Effects of the Storms on local Farmers

DOUGLASVILLE, Ga. -- As Judith Winfrey walks the seven acres of her organic farm, there's little evidence that just days ago almost all the rows were green with one growing vegetable or another.

"This soil used to be so fluffy I could gently push my hand in and go all the way down past my wrist. Now i can barely force my fingers into it--it's all clay and silt," said Winfrey.

Monday's flood caused the nearby Anneewakee Creek to overflow it's banks and submerge Winfrey's Love is Love Farm under an estimated 10 feet of water. Two-thirds of the crops were destroyed. The floodwaters detroyed a bevy of vegetables including kale, spinach, endive radishes and carrots. A number of the fields were days away from harvest.

The farm itself sustained damage. Ancient, canopy trees were ripped from their roots. A bridge over the creek was washed away. The irrigation system is broken along with a pump that worked on the property's pond.

Winfrey's farm provides food to hundreds of people around Metro Attlanta. She and her partner, Joe Reynolds, run a small food stand next to the Atlanta restaurant Baccanalia and paticipate in the Peachtree Road Farmers Market.

"It's really devastating to think about how much care, time, effort and money was poured into this place and into this soil. It's hard to look at it and see it all gone," said Winfrey.

Winfrey's farm is one of several that's reported losses from the recent flooding. The Georgia Department of Agriculture is working on a dollar estimate of damage and has crews on the ground doing assessments. They hope to have some totals by the end of the week.

Meantime, Winfrey and Reynolds aren't wasting anytime in getting back to work. While it could take weeks or months, friends and fellow farmers have already offered to help with cleanup and re-planting.

"We've got to start over. There are a lot of people who depend on our organic food and this is more that just about our farm, this is a community that provides quality food for Atlanta," said Winfrey.

The Georgia Farmer Flood Relief Fund has been set up to take tax-deductible donations, administered by Slow Food Atlanta. To donate to the fund, checks can be made out
and sent to :

Georgia Flooded Farms Relief Fund

P.O. Box 2641

Smyrna, GA 30081

SOURCE www.11alive.com


This Sunday's Field of Greens festival at Whipoorwhill Hollow Organic Farm from 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM brings together locally grown food, live music, and green living education all in a family friendly environment ($15 for adults, kids under 12 FREE!)

www.fieldofgreensfestival.com

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED AT SPLIT CEDAR FARMS (Neil Taylor's

Farm) They were also affected by last week's storms and need volunteers to do hand cultivation. If you are interested in volunteering as a group, get in touch with naomi.rabkin@gmail.com or Contact Volunteer Coordinator at taylorganic@bellsouth.net to find a time to go up on your own.

For more information about the fund and upcoming fundraising events you can also visit

www.slowfoodatlanta.org

UPCOMING EVENTS:
Sukkot Potluck Thursday, October 8th 5:30-6:45
Farm Visit Sunday, October 25th 2:00-4:30 (RSVP for both to naomi.rabkin@gmail.com)