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~UPCOMING EVENTS~
October 2010

Friday October 8 (7 - 10 pm), Saturday October 9 (3 - 5 pm):  Baking Nights!
Together with the Northside Anti-Hunger Network, Glenwood Farmers' Market and the North Lakefront Chicago Food Policy Advisory Council we'll be baking up a storm of goodies for the Oct. 10 bake sale benefit in the kitchen of the United Church of Rogers Park (1545 W. Morse Ave).  We provide basic ingredients (fruit, flour, sugar, eggs, etc), - you come and bake them into whatever delicious form you'd like.  Or just show up & help others bake.

Friday October 8, 3:30 - 7:30 pm:  Forest Park Farmers' Market.

Saturday, October 9, 10 AM - 1 PM:  61st St. Farmers' Market Market School.

Sunday, October 10, 9 AM - 2 PM:  BAKE SALE at Glenwood Farmers' Market.
Benefits 5 Rogers' Park food pantries; organized in partnership with the Northside Anti-Hunger Network, Glenwood Farmers' Market and the North Lakefront Chicago Food Policy Advisory Council.  

Sunday, October 10, 11 am - 1 pm:  Mess Hall Session:  Environmental Sustainability and Staple Crops
Mess Hall, 6932 N. Glenwood (Morse stop on the red line)


Our current system of commodity agriculture is energy-intensive, highly reliant on a few varieties and fewer crops, and largely supplies feed for animals and overseas markets. Yet when 70 percent of our diet is staple crops, how can we create a system that is more environmentally sustainable, local and better suited to the bio-region? Is a “staple crop system,” which, by definition, relies on a few foods as the base of nourishment, an inherently unstable one?

Guests: Michelle Ajamian and Brandon Jaeger, Appalachian Staple Foods Collaborative, Athens, Ohio; Tracy Vowell, Three Sisters Garden.  Three Sisters Garden is a small sustainably minded farm raising specialty vegetables and staples (corn, beans, oats, sunflowers) for Chicago area restaurants.  They also sell at the Green City Market. Michelle and Brandon started ASFC in 2008 to build a model local staple crop system in their region. This has included the development of a prototype facility for local processing of staple crops, Shagbark Seed and Mill Co. They have also helped establish the Athens Food Policy Council and are recruiting other local farmers to grow their first fields of staple crops.

Discussion to be followed by a potluck lunch. Bring a homemade dish for 4-6 people and a drink of your choice. We’ll talk, and then eat and talk.

Tuesday, October 19, 6:30 - 7:30 pm:  Talk at First Mennonite Church of Champaign/Urbana.

Saturday, October 23, 11:00 am:  
Talk , flour giveaway and grilled pizza demo at the Pumpkin Festival at Eden Place Nature Center.

Sunday, October 24, 3:00-5:00 pm:  Mess Hall Session:
Economic Justice and the Commodity System
6932 N. Glenwood (Morse stop on the red line)

What is needed in order to transition to a staple crop system that is better equipped to support local, organic grain growing, long term economic viability and land stewardship? This session will discuss how commodities markets impact small, independent farmers and family farms, and potential alternatives and reforms to the current commodity system.

Guests: John Kinsman, Wisconsin dairy farmer and President, Family Farm Defenders; John Peck, Executive Director, Family Farm Defenders; David Miller, President, Midwest Organic Farm Management; Ted Weydirt, Illinois grain farmer and President, Midwest Organic Farmers Cooperative.  

Discussion to be followed by a potluck dinner. Bring a homemade dish for 4-6 people and a drink of your choice.

~PAST EVENTS~
October 2010

Tuesday, Oct. 5, 12-1 pm:  Re-thinking Soup at the Jane Addams Hull House Museum.
I already had the pleasure of doing one talk at Re-thinking Soup at the very beginning of this project.  This time, it's getting close to the grand finale.  Get ready for a slideshow and update.  

