Updates

Deadline Extended—Apply Now!

Southern SARE Seeks Administrative Council Producer Nominations

Deadline: July 1

The Administrative Council of the Southern Region Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program is seeking one producer to join the Council for a three-year term beginning February, 2012. Self nominations are welcomed. Nominees must be familiar with sustainable agriculture and its impact on the environment and rural communities. Nominees representing women in agriculture, minorities and farm laborers are especially welcome. The Administrative Council is the governhing body of the Southern SARE program and is made up of seven producers, three NGO representatives, one agribusiness representative, one quality of life representative and a number of 1862, 1890, federal and state governmental agency representatives. Duties of the Administrative Council include attendance at two council meetings each year, February and August.  Each meeting is expected to last two days.  Administrative Council members read and review proposals and make funding decisions on all Southern SARE grants awarded each year.  For more details about AC duties go to: http://www.southernsare.uga.edu/forms/ACduties.doc. We would love to see some Florida producers nominated!

 

Save the Date: Food Assistance and Nutrition Program Conference

September 23, 2011; Washington, D.C.

The Research Innovation and Development Grants in Economics (RIDGE) Program encourages new and innovative research on food and nutrition assistance issues and broadens the participation of social science scholars in such research. ERS and the RIDGE Centers host the Food Assistance and Nutrition RIDGE Program Conference in the fall of each year at which RIDGE researchers present findings of completed projects. Registration information not yet available.

 

New Release: Florida Crackers: The Cattlemen and Cowboys of Florida DVD

Available Now

Think cowboys got their start in the great American west? Think again. The documentary movie, “Florida Crackers: The Cattlemen and Cowboys of Florida” sets the record straight about where cowboys and the cattle industry originated in our country.

 

Agricultural Sciences: Open Access

Agricultural Sciences is published using an open access publication model, meaning that all interested readers are able to freely access the journal online at http://www.scirp.org/journal/as without the need for a subscription. Have a research article you want to submit? Manuscripts should be submitted to the journal online at
http://papersubmission.scirp.org/admin/initLoginAction.action?journalID=45.

Free Resources: National Academies Press

As of June 2, 2011, all PDF versions of books published by the National Academies Press (NAP) will be downloadable free of charge to anyone. This includes the current catalog of more than 4,000 books plus future reports published by NAP.

 

Farmers Market Directory Update

Due: June 15

Attention Farmers Market Managers: Now’s the time to update your listing in the 2011 USDA National Farmers Market Directory! You can do it here. For additional information, please contact Velma Lakins at velma.lakins@ams.usda.gov.

 

Urban Farming Workshop (attached flyer)

June 15, 2011, 9am – 3pm

Workshop will be held at the Orange County Extension Education Center. Sustainable living means producing and marketing food closer to our local communities. The Urban Farming Work-shop series presents information that will help individuals and businesses successfully grow and market food products in Central Florida. Pre-registration required -$15 per person includes lunch and program materials!

 

Sound Soil Management

June 20, 2011; 8:30am-1:00pm

Turkey Hill Farm- Tallahassee, FL

A free workshop at Tallahassee’s Turkey Hill Farm 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. June 20 will tackle one of the most significant challenges many Florida farmers face—sound soil management. Farmer Herman Holley, UF/IFAS vegetable specialists Danielle Treadwell and Monica Ozores-Hampton, and FOG outreach staff will lead this soil management workshop that will provide farm-proven, research-supported practical advice for specialty crop farmers in the region. Farmers who participate will benefit from host farmers’ experiences and insights, the most up-to-date soil management research, and the wisdom and experiences of participating farmers. Topics will include cover cropping, on-farm composting, crop rotation, fertility management, and potentially others.

 

Membership Solicitation for the NAREE Advisory Board

Deadline: July 12, 2011

The U. S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is soliciting nominations to fill the eight vacancies on the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Economics (NAREEE) Advisory Board. The eight slots to be filled are:  Category B. Farm Cooperatives, Category D. Plant Commodity Producer, Category E. National Aquaculture Association, Category H. National Food Science Organization, Category J. National Nutritional Science Society, Category K. 1862 Land-Grant Colleges and Universities, Category M. 1994 Equity in Education Land-Grant Institutions, Category Y. National Social Science Association. The text of the USDA announcement can be found at: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2011-04-22/pdf/2011-9638.pdf

 

