| Weekly Harvest Newsletter
Sustainable Agriculture News Briefs - May 15, 2013 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. News & Resources - Union of Concerned Scientists Launches Vision for Healthy Farms
- USDA to Prepare Environmental Impact Statements for Genetically Engineered Plants
- Values-Based Food Supply Chain Case Studies Added to CIAS Offerings
- Lawsuit Filed to Force FDA to Ban Arsenic in Livestock Feed
- Organic Trade Association Establishes Farmers Advisory Council
- IATP Warns of Soil Health Threat from Nanomaterials in Fertilizer
Funding Opportunities - Southern SARE Graduate Student Grant
- Market Access Program
- Pennsylvania Conservation Innovation Grant
Coming Events - Hack//Meat San Francisco
- The Necessary (r)Evolution for Sustainable Food Systems
- Raising and Processing Pastured Poultry for Home and Market
News & Resources Union of Concerned Scientists Launches Vision for Healthy Farms
The Union of Concerned Scientists has launched its new vision for healthy farms, including a briefing paper explaining the changes that are needed in the way we farm, and a Web feature that illustrates the components of a healthy farm. The healthy farm vision brief identifies four major changes that UCS says are needed in farming practices: crop rotations, a landscape-level approach, cover crops, and integration of livestock and crops.
Related ATTRA Publication: Applying the Principles of Sustainable Farming USDA to Prepare Environmental Impact Statements for Genetically Engineered Plants
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has announced plans to prepare two separate environmental impact statements to better inform decision-making regarding the regulatory status of crops genetically engineered (GE) to be resistant to 2,4 dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) and Dicamba. These are the first GE plants developed to be resistant to these specific herbicides. Based on information from Dow and Monsanto, as well as public comments, APHIS believes it necessary to prepare these two environmental impact statements before making a final determination regarding the products' regulatory status. Values-Based Food Supply Chain Case Studies Featured
The Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems at the University of Wisconsin-Madison has added four new Values-Based Food Supply Chain Case Studies to its series. These feature business alliances in which farmers and ranchers function as strategic partners rather than easily replaced input suppliers. The new online case studies profile Shepherd's Grain, Organic Valley, Co-op Partners Warehouse, and Idaho's Bounty. Lawsuit Filed to Force FDA to Ban Arsenic in Livestock Feed
The Center for Food Safety has filed a lawsuit on behalf of U.S. food safety, agriculture, public health, and environmental groups to compel FDA to respond to the groups' three-year-old petition calling for immediate withdrawal of FDA's approval of arsenic-containing compounds as feed additives for food animals. Organic Trade Association Establishes Farmers Advisory Council
The Organic Trade Association (OTA) has formally established a Farmers Advisory Council (FAC) to provide input from small- to medium-sized organic farmers, ranchers, and growers to the trade association on matters geared to advancing organic agriculture. Through dialog and upfront input, FAC gives organic farmers a voice to directly influence OTA's policy work, and allows OTA to better represent the diversity of organic producers in its policy and advocacy work. IATP Warns of Soil Health Threat from Nanomaterials in Fertilizer
The Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP) has released a report, Nanomaterials in Soil: Our Future Food Chain?, that says nanomaterials added to soil via fertilizers and treated sewage waste could threaten soil health. Laboratory experiments have indicated that sub-molecular nanoparticles could damage beneficial soil microbes and the digestive systems of earthworms. >> More Breaking News Back to top
Funding Opportunities Southern SARE Graduate Student Grant
The Southern Region USDA Program on Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) is requesting proposals for graduate student research projects that address issues of sustainable agriculture of current and potential importance to the Southern region and the nation. Graduate students enrolled at an accredited college or university in the Southern region may apply for up to $11,000.
Proposal deadline is June 3, 2013. Market Access Program
The Market Access Program uses funds from USDA's Commodity Credit Corporation to help U.S. producers, exporters, private companies, and other trade organizations finance promotional activities for U.S. agricultural products.
Applications must be received by May 28, 2013. Pennsylvania Conservation Innovation Grant
NRCS will offer a CIG State Component in Pennsylvania for Fiscal Year 2013. NRCS is looking for innovative on-the-ground conservation projects, including demonstrations and pilot projects. Selected applicants receive up to 50% of their total project cost, to a maximum of $75,000.
Applications are due by May 27, 2013. >> More Funding Opportunities Back to top
Coming Events Hack//Meat San Francisco
June 21-23, 2013
San Francisco, California
Food+Tech Connect, GRACE Communications Foundation, and Applegate are bringing together industry "steakholders," technologists, entrepreneurs, and creatives to reimagine the business of meat. Participants will work together to develop data-driven technologies and communication platforms that help to democratize the way meat is produced, processed, distributed, sold, and consumed. The Necessary (r)Evolution for Sustainable Food Systems
June 27, 2013
Burlington, Vermont
This conference will bring together influential and innovative voices from the sustainable food movement for a day of inspiration and call to action. The goal is to connect people across disciplines around the urgent issue of our broken food system and inspire people to take their place in the necessary revolution. Raising and Processing Pastured Poultry for Home and Market
June 18, 2013
Townville, Pennsylvania
PASA Western Region presents this master class at the Dreese Family Farm, with guest speakers Jeff Mattocks, Vice President and Nutritionist for the Fetrell Company, and Eli Reiff, the Poultry Man. The workshop will provide a hands-on demonstration of poultry processing and will cover nutrition and housing. >> More Events Back to top
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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.
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