Wednesday, October 6:  TEDxWindyCity.
Industrial Harvest will be part of the expo at TEDxWindyCity, which is focusing on the future of our food supply.  They've got some great speakers on deck.  Tickets are $40. If you're attending, stop by and pick up some flour! Y'all know the drill by now.

September 2010
Saturday, September 11, 11 AM - 3 PM:  Eden Place Farmers' Market.  
I'll be doing a talk at 11 AM, with a cooking demo (grilled pizza!) and flour giveaway afterwards.  

Mon, September 13 - Saturday, September 25:  Mess Hall Residency.  
Mess Hall has given me free rein with programming for two full weeks, and it's going to be an exciting time to pull together many of the themes that this project touches on.

Here's the calendar of events so far:  
Wednesday 15, 12-5 pm Flour giveway and office hours.  Come by and say hello, pick up some flour, and check out the Industrial Harvest archives & results of our research.
Thursday 16, 12-5 pm  Flour giveway and office hours
Friday 17, 12- 5 pm Flour giveway and office hours
Saturday 18,
3-4:30 pm
POSTPONED!  WE'LL RESCHEDULE THIS IN OCTOBER (tentative date Sunday Oct. 24).  Instead of the panel discussion below, I'll be giving a presentation / update / Q&A on Industrial Harvest, same time, same place.  

Panel & Discussion:  Economic Justice and the Commodity System

Guests: John Kinsman, Wisconsin dairy farmer and President, Family Farm Defenders; John Peck, Executive Director, Family Farm Defenders; David Miller, President, Midwest Organic Farm Management. Other guests to be announced.

What is needed in order to transition to a staple crop system that is better equipped to support local, organic grain growing, long term economic viability and land stewardship? This session will discuss how commodities markets impact small, independent farmers and family farms, and potential alternatives and reforms to the current commodity system.

Discussion to be followed by a potluck dinner. Bring a homemade dish for 4-6 people and a drink of your choice.
Tuesday 21, 7-9 pm Discussion / Q&A:  Commodities Trading 101  
Guests: Paul Maggio, Senior Vice President at Newedge; Russ Rsezsutko, Broker, Foremost Trading / Adjunct Faculty, Oakton Community College

Get the lowdown on commodities and futures trading with two real brokers. With 50 years of experience between the two of them, Paul and Russ will talk about how the Chicago Board of Trade works, its history and recent changes, and how what happens on the trading floor impacts eaters, farmers and real food.

Discussion to be followed by a PIT tournament.  PIT is a commodities trading card game that has been around since the turn of the (last) century. Easy to learn, it simulates commodities trading mostly in that you get to yell and wave your arms around. We’ll have a short tournament to see who in the room is the real capitalist.
Wednesday 22, 12-5 pm Flour giveway and office hours
Thursday 22, 12-5 pm Flour giveway and office hours
Friday 24, 12-5 pm Flour giveway and office hours
Saturday 25, 3-4:30 pm POSTPONED!  WE'LL RESCHEDULE THIS IN OCTOBER (tentative date Sunday Oct. 10)
Panel & Discussion:  Environmental Sustainability and Staple Crops
Guests: Michelle Ajamian and Brandon Jaeger, Appalachian Staple Foods Collaborative, Athens, Ohio. Michelle and Brandon started ASFC in 2008 to build a model local staple crop system in their region. This has included the development of a prototype facility for local processing of staple crops, Shagbark Seed and Mill Co.

Our current system of commodity agriculture is energy-intensive, highly reliant on a few varieties and fewer crops, and largely supplies feed for animals and overseas markets. Yet when 70 percent of our diet is staple crops, how can we create a system that is more environmentally sustainable, local and better suited to the bio-region? Is a “staple crop system,” which, by definition, relies on a few foods as the base of nourishment, an inherently unstable one?

Discussion to be followed by a potluck. Bring a homemade dish for 4-6 people and a drink of your choice. We’ll talk, and then eat and talk.

Tuesday, September 14, 2:45-4:30:  I'll be speaking as part of the Northside Anti-Hunger Network meeting at the Sulzer Regional Library.  

