When enjoyingmeat, choose products that aregrass-fed for healthy hormoneand antibiotic-free eating. Grass-fed beef has been shown to havea variety of health benefits notfound in conventionally raisedmeat, including: lowered total fatcontent, higher conjugated linole-

ic acid and higher omega-3 fatty acid for heart andbrain function, among others.5. Cut down on your sugar intake. Read labelsand watch for sugars of all sorts in unexpectedplaces.6. Cut down on your salt intake. Instead of saltuse herbs and spices including ginger, cayenne,cumin, turmeric, curry, rosemary, cardamom, corian-der, chile, garam masala, garlic, lemon juice, tomatopuree, onions, mustard seeds, pepper, etc. Check outthe wide variety of bulk spices and mixed salt-freespice assortments in the bulk and grocery sections ofyour Co-op. Here again, read labels.7. Cut down consumption of processed foodto avoid empty calories and artificial everything,including flavors, sweeteners, MSG, preservativesand other additives and GMO ingredients.8. Drink only moderate amounts of alcoholand caffeine. Make an afternoon cup of coffee acup of green tea instead. Utilize Swiss water processeddecaf coffee rather than the chemically processeddecafs. OR better yet switch to green and herbal teabeverages.

LaMFUND!

• Investor enrollment period now open• Investment options begin at $250• Loan repayment terms tailored to the needs of our community

of food producers• Loan applications taken on an ongoing basisTo set up a meeting to learn more or for a Prospectus, InvestorAgreement and Loan Criteria, and Applications, call or e-mail Robinat: 505-217-2027, toll free at 877-775-2667 or e-mail her atrobins@lamontanita.coop.

LA MONTANITA FUNDGROW THE REGIONAL FOOD SYSTEM

GRASSROOTS INVESTING ANDMICRO-LOAN PROGRAM

T I P S T O E AT I N G M O R EGET AND STAY HEALTHY!

FFRRUUIITT AANNDDVVVVEEEEGGGGEEEETTTTAAAABBBBLLLLEEEESSSS

1Try to start each day off with a piece of fresh fruit. Juice often is high in

sugar and low in Vitamin C.2

Make your own trail mix with seeds, nuts and dried fruits for snacking. Keep some of this mix at work or carry it with you. Check out the bulk

department for a variety of pre-mixed trail mixes or make your own seed, nut and fruit choices.

3Always have a simple green salad with dinner. Dress with some olive oil

and a squeeze of fresh lemon and a bit of pepper.4

Keep your kitchen stocked with fresh vegetables and fruits. Utilize additive-and sodium-free frozen products to supplement when needed.

5Every time you shop for groceries, pick one type or variety of fruit or veg-

etable you've never tried before.6

Use as your entrée stir-fries, stews and soups that are rich in vegetables. 7

Learn more about cooking seasonal fruits and vegetables. See recipes in this issue.

8Try mixed fresh fruit salads for desserts. Puree some frozen berries and serve

over other fresh fruit for a colorful ending to a meal.9

Try to limit other sweets in your diet. This will help you appreciate the naturalsweetness found in fresh fruit and veggies.

10Bring a fruit or vegetable salad to potlucks and parties so you'll always have

something healthy to munch on.

EATHEALTHY

2014

9. Drink plenty of filtered water. Water either hot or cold with asqueeze of fresh lemon or lime added is delicious and adds electrolytes tokeep you balanced.10. Eat more of your calories earlier in the day. A good heartybreakfast, a sold nutritional lunch and a light dinner refuels the bodywith nutrients as they are needed more effectively than eating heavy,hard-to-digest proteins late in the day or close to bedtime. Why store allthat fat for use after six to eight hours of sleep! Utilize it during the dayinstead. This will help improve digestion, reduce interrupted sleep, reduceheartburn and indigestion, improve metabolism and help with weightloss.11. Get enough exercise and fresh air. Get up from that comput-er, TV or study desk and walk, do yoga, hike or whatever exercise youenjoy at least three to four times weekly. It will improve both your bodyand your mind.

O F T H E W E S T. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .the best . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

O N T H E M O U N T A I N . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .peak . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

DEALS

START THE NEW YEAR with some of our FAVORITE fresh FAIR LOCAL AND organic PRODUCTS • Promoting LOCAL for over 37 years

OZ’S PICK ON THE WESTSIDESWEET GRASS GRASS-FED BEEF• NEW YORK STRIP

RIANNE’S PICK ON THE WESTSIDEFOLLOW YOUR HEART® VEGAN SALAD DRESSINGS

Try these Follow Your Heart® SALAD DRESSINGS: Organic Thick & Creamy Caesar, an ultra rich, ultra creamy, and loaded with parmesan and garlic flavors. It’s entirely egg- and anchovy-free, and great on everything from sandwiches to salads! Or, the Honey Mustard has all the sweetness of honey, but is entirely vegan! Delicately balanced with mustard, vinegar, and pepper. It’s perfect as a dipping sauce. Choose from many more varieties! Follow Your Heart® is committed to operating an ethical, social, and environmental responsible business.

All animals marketed through Sweet Grass Co-op are grass-fed, raised entirely on pasture. Most member farms and ranches are certified organic and all are family owned.

Using ultrasound scanning—a cutting edge technology—Sweet Grass is able to select animals for enhanced taste & marbling.

LYNN’S PICK IN SANTA FEExTRAVAGONzO COOKING OIL

Lynn Says: “Extravagonzo® is arguably the best garlic infused oil I’ve ever had.” Made in small batches using a combination of extra virgin olive oil and grape seed oil it is also available infused with Meyer lemon, blood orange & red chili…all delicious!!! Great for salad dressing or drizzling over your favorite grilled delight.

MIKE’S PICK IN SANTA FEPLANTIVA COLD Dx

Developed and used by doctors in clinical practice, ColdDx® can provide a natural way to achieve powerful relief and comfort when you feel lousy and rundown, allowing your immune system to more easily do its job of re-establishing normal energy and balance.ColdDx® contains cooling and detoxifying herbs specific to a broad spectrum of respiratory and immune health factors to create a well-balanced and complete effect.

O F T H E H I L L. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .the top

T H E V A L L E Y. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .choice

DEALS

START THE NEW YEAR with some of our FAVORITE fresh FAIR LOCAL AND organic PRODUCTS • Promoting LOCAL for over 37 years

TRAVIS’S PICK IN THE VALLEYPEACE COFFEE

Peace Coffee has a mission: to craft a delicious coffee experience in collaboration with communities all around the globe. They strive to make the world a better place one cup at a time, and have fun while doing it! Proudly roasting, pedaling & brewing outstanding fair trade & organic coffee in the heart of south Minneapolis since 1996!

