Hi working members and volunteers!

Here's the chance many of you have been waiting for; we will offer another working member slot starting this week.  Many of our working members we have yet to see this season....and it is now already 6 weeks into our working member season.  Please RSVP as to which slot you are coming to this week, and for the remainder of the season.  It's suddenly summer, we are behind in the field work, and we really need you to be on it with us now.  Please come on time , ready to work with the proper work clothes, water, gloves, and a let's git 'er done attitude. Thanks to the core of you that have been coming all thru this spring!

Here's the schedule this week...Plese RSVP which 3 hour session you are on for.

Monday    4-7pm

Tuesday   6-9am(NEW this week!)     or      9-12am

Thursday  9-12am

If you have the time and need to make up hours, Tuesday morning offers a total of a 6 hour block of 2 shifts, which you could consider.  Other make up times may be made available as we see you this week.  Talk to me about it.

We have had to turn some folks away for your working member slot; so if for whatever reason, if can't fulfill your contract with us as a working member, we need to know right away; this week.  It's definitely time to put us at the the top of your prioity list.

Thanks again to the golden steady eddie's that have helped us so much so far.  We look forward to seeing you all this week!  Farm Time!!!!

Farmer D

Hi Friends,

Once again, because of the deep new snow, we won't have our working member/volunteer session tomorrow, May 2; 9-12am.

Sarting next week, our Monday session is changed to 4-7pm.  Tuesday and Thursday sessions remain 9-12am.

Apprentices; yes;let's, if you can get here safely...Tessa; maybe a good day to do your college work instead?  RSVP...

Thanks all.  More May news coming soon.  Stay warm!

Farmer D.

Hi Friends, Happy Earth Day Snowing....

Volunteer and Working member information. No Working Members and Volunteers today, Tuesday, April 23 (9-12am) Stay tuned with us as the storm develops, but we are planning on doing the Thursday 9-12am shift so far.

Apprentices; If you can get here safely, we'll continue to transplant.  We may need to help the hoophouse unload some snow, and we'll move some snow.  Let me know if you are coming or not.  Thanks!

D.

Hi Friends!

Wow!  That was quite the snow storm!  Our snow dances and the buffalo energy of abundance worked!!!

We will be offering our regularly scheduled working member and volunteer time today, April 18,9-12am; but only for those who can make it safely and conveniently, and our apprenticestaff.

I'll be out on the tractor moving snowout of the parking lots as soon as I send this, so make your own decissions about if and when you can make it today, if you are considering coming.  No problem(Volunteers and working members) if you can't.

Apprentices and staff; we'll have Cindy for lunch(?) and our Thursday "walk/talk around right after wm/volunteer time.  Do the group text thing if you need to send us updates, etc, this morning.  I'm on the tractor, so I won't probablyhear the phone....

Thanks for your snow dancing!  See you at FoCo MX this weekend!

Farmer D.

Hi Friends,

Because of the Surprize Deep Snow(YEA!!!) we are calling off the Scheduled working member shifts for today Monday,April15 (2-5pm) and tomorrow April16 (9-12am).  Please let any friends that you know that were planning to volunteer today or tomorrow know.  Please rsvp to us to let us know you got the message.

Enjoy the snow; we'll give it a try on Thursday at the regularly scheduled time 9-12 unless you get another note by then.

Thanks for your flexing with us!

Dennis

Hi Friends!  

This is for our working members and volunteers for scheduling the week of April 8-12.

On Monday, today; we will be adding our 1st monday afternoon slot for working members, from 2-5pm today.

Because of the forcast blizzard conditions for late tonight thru Tuesday, we won't be doing regularly scheduled working membership time.  Please do not come on Tuesday April 9.

On Thursday, April 11, our working member/ volunteers time will change to 9-12am.  If this works well, we plan to keep the times for tuesday and Thursday at 9-12am until end of April.

Please Rsvp asap to let me know you got this update, and what time you are on for this week.

Thanks!  Stay warm, and happy springtime snow!

