Mendocino, CA December 1, 2014. This weekend, December 6 and 7, in Willitts, Mendocino County, a group of organic farmers, fuel alcohol enthusiasts, and organizations is sponsoring Farm Hack Mendocino: Grange, Grassroots, and Greenhorns, Fuel Farming for the 21st Century. The event will bring together business owners, engineers and mechanics, farmers, and homescale producers who are active in building a regional, sustainable fuel alcohol production system in Northern CA. The goal is to explore the possibilities of ethanol production and use in the region. The two day event will include speakers covering a range of topics in regional biofuel production, tours of the Grange Farm School, the historic Ridgewood Ranch and it's 300gallon still, and networking opportunities for local businesses, nonprofits, and individuals. A full schedule for the event is available here. In a region that produces wine grapes as an export crop, and devotes the majority of farmland to irrigated cropsexploring 'value added’ uses for the pressed grapes in the postproduction waste stream can provide greater regional resiliency and fuel sovereignty. Farm Hack Mendocino will explore the historic precedent, the present climate, and the future possibilities for producing fuel from a wide array of feedstocks in Northern CA. A series of lectures, workshops, panel discussions, and demonstrations will provide a comprehensive understanding of this renewable, sustainable fuel source. Emphasis will be placed on how the Northern California community can collaborate and reduce its waste stream and petroleum addition. Keynote speakers are Cody Bartholomew, Manager of Golden Rule Ranch, Ruth King, Manager of the Grange Farm School, John Wick, Marin Carbon Project, and Jerome Carman, Redwood Coast Energy Authority. The event will begin on Saturday morning at the Little Lake Grange (291 School St, Willits) and will continue in the afternoon and on Sunday at the Ridgewood Ranch and Grange Farm School (16200 N Hwy 101, Willits). This two day event will highlight the work of the Mendocino Alcohol Fuel Group, an organization of home distillers who use their locally produced fuel to power everything from small engines to cars, trucks, and tractors. Farm Hack Mendocino is an opportunity to gather a diverse group of stakeholders working to explore the possibilities of ethanol production and use in the region. This event is free and open to the public. Lunches are potluck, and donations are gladly accepted. Please RSVP at the Farm Hack Mendocino event page at farmhack.net. Please direct any questions to Daniel Grover, Farm Hack Network Facilitator, daniel.b.grover@gmail.com, (703)9657636 or Ruth King, Mendocino Organizer, ruthfking@gmail.com, (860)6707146. About Farm Hack Farm Hack is an Open Source community for farm tool innovation. It is comprised of farmers, engineers, and designers. We have created an evergrowing onlinerepository of tools that are held in the public domain, where farmers, inventors, and collaborators can prototype, dialog, and document their tools. We are a 501c3 based in New Hampshire, and have held over 20 events across the country since our founding in 2010. Most recently, we held an event in Davis, CA in partnership with NCAT. Here is a report on that event. Farm Hack events are opportunities for a diverse array of new agricultural economy stakeholders to brainstorm solutions to tool and equipment problems faced by farmers.
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