Funding Opportunities:

 

USDA Rural Development Invites Applications for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Projects

Due: June 15 and June 30

Agriculture producers in non-rural areas are now eligible. Funding may be used for flew-fuel pumps. USDA announced April 14 they will provide funding for up to $61 million in guaranteed loans and $42 million in grants through the Rural Energy for America Program. Funds are available to help agricultural producers and rural small businesses develop renewable energy systems, make energy efficiency improvements and conduct studies to determine the feasibility of renewable energy systems. The Deadlines for submitting completed REAP applications are June 15 and June 30, depending on the type of project to be funded. For information on how to apply for assistance, contact your local USDA Rural Development office or see page 20943 of the April 14 Federal Register: http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2011/pdf/2011-8456.pdf. A list of USDA offices is available at http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/StateOfficeAddresses.html.

 

Organic Transitions Program RFA Released

Due: June 30

The overall goal of ORG is to support the development and implementation of research, extension and higher education programs to improve the competitiveness of organic livestock and crop producers, as well as those who are adopting organic practices. In FY 2011, ORG will focus on environmental services provided by organic farming systems that support soil conservation and contribute to climate change mitigation. Practices and systems to be addressed include those associated with organic crops, organic animal production (including dairy), and organic systems integrating plant and animal production. Detail can be found here: http://www07.grants.gov/search/search.do?&mode=VIEW&oppId=96474

 

Farmer’s Market Promotion Program

Due: July 1, 2011

The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is now accepting applications for the 2011 Farmers’ Market Promotion Program (FMPP). For 2011, $10 million dollars in competitive grant funds are available for projects that expand direct producer-to-consumer market opportunities.  Grant funds may be used for the establishment of new or expansion of existing farmers’ markets, community-supported agriculture programs, roadside stands and agri-tourism activities, to name a few. A priority has been added this year for projects that increase food access in food deserts and low-income communities (20 percent poverty rate and higher). The minimum per grant award is $5,000 and the maximum is $100,000.  Funded projects would begin in October 2011 and end not later than October 2013. The deadline to apply for FMPP funds is July 1, 2011. Guidelines, application instructions, and the mailing address can be found on the AMS FMPP website.

 

Rural Business-Cooperative Service

Due: July 22, 2011

On Tuesday, June 7, USDA’s Rural Business-Cooperative Service released the Request for Applications (RFA) for its Rural Cooperative Development Grant  (RCDG) to help rural cooperatives expand economic opportunities in their area.  Up to $7.4 million in funds is available for competitive proposals of up to $225,000 per grant. Rural Cooperative Development Grants are made for establishing and operating centers for cooperative development to improve the economic condition of rural areas by developing new cooperatives and improving operations of existing cooperatives. Grants may be awarded for up to 75 percent of the total cost of the project.  The applicant must contribute at least 25 percent from non-federal sources. To learn more about the RCDG, find your local Rural Development office, or visit the program’s website, where you can read frequently asked questions, get more information on eligibility, or have a look at the 2010 application.

 

Currently Open:

Find out more information regarding these grants at: http://nifa.usda.gov/funding/rfa_list.html

Rural Youth Development- Due 6/10

New Technologies for Ag Extension- Due 6/17

Methyl Bromide Transitions- Due 6/22

Farm Business Management and Benchmarking- Due 6/27

Food Safety, ICGP- Due 6/27

Organic Transitions Program- Due 6/30

Rural Health and Safety Education- Due 7/1

Rangeland Research Program- Due 7/6

Afghanistan Agricultural Extension Project- Due 7/15

Water Quality, ICGP- Due 7/15

Food Safety, AFRI- Due 10/11

 

Additional Opportunity through U.S. Economic Development Administration:

More information here: http://www.eda.gov/InvestmentsGrants/FFON.xml

Jobs and Innovation Accelerator Challenge Competition- Letter of Intent Due 6/10

EDA’s Planning and Local Technical Assistance Programs- Applications accepted on a continuing basis

Economic Development Assistance Programs- Due 9/15

Gulf Oil Spill Supplemental- Applications accepted on a continuing basis

 

 

 

Kelly Monaghan

kmon913@ufl.edu

Program Assistant

Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education-Florida (SARE)

University of Florida

3031 Mc Carty Hall D

PO Box 110310

Gainesville, FL 32611-0310

352.273.3508

352.392.8196 Fax