Posts from — August 2008

Earlier this week one of my colleagues invited me to play twilight golf yesterday. While excited about the idea, I was also a bit anxious since I haven’t had a golf club in my hand for about three years. Anyone who plays golf knows the game is very much about touch and feel, as well as, rhythm. My three year absence left me as rusty as the Tin Man in the Wizard of Oz yesterday.

I had gotten to the course with ample time to stretch and leisurely hit some balls before we went out. To my dismay one of my playing partners informed me that “A golf outing is about to make the turn and the starter wants us to tee off ahead of them.” Anyone who has played golf also knows getting stuck behind an outing is a long, painful experience. Often times outings consist of experienced and inexperienced golfers, some who have never played before in their life.

So my stretching and leisurely warm up went out the window. I hit about 10 balls, a few horribly, most ok, and some good, bent over twice, once to re-tie my shoes, called it a stretch and headed for the first tee.

Thankfully it was a beautiful afternoon, my playing partners were a lot of fun and as I did during my warm up, I played some horrible holes, most ok, and a few good. We played until we couldn’t see the ball anymore getting in 14 of 18 holes. As we drove our carts back to the garage we laughed as we recounted the day.

My body hasn’t experienced 14 holes of twisting and turning to hit a golf ball in three years. Ouch says my lower back today. As I move around I feel some familiar and unfamiliar pings and pains’, leading to moans and groans.

What a great day we had!

Tom Pellicane – Publisher, canvas Magazine

Written by: Mike Biltonen

Organic wasn’t such as bad thing 10 or 20 years ago. Then the government got involved. That wasn’t such a bad thing either, except that lobbyists for multinational ag businesses were able to control the way USDA certification was written and cajole it to serve their interests. The real fallout from their efforts is just now being felt and I contend that organic certification will not mean anything in 10 years. Organic food will be just another commodity item in stores.

We’re already seeing it as the premiums growers used to get are disappearing, and the produce shelves are becoming dominated by strictly organic produce and commodity prices. Where I come from, we call that commodification. If organic is no longer value-added, then the cost of the paperwork and expensive production techniques cease to make sense, except to those that controlled the process: i.e., large agribusiness. For a farmer like myself, who is admittedly not organic and doesn’t really want to be, we need to figure out what the next steps are. What’s “Beyond Organic”? I originally started this blog to debunk the whole idea that organic was the end-all, beat-all to food production.

Last week, I was in Manhattan and I visited several stores to see what was on the shelves. Many of the supermarkets have made a verbal commitment to local. Some have even been leaders and exemplary businesses over the years. But lately most have started to act more like trend-surfers than a business with a mission. For example, my visit revealed very few local apples or cider on their shelves. There was plenty of West Coast organic apples and gobs of overpriced fruit drinks and waters. But where was the local? Remember, New York is the second leading apple-producing state in the US and apples store great through the winter, so availability isn’t the issue. But that’s OK. We live in a capitalistic society and those businesses are just doing what they think will make them money. But for us growers, especially here on the East Coast, there is very little incentive to enter the organic market as we see prices shrink and a diminishing commitment to local after “the season.” I’ve set my sights on implementing a production system that takes us beyond organic and allows us to compete in a way that can’t be taken away from us. I don’t know what that system is going to look like exactly, but more than likely it will be a combination of many different styles of production that will include traditional, organic, bio-dynamic, and whatever else I can beg, borrow, and steal from the myriad styles that are out there. Twenty years ago I wouldn’t have done this, but back then it all meant something. We’re now looking to redefine a method of ecological growing that means something to the trade and the consumer, and the only way to do that without having it co-opted by the big guys is to develop in concert with the fact that we are local. Nobody can co-opt our geography, especially if we define the concept of what local means first.

In the early 1990s there was an attempt by a researcher at Cornell to develop something called the Environmental Impact Quotient (EIQ). It was underdeveloped and never successful, but it always struck me that what we really needed to do with our production systems is to develop an algorithm for calculating a whole-farm EIQ. Production systems have to be analyzed by more than just what we spray or fertilize our plants with. We live in a complex world and it shouldn’t be a bad thing to utilize technology and science as well as certain pagan rituals in how we grow crops. The goal should be to have the least negative impact on the land, communities, and regional food systems as possible. Beyond organic lies in a production system that is a complex and challenging as nature itself. As I develop this new production system, I make sure to keep everyone informed. But I don’t think we’ll ever actually “get there”. Farms are complex, biological organisms that include people, buildings, tractors, and plants. They evolve and change every day. There’re a new set of problems and challenges to contend with all the time. Our production systems should mimic and work with that reality . . . naturally.

Michael Biltonen is passionate about growing foor at his 200-year-old Stone Ridge Orchard in upstate New York. Mike was formally trained in pomology at Cornell University and in horticulture at Virginia Tech, and has spent the last 23 years working with trees and small fruits including apples, peaches, raspberries, Asian Pears, red currants, and the luscious TriStar strawberry. Visit his website at stoneridgeorchard.com

Reprinted from Chronogram (chronogram.com) by permission of the publisher

Last Thursday Joe Iadanza, our canvas Open Mic host, gave me a copy of his newly released CD – Traveling Salesman. Joe has played most if not all the songs at some point during the canvas open mics. He also played a draft a couple of months ago, that was the first time we heard the songs with backing instruments and vocals. It sounded great. Now that I have the CD I hear the finished sounds – the cover is cool too!

