Calling all farmers!
We are seeking farmer input on cover crops as a conservation option on U.S. farms. This survey will take 10 minutes or less and is for both farmers who use cover crops and farmers who do not use cover crops in their operations. Just a few minutes of your time will help improve cover crop programs and efforts to increase access to information and technical assistance. Your answers will remain completely anonymous. To access the survey, click here: Cover Crops Survey. If you currently use cover crops, this is your chance to report what works and doesn’t work. If you don’t use cover crops, tell us why not and help us understand where more scientific evidence is needed to encourage their adoption.
After completing the survey, you will have the opportunity to register for two $100 gift card drawings. Gift card registration takes place at a separate website to ensure that your responses to the survey remain completely anonymous. Please respond by January 31, 2014, to be eligible for the gift card drawing.
This survey is sponsored by the USDA SARE program and carried out by the Conservation Technology Information Center. If you have questions, please contact: Chad Watts, watts@ctic.org or 574-242-0147.
Webinars
USDA Cover Crop Termination Policy
January 23, 2014, 2:00-3:30 EST
Description: The National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT) and the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) will host an important national webinar on January 23, 2014, to discuss the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) recent efforts to assure greater uniformity and clarity on its policy related to farmers who currently grow cover crops or may grow them in the future. The webinar will address the critical question that the new policy is designed to answer: When and how can cover crops be terminated without jeopardizing valuable crop insurance coverage of the cash crops grown with them? The first half hour will consist of presentations by four panelists, with the remaining time allocated for a question and answer session. The webinar is primarily geared toward providing answers to questions from farmers and farm organizations, but participation is open to all, including certified crop advisors, crop insurance agents, and others.
The webinar is free and accessible by visiting: https://attra.ncat.org/cover_crop
A copy of the cover crop policy can be found at this link: Cover Crop Termination Policy
Getting Your Bucks In A Row –The Food Hub Due Diligence Toolkit
February 20, 3:30-4:45 EST
Description: The Healthy Food Commerce Investments program of Wholesome Wave has been studying food hubs, and the viability of several individual hubs. This webinar presents a distillation of their work - what makes a solid, invest-able hub business? One key element of food hubs is that are businesses. Food hub managers, potential investors, and food hub supporters will all benefit hugely from this work, and this presentation.
Registration: To register visit https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/366468434.
Free Farm Commons Webinars
Various Dates
Description: The nonprofit firm Farm Commons is hosting a series of free webinars this winter on a variety of legal issues faced by farmers who sell directly to consumers. Registration is now open for all webinars at www.farmcommons.org/webinars. All webinars are at 6pm CST.
· Hosting On-Farm Events –January 13
· Workers and Employees –January 28
· Selling Products to Larger Buyers –February 10
· Starting a Farm –February 25
· Adding Value to Farm Products –March 10
· Food Safety Liability and Regulations –March 25
Soil Health Webinars
Various Dates
Description: The National Soil Health and Sustainability Team, located at the USDA NRCS East National Technology Support Center, is pleased to offer the following soil health webinars in 2014. Start time for the soil health webinars is 2pm Eastern.
| 2014 | Soil Health Webinar Topic |
| Jan 16 | An Experimental Case Study for Soil Health |
| Feb 11 | The Biology of Soil Compaction |
| Mar 11 | Soil Health and Production Benefits of Mob Grazing |
| Apr 08 | Managing for Soil Health on Dryland - A Farmer's Perspective |
| May 13 | Using RUSLE2 to Evaluate Soil Health Planning Principles |
| Jun 10 | Managing for Soil Health in the Piedmont Area of the Southeast - |
| Jul 08 | Managing for Soil Health when Raising Potatoes - A Farmer's Perspective |
| Aug 12 | Managing for Soil Health on an Organic Farm - A Farmer's Perspective |
Connection information: For the full list of webinars and information on how to connect, please visit http://conservationwebinars.net/.
Resources
2013 Variety Trial Results from UF/IFAS WFREC
Researchers at the UF/IFAS West Florida Research and Education Center (WFREC) in Jay, Florida, and other UF/IFAS Extension state specialists are working together to collect agronomic data such as yield, maturity date, test weight, height, and lodging to assist our growers in finding the best adapted crop cultivars for use in the Florida Panhandle. WFREC has recently released the summarized results of 2013 variety evaluations for Field Corn, Cotton, Peanuts, Soybeans, and Sweet Corn. A wheat variety trial is currently underway, and will be summarized later in the year. View the variety tests here: http://nwdistrict.ifas.ufl.edu/phag/2014/01/10/2013-variety-trial-results-from-ufifas-wfrec/.
