Announcement: Monday, Feb 10, 2014 Mtg of SWFSFN in Ft Myers, Lee County

Hello members & supporters of the SW FL Small Farmer Network (SWFSFN)!   I am very pleased to send you this announcement and invitation to the next meeting of the SW FL Small Farmers Network (SWFSFN) on Monday, Feb 10, 2014.  Following up our successful October 21, 2013 SWFSFN meeting at the H.E.A.R.T farm in Lake Wales, we are continuing to provide you another event to support your sustainable, small farming and enterprises in SW Florida.                                                                                                                                               We are very fortunate this time to being hosted by Ken Ryan of Herban Gardens (see http://elizabethssecretgarden.blogspot.com/2011/01/micro-green-production-at-herban.html) with coordination by Roy Beckford of UF/IFAS Extension Lee County.  Ken is a veteran micro-greens producer and farmer  who will give a farm tour of his facilities and techniques on how to grow, nurture and excel at producing micro-greens as an agri-business enterprise.   We are also sure that you will not want to miss this opportunity for social and business networking with your fellow small farmers in SW FL.  Come meet your fellow producers and purveyors who are making our local food systems a reality!   Remember to bring seeds to share for our Seed Swap activity and help promote such collective actions of SWFSFN members.  Finally, we are planning to have another spectacular pot lunch so bring your locally-grown foods prepared with you special recipes of your seasonal crops!   For your reference, here 's our meeting’s details and agenda:   Date:            Monday, Feb 10, 2014   Location:     Herban Gardens, 8400 Dosonte Lane, North Fort Myers, FL 33917   Cost:            free   RSVP:         yes, please, to Roy Beckford at FBeckford@leegov.com  or (239) 533-7512   Note:            bring folding chair & eating utensils, and home-made food to share at the pot luck lunch   Agenda: 9:00 to 9:30 am -                  Registration and welcome   9:30 am to 11:30 am -          Farm tour   11:30 to 12:30 pm -               Pot luck lunch & seed swap   12:30 to 1:30 pm -                  Growers meeting - introductions & announcements     a)  news from attending county SWFSFN county grower leaders     b)  growers sharing of events, issues, etc of interest to the      small farming community   1:30 to 2:30 pm -                 UF/IFAS county Extension agents’ announcements a)    Upcoming workshops & courses                                               b) Evaluations   Please, feel free to pass along this announcement to your fellow small farmers and local foods promoters who would be interested in the activities of SWFSFN.  If they are not familiar with SWFSFN, please, refer them to both our webpage (see http://sarasota.ifas.ufl.edu/AG/swfsfn.shtml) and Yahoo Group (see http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/SW_FL_Small_Farms/) Thanks, Robert

 

Expo Saturday

7th Annual Eco-Nomic Living Expo

Saturday February 1, 2014  8:30am-12:30pm

UF/IFAS Extension Orange County

6021 S. Conway Rd

Orlando, FL

 

Featured speakers:

Dr. Mark Hostetler, Tom MacCubbin and Chef David Bearl

Topic highlights:

Small Farm & Gardening "Off the Grid"

Cooking with Cool Season Crops

Local Food Systems in Central Florida

Edible & Biodiverse Landscapes

Tradeshow & Garden Tour

 

For more information see the attached program flyer or visit our website at http://orange.ifas.ufl.edu/ 

 

