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Resurrect the Barter!
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Linking people together to trade farm goods. Variety is good!
Members: 27
Latest Activity: 1 day ago
Discussion Forum
HOMEGROWN Holiday Swap 29 Replies
Started by Cornelia. Last reply by Cornelia 1 day ago.
Comment Wall
Comment
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Comment by Torry on November 22, 2009 at 10:45am - Simon, I'd encourage you to post your site for excess produce at the group "Charitable Giving of Produce," linking people and places together for donating.
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Comment by Simon on November 18, 2009 at 5:53pm -
Hi all, lets all get back to bartering real products - great idea! I'm in New Zealand and found this website that is popular here to search for food within any radius from your home, you can also sell/swap/give away your excess produce, and its free to use :
www.locavore365.org
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Comment by mo on November 16, 2009 at 11:53pm -
I am now aboard the barter train, boxcar living with my new cyberneighbors.
Ready for the swap. Art, recipes and cleaning products.
If anyone uses plastic composite wine corks for anything we have those too, they are NOT recyclable and I don't enjoy the medium for crafts.
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Comment by Jessica White on November 14, 2009 at 1:13pm
- I have raw english angora wool to swap
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Comment by Cornelia on November 13, 2009 at 12:52pm - OK, I'll work on crafting an invitation that people can send out to friends and will post it here. Thanks Aliza, we're really getting organized now!
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Comment by Aliza Ess on November 12, 2009 at 12:50pm -
Cornelia, I love that idea!
I have done a similar craft swap like the one you describe through craftster.org and it was a lot of fun.
Count me in!
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Comment by Cornelia on November 12, 2009 at 11:20am
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Hey Aliza,
I like your idea of having a searchable list - unfortunately the platform that the site lives in doesn't really have that capability (yet).
They way I've seen it done on Flickr craft swaps is that people join a group (Resurrect The Barter) and essentially "subscribe" to a swap. The swap term has an ending point and then begins anew. How it works: 6-12 people join the swap group, each is assigned a swapping "partner", they trade addresses and send each other a fun package of stuff.
There is less choice about what you get - kind of like a music swap where folks send a compilation CD - and you are randomly assigned a swapping "partner". We could try that - it would be an adventure. For example: I don't think I would necessarily seek out a sourdough starter, but if one came in exchange for my pickled beets, I think I'd be thrilled!
What do people think? We could recruit people to participate and give it a whirl in time for the holidays...
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Comment by Aliza Ess on November 11, 2009 at 11:06am
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***Already posted this in the Pre-Thanksgiving Swaps discussion but I'm re-posting here so all commenters can see***
Hey Cornelia,
Perhaps there could be a separate swap area on the site, where people could post everything they're willing to swap in a list, and then people could search by region or by what item that want (preserves, relish, sourdough starter, kombucha starter, etc.)
Or maybe there could just be different discussions set up in the "Resurrect the Barter" section?
What do people think?
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Comment by kim bennett on September 27, 2009 at 8:05pm - what dont i have beet relish band b pickles mustard pickles horseradish, dilly beans you name it canned meat pies
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Comment by Torry on July 1, 2009 at 11:03am
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Have:
4 half pints mint jelly
6 quarter pints jalapeno jelly
1 pint thai hot sauce
2 pints horseradish pickled banana peppers
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Latest from FARM AID
USDA Issues New Regulations Protecting Contract Farmers
The USDA released regulations (PDF link) this week that will provide new, much-needed protections for contract poultry farmers.Contract farming generally refers to a system in which a farmer raises or grows an agricultural product for a larger company. Contract poultry farmers invest their own money to build poultry barns to company specifications. Under contract, a company delivers the chicks to the grower who uses company feed and medicine to raise the chicks. The company retains ownership of the birds and dictates how the chicks are to be raised. The grown birds then go back to be processed by the poultry company for a previously agreed-upon price based on the birds' weight.
A typical chicken house costs about $300,000 to build, and most companies encourage growers to build at least four houses, for an investment in excess of $1 million. Frequently, growers take out loans covering that entire expense, only to find themselves dropped by the company, often with little or no notice. While there exists the potential for fair contracts in this agricultural system, that has not been the case historically. Contract growers have typically been extremely vulnerable, the contracts tilted against the grower who is subject to the whims of the poultry company. These new regulations issued by the USDA's Grain Inspection, Packers & Stockyards Administration will help change that system.
Under the new rules:
- Companies must provide farmers with a written copy of the contract before the farmer makes an initial investment in his or her poultry houses;
- Contracts with confidentiality clauses must allow farmers to discuss contract offers with federal or state agencies, immediate family members, business associates, farmers who contract with the same company, accounting services hired by the farmer, a lawyer or financial advisor before signing;
- Contracts must state that if a farmer is put on a performance improvement plan (in other words, if they've received a warning that could potentially lead to their contract being terminated), they must be told why, what steps will be taken to help them improve, how they can regain good standing, and the factors that will be used to determine when or if the contract will be terminated;
- Farmers must be notified in writing within 90 days before a contract is terminated, expired, not renewed or not replaced.
"When the company terminated my contract, the company representative left a message on my answering machine saying that the flock of chickens that we had would be our last," Kevin said. "We had no warning. No one should be in that situation."
Mickey Box, a farmer in Berryville, Arkansas, agreed. "Growers have been left in the dark," Mickey said. "When I was put on a performance improvement plan, I knew I could lose my contract. It would have helped to know how I could get back in good standing."
Becky Ceartas, director of the contract agriculture reform program at Farm Aid-funded group Rural Advancement Foundation International-USA (RAFI), said these rules increase fairness, transparency and good business practices.
"Before farmers make the financial commitment to build poultry facilities on their farms, they need to know exactly what's expected and what the terms of that arrangement will be," said Ceartas. "An informed farmer can make better decisions, and that benefits everyone."
Farmers and concerned consumers can get more information about these rules by calling Ceartas at (919) 542-1396 x209 or by visiting www.rafiusa.org.
The Administration will release additional proposed regulations in early 2010 that will deal with other competition and fairness issues in poultry and livestock agriculture—stay tuned!
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