New Reports Available from the Leopold Center
Five new reports are available through the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture:
· Evaluating the impact of a decade of regional food system work on growers in northeast Iowa
http://www.leopold.iastate.edu/grants/m2010-19
· Impacts of conventional and diversified rotation systems on crop yields, profitability, soil functions and environmental quality
http://www.leopold.iastate.edu/grants/e2010-02
· Improving soil quality by conserving insect pathogens
http://www.leopold.iastate.edu/grants/e2010-18
· Increasing access to healthy, fresh and local food to students in three rural public schools in northeast Iowa
http://www.leopold.iastate.edu/grants/m2010-18
· Sustainable Agricultural Land Tenure (SALT) Initiative II
http://www.leopold.iastate.edu/grants/p2012-04
Organic Resource
A new Web page set up by the U.S. Department of Agriculture is designed to be a one-stop shop for information on its organic programs and services. The page — http://tinyurl.com/OrganicResources — includes information for growers, handlers, certifiers and consumers. It was created as part of the USDA’s efforts to incorporate the needs of the organic sector into its programs, as directed by agriculture secretary Tom Vilsack earlier this year, according to a news release. Information on flexible microloans and other financial resources for organic growers is available on the new Web page, as well as organic price reports, cost/revenue comparisons and other economic and market data. Importers and exporters of organics can also find information on the Web page. The page also has details about improved crop insurance options for organic growers. The Web page also provides a link to file complaints about products suspected to be improperly marketed as organic.
The Farm Incubator Toolkit
The National Incubator Farm Training Initiative has compiled a comprehensive guide to starting and operating land-based beginning farmer training programs, based on the knowledge and experience of dozens of farm incubator projects across the US.
Conferences & Workshops
Small Farms & Alternative Enterprises Events Calendar
Various Dates
The University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences has a thriving Small Farms & Alternative Enterprises (SFAE) Extension Program. This program offers many different workshops at various locations around the state. Here’s a taste of a few events coming up:
· Small Scale Mushroom Production, Live Oak, FL, January 24
· Starting a Successful Hydroponic Business, Live Oak, FL, March 17-18 or March 21-22
Like what you see? There’s more! For a complete list of events, workshop details, and registration information, visit the SFAE Events Calendar. Check back frequently for updates on opportunities near you!
AGRItunity 2014
January 24-25, 2014
Bushnell, FL
Friday, January 24 is Shock-A-Pond Workshop or Farm Tour in Sumter County, Florida.
Saturday, January 25 is the trade show and conference, with a dozen workshops in three concurrent sessions. Details and registration at http://AGRItunity2014.eventbrite.com
Northwest Florida Beef Conference
February 12, 2014
The 29th annual Northwest Florida Beef Conference and Trade Show will be held on Wednesday, February 12 in Marianna. The focus of the Beef Conference this year will be: Celebrating 100 Years of Extension by Preparing Cattle Ranchers for the Next Century. The speakers will be sharing results of research to help ranchers better manage their herds now and into the future. For more information: http://nwdistrict.ifas.ufl.edu/phag/2014/01/11/northwest-florida-beef-conference-february-12/.
Annual Meeting of the Society for Range Management
February 8-13, 2014
Orlando, FL
Save the date for the Annual Meeting of the Society for Range Management. The meeting will be held in Orlando, Florida at the Caribe Royale! This 67th meeting goes from Saturday February 8th to Thursday February 13th and will have speakers pulled from academia to working ranches. The conference is packed with overlapping workshops and sessions pertinent to researchers, Extension, ranchers, and policy makers. There are outings to Disney Wilderness Preserve, Deseret Ranch, Wild Florida, and Orlando Brewing in addition to the Gala featuring The Bellamy Brothers! More information coming soon.