Weekly Harvest, January 22, 2014

Weekly Harvest Newsletter Sustainable Agriculture News Briefs - January 22, 2014 Weekly sustainable agriculture news and resources gleaned from the Internet by NCAT staff for the ATTRA - National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service website. The Weekly Harvest Newsletter is also available online. Harvesting Clean Energy February 4-6, 2014 Hear from leading experts and practitioners about the steps to successful clean energy projects that can help you cut costs and diversify revenue for your farm or other business. Learn how you can improve efficiencies and produce clean energy, feedstocks, and co-products for yourself and for market. Click here to register for the 2014 Harvesting Clean Energy Conference in Helena, Montana. News & Resources New 'Soil Health Tool' Soil Test Offered Organic Enterprise Budgets Released for the Carolinas Alyssum Improves Pest Control in Lettuce Perennial Grass Considered as Biofuel Alternative Sonoma County, California, to Become Sustainable Wine Region PASA and Future Harvest-CASA Plan to Merge Funding Opportunities Fund-a-Farmer Grant Tennessee Farmers Market Capital Development Program Oregon Specialty Crop Block Grants Coming Events New England Meat Conference CSA Expert Exchange Online Conference Greenhouse Tomato Short Course News & Resources New 'Soil Health Tool' Soil Test Offered The new USDA-ARS Soil Health Tool is now available from at least three commercial soil labs: Brookside Labs (Ohio), Ward Labs (Nebraska), and Woods End Labs (Maine). The Soil Health Score combines five measurements of soil's biological properties to indicate the overall health of the soil system. "CO2 rate," "microbial active carbon," and "water soluble carbon" are used as indicators of biological factors linked to soil's intrinsic nutrient-supply powers. Related ATTRA Resource: Alternative Soil Testing Laboratories Organic Enterprise Budgets Released for the Carolinas Carolina Farm Stewardship Association has released 10 online enterprise budgets for organic fruit and vegetable production specific to the Carolinas. Interactive Microsoft Excel budgets are an important tool in helping producers make decisions about what crops to grow, how much to grow, and how to allocate their resources to meet production goals. Related ATTRA Publication: Planning for Profit in Sustainable Farming Alyssum Improves Pest Control in Lettuce USDA Agricultural Research Service horticulturist Eric Brennan has found that randomly interspersing alyssum plants throughout rows of organic lettuce helps maximize visits by hoverflies that prey on lettuce pests. In California studies, Brennan evaluated how alyssum biomass and flower production varied with planting density and how competition between lettuce and alyssum affected both plants. Related ATTRA Publication: Farmscaping to Enhance Biological Control Perennial Grass Considered as Biofuel Alternative Michigan State University research published in Proceedings for the National Academy of Sciences says that when factors other than yield are considered, perennial grasses score higher than corn as biofuel alternatives. MSU researchers compared corn, switchgrass, and mixes of native prairie grasses and flowering plants. Methane consumption, pest suppression, pollination, and bird populations were all higher in perennial grasslands. Sonoma County, California, to Become Sustainable Wine Region Sonoma County Winegrowers has announced that Sonoma County is committed to becoming the nation's first 100% sustainable wine region. A three-phase program to be completed within the next five years includes education and training, independent certification, and plans for future improvement. PASA and Future Harvest-CASA Plan to Merge Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (PASA) and Future Harvest-CASA have announced plans to merge in 2014. The groups intend to launch a comprehensive educational initiative to address the needs of the sustainable farming community throughout their combined service area of Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, and the Washington, DC, area. >> More Breaking News Back to top Funding Opportunities Fund-a-Farmer Grant The Fund-a-Farmer Project awards grants for projects that help family farmers transition to pasture-based systems, improve the marketing of their humane products, or more generally enrich the conditions in which the farm animals are raised. Fund-a-Farmer will provide 15 grants of up to $2,500 to qualifying livestock and poultry farmers. Applications must be postmarked by May 1, 2014. Tennessee Farmers Market Capital Development Program This program provides assistance for the establishment or improvement of farmers markets in Tennessee. Grants of $10,000 to $100,000 are available to qualified farmers markets on a 50% matching basis. Applications are due by March 7, 2014. Oregon Specialty Crop Block Grants Oregon Department of Agriculture is accepting applications for grants to enhance the competitiveness of Oregon's specialty crops. Eligible non-profit organizations, local, government entities, for-profit organizations, industry trade associations, producer groups, and commodity commissions can submit proposals. Concept proposals are due by February 24, 2014. >> More Funding Opportunities Back to top Coming Events New England Meat Conference March 7-8, 2014 Concord, New Hampshire The goal of the New England Meat Conference is to enhance the production, processing, and marketing of sustainable, nutritious, humanely raised, and delicious meat from New England farms and processors by providing educational and networking opportunities for meat producers, processors, and consumers. CSA Expert Exchange Online Conference March 6-7, 2014 Online The first day of this two-day online conference will focus on issues relevant to beginning farmers and those just getting started in CSA. The main event on March 7 will consist of sessions on topics such as marketing and social media, legal issues surrounding CSAs, crop planning, and CSA coalitions. Greenhouse Tomato Short Course March 4-5, 2014 Raymond, Mississippi Expert speakers will present seminars relevant to the production of greenhouse tomatoes. Special topics this year will include components of the greenhouse system, alternative heating options, marketing, alternative crops, and pest management. >> More Events Back to top Subscribe to the Weekly Harvest Comments? Questions? Contact us Weekly Harvest and ATTRAnews Archives Digital versions of recent and archived Weekly Harvest and ATTRAnews newsletters are available online. ATTRAnews is the newsletter of ATTRA - National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service. The National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service - ATTRA - was developed and is managed by the National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT). The project is funded through a cooperative agreement with the United States Department of Agriculture's Rural Business-Cooperative Service. Visit the NCAT website for more information on our other sustainable agriculture and energy projects. © 2014 NCAT Back to top	Producer Spotlight Honeyhill Farm Question of the Week What are some organic-friendly ways I can manage the staggering weed problem in my banana crop? Ask a Sustainable Agriculture Expert Submit questions to our professional staff online ATTRA Webinars Last chance to register! Join NCAT, NSAC, and USDA experts January 23, 2014, for New USDA Cover Crop Termination Policy. ATTRA Spanish Newsletter Subscribe to Cosecha Mensual (Monthly Harvest), ATTRA's Spanish-language e-newsletter ATTRA is on Facebook! We feature breaking news on sustainable agriculture topics several times a week. Add us to your Facebook friends list today!

