For Immediate Release 1/26/07

Contact: Valerie Stuart
Marketing Director, Strolling of the Heifers   
email: stuartcomm@comcast.net
phone: 802-338-6578          

STROLLING OF THE HEIFERS, NATION’S LARGEST HMO AND CULINARY INSTITUTE OF AMERICA TO RECEIVE 2006 GLYNWOOD HARVEST AWARD FOR LEADERSHIP IN GROWING REGIONAL FOOD MOVEMENT

Ceremony in New York City on October 23 to Honor  Organizations and Farmers Who Have Increased Access to Fresh, Healthy, Regional Food

Brattleboro, VT, October 4, 2006 – The Strolling of the Heifers will be among the organizations honored by the Glynwood Center at the fourth annual Harvest Awards on Monday, October 23 in New York City. A special luncheon at the Beacon restaurant, featuring regional food prepared by leading chefs who specialize in collaborating with local farmers, will celebrate breakthroughs in the regional food movement. In addition to The Strolling of teh Heifers, Kaiser Permanente, the Culinary Institute of America, Tufts University and Clover Mead Farm will be honored. “Since the inception of the Harvest Awards in 2003, we have highlighted creative work going on across the country that strengthens support for regional farmers and increases access to fresh, healthy food.  Our goal is to inspire others to join this growing movement,” says Judith LaBelle, President of Glynwood Center. The mission of the Cold Spring, NY-based  Glynwood Center is “to help communities integrate their natural resources, cultural heritage, and economic development potential to create a brighter future that is distinctively theirs.”

Notably, the Windham Regional Commission (WRC) nominated the Strolling of the Heifers for the 2006 Glynwood Harvest Award. WRC’s Executive Director James P. Matteau noted that he nominated the Stroll for the award because it “has played an integral role in promoting agriculture in southern Vermont.” Matteau said that in addition to its parade and three-day festival celebrating local agriculture, which have raised public awareness regarding the importance of sustainable agriculture and attracted thousands of visitors to southeastern Vermont, the Stroll merits recognition for its other initiatives which have strengthened the region’s agriculture. These include an education fund that links students and farmers on projects that educate young people about agriculture’s importance; a scholarship fund that enables farmers to pursue continuing educational opportunities; and a Buy Local Challenge Campaign, which the Stroll will launch this November to increase the region’s residents’ local product purchases.

Orly Munzing, the Stroll’s Executive Director and Founder, will attend the awards luncheon and accept the Glynwood Harvest Award for Wave of the Future on her organization’s behalf. Munzing noted that the Harvest Award judges were particularly impressed by the fact that the Stroll funds projects that link farmers and students in hands-on agricultural learning experiences.

More information about the other Fourth Annual Glynwood Harvest Award winners follows:

Glynwood Harvest Farmer Award
Sam and Denise Hedren, Clover Mead Farm, Keeseville (EssexCounty), New York
Sam and Denise Hendren have created a highly successful grass-based dairy and artisan cheese-making business while being leaders in the effort to strengthen the farming community in the Adirondacks.  They provide a superb example of the ways in which innovative farmers contribute to the economic strength of their community, protect its traditional character, and enhance its environmental quality and general quality of life. 

Glynwood Harvest Good Neighbor Award
Brad Matthews, Director of Purchasing, and Paul Wigsten, Buyer/Purchasing Agent
The Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park, New York
Through the efforts of Brad Matthews and Paul Wigsten, the Culinary Institute of America has developed a program which resulted in almost $400,000 worth of purchases from regional farmers in 2005.  They also have helped teach other institutions how to effectively source local foods and are dedicated to teaching young chefs the pleasures and logistics of using fresh, local ingredients.

Glynwood Harvest Award for Connecting Communities, Farmers and Food
New Entry Sustainable Farming Project, Hugh Joseph, Executive Director
Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University, Boston, MA, and Community Teamwork, Inc., Lowell, MA
The New Entry Sustainable Farming Project has developed effective programs to help immigrants and refugees with agrarian backgrounds start successful agriculture careers.  Immigrant and refugee farmers appear to be the only expanding category of farmers in the county, but they cannot succeed without the type of outreach, training and technical assistance programs provided by New Entry and the other programs that have been modeled after it. 