ELYSIA’S PICK IN THE VALLEY ORGANIC VALLEY ORIGINAL SOY MILK

Organic Valley’s Original Soy Milk is lactose, dairy, gluten, and cholesterol free and offers the balanced nutritional benefits of a whole bean process. The delicious taste is the result of generations of soy farming wisdom with careful selection of seed varieties to ensure no beany aftertaste. This truly ORGANIC soy milk is made from identity-preserved beans grown on American family farms. It’s certified ORGANIC, as are ALL Organic Valley products. Every batch is traceable to the very farm where the beans were grown.

LAUREN’S PICK AT NOB HILL NORDIC NATURALS ARCTIC COD LIVER OILMade from 100% wild Arctic cod (Skrei)—no other fish oils or synthetic additives are ever used. With added vitamin D3 for strong bones and a healthy immune system, Nordic Naturals promotes heart and brain health.

Each serving also provides 1000 I.U. of vitamin D3, surpassing the recommendeddaily value of vitamin D for adults and chil-dren (4+ years). Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) is the natural form of vitamin D produced by the body, and is better absorbed and utilized than other forms.

LEAH’S PICK AT NOB HILLORGANIC CLEMENTINES

A Clementine is a variety of mandarin orange with a deep orange colored exterior and a smooth, glossy appearance. Typically juicy and sweet, with less acid than oranges, they tend to be very easy to peel, like a tangerine and are occasionally referred to as the Algerian tangerine. Clementines contain Vitamin C, Calcium, Potassium, fiber and are under 50 calories!

winter fare January 2014 10

Orzo-White Bean “Stoup” with Kale

2 tablespoons olive oil 1 onion, diced 1 carrot, diced 1 celery stalk, diced 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, chopped 1 cup orzo 1 quart chicken or vegetable broth 1 can white beans, drained 6 packed cups washed, stemmed and chopped kale

Heat oil in a large saucepan or a small Dutch ovenover medium-high heat. Add onion, carrot and celery;cook until soft, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in rosemary andorzo to coat; add broth and beans and bring to a sim-mer. Lower heat to medium-low and continue to cookuntil orzo is tender and mixture is a stew-like consis-tency, about 4 minutes longer. Stir in kale, cook untiljust wilted. Serve.

Turkey Posole

1 tablespoon olive oil1 chipotle chile in adobo sauce, finely chopped3/4 cup onion, finely chopped 3/4 cup celery, finely chopped3/4 cup carrot, finely chopped2 tablespoons garlic, minced2 teaspoons chile powder2 cups leftover cooked turkey, shredded

(light and dark meat)3 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth1/2 cup tomato puree1/2 teaspoon salt1/2 teaspoon black pepper1 15.5-ounce can white hominy, drained

Heat the olive oil in a large heavy saucepan over medi-um-high heat. Add chile pepper (add more if you likeit hotter) and onion, celery, carrot, garlic and chilepowder, and sauté 5 minutes or until tender.

Add the remaining ingredients, and bring to a simmer.Cover and cook for 45 minutes or until slightly thick,

stirring occasionally. Pour stew into prepared bowls andgarnish with shredded cabbage, thinly sliced radishes,sour cream and cilantro.

Moroccan Style Root Vegetable StewBlanching the root vegetables shortens the stew's cook-ing time and keeps the flavors bright. Plus, the blanch-ing water makes a great quick stock.

Yogurt sauce1 cup (8 ounces) Greek-style yogurt1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil1 teaspoon harissa sauce1 garlic clove, mincedSalt

Vegetable stewSalt1 pound carrots, peeled, cut into 1/2 inch pieces1 3/4-pound turnip, peeled, cut into 1/2 inch pieces3 tablespoons butter1/2 pound spring onions or green onions,

coarsely chopped (about 1 3/4 cups)2 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley, chopped 2 tablespoons fresh mint, chopped 2 garlic cloves, minced1 teaspoon paprika1 teaspoon ground cumin1/2 teaspoon ground coriander1/2 cup dry white wine2 teaspoons all purpose flour1 15-ounce can garbanzo beans, drained, rinsed1/3 pound baby spinach1 to 3 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

For the yogurt sauce, whisk ingredients in mediumbowl. Season to taste with coarse salt and pepper. Theyogurt sauce can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and chill.

Bring 8 cups water to boil in heavy large saucepan.Sprinkle with coarse salt. Add carrots; cook until tender,about 4 minutes. Using skimmer or large slotted spoon,transfer carrots to large bowl of ice water. Return waterto boil. Add turnip; cook until just tender, about 3 min-utes. Using skimmer, transfer turnip to bowl with car-rots. Reserve cooking liquid.

Melt butter in heavy large pot over medium heat. Addonions, herbs and spices. Sprinkle with coarse salt andpepper. Cook until onions are soft, stirring often, about8 minutes. Add wine; simmer until reduced by half,about 5 minutes. Stir in flour. Add carrots, turnip,beans, spinach and 2 cups reserved cooking liquid. Bringto simmer; cook until vegetables are heated through,adding more cooking liquid for desired consistency.Season stew to taste with coarse salt, pepper and lemonjuice. Divide stew among bowls. Spoon dollop of yogurtsauce over and serve.

WARMING& nutritiousWinterFoods

Winter fare...THATwarms you!

Calabaza Corn Coconut Soup

Soup2 tablespoons olive oil1 medium onion, coarsely chopped1/4 cup fresh cilantro stems, finely chopped2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped1 (2 1/4-pound) piece calabaza squash or 1 (2 1/2-

pound) whole kabocha squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (6 cups)

4 cups water1 can (12 ounces) unsweetened coconut milk,

well stirred 3 ears of corn (fresh or thawed frozen), kernels cut

off and reserved for relish (below) and cobs halvedcrosswise

2 teaspoons salt1/4 teaspoon cayenne

Relish4 1/2 teaspoons fresh lime juice1/4 teaspoon saltPinch of sugar2 tablespoons olive oil2 cups corn kernels 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped1 tablespoon shallot, finely chopped

Heat oil in a 4- to 5-quart heavy pot over medium highheat until hot but not smoking, then sauté onion, stir-ring occasionally, until softened and browned, about 4minutes. Add cilantro stems and garlic, stirring occa-sionally, 3 minutes. Add squash pieces, stirring fre-quently, 3 minutes. Stir in water, coconut milk, corncobs, salt, and cayenne and simmer, uncovered, stirringoccasionally, until squash is very tender, about 15minutes. Prepare corn relish while soup simmers.

