Your Are Invited to Attend

Hello Members,

 Would you like to help someone less fortunate than yourself?  Here is an opportunity to reach out to people in our own community, who are having a hard time feeding their families and making ends meet.  We have an member who is part of a Gleaners group.  What they do is harvest from food growers fields or gardens and donate the food to local Food Banks.  If you have blessed with an over abundance of food in your fields or gardens and don't know what to do with the excess please call this gleaners group.  If you have a large amount to donate please call them 2 weeks advance so they can organize volunteers and trucks.  They will glean the donated foods and truck the food for you.  All you have to do is make the call...

You can contact:

Paulette Blaseg

Trinity Community Gardens

Cell:  899-7000

Hello Members and Friends of the Table Grape Industry;

I am writing to ask all of you to PLEASE attend the Public Hearing concerning the Research Centers in Parma and Caldwell.  It is important to support this industry and be a part of this process to insure the survival of Table Grapes in the Snake River Valley and the valuable research done at the Parma Station.

Location:  U of I Caldwell Facility

Caldwell Idaho, Caldwell Complex, 1904 E. Chicago St., Conference Center

Date:  Thursday, Sept. 10, 2009

Time:   6 p.m.

Thank You For Your Support!

Public Notice Hearing:

A series of four public Listening Sessions is scheduled around Idaho in September:

Idaho Falls

September 8, 2009

ISU Campus, 1770 Science Center Drive, CHE Bldg., room #211

6:00 p.m.

Twin Falls

September 9, 2009

CSI Campus, 315 Falls Ave., Taylor Bldg., room #277

6:00 p.m.

Caldwell/Parma

September 10, 2009

Caldwell Complex, 1904 E. Chicago Street, Conference Center

6:00 p.m.

Sandpoint

September 15, 2009

Panhandle State Bank Community Room, 414 Church Street

6:00 p.m.

Other Steps:

As part of the enhanced review, the University is assessing the cost benefit, viability, and impact of its statewide Research and Extension operation. Simultaneously, we are further engaging the agricultural industry, other partners and the general public in this dialogue to ensure the success of all of our Research and Extension efforts.

Below is the U of I Link for Current News Releases.

http://www.extension.uidaho.edu/newsDetail.asp?ID=1078

Additional Resources and links to U I documents about the Research Centers:

http://sitecore.uidaho.edu/cals/listeningsessions/resources.aspx

U of Idaho Links to CALS Research & Extension Review Book

Budget figures for fiscal year that were included in the April 2009 Research and Extension Review book we based on the most currently available information at that time. Because fourth quarter FY09 data was not available, these figures differ from the final FY09 budget figures.

http://sitecore.uidaho.edu/cals/listeningsessions/materials/book.aspx

Department of Plant, Soils and Entomological Sciences

Pomology Program Annual Fruit Field Day

The University of Idaho Annual Fruit Field Day will be held on Thursday, September 3, 2009 from 8:30 am to 1:00 pm.  The registration will start at 8:30 am and program will start at 9:00 am.  Several cultivars of new table grapes, peaches, nectarines, apples, quinces, Asian pears, and other alternative fruits will be presented during the tour.  Participants can taste many of these fruits. Highlights of this event will be:

1)     Presentation and tasting of several types and cultivars of fruits at the main office complex and discussion on application of growth bio-regulators in fruit crops

2)     Tour of the U of I comprehensive research projects on ‘Fuji’ apple irrigation and nutrition, chemical thinning, and pesticides uses

3)     Tour of the alternative fruit crops, including quinces, Asian pears, persimmons, Jujube, Haskaps, and mulberries

4)     Tour of the table grape vineyards, new grape canopy experiment, peaches and nectarines, and discussion/questions/answers on various cultural practices of fruit crops, including planting, growth regulators, pruning, thinning, girdling, pest control, and irrigation.

Where:  University of Idaho, Parma Research & Extension Center in Parma, on the lawn in front of the main office complex. Going west on Highway 20/26 in Parma, turn right at M&W grocery store, go for about 1/3 mile and turn left on U of I Lane and go north for about 1 mile.

When:  Thursday, September 3, 2009, Starts at 8:30 am (sharp) till 1:00 pm

Cost:  Free of Charge

July 31, 2009  Email

From Leah Clark

Greetings Idaho Preferred Members!

To kick off Idaho Preferred Month (September) we have teamed up with Thunder Mountain Line in Horseshoe Bend, Idaho to host “The Locavore Express!”  Thunder Mountain Line is a historic train that travels from Horseshoe Bend along the river to Banks.  On Sunday, August 30th the 1:30 train will become the Locavore Express…featuring Idaho wine and spirits in the bar cars and a gourmet all-Idaho meal at on the riverbank at Banks.  Consumers who come aboard the train will have a chance to meet Idaho farmers, winemakers, specialty food producers and any other Idaho Preferred member who would like to come along.  First Lady Lori Otter has been invited to be our hostess for the train and Director of the Department of Agriculture Celia Gould will be joining us as well.  We will be promoting the Locavore Express to consumers via radio, newspaper, web and viral marketing and we hope to sell out the 350 passenger train.

If you would like to ride the train with us, please log on to www.thundermountainline.com and book your ticket!  We (ISDA/Idaho Preferred) will NOT be selling the tickets – they are only available through the Thunder Mountain Line ticket outlet.

This fun new adventure is being co-sponsored by Sysco of Idaho.  Their corporate Chef, Randy King (formerly of DoubleTree Riverside) will be designing and preparing the Locavore dinner. They will also be helping underwrite the cost of the food for this event – so if you are currently distributed through Sysco and would like to be included in the menu – let me know….However, you do not have to be a Sysco vendor to have your products represented.  We will try to include as many Idaho products as we can in the menu.  Also – we will be offering Idaho wines and spirits on the train and at the dinner (Details being worked out but alcohol will NOT be free – either sold by the glass or sampling tickets sold) – so if you are an interested winery, let me know.

If you would like to provide product or have your products considered for this historic and unique “Locavore Express,” please drop me a note. 

Hope you will all make plans now to “…Come Aboard the Locavore Express!”

Leah M. Clark

Marketing Specialist

Idaho State Department of Agriculture

208-332-8684