We are reflecting on a wonderful year at Rio Grande Community Farm and adding up our impacts on the community.  Check out our 2011 Annual Report to see what we’ve accomplished.  Full of beautiful photos, an updated mission statement, and quick summaries, you’ll be amazed that this non-profit farm exists right in the middle of Albuquerque.  Please make a year-end donation to support our programs including:

• Share the Harvest (food donations)
• Farm to School
• Gardening education
• Community Garden
• Young farmer training
• Wildlife habitat enhancement

We encourage you to stay involved with us.  Volunteer opportunites will become abundant in the spring as we get busy growing food for people and wildlife.  Rows are available in the Community Garden.  Join us for special events such as community service days, seasonal hayrides, the 15th annual Maize Maze, and Dinner in the Field.  Or, just come walk the trails and enjoy the view of the Sandia Mountains.

Happy New Year to you and your family!

Special Event:  Cranes & Cocoa Hayride

When:  Saturday, December 10 at 11 am (full) and 12 (Taking reservations)

Where:  Rio Grande Community Farm at Los Poblanos Fields.  One mile west of 4th St. on Montano.  Turn north onto Tierra Viva.  Park in gravel lot on your left.

Why:  To view the migrating Sandhill Cranes and Canada Geese and get a feel for winter at the Farm

How much:  $7/person, includes a hot drink of your choice and a spectacular view of the Sandia Mountains

How:  Seating is limited, so you must buy your tickets in advance to reserve your seat.  Purchase tickets online.  Or, call 345-4580 with your credit card information.  Or, send a check to 6804 4th St. NW, Village of Los Ranchos, NM 87107.  Please include your phone number and email address for confirmation and cancellation purposes.

The RGCF Dino Maize is excited to announce that the weekend of Oct. 1 will have 3 exciting special Events:

1. 10:00 a.m. on sat. Oct 1 is the Grand Unveiling of the “Dino World” Art Mural painted by well known NM artist Ann Marie Eastburn. This 12′ wide panel is designed for your children: full of surprises and hidden artwork, the panel also has cutout holes for your child’s photo picture.

2. Photo Sessions by Butterfly Photography. Come see the specially prepared fall themed photo backdrop. Get dressed up and have a professional photographer take that Holiday Photo at a very reasonable price.

3. Pumpkin Patch! Come select your fall pumpkin from hundreds of pumpkins in our pumpkin patch.

We will of course have all the dinosaur related games, the maze itself with 3 different routes, vendors, t-shirts, patting zoo and all the other fun things at the… DINO MAZE!

We hope to see you on August 10 at 7 pm for some world beat drumming by Mala Mana.  $10 adults and $3 kids (3-12). Please pay at the event.

The Rio Grande Community Farm seeks volunteers to deliver authentic agricultural experiences that nurture the connections between children, food, and the environment.

Farm tour docents/guides are responsible for guiding and supporting children ages 5-18 through farm and garden activities and transitions during each 2-hour farm tour.

Farm tour docents/guides must either desire or have experience working with children. They must also have a genuine love for children, a creative spirit, the ability to be flexible when needed, and lots of patience. We expect your first priority at the farm to be identifying and meeting the diverse and evolving needs of our farm tour guests. The main focus of the position is to support, engage, challenge, and enjoy the children.

Duties include assisting with all farm tour activities as needed; including daily set-up, inventory, and clean-up.

Farm tours occur on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 10 am and 12 pm. Farm tour docents/guides will be required to work a minimum of one 5-hour shift per month. Farm tour docents/guides will not work in December and January. Ideal RGCF farm tour docents/guides will commit to a one year term to allow for continuity in our education program.  Completion of the RGCF Volunteer Docent Training Program is required ““ cost of training program is $35.

Contact Julie Hirshfield at julieandgreg@comcast.net

Rio Grande Community Farm is seeking a farming intern. Please see the following Americorps Farming Intern position for more details.

Permaculture is an approach to designing human settlements and agricultural systems that are modeled on the relationships found in natural ecologies. The approach aims to create stable, productive systems that provide for human needs, harmoniously integrating the land with its inhabitants.

Saturday April 9 • 10am @ Rio Grande Community Farm

Join us for a workshop exploring the basic principles of permaculture and how to apply these concepts in your own life.

Admission is FREE to members of Rio Grande Community Farm, Gardener’s Guild and Harwood Art Center. Suggested donation is $5 (kids are free)

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In Tribute to the life of a Great American Labor Leader and a man who dedicated his life to making working conditions better for farm workers.

RGCF and AFSC are joining forces in a day of service and reflection.

When: Thursday March 31, 2011, 9:00 a.m.- 1:00 pm

Where: City of Albuquerque Los Poblanos fields (barn)

What: Farm projects, discussion and video

We will all meet together at the barn (1701 Montano, NE, Los Poblanos Open Space) and then divide up into age related work projects.

We will complete work around 11:30 am and then watch a video about the life of Cesar Chavez. Discussion will follow.

Please bring a sack lunch, water, good shoes, hat and sunscreen.

For further information contact Minor Morgan at: 379-1640 or Sayrah Namaste at 514-2350.

THIS IS AN AMERICORPS COMMUNITY SERVICE PROJECT.

Join Dan Schuster and Jon Ashe from Rio Grande Community Farm for a workshop on how and when to start you indoor and outdoor seedlings and transplant your plant starts! First time gardeners and seasoned growers are welcome. Come learn, share and grow your knowledge!

SEEDLINGS & TRANSPLANTING!

Saturday March 26^th ““ 10am

@ Rio Grande Community Farm’s Big Red Barn

Martin Luther King Day at Rio Grande Community Farm was a Big Hit! We had 3 separate groups participate, plus an odd assortment of individuals that heard about the event. Rio Grande Community Farm had 9 members participate, VSA of New Mexico had 11 members participate and Amy Biehl High School sent over a school bus full of happy teenagers and their happy teachers, 28 in all!

We began the day describing the various work activities that the groups would be doing. These included making special trellises to grow food for Albuquerque Public Schools, clearing out brush and weeds in the community garden and completing work in the barn. All activities benefit the public at large and help Rio Grande Community Farm fulfill its Mission to serve the public.

After a great lunch partially provided by the RGCF Board (home made rice and beans), the group watched a movie about the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. A lively discussion followed in which the group grappled with some big issues such as: “What is the American Dream today?”, “Are people of color free today?” and “How does my Americorps experience relate to what young people in the civil rights movement experienced?”. Everyone came away from the discussion deeply moved after listening to Dr. King’s “I have a Dream Speech” and reflecting on its contemporaneous meaning.

In addition to completing several projects, we were very pleased we were able to accommodate 6 participants with disabilities, including one young man in a wheelchair.

Perhaps the most moving moment was at the completion of Dr. Kings speech in front of 300,000 marchers at the Lincoln memorial. Our group had watched the complete 19 minute speech on t.v. with its moving final statement: “Free at Last, Free at Last, thank God Almighty, we’re free at last”. The television suddenly went blank and our group sat in complete silence for over 3 minutes. No-one spoke out of a deep sense of respect for what they had just watched. The day ended on a high note as folks left.

See Photos on MLK-Day-2011.pdf