Glynwood Harvest Award for Working at the Intersection of Health and Local Food
Kaiser Permanente Comprehensive Food Policy
Lynn Garske, Environmental Stewardship Manager
Jan Sanders, National Nutritional Services Director
Oakland, California

Kaiser Permanente, the largest nonprofit health plan in the United States, has recognized that “Promoting the consumption of locally grown seasonal food fits well with the mission of health care.” It has taken the lead in the health care industry by undertaking a multi-year strategy for increasing access to healthier food for patients, employees and visitors at its facilities and for residents of communities it serves.
                       
The mission of the Strolling of the Heifers is to promote awareness of the importance of agriculture in our daily lives and to raise money to fund educationally oriented agricultural programs for youth. Over the past 5 years, the non-profit has raised over $100,000 to underwrite educational programs. Log on to www.strollingoftheheifers.com for details.
For more information about the 2006 Harvest Award winners or about Glynwood’s programs, go to www.glynwood.org.

THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS. PRIMARY MEDIA SPONSORS: Brattleboro Reformer; WKVT GOLD: Hood/Booth Brothers Dairy - Official Milk of Strolling of the Heifers; Holstein Association; SoverNet, USA; Toyota; Turkey Hill; WTSA SILVER: Aubochon Hardware; Brattleboro Food Co-op; C&S Wholesale Grocers; Cabot Cooperative Creamery; Horizon Organic/The Organic Cow; Organic Valley; Price Chopper; Redex Industries/Udderly Smooth; Walgreens; WCAX-TV BRONZE: Brattleboro Area Chamber of Commerce; Brattleboro Museum & Art Center; Brattleboro Retreat Healthcare; Brattleboro Savings & Loan; Costume Ladies; Durand Ford Toyota; Green Mountain Tent Rentals; Hannaford Superstore; Key Bank; Mount Snow; New Chapter; Newman's Own; Stacy Subaru; Stuart Communications; The Rutland Herald; Trust Company of Vermont; United Natural Foods Inc.; Vermont Cheese Council; Windham Foundation CRYSTAL: 101 The Fox Radio; Building A Better Brattleboro; Chelsea Royal Diner; Chittenden Bank; Foard Panel; G.S. Precision; H&R Block; Hampton Inn; Home Depot; Keats Inc.; The Keene Sentinel; Leader Distribution; The Marina; New Holland; The Putney School; Riverview Café; U.S. Cellular/21st Century Cellular; Staples; Stoneyfield Farm; University of Vermont Extension; Vermont Country Store; Vermont Department of Agriculture; Vermont Natural Water; Windham County Dairy Promotion; World Learning; Woodstock Farms; WRSI/The River; Zinn Graphics PATRON: A Candle In The Night; American Flatbread; Antioch University New England; Arthur Whitcomb; Best Energy Saving Technologies; Brattleboro Chrysler, Jeep, & Dodge; Brunelle & Son Construction; BRW Electronics/ Radio Shack; Building Green Inc.; Capers Restaurant; Cockadoodle DOO; Cooke Family Realty; Co-operative Insurance; Farmers Diner/Vermont Smoke & Cure; Fleming Oil Company; Free Lunch Media Productions; Gallery Walk; Garelick Farms; Grafton Village Cheese Co; Holiday Inn Express; Hooker-Dunham Gallery & Theater; Howard Printing; Landmark College; Leader Distribution System, Inc; Marlboro Graduate College Center; Mary Meyer Mfg Co.; Merrick Pet Care; New England Natural Bakers; Ninety Nine Restaurant & Pub; O’Connor Law Office; Perkins Home