"Growing Our Urban AgriCULTURE"

from Grow Local Colorado...

Spring Potluck and Networking Party

Friday, May 14th

6:00 - 9:00

Denver Urban Homesteading

200 South Sante Fe Dr.

Grow Local Colorado potlucks are inspiring, delicious and hugely successful! This event is a great way to connect with others who are interested in Colorado's urban agriculture scene AND get out the word about your projects and passions! Bring information to share.

$5 donations will be gladly accepted to help fund The Grow Local Colorado Campaign to expand vegetable gardens in Denver's parks.

Bring food and libations to share. Think "Colorado" when planning what to bring -- dishes from local growers, wine from Colorado wineries, recipes from Colorado chefs. Since this is a Zero Waste event, please bring your own plate, silverware, glass and napkin.

RSVP by May 11th to Dana Miller at pompomdana@comcast.net

For more information, go to http://www.growlocalcolorado.org

Meet the Chickens & Goats, plus a Seedling Sale!

Saturday, May 8th

4:00 - 6:00

4460 Winona Court in Denver

We're holding an "open house," so everyone can come by and meet the chickens and dwarf goats (including two baby goats!). Come visit their barnyard, and get the opportunity to see how chickens and goats can live in an urban setting.

Denver's City Council will vote sometime soon on lifting restrictions on Food-Producing Animals in the city. Part of raising awareness about this issue is showing just how do-able urban chickens and goats can be, so stop by and spend a little time with the animals! Note: This activity is not a formal class in urban chicken and goat keeping; just an opportunity to visit the animals.

We will also be offering organic, heirloom seedlings for sale -- just in time to plant in your garden, or give as a Mother's Day gift! Heirloom varieties of tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, squash and cucumbers will be available.

On Work and Community

I've recently finished reading a wonderful book called "Better Off" by Eric Brende. Brende and his wife devoted 18 months to living with an Amish-like community to explore whether modern "conveniences" really make life easier.

The author's realizations about work and community really resonated with me. He articulated a phenomenon I've experienced time and again while working with Heirloom Gardens. Here's a sample of what he has to say:

" 'Many hands make work light.' This statement was true, though hard to explain. Gradually, as you applied yourself to your task, the threads of friendship and conversation would grow and connect you to the laborers around you. Then everything suddenly became inverted. You'd forget you were working and get caught up in the camaraderie, the sense of lightened effort. This surely must rank among the greatest of labor-saving secrets. Work folded into fun and disappeared. Friendship, conversation, exercise, fresh air, all melded together into a single act of mutual self-forgetting. "

Video: Baby Goats Romping (2 days old)

One Proud Mama and Two New Additions

I've known that I wanted to raise dairy goats ever since I read (twice, back-to-back) The Year of the Goat. However, raising dairy goats requires breeding (since no mammal will lactate without first giving birth) , and that was intimidating to me. Not just the logistics -- arranging the "stud" visit, learning about kidding, purchasing the supplies -- but also the more philosophical considerations. I would be conspiring to knock up an animal and produce new life in order to get milk. It felt like a big responsibility.

But, I forged ahead, because without milk production the goats are just basically adorable (resource-consuming) pets. We bred Dasha, our older goat, in early October. I diligently recorded the date on my calendar and counted ahead to her due date -- April 8th. About a week ago I went to a rural animal supply store to purchase all of the items my vet recommended. I've studied birth pictures and read books, and repeatedly told myself I would stay calm (i.e. not panic and get really anxious) during the birth.

Last night Brian and I went to a neighborhood restaurant for our weekly date. We were gone for about an hour and a half. During dinner I told Brian, "You know, as Dasha's due date gets closer, we're going to need to arrange things so that one of us is always home. We're not going to be able to leave like this." He agreed, and we also made plans to pack a "kidding bag," so that I could easily grab the supplies I'd need at a moment's notice.

When we pulled into our driveway after dinner, our next-door-neighbors (literally) bounded out the door, waiving their arms at us. "Your goat is in labor! Your goat is in labor!" Apparently it wasn't terribly loud, but it was loud enough for them to come over and investigate with a flashlight, discovering a newborn baby goat. They ran over to our other neighbor's house to see if she had our phone number (she didn't -- I know, we're bad neighbors). That second neighbor called a friend of hers who grew up on a farm delivering horses. The friend said that since the mama goat was licking the baby (and there was plenty of hay and water in the barnyard) that everything was ok and they should all leave the goats alone.

By the time we got to the barnyard the delivery was over, and there were two beautiful baby doelings (girls) being attended to by their mom.

She delivered them -- perfectly -- all by herself. Funny how that works, huh? I did help towel them off (and Dasha licked them) until they were perfectly clean and dry. I cut their umbilical cords and disinfected their little stumps, and gave the babies an oral vitamin booster. The babies were trying to nurse on everything (including Dasha's fur and the straw bale), so I helped them located and latch on to her teat. Brian and I stayed outside with the new goat family until late in the night -- it was just so fascinating to watch these little girls learn to walk and start moving around.

Today the baby goats started exploring the barnyard beyond their shed. Their mom still generally stays no more than 2 steps away from them. They continue to nurse like champs. The babies will stay with us until they're 8 weeks old and weaned, and then they'll go to a new home. We haven't officially put the babies up for sale yet, but we're looking forward to meeting the people who will end up raising them. We hope these little girls bring them as much happiness as we've received from Dasha and Peaberry!

Big Dig: Tracey's Garden

Having a bit of trouble getting the pictures uploaded... full post coming soon!!

Denver Triples Some of Its Fees for Food-Producing Animals

A few days ago we celebrated a happy anniversary at our house -- one year since bringing the chickens (well, at that time they were baby chicks) home. Unfortunately, since we have yet to change Denver's ordinances regarding Food-Producing Animals, it also meant that it was time for me to go to Animal Control and renew my permit.

Last year I paid $50 for a general Livestock Permit, which covered my hen chickens and dwarf goats. (Incidentally, I also paid $100 for a zoning variance.) I understood that the Livestock Permit has to be renewed annually.

Imagine my surprise when I arrived at Animal Control and was told that the cost to renew my permit would no longer be $50 -- now it's $150.

See, Animal Control submitted new rates for many of its services to City Council, who approved the increases. The new rates went into effect September 1, 2009. Now, a chicken-only permit costs $50. A goat permit costs $100. If you have both, you better cough up $150. In other words, if you own a goat your permit fees doubled, and if you maintain chickens and goats then your fees tripled. I understand that Animal Control raised the rates on many things, but I don't imagine that any of the other fees doubled or tripled.

My friend Derec pointed out that those of us who pay into this system aren't getting a good value from the city for our money. Remember, last year I went through a lengthy zoning process and paid a total of $150 for the "privilege" of keeping a few small animals in my backyard. I went a full year without any complaints -- my animals did not create any work for Animal Control or Zoning. And now, after a year without problems, I need to pay an additional $150.

Urban Food-Producing Animals are a way for people to supply their families with affordable, healthy food. And now, during a recession, the city of Denver wants to make the permits even more expensive?

What do you think about this? Is a double or triple rate increase fair to people who are just trying to sustainably produce a little food? Should we even have such an extensive permitting process for urban FPAs, or should we allow a limited number as a use-by-right (like cats and dogs)?