Cultivating Your Future In Agritourism
February 13, 2014
UF/IFAS North Florida Research & Education Center
Are you selling products at your farm or ranch, inviting guests to visit for outdoor entertainment or an overnight’s stay, considering putting in a pumpkin patch, or an agritourism venture? This full-day workshop is for you! Learn how to: Evaluate where you are and where you want to be, get the perspective of successful components of an agritourism destination, build new enterprises, and market your agritourism activities. Join agritourism expert, Jane Eckert, who has visited hundreds of farms and will share with you examples of farms across North America reaping the benefits of this unique tourism opportunity. Limited space available. Registration including lunch is $20 by February 6, 2014, and $25 after this date. For more information, please contact: Faith Clarke (850) 412-5256 or faith.clarke@famu.edu or Pam Portwood (850) 764-2853 or pportwood@embarqmail.com. Flyer attached.
National Cover Crop Conference –Opening Session
February 18, 2014
Various Host Sites
The North Central Region SARE is hosting a National Conference on Cover Crops and Soil Health next February 18-19, 2014 in Omaha, NE. The conference will only be able to hold approximately 300 invited participants. However, the opening session will be broadcast live at various host sites throughout the country. The session includes speakers such as Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, Howard G. Buffett, and 4 leading farmers from across the nation in cover crops and soil health. Currently, the following sites will be hosting a live stream of the opening session from 9am to 12pm on February 18. Contact the host site for more information about attending. Contact Debi Kelly (kellyd@missouri.edu), SARE Co-Coordinator, if you would like to host a site.
· 4440 NW 25th Pl, Gainesville, FL 32606; 352-338-9500 (NRCS)
· 6700 Clark Road, Sarasota, FL 34241; 941-861-9900 (UF/IFAS Sarasota Extension)
122nd Annual Farmers Conference
February 20-21, 2014
Tuskegee University, Tuskegee, AL
The Farmers Conference at Tuskegee University is often cited as the oldest event of its type in the nation. This conference exists as a two-day educational forum that features tours, panel discussions, interactive demonstrations and concurrent workshops. These sessions address emerging issues surrounding small farmers, farm families and rural communities. For more information: www.tuskegee.edu/farmersconference.
Apalachee Intro to Beekeeping Shortcourse
February 22, 2014
The Apalachee Beekeepers Association will offer an introductory beekeeping shortcourse to introduce participants to the basics of successfully caring for a honeybee colony. The rotating, hands-on group sessions will include: hive assembly, nutrition, forage, bee health, open hives demonstration, tools and safety, and pest management. Visit the website for more information.
UF/IFAS Basic Beekeeping School
February 24, 2014
The UF/IFAS Panhandle Agriculture Extension Team will once again be offering a Basic Beekeeping School in February and March. These classes will be offered via interactive video conferencing at Extension Offices across the Panhandle. Details can be found here, please call your local UF/IFAS Extension Service to register and if you have any questions.
New Technology for Commercial Vegetable Production –IST for Extension ONLY
February 26, 2014
Various Sites
A unique program is planned for Wednesday, February 26, 2014 (12:00 to 4:50 EST). The program is offered to county faculty as an In-Service Training opportunity (IST # 30753), “New Technology for Commercial Vegetable Production (II).” You can register online at http://pdec.ifas.ufl.edu/ist/list.pl. There is also an opportunity for licensed applicators to earn up to 5 FDACS-approved CEUs in 4 categories (Ag Row, Ag Tree, Demo/Res, and Private) for recertification credit (FDACS Program # 16706). The event will originate via Polycom from 1308 Fifield Hall. A detailed agenda is attached. Professor Lehmann, Chair of the IBI Board (http://www.biochar-international.org/board/advisorycommittee), will talk to us: 
Additionally, if you'd like to host a local site for colleagues and students, please contact David Liu (guodong@ufl.edu) with the following:
1. Your host site's IP address.
2. Your host site's physical location.
3. The name of a person on-site who is an approved FDACS CEU provider.
National Food Hub Conference
March 26-28, 2014
Raleigh, NC
Mark your calendars! The Wallace Center and the National Good Food Network Food Hub Collaboration will host a National Food Hub Conference March 26-28, 2014 in Raleigh, NC. There will be pre-conference tours, compelling panes and speakers, and plenty of opportunities for networking. If you missed the 2012 National Food Hub Conference you can read the proceedings here. Registration is now open. A Request for Proposals (RFP) for workshops and intensive trainings is due December 15, 2013. For more information, registration, and links to the RFP and sponsorship form visit the conference website.