Sunday, September 19 and Sunday, September 26, 9 AM - 2 PM:  Glenwood Farmers' Market Flour Giveaway.
These two giveaways are in partnership with the Northside Anti-Hunger Network,  North Lakefront Chicago Food Policy Advisory Council and the Glenwood Farmers' Market. They will fuel a bake sale / fundraiser on October 10 to benefit 5 Rogers' Park food banks.  Come by, pick up some flour, and get baking!

August 2010  
JUST ADDED!  Monday, August 2, 7:30 PM:  lecture / slideshow talk at Lilstreet Art Center.  
4401 N. Ravenswood (at Montrose).    

Tuesday, August 3 and Thursday, August 5:  SUNDAY DINNER CHICAGO fundraiser.  I'll be collaborating with the folks at Sunday Dinner Chicago to put together a dinner featuring Industrial Harvest flour.  I'll be doing a slideshow / talk afterwards. This is be a fundraiser to support the project.  THIS EVENT IS SOLD OUT. Look for more Sunday Dinner dates in the fall!

Saturday, August 7 - Sept 4:  BEGINNERS!
 Industrial Harvest will be part of the show "Hey, We Are All Beginners Here" at Roots & Culture contemporary art center in Chicago.  Curated by Mike Wolf.  Opening Saturday August 7, 6 pm.  As part of the opening festivities, Courtney Moran and I will have a little sidewalk grilling station for pizza and other flatbread goodies made with Industrial Harvest flour and farm-harvested ingredients. Come one, come all!

Thursday, August 12, 7 pm:  North Lakefront Chicago Food Policy Advisory Council meeting.  
Among other things, we'll be planning the details of fall baking and fundraising events for the fall to combat hunger. Email Dennis Ryan at dennis (at) chicagofoodpolicy (dot) org for details.  

August 15 - Sept. 5:  Summer break!  
I'll be returning back to Seattle for a wedding, an art installation and hopefully a little bit of R&R.  I will still be available by phone / email.

July 2010  
Tuesday July 27:  
I'll be speaking at Melina Kelson's Kendall College class on artisan breadbaking; we'll be using the flour from the project to make some flatbreads and other goodies.  This event is not open to the public, but we're working on planning some other public events in coordination with Kendall.

Saturday July 24 - Sunday July 25:  FLOUR GIVEAWAY. I'll be giving away flour as part of the Urban Agriculture fair at the Milwaukee Avenue Arts Festival.  10 AM - 5 PM both days.  

Friday July 16 - August 7:  WOMEN IN GRAINS.  Industrial Harvest will be part of the Women in Grains show curated by Cathi Buzide and produced by Worm Farm Institute in Reedsburg, WI. Opening Friday July 16, 5:00 - 7:30 pm.  

Tuesday July 13 12:30 - 5:30 pm:  FLOUR GIVEAWAY!  I'll be giving away flour from the project at the Hull House Museum Farmers' Market.  UIC campus, in the parking lot across from the Hull House Museum.  

Tuesday, July 6:  
Talk and flour giveaway at the Chicago Botanic Gardens' Green Youth Farm Program.

June 2010  
Tuesday, June 29, 2010:  
Re-thinking Soup at the Jane Addams Hull House Museum.  

Monday, June 28, 2010:  
Talk to the Youth Leaders at the Concordia Place summer program, run by Faith in Place.

Friday, June 11:  SEATTLE FUNDRAISER / SEND OFF.  6 PM, our place, cash bar, delicious cocktails.  Hopefully some sun.  Help send me to Chicago to play in the commodities market and feed people!  Email sarah "at" industrialharvest "dot" com for details on location if you need them.

December 2009  

Michael Piazza Residency at InCUBATE

June 2009
Residency at Nance Klehm's Urban Homestead

December 2008
As virtual resident / guest blogger on Democracy Guest List, I began to explore some of the ideas and concepts that surround this project.  


  early wooden grain elevator in Chicago