Whisk together lime juice, salt and sugar in a bowl,then add oil and whisk until combined. Cook cornkernels in a saucepan of boiling salted water until justtender, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain in a sieve, then rinseunder cold water to stop cooking. Drain well, thentransfer to dressing along with cilantro and shallotand toss well to coat.

Discard corn cobs, then purée soup in batches in ablender (use caution when blending hot liquids) untilsmooth. Divide soup among bowls and gently stir 1/4cup corn relish into each.

Ginger Miso Consommé

Finely grate, place in paper towel, and squeeze toyield 1 1/2 teaspoons juice:1 2-inch piece fresh ginger

Whisk together in small saucepan:6 cups water7 tablespoons white miso (fermented soybean paste)

Add and bring to simmer (do not boil):6 large shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, thinly sliced

(about 4 cups)2 green onions, thinly sliced

Add and cook soup 30 seconds:1 1/2 teaspoons fresh ginger juice (see above)3/4 teaspoon tamari soy sauce

Divide soup among 6 soup bowls. Garnish with addi-tional sliced green onions.

Milk Chocolate Semifreddo with StarAnise Carrot Cake

Milk chocolate semifreddo8 ounces milk chocolate, chopped1 cup heavy cream2 egg whites1 cup sugarStar anise carrot cake2 large eggs2 tablespoons olive oil1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar1/4 teaspoon coarse salt3/4 cup whole-wheat flour1 1/2 teaspoons ground star anise1/8 teaspoon baking powder1/2 teaspoon baking soda2 cups shredded carrots, with greens reserved

(for garnish, optional)

For the carrot soup2 cups fresh carrot juice2 tablespoons cornstarch1 tablespoon sugarPinch coarse salt

Put the chocolate in a heatproof glass bowl and meltslowly in the microwave. Alternatively, you can set thebowl over a pan of simmering water (don’t let the bowltouch the water) and stir until the chocolate is com-pletely melted and just warm. Set aside. Using a hand-held electric mixer, whip the cream in a medium bowluntil it forms soft peaks; set aside.

Combine the egg whites and sugar in a heat-proof bowland place over a pan of simmering water. Whisk con-tinually until the whites are just hot, about 2 minutes.Remove from the heat and transfer to a large bowl. Beatthe egg white-sugar mixture with a handheld electricmixer until stiff peaks form and the egg whites are shinyand glossy, 3 to 5 minutes.

Fold the cream into the melted chocolate, then carefullyfold the meringue into the chocolate mixture. Pour thechocolate mixture into a 9 x 13-inch pan and put in thefreezer until firm, at least 3 hours or overnight untilfrozen.

For the cake, heat the oven to 350°F. Combine the eggs,oil, sugar, salt, flour, star anise, baking powder and bak-ing soda in a large bowl. Mix until just incorporated;add the carrots. Line an 8 x 4-inch (or 4-cup) loaf panwith parchment or use a nonstick baking pan. Pour thecake batter into the pan and bake for 45 minutes, oruntil the center springs back when lightly touched.

When cool enough to handle, unmold onto a bakingrack (run a small knife around the edges if necessary torelease the cake from the pan) and let cool. Cut into 2-inch slices then cut each slice in half and set aside. In asmall saucepan, heat the carrot juice over medium heat,then add the cornstarch, and whisk until the carrot juicemixture thickens, about 2 minutes. Remove from theheat. Chill for 1 hour or until cold. Season with sugarand salt to taste.

Ladle a small amount of carrot soup in a shallow bowl.Place 5 to 8 carrot cake pieces on top of the carrot soup.Place 3 to 4 small scoops of the chocolate semifreddo ontop the carrot cake. Garnish with carrot greens, ifdesired.

winter fare January 2014 11

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BY ARI LEVAUX

W hiteWave, maker of Silk soymilk, has pur-chased Earthbound Farm, the nation's largestproducer of organic produce. Organic industry

observers wonder what will be the fallout of this consolida-tion, announced December 9. For WhiteWave CEO GreggEngles, the road ahead is clear.

"With Horizon Organic and Earthbound Farm, WhiteWavewill now provide the two most popular gateways for con-sumers to enter into the organic category—produce anddairy," he stated in a press release.

The purchase comes barely a year since the Initial PublicOffering of WhiteWave stock, after it was spun off from itsparent company, Dean Foods. Perhaps "foster parent com-pany" would be more accurate, as Dean Foods had pur-chased WhiteWave ten years earlier, a move that resulted ina downgrade of its products from certified organic to the lessmeaningful "natural" label.

Earthbound Farm, which started in 1984 with a rented raspberry patch and afarm stand, went on to transform the way America eats salad—today it con-trols 60% of the bagged organic salad market, which it helped pioneer. Alongthe way, Myra Goodman, who started the company with her husband Drew,has used her stature to further the cause of clean, fresh food. The first recipein her first cookbook is for raspberry corn muffins, wildly popular muffins sheused to sell at the farm stand. The Goodmans' success, from such humbleroots and with such good intentions, sounds like a foodie fairy tale.

But some forecast dark clouds over the WhiteWave producer and distributer ofdairy buyout, as it invokes the specter of Dean Foods, the nation's largest dairy.Soon after purchasing WhiteWave in 2002, American organic soybean growers,who had supplied Silk's primary raw material, were told they had to meet theprice of Chinese organic soy, which was lower, or the company would go toChina. Organic soy is labor-intensive, American farmers couldn't go that low, soSilk began sourcing from China. The company amassed a commanding share ofthe organic soy milk market, before pulling a stealth bail on organic.

Silk switched its supply again, back to the US, but to conventional soybeans.New product offerings from Silk were not organic, and the flagship productwas downgraded as well, with "organic" being replaced by the less meaning-ful "natural" designation. WhiteWave was, by this time, a division of DeanFoods, and another Dean Foods holding, Horizon Organic Dairy, was trans-ferred to WhiteWave. Horizon is the largest organic dairy in the nation, andthe largest organic brand, period.

