Dear Friends and Members of “Know Your Farmers Alliance”,

After six years of promoting farm and garden education and local food self-sufficiency, Lyn and Geoff are no longer able to commit to stewardship of KYFA.  We are again asking if there is any outside interest in new leadership and even new direction.  We would love to see the Alliance continue on the Big Island, but perhaps it has already fulfilled its purpose. 

Our intention is to finish up with two special events, The October Annual Eastside Seed Exchange at Laakea Gardens and then in early 2010, possibly in January, we will help support the Maui Aloha Aina Association’s annual event at your Hawaiian Retreat in Pahoa, as we have done in the past 3 years.

In the time in between, Geoff will be promoting his “Puna Small Farm Initiative” a farm- aid type project that hopefully will commit volunteers to occasional workdays on local working farms.  We believe it is critical to support local agriculture directly in these days of economic crisis rather than simply voicing our concerns about the local food supply.  The focus will be deferred maintenance and appropriate expansion activities.  A day or two of community help on the farm can make a world of difference to those who bring us the gift of quality, local food. 

The first project will be at Lava Rocks Farm (a goat dairy in Hawaiian Acres).  We need;
1. Volunteers to work (paint prep, painting, tree planting, new pastures, etc).
2. Volunteers to help organize this project.
3. Small financial donations (for primer, paint, fencing, tank liner, etc.).
4. A Paint sprayer and someone to operate it.
5. Someone to handle PR and outreach.
6. Perhaps someone to secure local company donations.

We would like to keep this project ongoing, at a slow pace and in a way that is fun and rewarding for all of our community.

Thank you for all of your support for KYFA over the years.  We are so grateful for your contributions, membership, and enthusiasm and most importantly your friendship.  The website and list serve will continue until October and by then hopefully someone will have chosen to keep the alliance alive and vibrant.

Our love to you all.
Geoff & Lyn