Center; Putney Food Co-op; Red Roof Inn; Save The Corporations from Themselves; SEVCA; Silver Forest; Southern Vermont Cable; Spring Tree Maple Products/Specialty Brands of America; Suburban Propane; Taylor for Flowers; Triple T Trucking; The Valley Advocate; Verizon Wireless Zone; Vermont Agricultural Business Education Center; Vermont Agricultural Credit Corp; Vermont Bread/Rudy’s Organic Bakery; Vermont Land Trust; Wal-Mart; Windham Wines; Zinn Graphics SUPPORTING: Abbiati Monuments; Agri-Mark, Inc; Agway; Anon’s; Banknorth Vermont; Bart's Homemade; Best Inn; Blue Cross Blue Shield of Vermont; Brown & Roberts Hardware; Brown Family Farm; Burton Car Wash; Cersosimo Lumber Co and Cersosimo Industries; Clear Solutions Inc.; Colonial Motel & Spa; Creamery Bridge Candles; David Manning; Inc.; Efficiency Vermont; Fireworks Restaurant; Friends of the Sun; Gale, Corum, Mabie, Cook & Prodan Law Firm; GPI Construction, Inc.; Green Mountain Spinnery; Hertz & Lloyd Attorneys at Law; Kristensen, Cummings, Phillips & Carol PC; Latchis Hotel; Mini Melts Dots of Ice Cream; Moo Dooers/VNAP; Newfane Country Store; Newton Business Products; Northland Downey Insurance Group; The Old Fashioned Milk Paint Co. Inc; One Stop Country Pet Supply; Peebles; Perkins Home Center; Peter Havens; Pieciak & Co; Inc.; The Putney Inn; Real Green Goods; The Richards Group; River Valley Credit Union; Sam’s Outdoor Outfitters; The Sandri Companies; Solar Source; Thai Gardens; True Value & VS Variety Store; USA Solar Store; Vermont Artisan Designs; Vermont Natural Coatings; Vermont Veterinary Medical Assn.; Vermont Vinyl; Vermont Water Buffalo; VT-NH Veterinary Clinic; Windham Family Vision Care; The Windham Solid Waste Management District; Winter Panel Corp.; Women's Agricultural Network; Woodman Athletics; Yankee Farm Credit; Zephyr Designs SPONSORS: Adagio Trattoria; Adivasi; Altiplano; A.L. Tyler & Sons, Inc.; Amy’s Bakery Arts Café; At the Oasis; Bast Investment Co; Beadniks; Berkley & Veller/Greenwood Country Realtors; Black River Produce; Book Cellar; Borter’s Jewelry Studio; Brattleboro Haulage; Brattleboro Area Realty; Brattleboro Veterinary Clinic; Brooks House Realty; Campbell & Boyd Ins. Services; Inc; Carley’s Florist; Creative Woods Furniture Inc.; Crispe & Crispe Law Firm; Crofter Moving & Storage; Dalem’s Chalet; Inc.; The Dorner Agency, Inc.; Edward Jones & Company; ERA The Masiello Group/Stepping Stone Real Estate; Fenton Family Dealership; Fitts, Olson & Giddings; Fitz, Vogt & Associates at World Learning/SIT; Friends of Brooks Memorial Library; Green Mountain Bovine & Equine; India Palace Restaurant; J Coleman & Co Architects; James M. Puls & Associates Certified Public Accountants; John Rocray Law Firm; Lawton Floor Design; Linden Gardens; Masiello Employment Agency; Merrill Lynch; Merrill Gas Co; Inc.; Miller Brothers-Newton; Inc.; Nassau Broadcasting Partners, WHDQ/WZLF/WXLF/ WWOD/WCFR/WNHV/WSTV; New England Coffee; The New England House; Océ North America Document Printing Systems; Oly’s Plumbing & Heating; Outer Limits Health Club; Pinnacleview Equipment Inc.; Potter Steward Law Offices; Putney Road Market; Shin La Restaurant; Stevens & Associates; T.J. Buckley; Thomas M. French Attorney At Law; Verde for Home & Garden; Vermont Butter and Cheese Co; Walker Farm; Windham Flowers; WW Building Supply; Wyman Agency.

###