Dean Foods, and its executives, played key roles building Horizon, and simi-lar principles and practices were used by those that made Dean Foods thenation's largest dairy: gobbling up smaller dairies. In the case of Horizon,many of these small dairies saw their core organic principles get tossed. Dean

food buzz January 2014 12

Foods eventually purchased Horizon from its partners,who used the money to found Aurora organic dairy,which quickly ran up a long history of complaints againstits practices. In 2007, Aurora was found by USDA inves-tigators to have willfully committed fourteen distinct vio-lations (some with multiple instances) of federal organic

standards. Aurora is now fac-ing a total of 19 class action

and consumer fraud lawsuits in federal court, according toCornucopia Institute, an organic watchdog group.

Now spun off, WhiteWave has staked out on its own, andtaken Horizon with it; these brands no longer are associ-ated with Dean Foods, which has become a hated nameamong many in the organic community. CEO Engles putthe advantages this way: "The spin-off will provideWhiteWave with greater flexibility to build its portfolioof great-tasting, nutritious and responsibly-producedproducts. We look forward to our future as an independ-ent company with a clear strategy, a leading portfolio oftrusted brands and a culture of continuous innovation."

Cornucopia Codirector Mark Kastel fears that with thepurchase of Earthbound Farm, WhiteWave is gainingundue influence in the industry. "This new acquisitioneven gives corporate lobbyists at the former DeanFoods/WhiteWave a direct conduit to the importantNational Organic Standards Board via John Foster, anemployee of Earthbound and an NOSB member," hewrote in a press release.

Cornucopia raises important concerns about the newWhiteWave, but got it backward in claiming that, "After(Dean Foods) were done pillaging they then jettisoned

the WhiteWave division earlier this year." If anyone wasjetissoned it was Dean Foods, which was left with its con-ventional dairy business, while WhiteWave got the hottest,most profitable brands, including Horizon, the biggestorganic brand of any kind. Silk, love or hate the politics,is a damn good tasting soy milk. WhiteWave also makesInternational Delight non-dairy creamer, which containssodium caseinate, a milk derivative. The company isallowed to call its product non-dairy because of an FDAloophole that classifies it as "non-dairy" because of theprocess by which it is extracted.

Now, with the addition of America's largest organic pro-ducer, WhiteWave has a lock on some of the most prof-itable, and growing, industries. Wall Street seems toagree. In the two days following the announcement,WhiteWave's stock price was up nine percent. Its webpage is smooth and beautiful, with pictures of peopledoing yoga. Engles, who owns nearly three million sharesof WhiteWave, still sits on the Dean Foods board.

WhiteWave says it plans to run Earthbound as a sepa-rate business unit, with no significant operationalchanges planned, and has expressed interest in keepingMyra and Drew Goodman on board as advisors. Similarpromises were made to WhiteWave/Silk founder SteveDemos. He told Bullfrog Films, Dean Foods said “‘Weagree you have a culture, and we agree with the princi-ples.' That's how I agreed to stay with Dean Foods andrun Silk after its acquisition. I was told one week that Iwas doing a brilliant job and everything was workinggreat, and the next week it was 'you're not the right per-son for this job.’”

I asked Samantha Cabaluna, Vice President of Com-munication with Earthbound Farm, if the company'ssale will mean big changes for Earthbound Farm."Absolutely not," she told me by phone. "WhiteWavewas interested in the purchase because they like what wedo and want to expand on that."

WHITEWAVE, GREEN WASH?

CONSOLIDATIONof the natural and organic foods industry

DIVERSITYI N D I E T A N DM I C R O B E S F O RD I G E S T I V E H E A LT H

WHITEWAVE, HORIZON, EARTHBOUND:

A G R I B U S I N E S S A N DORGANICS!

BY DR. SALLY FISHER

We are most certainly not alone. Over millions ofyears, the earliest human ancestors emerged; sincethen we have been in a complex dance, co-evolving

with the microbial and plant worlds amidst which our livesintimately are bound. With complex new technology, we arefinally able to get a sense of the microbes, mainly bacteria,which live with us and form our so called,“second genome,” one that evolves muchmore quickly than ours does, and thereforelends us resilience as environments change.It is estimated that we are 10% human cells,90% microbes.

With a healthy diet, these microbes performuntold numbers of beneficial functions, frommaking vitamins to protecting against cancerto communicating with our brains. With anunhealthy diet, certain unhealthy bacteria arepromoted, healthy bacterial populations are lost, and overallmicrobial diversity is lost. We see associations of altered gutmicrobes and diversity loss with many disease states including:obesity, schizophrenia, autism and heart disease. These associa-tions do not prove that the gut alteration caused these illness; thathas yet to be determined. However we do have some compellingresearch evidence that this is the case for obesity. For example,mice who are born “germ-free” and then are inoculated withflora from obese mice get obese, and can be made to slim downwith gut flora from slim humans. (Backhed F et al) The gutmicrobiota as an environmental factor that regulates fat storage.

Diet and HealthWhile medicine is pursuing the therapeutic potential of trans-fers of gut flora (via the unfortunately named process of fecaltransplant!), we can aim to promote the healthiest gut microbesthrough diet. Beneficial bacteria are supported by “non-digestable carbohydrates:” carbohydrates in the form of fiber,lignin, chains of sugars and “resistant starch” (starch resistingabsorption in our small intestine) among others. Sometimescalled “prebiotics,” examples of foods very high in these non-digestable carbohydrates are chicory root, Jerusalem artichoke,and dandelion greens. Sugars like fructooligosaccharides areoften found in prebiotic supplements, and regularly the non-digestible carbohydrate inulin is used to make products like“Fiber One” bars. Eating these supplemented foods or takingsupplements is likely less beneficial than eating a variety ofplant foods, as a variety of non-digestible carbohydrates will

support a variety of different beneficial bacteria pop-ulations. Beneficial bacteria produce protective com-pounds, and diversity of bacterial types producing adiversity of beneficial metabolites is associated withbetter health.

The high amounts of protein in the typical Americandiet is problematic as protein which doesn’t get

absorbed in the small intestine is fermented;that is to say, metabolized, by bacteria intosmall metabolite compounds that can pro-mote hazardous cellular damage or cancer.

Also a high fat/high calorie diet lessensbacterial diversity. Loss of diversity isassociated with multiple disease states. Ahigh fat/caloric diet is rich in those bacte-ria which extract extra calories from ourfood (contributing directly to obesity) andis associated with increased intestinal per-

meability; aka “leaky gut.” Leaky gut results in lowgrade inflammation throughout the body—the basisfor obesity, diabetes and ultimately heart disease. Ourhigh protein, high fat, highly processed foods over-feed us due to their effects on the composition of ourgut bacteria, causing increased absorption in thesmall intestine. Now we know this diet promotesobesity and related disease.