Dennis

Apprentices!  Can we do the Tuesday Morning snow storm as our round table discussion time?  Like 10-12am?  Rsvp me today ; we'll see you 1:30 or so today....

Hi Friends,

What?  It's daylight savings shift time already?  So, with snow coming down, it's time to be ready for spring planting  and planning for summer harvests coming right behind.  So it's already time for the reunion of our wonderful working membership times to start up.

For new working members, we would like to complete the interview process next week.  If you have already signed up for a working position, or are waiting for the interview before making that financial commitment, we would like to have that interview with you during our "Farm Hours"; next week's hours being:Tuesday March 12, and Thursday; March 14 1-4pm.  We will be doing the Farm duties while incorporating your required interview, so come with your hat, gloves, and the water and sunscreen,etc. that you need.  The interviw itself won't take more than 15 minutes, so hopefully, you can work us in , time wise, on one of those days.  If not, we can consider some slots Tuesday (March 12) 9-12am. For new working members who haven't yet been interviewed, please RSVP about when you'll be with us for the interview.

For all working members, we'd like to start your seasonal cycle with us on Thursday, March 21; 1-4pm, for those that would like to work that shift this spring; even if temporarily, just this spring.  We'd like all working members to RSVP to us your intended seasonal working time so we can see if we have the balanced numbers to get 'er done this year, and to see if we need to make adjustments.

The seasonal working members times (tentatively) will be(#1) Monday evening 6-9pm;                                                           (#2)Tuesday morning 6-9am; (#3)Tuesday morning 9-12am;  and (#4)Thurday afternoon 1-4 pm.  Please let us know which seasonal working time you intend to attend.  This timing will be activated for most of the season, starting late April or so.

For now, our spring working members (and volunteers) can join us on (#A)Tuesdays or (#B)Thursdays, afternoons 1-4pm; starting Thursday, March 21 until Thurday, April 4.  That next week we will add another working member and volunteer time on (#C)Monday, April 8, 4-7pm.  Again, these spring wm times will shift to the seasonal time slots you signed up for (above) in late April or so.

To recap:  We'd like to see new working members who haven't yet interviewed this week during our Tuesday or Thursday, 1-4 Farm times.  We'd like all working members to RSVP your intentions for the seasonal time slots and for the springtime wm time slots; we will be receiving back from you all a confirmation #1-#4 and #A-#C.  

We will be officially starting our springtime Working Members on #B schedule on Thursday, March 21, 1-4pm.

And finally, there will be no working member and volunteer opportunity on Tuesday, March 19, as we will be taking our Team on Retreat.  But we'll be back for the Thursday, March 21, 1-4 (#B) official opening of the 2013 springtime working members and volunteer schedule.

Please; will all workng members, new and returning, and returning volunteers that would like to intention to this scheduling outline; PLEASE RSVP right away with your preferred and intended time choices.

And, if you're one of our new working members this year, also let me know when you can come this week Tuesday or Thursday for at least a 1/2 hour sometimetime between 1-4pm (or not?) for your required interview.

Thanks everybody!  Looking forward to a wonderfully abundant season with you!

Farmer D                                                     

Hi Friends,

This week, today; February 21; we'll be at it, weather dependant at the regular time from 1-4pm.  Next week, instead of Thursday, we'll give it a go on Tuesday, Feb. 26, from 9-12am.  Please plan accordingly, and let anybody that you know that may be new to our activities that this is the case.

Thanks for the snow dances, and all your golden support!

Thanks to all that ar writing letters to the City; we are getting ready for that Thang before PandZ on March 31.

Lovely!

Dennis

Hi Friends,

I'm hoping that the joy of the Happy Heart Time of year is filling you with dreams of Abundant, healthy, community-building nuouishment and celebration.  All you need is LOVE, right?  So, thanks for all that you  are sending to Bailey, all the Happy Heart Farm Apprentices and Families, all the Fellow Farms and Friends, and to me; Farmer D.  It's a bit fluffy, yet difficult to express in words how much it means to me personnally, knowing that you are there for us, supportING.