But this post is more than Joe’s CD being released. You see over the last several months I’ve posted about canvas connections we’ve made. Joe is one of them and for me a very special one. He gladly came to our first open mic, last December, at the request of another musician and friend to canvas, Electra Jacobs. As Joe tells it, he quickly saw that me and Matt could use some help with the event, based on his experience that night he volunteered to help us.

Since that night in December Joe has delivered on his message he has helped us make our open mics what they are. During that time we’ve grown to become friends, as well as, collaborators working to make sure the night gels and everyone enjoys the experience. During this time we also got to see Joe go through recording the CD and give birth to this great musical child called Traveling Salesman.

Over the last week I’ve had a chance to listen to the CD a few times, mainly as I take my son Jake to and fro daycare. As I’ve listened to the words and music my mind continually drifts to my dad.

In his time my dad was an acclaimed musician, he was also a complex person. The timing of receiving the CD from Joe last week also spurred thoughts, I guess, because my dad’s birthday was Aug 26.

I remember my dad telling me that at some point he had to make a choice in his life; continue on the road (literally), trying to reach the next level or settling down. He chose the latter – settling down. I’m happy he made the choice or I wouldn’t be who I am today. He became a music teacher and tried to keep in touch with his first love bebop jazz through “rehearsals” with his friends. Sadly I only got to see him play publicly a few times and was too young to appreciate where he was musically.

In my dad’s time that wasn’t the way it worked – serious family men didn’t balance their life loves, they “did what they had too.” What a shame! Thinking back now I can see they difference it would have made for him. I loved my dad and think he would have been a little less complex had he been allowed to strike that balance.

Watching Joe’s commitment to his family, while balancing the importance of his music, makes me happy. I’m glad Joe has entered my life to share his life loves. Congratulations to Joe on the release of his CD and for committing to find a way to balance the act of being a great husband, father and musician.

Tom Pellicane – Publisher, canvas Magazine

Each time we hold the canvas Open Mic we find ourselves saying “this one went to the next level.” This is actually hard to do since we’ve been told that the talent from the very first event was a high caliber.

Well last night was no exception, when I heard our host Joe Iadanza say he needed a moment to come down from being overwhelmed I knew we were on a ride.

The night began with Joe’s warm up and kick off, then music from Artmosphere a Joe Satriani sounding Trio, then to a first time – outstanding accapella signer Michele. We also had many emotional and lighter poetry readings. If that wasn’t enough we had some other firsts last night, Mike on Native American Flutes – wow I could feel my soul being talked too. Another first last night were comedians Monica and Louise who provided jocularities for those in attendance.

One of our regulars and a long time canvas friend, Electra, was so moved by Michele’s accapella singing she put down her guitar and went accapella her self. But it didn’t end there we had Steve, a first timer, who said he saw canvas and the open mic ad for the first a few days ago, come down bang out some tunes. Phil and John treated us to some Buddy Holly; I missed them last month and was really happy I got to hear them this month.

The night was brought home around 10:30 by our featured performer Jordan Rothstein who ended his set on a light note with the Date Song. By the end we were all spent from the raw emotion and passion each performer put into what they did. I could see the satisfied smiles of the weary attendees as they looked for their last treat or tea, provided by Whole Foods Market, before they exited into the dark night outside.

No crickets last night, just a packed house, great words, sounds and friends!

Joe you’re right, once again we took it to the next level!

See you all for September’s Open Mic.

Tom Pellicane – Publisher, canvas Magazine

I’ve been following the crisis in Georgia, seeing the Russian troops invade a basically helpless country against their might. The vision of their soldiers riding on tanks and talking with journalists is somewhat numbing to see.

I agree with Secretary Rice, who said when speaking about the Russians and what they did, this isn’t 1968.

But how stupid can we be?

President Bush spent most of this week waving the American Flag and talking tough about the Chinese and Russians with TV announcers at the Olympics. Oh yeah, and that China trip was right before he heads off to Texas for a vacation.

Even the Wall St. Journal said Bush was out to lunch on this one. How could he continue to give tough talk on TV and do nothing about what was happening in Georgia?

News reports also said the crisis in Georgia has put his vacation on hold for a couple of days… Poor George.

What comes next? Will the Russians in a power play moment seize American business assets in Russia and make them property of the state? Ala Chavez in Venezuela

Back to my question; how stupid can we be?

Remember we were told the invasion into Iraq was prompted because they have Weapons of Mass Destruction…Wrong! Pres. Bush then claimed he had “bad” information.

Remember Bush said when he looks into his, Vladimir Putin’s, eyes he knows he is a man that Pres. Bush can trust…Wrong! Putin is apparently as trust worthy as a bad used car salesman.

I have heard pundits left; right and center talk about how Americans are ignorant to what really goes on here and abroad. That’s sad, but true.

Come America, we are not this stupid, we need to wake up and make sure whoever gets elected is not asleep at the switch the way this administration is!

Tom Pellicane – Publisher, canvas Magazine