The Historic Lewes Farmers Market (HLFM) is very pleased to announce that it has awarded eight scholarships to Delmarva farmers in 2015. This year, HLFM received more applications than ever before from farmers dedicated to sustainable farming methods for these important scholarships. Each scholarship provides $500 to enable these farmers to attend conferences devoted to sustainable agriculture.
The HLFM provides these scholarships, as it has for the past eight years, to further its mission of promoting and strengthening sustainable farming through education and public outreach. Recognizing the importance of sustainable agriculture to the community, individual donors have again generously stepped forward to contribute to the HLFM scholarship fund. If patrons are interested in contributing to the HLFM’s scholarship fund, they can email historiclewesfarmersmarket@
Three recipients will attend the PASA Pennsylvania Farming for the Future Conference on February 3-7, 2015, in State College, Pennsylvania. PASA (Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the economic viability and environmental soundness of the local food and agricultural systems. PASA assists working farmers concerned with the ecological wellbeing of the environment and natural resources.
One scholarship recipient will attend the Mid Atlantic Fruit and Vegetable Convention in Hershey, Pennsylvania, on January 27-29, 2015. The Mid-Atlantic Fruit and Vegetable Convention has been jointly sponsored by the State Horticultural Association of Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania Vegetable Growers Association, the Maryland State Horticultural Society, and the New Jersey State Horticultural Society for the past 36 years.
One scholarship recipient has already attended the Southeast Regional Fruit and Vegetable Conference in Savannah, GA, held from January 9-12. The Southeast Regional Fruit and Vegetable Conference is the largest educational conference and trade show in the southeastern United States that unites growers, vendors and suppliers. Through more than 80 hours of educational sessions, attendees will participate in educational sessions on food safety concerns, specific commodity issues on production practices and increased yields, and marketing strategies.
One recipient will attend the Northeast Organic Farming Association (NOFA) Annual Organic and Farming Conference in Sarasota Springs, NY, January 23-25, 2015. NOFA advocates a sustainable, local, organic food and farm system.
Two recipients will attend the Future Harvest CASA Conference in College Park, MD, January 15-17, 2015. Future Harvest CASA’s mission is to provide education, networking, and advocacy to help build a sustainable Chesapeake foodshed, where food flows from farm and fishery to table in ways that strengthen farming and the regional food economy; protect our land, water, and air; and provide healthy, nutritious food that sustains the region’s communities and cities
The 2015 recipients of the HLFM scholarships are: The Bennett family, Bennett Orchards; Lisa Garfield, Calliope Farm; Adrienne Spencer, The Delaware Center for Horticulture’s 12th & Brandywine Urban Farm; Karen Abbott, Fifer Orchards; Beth Eisenhour, Kathleen Moss, Mossflower Cottage Vegetable Farm, Bruce Pape, Deep Grass Organic, and Debbie Schaefer, Into the Soil Farm.