Pest Alert: Rose Rosette Virus in Florida

Recently my lab and the Division of Plant Industry-FDACS confirmed Rose Rosette Disease for the first time in Florida. This disease is caused by an Emaravirus named Rose Rosette Virus (RRV). As of now it is confirmed in Gadsden, Alachua and Levy counties. I am writing to request you to pass this pest alert to all county directors and county agents in your respective districts. I am copying this to Dr. Dusky who is aware of this new disease on roses in Florida. A training program on RRV is being planned for March/April at NFREC, Quincy and I will let you know once this is finalized.

 

If you have any questions, let me know. Thanks for your help.

 

Thanks

Mathews

 

Mathews L. Paret

Assistant Professor, Plant Pathology

North Florida Research and Education Center, University of Florida

155 Research Road, Quincy, FL 32351

850-875-7154 (phone), 850-875-7188 (fax)

http://nfrec.ifas.ufl.edu/paret/u-scout/Lab_Profile.html

 

Chemically Speaking

Please view the January edition of Chemically Speaking at:

http://pested.ifas.ufl.edu/

 

C.E.U. Course-February 27, 2014

 

South Florida Aquatic Plant Management Society General Meeting Announcement       Thursday, February 27, 2014 8:00 a.m. - 3:10 p.m.   South Florida Water Management District 3301 Gun Club Road West Palm Beach, Florida 33406       Agenda 8:00 a.m. - 8:15 a.m. Registration and Refreshments 8:15 a.m. - 9:05 a.m. Melaleuca quinquenervia IPM in the Florida Everglades Dr. Phil Tipping, USDA IPRL 1 Aquatic CEU 9:05 a.m. - 9:55 a.m. Water Supply BMP's - Satisfying Aquatic Plant Root Zone Demand in Fluctuating Seasonal Conditions Robert Carew, Broward County Environmental Protection and Growth Management 1 Aquatic/Natural Area CEU 9:55 a.m. - 10:05 a.m. BREAK 10:05 a.m. - 10:55 a.m. Exotica Update - A Review of New Exotic Flora and Fauna across Florida Mike Bodle, South Florida Water Management District 1 Natural Area CEU 10:55 a.m. - 11:45 a.m. Biological Management of Nutrient Excess and Algae Control as a Part of Better Management Practices Forest Beeman, Beemats, Inc. 1 Aquatic CEU 11:45 a.m. - 12:35 p.m. South Florida's Invasive Reptile Species Liz Barraco, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission 1 Natural Area CEU 12:35 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. Complimentary Lunch Sponsored by Brian Van Dam of          1:30 p.m. - 2:20 p.m. International Pesticide Labeling Revisions and Water Restrictions Rose Bechard-Butman, Allstate Resource Management, Inc. Dr. Lyn A. Gettys, University 1 Core CEU   2:20 p.m. - 3:10 p.m. Land Management for Preservation of water Quality and Nutrient Control in Florida's Waterway Systems Fred Segal, President, Broward Farm Bureau 1 Aquatic CEU   *7 C.E.U.'s will be available for licensed professionals Guest are welcome to attend at a charge of $15.00   REGISTER NOW...CLICK HERE!   Download Agenda   Click Here For Map & Directions         Learn More About SFAPMS Membership: Click Here!   Sponsorship Opportunities Available!       South Florida Aquatic Plant Management Society Reservation Form - February 27, 2014       Name: _____________________________________________________    Company Affiliation: ___________________________________________    Address: ___________________________________________________    City: _________________________ State: _____ Zip Code: ___________    Telephone: ______________________ Fax: _______________________    E-mail: _____________________________________________________    Are you planning to stay for lunch?    ______ Yes       ______ No    ______ Member (FREE)       ______ Guest ($15.00)    SFAPMS 8930 State Road 84, No. 316 Davie, FL 33324    Online registration is available! Click Here!    E-mail: info@sfapms.org   (P) 954.370.0041    (F) 954.382.1893 Questions?...Please contact our office at (954) 370-0041

 

Fruit Grower Workshop // UF/IFAS Extension_ Alachua Co // FL Small Farm

March 8, 2014 Straughn IFAS Extension Professional Development Center Gainesville, FL   Dear Grower,   The UF/IFAS Alachua County Extension Service office is offering a fruit production workshop on March 8th. This workshop is intended for fruit enthusiasts and fruit growers. Come for the latest information from UF/IFAS experts on variety selection, production, and pest & disease management. Also, you will be able to visit with the different information stations hosted on site.  Click here to view the flyer for further information.       Thank you for your time.   Aparna Gazula Commercial Horticulture Agent UF/IFAS Alachua County Extension Service 2800 NE 39th Avenue, Gainesville, FL 32609-2658 Phone:  352-955-2402 Fax:  352-334-0122 Email: agazula@ufl.edu