Our essential microbial friends, beneficial bacteria,need foods with carbohydrate components we can’tabsorb but that support and feed them. Copiousresearch has repeatedly shown that the most healthyway of eating is heavy on fruits, vegetables, beansand whole grains—foods which provide a diversityof the components which support the healthiest gutflora populations, evolved over eons of humandevelopment.

SALLY FISHER, M.D., M.S., is a Physician NutritionSpecialist, in addition to training in Preventive,Occupational, Integrative and Holistic Medicine.

FOODFOOD ISIS MEDICINEOF MICROBES AND MEN

RIO GRANDE COMMUNITY FARMSIS LOOKING FOR A FEW GOOD

BOARD MEMBERS

Do you have a compelling interest in your community? Do you havea desire to impact local, sustainable agriculture? Want to feedwildlife? THEN, RIO GRANDE COMMUNITY FARM IS LOOKING FORYOU! We are recruiting five additional Board Members to help ourmission at Los Poblanos Open Space Fields. For more informationabout RGCF, please visit our website: www.riograndefarm.org/. Formore information about board membership, please call 505-345-4580 (voicemail, but we will return your call ASAP) or emailinfo@riograndefarm.org. Thank you for your interest!

CAUSE FOR CONCERN?

RANDOM ECOnotes

farming & gardening January 2014 13

BY JOANN BAUMGARTNER, WILD FARM ALLIANCE

W ith the closing of the public comment period on the feder-al Food Safety Modernization Act, food safety issues are oneveryone’s mind. To help small-and-mid-sized farmers and con-

sumers, the Wild Farm Alliance (WFA) and Community Alliance with FamilyFarms (CAFF) are excited to announce the release of two new resources tosupport farmers in “co-managing” for food safety and natural resources con-servation.

A Farmer's Guide to Food Safety and Conservation: Facts, Tips &Frequently Asked Questions provides a boots-on-the-ground guide for smalland mid-sized fruit and vegetable growers looking to address both food safe-ty and conservation on their operations. This boots-on-the-ground guideincludes:• An introduction to the basic factors that affect the survival and movementof food borne pathogens on the farm. • An overview of how healthy diverse ecosystems can help to keep pathogensin check. • Frequently asked questions that address all things food safety—fromwildlife and compost issues, to CSA members visiting the farm. • Tips on how to have a successful food safety inspection. • Additional resources

The supporting Training Scenarios for USDA and Third Party Auditors onthe Co-management of Food Safety and Conservation as well as Small- andMid-size Farm Concerns' serves not only as a training opportunity for food-safety auditors, but as a resource that farmers can share with their auditorsto help them better understand conservation and small farm issues.

This training manual was created to use alongside the USDA Produce GAPsHarmonized Food Safety Standards. The scenarios will aid auditors in howto recognize situations where farmers use conservation practices that reducefood safety risks, when beneficial actions support natural processes, andwhen improvement is needed. The manual also addresses small-farm issuesrelated to food safety such as friends and family visiting the farm, pets on thefarm, growing multiple crops in a field and mixed operations that grow pro-duce and raise livestock. Auditors who work for, or are accredited by, USDAcan receive continuing education units for completing the training. At theend of the training, a Certificate of Completion can be downloaded.

Farmers can suggest that their food-safety auditorreview these training scenarios on co-management andsmall-farm issues before visiting their farm, so that theywill be better informed when they arrive for the audit.Farmers may also find value in reviewing these trainingscenarios, and may want to reference them, if a foodsafety auditor who has not seen these materials isalready on the farm and needs clarification.

Go to the Food-Safety Training Scenario page of theWild Farm Alliance website, www.wildfarms.org, for

the list of training scenarios and information on how toreceive USDA continuing education credits.

EDITOR’S NOTE: These two new publica-tions are the logical extension of an earlierWFA/CAFFF publication, Farming With FoodSafety and Conservation in Mind. This tightlypacked seven-page pamphlet on the co-man-agement of food safety and conservation pro-vides a helpful, science-based overview, outlin-ing the low prevalence of food bornepathogens in wildlife, addressing conservationpractices that can improve food safety, andoffering a conservation-minded risk assess-ment strategy.

Major sections of the pamphlet include: HowDid We Get Here?, Relative Food Safety Risk

of Wildlife, General Advice for Animal Management,Specific Wildlife Considerations, Why Soil MicrobialDiversity IS Important to Public Health, Soil ManagementConsiderations, Compost Considerations, Vegetation'sFiltering Capacity, and Good Food Safety Protocol.

A limited number of hard copies of this pamphlet willbe available free of charge at the NM Organic FarmingConference on the La Montanita Co-op table, ordownload it and the two new WFA/CAFF publicationson line at: www.wildfarms.org.

more fertile and longer lived than flies that eatnon-organic produce. I guess this is good news.If fruit flies are healthier eating this stuff, aren’twe all? I am a little worried though about self-righteous fruit flies in my kitchen saying stufflike, “Oh, I don’t eat that. I’m gluten free andonly want Fair Trade certified.”

Can You Say “Dichotomy”? As the largest federally owned wind farm inthe country, the Pantex Renewable EnergyProject will provide half of the annual electric-ity needs to the nearby Pantex Plant. What will the fedsdo with all this windy power? Why, use it to assemble,disassemble and maintain portions of the nation’snuclear stockpile. Ugh. That’s like using petroleum togrow organic food. Oh, wait…

Well, Well, Well... Meanwhile in Kalkaska, Michigan, Encana Oil & GasInc. needs 8.4 million gallons of water for fracking onesingle well. The problem is there isn’t enough H20 onsiteso Encana is trucking it in from Kalkaska’s city watersystem. In the time it takes Encana to finish frackingthings up, they will have used more water than the entiremunicipality will use in the same amount of time.

Kill Those Weeds With…ummm... Never MindAccording to recent tests commissioned by Friends of theEarth Europe, people in eighteen European countrieshave been found to have traces of the weed killer

BY BRETT BAKKER

You Want Novel Organisms, Invasive Species AndEmerging Pathogens With That?J.R. Simplot (the agri-biz giant which currently supplies allMcDonald’s “restaurants” with the potatoes used in itsfries) has developed a GMO potato line called Innate, whichis in line for USDA regulatory approval. No word yet onwhether Micky D’s will try these new superspuds. What’s sospecial about these ’taters? According to Simplot, Innatepotatoes “will not turn brown after being cut for many daysuntil they dry out and degrade naturally...” Gee, leaving cutpotatoes out for many days has always been a big problemaround my house…!

