local food
We thought turnout for the municipal elections in Carrboro was low, but word on the street is that the turnout for the board elections at Weaver Street Market is abyssmal. Apparently
even though many folks in Carrboro are members of the Weaver Street
Market cooperative, only a couple of hundred members actually vote in a
given election for the board. Considering there are probably 10,000+
members (educated guess based on the membership numbers i'm hearing people give at the register these days), that's a 1-2% turnout rate. Considering that the market is
arguably the soul and conscience of Carrboro, it's surprising
that so few people take a moment to learn about the candidates and take
the important step of voting.
This year we're hoping that changes. So
in an effort to promote voting of "consumer-owners", both candidates
for the board have written this piece to get the word out about the
voting, to tell you a little about ourselves, and to encourage each of
you to reach out to your friends and neighbors and encourage them to
vote as well.
From the County:
The 11th Annual Orange County Agricultural Summit will be held on Monday, February 9, 2009 starting at 8:30 a.m. until lunch. The summit will be held at the old Orange Enterprise building, 500 Valley Forge Road in Hillsborough.
This year the featured speaker will be Steve Troxler, the Commissioner of Agriculture for the State of North Carolina. In addition, topics of discussion will include, youth in agriculture, farm diversification, government programs that assist farmers in energy conservation and how to enhance farm income with hunting leases.
Lunch will be served using locally grown agricultural products as part of the $5 registration fee. Seating is limited, please respond no later than February 5, 2009.
To register and for additional information contact the North Carolina Cooperative Extension - Orange County Center at (919) 245-2050.
Date:
Monday, February 9, 2009 - 3:30am
Location:
Orange Enterprise building, 500 Valley Forge Road, Hillsborough
There is a great guest column in today's N&O by former Congressperson Eva Clayton on the importance and potential of local agriculture.
Here in Orange County, we have made some admirable moves in support of a strong local food economy. In fact, we may have one of the strongest local food networks in the region. Yet there is much more we can do.
One problem that we face is the schizophrenic nature of our collective vision. We craft statements of sustainable economic development and generally elect leaders who espouse these principles. Yet we continually find ourselves involved in controversies that wouldn't really make the cut if our stated commitment to sustainable economics had an effective filter.
The latest example is UNC's stated goal to site an airport in rural Orange County, land that is most suited for sustainable local food production. To add to the schizophrenia, our progressive County Commissioners have an Economic Development Director, Brad Broadwell, who is an avid and public supporter of UNC's airport proposal.
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