What's 'MOO' At The Clearinghouse — December 1999
 

  EPA Job Training Grants
New Report on Small Farms
Activist Website Launched
FRAC Spring Policy Conference
Turkey Tips

EPA Job Training Grants

To expand their Brownfields Job

Training and Development Demonstration Pilots program, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is offering ten grants of up to $200,000 each over two years. The goals of the program are to clean up brownfields sites that are contaminated with hazardous substances, while simultaneously providing environmental employment and training for low-income residents of communities impacted by brownfields. Successful applicants must prepare trainees in activities that can be related to a cleanup employing alternative or innovative technologies. Colleges, non-profit job training community groups, governmental agencies, and coalitions of these types of organizations are encouraged to apply. Applicants must be located within or near one of the 307 pre-2000 brownfields assessment pilot communities and the deadline for applications is March 3, 2000.

For more information, including program guidelines, call the EPA’s Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response, Outreach and Special Projects staff at 202-260-4527 or 202-260-1910. Information can also be obtained online at www.epa.gov/brownfields/

New Report on Small Farms

Despite the threats to their continued existence, small farms are more productive and have significantly more social benefits than large farms, according to a new policy brief released by the Institute for Food and Development Studies/Food First. The report, entitled The Multiple Functions and Benefits of Small Farm Agriculture in the Context of Global Trade Negotiations by Food First executive director Peter Rosset, argues that small farms not only produce 2 to 10 times more per unit area than large, corporate farms, but also contribute more to rural economic development. Owners of small farms provide a thriving market for rural entrepreneurs as well as act as effective stewards of the rural environment by promoting biodiversity and responsible management of natural resources. The study also documents the economic challenges that face small farmers worldwide, which are due in part to free trade agreements negotiated in recent years that have lowered agricultural commodity prices and forced farmers into bankruptcy by the millions.

For a copy of the report, contact Food First at 398 60th Street, Oakland, CA 94618, tel: 510-654-4400, fax: 510-654-4551 or download it from the Internet at www.foodfirst.org/pubs/policybs/pb4.html

Activist Website Launched

SpeakOut.com, a new political technology company with bipartisan support, has recently been launched to help facilitate communication by citizens to lawmakers on decisions that impact their lives, including hunger and poverty issues. The company will compile information gathered from surveys and chat rooms on its website (www.speakout.com) and share it with state and federal legislators, campaign committees, interest groups, and others. The first such survey is called "Election of Ideas" and it asks voters which issues they want their presidential candidate to address during next year’s election. SpeakOut.com has already demonstrated its commitment to hunger and poverty issues by becoming a generous sponsor of World Hunger Year’s 1999 Hungerthon, an annual event broadcast on several metropolitan New York radio stations that raises funds and awareness for the fight against hunger.

For more information, call 888-SPEAKOUT or check out the website at www.speakout.com

FRAC Spring Policy Conference

The annual spring policy conference, organized by the Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) and co-sponsored by America’s Second Harvest and the National CACFP Forum, will be held February 27-29, 2000 at the Washington Court Hotel in Washington, DC. Titled "Fighting Hunger and Poverty in the New Millennium," the conference aims to bring together advocates from across the country working on anti-hunger, health care, education, immigrant’s, and children’s issues. Some highlights of the conference will include a legislative briefing, presentations by national non-profit organizations that operate after school and summer feeding programs, and a Congressional reception on Capitol Hill.

For more information, or to register for the conference, contact Wanda Putney at Food Research and Action Center, 1875 Connecticut Ave NW, Suite 540, Washington, DC 20009, tel: 202-986-2200 ext. 3021, Email: wputney@frac.org , website: www.frac.org

Turkey Tips

The holiday season is here, so below are some tips for your clients or volunteers who may have questions about how to safely prepare a traditional turkey dinner.

• Make sure you rinse the thawed or fresh turkey in cold water before cooking. The liquid from the turkey should not come in contact with any other food, utensil, or cooking surface.
• Use a cook’s thermometer to ensure thorough cooking of the turkey. A properly prepared bird will have a temperature of at least 180 degrees F.
• Refrigerate any leftovers within two hours to prevent the growth of any bacteria that can cause illness.

For more information, call the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 800-535-4555.