One Stop Shopping?WhiteWave (which owns Silk and is a spinoff of grocery giantDean Foods which in turn owns Alta Dena and Creamlandamong many, many others) has purchased Earthbound Farmthrough its milk division, Horizon. The reason, cited by CEOand Chairman Gregg Engles, is to own two of the “most pop-ular gateways for consumers to enter into the organic catego-ry—produce and dairy.”

You may recall it was Earthbound packaged spinach thatwas responsible for the 2006 E. coli outbreak that killedthree people and sickened around 200 others. No, the out-break was not because there is rampant E. coli on organicfarms but because packing 70% of the nation’s packagedorganic salad in a few locations (sort of like washing theveggies from hundreds of farms in the same sink) makes itsimpler to spread disease from one field to the crops of hun-dreds of others. None for me thanks, I’d prefer to get myown E. coli locally. (see page 12)

Time Flies Like An Arrow, Fruit Flies Like A BananaSouthern Methodist University scientist Johannes Bauer hasfound that fruit flies fed on organic produce are healthier,

glyphosate (trade name Roundup) in their urine. This is interesting in light ofthe fact that the EU has some of the tightest GMO restrictions worldwide.Glyphosate is used on many GMO farms because the crops have been bred

to be resistant to its effects. Concurrently, the EPA is pro-posing to raise the allowed residue limits in human foodand animal feed crops, just as the International Survey ofHerbicide Resistant Weeds has shown that over 140 dif-ferent species of weeds have developed high tolerances toherbicides. I have a punch line but it’s not appropriate fora family newsletter.

New Farm Is New AgainAt a recent meeting in Eugene, Oregon, I had the pleas-ure of meeting Rodale Institute Executive Director“Coach” Mark Smallwood. We ended up talking aboutold Rodale publications like New Farm, sort of anOrganic Gardening magazine geared to larger scale

farms. And what do you know, Rodale has revived it online and also on paperfor us Luddite types who want to fold it up in our back pockets!

Coach was nice enough to mail me a copy, as well as a reprint of the firstOrganic Gardening and Farming magazine from 1942. That first issue is astimely as ever. To grow healthy crops, keep your soil healthy with compostand organic matter. Period! This is a good thing to keep in mind amidst thetrend of hundreds of types of packaged organic fertilizers for farm or garden.Most packaged products—food or fertilizer—contain all kinds of extraneousstuff; but it’s easier and cheaper to keep it simple. For simple minded peoplelike me, it works out pretty darn well. HAVE A NEW YEAR!

GROW theREGIONALFOOD SYSTEM

• Investor enrollment period now open through March 30, 2014• Investment options begin at $250• Loan repayment terms tailored to the needs of our community

of food producers• Loan applications taken on an ongoing basis

To set up a meeting to learn more or for a Prospectus, InvestorAgreement, Loan Criteria and Applications, call or e-mail Robin at: 505-217-2027, toll free at 877-775-2667 or e-mail her at robins@lamontanita.coop or go to www.lamontanita.coop.

LA MONTANITAFUND

GRASSROOTS INVESTING AND MICRO-LOAN PROGRAM

Make the Link:FOOD andENVIRONMENT!

I T C H Y G R E E N T H U M B

FARMING WITH FOOD SAFETY AND CONSERVATION

IN MINDREPRINTED WITH PERMISSION from the Wild FarmAlliance and the California Alliance of FamilyFarmers. For the complete text go to www.wildfarms.org.

Why Soil Microbial Diversity Is Important forPublic Health: Cover crops and compost supportdiverse microbial soil populations by increasing theorganic matter content of the soil. As microorgan-isms decompose these materials, they createhumus. This complex organic material providesnumerous soil health benefits.

Soil management practices can increase or decreaseplant and human pathogens in the growing environ-

ment. For example, manure slurries may create con-ditions that favor pathogen survival in the soil.Composted manure provides nutrients and organicmatter with less risk of pathogen contamination. Ingeneral, E. coli O157:H7 survives best in anaerobic,carbon- and nutrient-rich conditions, such as thosefound in the guts of ruminant animals. Use of covercrops, compost, and other high-quality organic mat-ter inputs encourage diverse soil microbial popula-tions, which enhance suppression of soil-borne plantpathogens through competition and lower survival ofE. coli pathogens in soil.

Food safety and public health require careful con-sideration of soil management strategies that mayimpact pathogen sources and survival.

CO-MANAGING FOR

FOOD SAFETYAND

CONSERVATION

IITTCCHHYY GGRREEEENNtthhuummbb

DDIIVVEERRSSEEEECCOOSSYYSSTTEEMMSSarehealthier

BY MICHAEL JENSEN, AMIGOS BRAVOS

This month I’m going to talk about theNew Year—with some new science, adigression and a few resolutions forwater.

EpigeneticsEpigenetics is a new area of study—not com-pletely accepted in the mainstream—thatdeals with changes in gene activity that areinherited, but which are not caused bychanges in the DNA sequence itself (“epi”means “in addition to”). Epigenetics studiesenvironmental factors that can alter how genes are expressed—how orwhether they can function. Epigenetic changes can persist not only throughmany cell divisions during the cell's life, but also over the course of many gen-erations as the changes to gene expression become hard-wired into the DNAand are passed down through the embryo. (For a quick overview, see:http://bit.ly/JKM673).

Better Living Through Chemistry?The breakthrough in realizing the role of epigenetics came from MichaelSkinner’s lab at Washington State University. He and his assistants were con-ducting research on the possible long-term health consequences of exposureto environmental chemicals and inadvertently found that several generationsafter pregnant female rats had been exposed to various chemicals (they start-ed with a common agricultural fungicide but moved on to BPA, jet fuel andother chemicals), the male offspring had abnormally low sperm counts – justas if exposed directly – but their DNA sequences were unchanged. They con-tinued testing with chemicals known to cause specific diseases and found thatthese also appeared several generations later in the offspring of mothersexposed to these chemicals, again, without mutations in the genetic code. Themechanism they uncovered was caused by the toxins, which affected mole-cules called methyl groups that attach to DNA in the fetus, in turn affectingits adult-age eggs or sperm. Skinner compared these “methylated DNA”changes to burrs that get stuck to a sweater: they don’t change the structureof the sweater, but are carried along with it. (See: http://bit.ly/1eAgsks)

If You Are What You Eat…One lesson of epigenetics is that not only are we impacted by what we eat –or drink, or breathe – so also are our children and grandchildren down

aqua es vida January 2014 14

through many generations. Which means that thingswe do and things done do us may have already set inmotion outcomes we’ll never live to see.