Yes, we need you now to be in support of our Field and Farm of Hope and Dreams.  Specifically, I'm writing for your support with us in the process of the Urban Agiculture Land Use code changes.  Thanks to the many of you who have engaged your good will, your helpful suggestions, and your minds and hearts  already.

 Yes; I've lost a fair amount of sleep, I've gone to my worst case senario fearing; I've stumbled into the Meditation Room with self-doubt and remorse and "coulda', shoulda', and woulda'" thoughts running 'round my brain.

And then, the Dawning, and the Joy of the Acceptance.  And the Graditude and the Love for the Here and Now, As It IS. The Welcoming Home.  That's where you always come in.

So, I just got off the phone with Lindsay Ex,(Senior Environmental Planner, CDNS | City of Fort Collins lex@fcgov.com, 970.224.6143); the City Planner who is the point person initiating this Urban Ag process.  I'm happy to report that our path of sacred agriculture is cultivated by the excercise of a power tool; Trust.  I trust my deep resolve; I now am more aware of my trust in the universe's abundance of solution when we face our fears with Trust.  Thanks for Heartfelt work and sensitivity, Lindsay.

How can you help?  Right now, as a community of individuals, we need to express to the Planning and Zoning Commission and the City Council, thru emails or letters, maybe even some phone calls, thru Lindsay how important it is to you

1) that HHF and all the other present ag initiatives are now and have been to you, your families ,friends; and how these efforts have helped you define your sense of belongingness and community.  

2)How present models of Urban Ag, like HHF and the other CSA's and for-market growers give Ft. Collins a unique quality and character that needs the prioitzation and protection of the City as they now stand, while

3)engaging the process to quickly move to bigger picture issues that will require greater efforts in awareness and reprioitization and protection, especially in terms of water, structures, and animal interfaces with existing land-use-planning-for-housing-development paradigms.

4)It has become increasinly apparent to me that at this point, HHF and this growth process will be better served by making your valuing statements very personal, if that works for you , about your experience with HHF, but making your statements about provisions of the" grandfathering in" of structures, resources, and proceedures, etc. generalized to all of 'us' (the ones currently operating and on-going) as next step and ongoing and bigger picture parts of this process.

 
  Referencing these most important issues in specific terms at this stage could do harm to the timing of our ability to getting it right in the next phases of this planning process.

 So for example:  yes, we need to preserve our hoophouses for season extension and greater growing efficiency..... not "the HHF hoophouse needs to be .......this or that.   I'm trusting here that all who read this get it; timing is everything.  If you need more clarification on this important point, please check in with me before you send off your letters, okay?  

5)  If you have a positive personal relationship with a person on the P and Z or the City Council, please begin the conversation and the process with them, soon.  Don't wait til the actual formal meetings to share your valuing of this important work.  The paragraphs aboe will help you with "talking points, and the messages can be conveyed however you want.  Here, tho, we are hoping to harvest the benefits of real person relationships; ie extending our awesome community-building reputation and skill to include the real people of our local government.  

You know the way we roll; graditude, respect, love and enjoyment as inevitabilities in our coming home together.  May all be fed with Abundance.  Thanks again for your Dance.  Be in touch with us; and your Happy Hearts.

There's more wok to do, but this is a start.

With Sincere Graditude, Always;

Dennis; for the Happy Heart Farm 

Good morning everyone,

As a friendly reminder, we will be holding the Urban Agriculture Land Use Code changes open house tonight from 4:30-6:30 pm at the Old Town Library on 201 Peterson Street in Conference Room 1. Presentations on the proposed changes and feedback to date will be held at 5:00 and 6:00 p.m.

The purpose of this meeting will be to discuss proposed regulation changes to respond to the growing demand for urban agricultural land uses, such as community gardens, community-supported agriculture, and other urban farming activities within the city limits. Join us to review and comment on the recommended code changes before City Council’s review on March 5, 3013. Your input will help shape the future of urban farming in Fort Collins.

Thanks and we’ll see you there!

Cheers,
Lindsay

Lindsay Ex, LEED G.A.

Senior Environmental Planner

CDNS | City of Fort Collins

lex@fcgov.com

970.224.6143