A Scary Thought!But the fact that these potential impactsare not directly altering genes and DNA,but only how certain genes function,means we have the chance to stop or min-imize the likelihood that bad things willhappen to our future generations. Someother recent science can provide some sug-gestions:• Go for a walk in the woods – Re-search done in Japan has shown thatspending time outdoors – in forests, at theocean, in the mountains – can alter stresshormones and increase the number andactivity of disease-fighting cells in thebody. This is apparently the result ofexposure to certain chemicals released by

plants that they use to protect themselves, as well asthe higher amount of negative ions in the air, whichact as anti-oxidants in the body. However, theresearch also showed that just being exposed to pic-tures of forests for a few minutes a day could reducestress hormones. (See the Deming Headlight article:http://bit.ly/1ci4BUS)• Meditate – Recent research by researchers in theUS, Spain and France has shown for the first timethat those who practice mindfulness meditation canexperience rapid changes in gene expression. In par-ticular, the researchers saw changes in genes whoseimpacts are currently treated with anti-inflammatoryand pain drugs. (See: http://bit.ly/1gkCt6R)• Change your diet – Avoid canned foods (BPA)and processed foods in general, and focus on freshfoods, paying particular attention to foods knownfor their anti-inflammatory, antioxidant effects.

Profound InequalityThere are clearly things we can do in our own livesthat can make a difference, but the chemicals that trig-ger epigenetic changes and long-term health impactsare pervasive and extend far beyond the individual.Our responses have to be more than personal. TheUnited States has become a profoundly unequal coun-try, pushing large numbers of people into poverty. So,even though it seems far removed from epigenetics,

NewYearnew science, newchallenges

RESOLUTIONS FOR BETTER OOUUTTCCOOMMEESSdealing with inequality will make it easier for more peo-ple to eat more wisely and raise healthier children. If youneed to know what the US looks like in terms of inequal-ity, you can start here:• “Inequality in America” – http://bit.ly/1fBqJcP• “20 Facts about Inequality Every American ShouldKnow” by the Stanford Center on Poverty andInequality – http://stanford.io/198ab87• “Income Inequality Is What’s Destroying America”(because even Forbes gets it) – http://onforb.es/1c2Puu7

WaterThere is a growing awareness that water contaminationat even very low levels is a serious problem.Pharmaceuticals, for example, occur at the parts per tril-lion level and their impacts can be magnified becausesome of them—endocrine disrupting compounds—mimic natural hormones that act in the body at evenlower concentrations. What should be done:• Hold regulators and polluters accountable –The Clean Water Act’s original intention was to elim-inate all contaminant discharge by the mid-1980s.Instead, regulation has become a system meant toreduce and mitigate contamination. The Martinezadministration has gone even farther and criticized theenvironmental community for failing to understandthat when the state issues a permit, they are givingindustry “permission to pollute,” this has to change.• More stringent drinking water standards –Current standards do not include emerging contami-nants like pharmaceuticals. The government needs tomove much more aggressively to evaluate the potentialhealth impacts of emerging contaminants and effectivemethods to remove them from the water (and fromfood and drink as well).• Cumulative impacts from multiple path-ways (air, soil, water) – Rather than treating eachpermit for each firm on a case-by-case basis, regulatorsneed to assess the ongoing and future cumulativeimpact of all polluting activities in a neighborhood orcity or region; while there are some cumulative impactprovisions in federal environmental regulation, thesedo not exist in New Mexico’s regulations.

For more information on water and related issuescontact Michael at mjensen@amigosbravos.net.

line for the Carbon Economy Series (CES), a NewMexico non-profit dedicated to teaching sustain-able principles and practices with world reknowned

speakers. In 2014 we present a new year-ly conference that provides the knowl-edge to produce these results.

Building Resilience through SustainablePractices is the theme of the CES confer-ence held at the Albuquerque EmbassySuites on February 1-2, 2014, with JoelSalatin from Polyface Farms as a key-note speaker. A sustainable food systemrock star, Joel is a third generation alter-native farmer who has been featured in

Food, Inc. and The Omnivore’s Dilemma. He is amasterful speaker whose humor and positive ener-gy guarantee a rewarding experience. Can we feedNew Mexico and the world with local food? Thisis hands down the most frequently asked questionto Joel or anyone else who promotes local, solar-driven, carbon-fertilized systems. Even most food-ies and environmentalists have a deep-seatedassumption that were it not for the petroleum-based fertilizer boom—the green revolution—wecould not feed ourselves. Those massive Kansaswheat fields and California almond groves, formost people, represent efficiency and abundance.Nothing could be further from the truth. Backyardgardens and multi-speciation are far more produc-

JOEL SALATIN isCOMINGBY IGINIA BROCCALANDRO

Imagine, 2014 as a magical year that willbring you closer to fulfilling your dreams andallow your family to reinvent a way of living so

that you all have a positive impact on your health,have less stress, reduce the need to earn more moneyand feel good about being a better Earth steward.This NEW year could be “CLEAN, EASY, SIMPLE;” which is the tag-

tive per acre. In these workshops, Joel will give youthe information and tools to feed your family andarticulate a credible “feed the world” argument.

Joel will also be featured in two pre-conference eventsat Los Poblanos Historic Inn and Organic Farm. OnThursday, January 30, 7-9PM at the Celebrity ChefGourmet Farm to Table Dinner fundraising event,and then for a full day, Ballet in the Pasture work-shop, on Friday, January 31 from 9AM-5PM, on thenuts and bolts of how twenty people create two mil-lion dollars of revenue by providing over ten thou-sand people a month with healthy, organic food whilemaintaining a happy and healthy lifestyle.

In crafting the Clean Economy Conference welooked at how we can empower the whole humanbeing (mind, body and spirit) through sustainableeducation based on natural systems, solutions thatmimic nature, where cooperation instead of compe-tition is the norm, and where relationships havevalue. This is what we will be talking about for threeand a half days. Local experts will be presenting onzero waste, aquaponics, water harvesting, beekeep-ing, building an agricultural production center,growing local and organic food, community gardensand urban Permaculture Design.

FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE visit our webpage www.carboneconomyseries.com or CALL505-819-3828.

Reinvent Yourself in 2014IIIIMMMMAAAAGGGGIIIINNNNEEEE!!!!

P O S I T I V E I M PA C T S

PRO TECTNM water!

IN THE HEARTof the CITYCITYMOBILE PHOTOGRAPHY STUDIOOn January 6, from 9AM to 5PM, Axle Con-temporary artists, Jerry Wellman and Mathew, willbring their mobile step van gallery/photo studio to theNob Hill Shopping Center as part of the Heart of theCity project organized by 516 ARTS. They will shootblack and white photographic portraits of diversemembers of the Nob Hill community focusing partic-ularly on youth. In the portraits, participants will beasked to hold an object of significance or resonancefor them. Two copies of each portrait will be printedon-site; one given to the participant and the other imme-

diately glued to the exterior of the mobile gallery.After each portrait is taken, it will be merged withall the previous photos, creating a dynamic andchanging portrait of all who participate. All arewelcome to participate. All of the portraits willalso be displayed at 516 ARTS as part of the Heartof the City exhibition. Posters of the merged por-trait will be displayed around Albuquerque loca-tions. Ultimately, the project will be documentedin the form of a book, available at 516 ARTS atthe Heart of the City show opening on February 1.

To see last year’s Santa Fe show go to www.unumeplurib.us and learn more at info@axleart.com, go to www.axleart.com or call 505-670-7612. IN NOB HILL ON JANUARY 6!

MOBILEPhoto STUDIO!

NOB HILL JAN. 69AM-5PM GET YOUR PHOTO

TAKEN! WWW.AXLART.COM505-670-7612

CALLING ALL FOOD PRODUCERS! NEED CAPITAL TO SCALE UP?La Montanita FUND... easy application, flexible repayment terms, call 505-217-2027.

community forum January 2014 15

BY DAVE MCCOY

Citizen Action New Mexico is suing the National NuclearSecurity Agency (NNSA) under the Freedom of InformationAct for withholding documents related to the safety of nuclear

operations at Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) in Albuquerque.NNSA is the semi-autonomous nuclear weapons agency within theUS Department of Energy (DOE).

The lawsuit was filed November 22, 2013, in federal court inAlbuquerque by the law offices of Nancy Simmons on behalf ofCitizen Action. The suit alleges that the NNSA has withheld docu-ments and work papers for over two years about whether the nuclearreactors at Sandia have experienced shutdowns, accidents or violat-ed safety regulations. The FOIA requires federal agencies to respondin 20 days. The lawsuit alleges a continuing pattern and practice ofwrongful delay by the NNSA in violation of the Freedom ofInformation Act.

Citizen Action believes that Sandia deliberately withheld the docu-ments for over two years to hide them from the public during theFederal Defense Nuclear Facility Safety Board's investigation of SNL’snuclear reactors and during a period of high public concern about theFukushima reactor meltdowns. Sandia may be operating its reactorsdespite unresolved safety questions that require shutdown.

The concerns of the Federal Safety Board date back to 2004 when itsstaff described numerous safety deficiencies. Again in 2012, the staffidentified concerns about the lack of independent safety assessmentsand poor computer software quality for Sandia's ACRR reactor forconfinement of plutonium in the event of an explosion. A previouslawsuit filed by Citizen Action against the NNSA resulted in a SantaFe Federal District Court decision that ordered the NNSA to halt its“Kafkaesque and labyrinthine” pattern and practice of withholdingdocuments.

Citizen Action staff believe that SNL management shows a willing-ness to hide the facts about nuclear waste draining intoAlbuquerque's aquifer and a conduct of unsafe nuclear operations. Alawsuit filed in 2011 by Citizen Action for Sandia’s Mixed WasteLandfill resulted in obtaining documents that describe the EPARegion 6 and the New Mexico Environment Department’s cover upof defective groundwater monitoring data used to make an adminis-trative decision to leave radioactive and hazardous wastes in placeunder a dirt cover at Sandia's Mixed Waste Landfill.

Citizen Action first complained to the EPA in 2007that the monitoring wells were in the wrong loca-tions, improperly drilled, had corroded screens and could not be relied on for data on the safety ofleaving the radioactive

wastes above Albuquerque’s aquifer. The NewMexico Environment Department is further delayinga safety review that was required under its ownorder for the Mixed Waste Landfill that was duethree years ago. In the 2012 NM Legislative Session,the Senate considered Memorial 34, demanding that

the Department immediately orderSandia to perform the safety review.

The New Mexico Environment De-partment sued Citizen Action in 2007 tokeep a TechLaw, Inc., report secret fromthe public that described defects in thedesign of the landfill’s dirt cover to protectthe groundwater. Citizen Action obtainedthe report after a state court rejected theDepartment’s claim of “executive privi-lege” to withhold the TechLaw document.

CITIZEN ACTION is a 501(c)(3) projectof the New Mexico Community

Foundation. For more information or to supportCitizen Action’s activities, please email dave@radfreenm.org or call 505-262-1862.

A continuing pattern and practice of wrongful delay in

violation of the FREEDOM ofINFORMATION ACT.

CITIZEN ACTIONFOR FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ONNUKE SAFETY

The Stories of Route 66: The InternationalDistrict project team invites community memberswho live in the International District of Albu-querque to FREE community storytelling and artworkshops, for all ages and all languages, beginningin January. A team of Littleglobe artists will engageresidents in storytelling, visual art, theater, move-ment, poetry, film and other creative activities everySunday afternoon from January to June 2014. FREEweekly workshops will lead to three works of artand/or performance—created by community mem-bers—that will premiere in July 2014 at three loca-tions in the International District, creating an excit-ing portrait of the area and its people.

No experience, application or registration re-quired, district residents can simply show up onJanuary 12, at 1:30PM at PB&J Family Services(209 San Pablo SE) to participate. All ages,including families are welcome.

For more information, please email ValerieMartinez at valerie@littleglobe.org or call 505-603-0866. Learn more about the overall proj-ect at www.littleglobe.org/portfolio/stories-of-route-66-international-district/

L I T T L E G L O B E FL I T T L E G L O B E F A C I L I TA C I L I T AA T E S C O M M U N I T Y A RT E S C O M M U N I T Y A R T S P R O J E C TT S P R O J E C T

STORIES OF ROUTE 66