7th National Farm to Cafeteria Conference
April 15-18, 2014
Save the date for the 7th National Farm to Cafeteria Conference: Powering Up, which will be held in Austin, April 15-18, 2014! The conference will convene a diver group of stakeholders from across the farm to cafeteria movement –more than 1,000 food serve professionals, farmers, educators, youth leaders, policy makers, advocates, state/federal agency professionals, entrepreneurs, public health professionals and others –working to source local food for institutional cafeterias and foster a culture of food and agricultural literacy across America. Explore the new conference website to preview the event and to learn more about the host city and other travel details. Registration will open in January 2014, and a request for workshop proposals will be released in September 2013.
Florida Sheep, Wool, and Herding Dog Festival
April 25-27, 2014
The MSA Membership Spring Meeting will be held in conjunction with the MSA sponsored sheep, wool & herding dog festival. Check out workshops held on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Find out more information here: www.floridasheep.com.
Joint Conference: 16th Annual National Value-Added Agriculture Conference & The Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development “What Works III” Conference
May 13-15, 2014
Save the date for this joint conference held in Baltimore, MD. The theme of this conference is “Enhancing food security and rural viability through innovative food system practices and opportunities”. The call for abstracts is currently open through December 15, 2013. See the attached flyer for more information about the conference and how to submit your abstract today.
University of Vermont Food Systems Summit
June 17-18, 2014
Abstract Deadline: Feb. 15, 2014
The University of Vermont (UVM) Food Systems Summit is an annual event drawing scholars, practitioners, and food systems leaders to engage in dialogue around the pressing food systems issues facing our world.
· The Summit welcomes research papers related to local level responses to globalization in the food system. Research should show a connection between local level initiatives to the global context we face in a 21st century food system.
· Up to 9 competitively selected papers will be featured during panel presentations at the Summit.
· Authors whose papers are selected for presentation at the Summit will be eligible to submit their papers to a special issue of the Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development (JAFSCD)
The 2014 UVM Food Systems Summit will immediately precede the Agriculture, Food, and Human Values Society (AFHVS) and the Association for the Study of Food and Society (ASFS) joint annual meeting June 18-22 at the UVM campus. The UVM Food Systems Summit is an independently organized event and may be attended either alone or in combination with the AFHVS/ASFS conference.
Save the Date!! Florida Small Farms and Alternative Enterprises Conference
August 1-2, 2014
Save the date for this annual conference put on by UF/IFAS and FAMU/CAFS. The conference committee has worked hard to revise the conference this year based on your feedback –so get ready for an exciting new format with many opportunity to learn and collaborate with fellow farmers around the state! The conference will include farm tours, exhibits, a hands-on “Learning Zone”, cutting-edge information, educational workshops, keynote address, Innovative Farmer Awards, and a celebration of local foods. To learn more, visit the UF/IFAS and FAMU/CAFS, Extension Services Small Farms Resource Website, connect with their Facebook page, visit the past conference website, or join the mailing list to receive Florida Small Farms and Alternative Enterprises Conference and educational related announcements.
Save the Date!! 6th Sustainable Agriculture Education Association Conference
August 3-6, 2014
Join us next summer for the 6th National Sustainable Agriculture Education Association (SAEA) conference, co-hosted by North Carolina State University (NCSU) and Central Carolina Community College (CCCC). The conference will be held in Raleigh and Pittsboro, NC on the campuses of NCSU and CCCC. Please consider joining other faculty, teachers, extension agents and students in the only national-level forum focused on the teaching and learning of sustainable agriculture!
Funding Opportunities
Value Added Producer Grant
Due February 24, 2014
USDA Rural Development has approximately $10.5 million available to help agricultural producers enter into value-added activities. Awards may be made to either economic planning or working capital activities related to the processing and/or marketing of value-added agricultural products. The maximum amount for a planning grant is $75,000 and the maximum amount for a working capital grant is $200,000. There is a matching funds requirement of at least $1 for every $1 in grant funds provided by the Agency. Click here for more information.
FSA Microloans
The Farm Service Agency offers direct farm operating loans with a shortened application process and reduced paperwork designed to meet the needs of smaller, non-traditional, and niche type operations.
Whole Foods Market Local Producer Loan Program
Whole Foods Market is providing up to $10 million in low-interest loans to independent local farmers and food artisans. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.
League of Environmental Educators in Florida Grants List
This website gives a great list of grants available for various types of community and classroom projects. Really worth perusing. Due dates vary by grant.
http://leef-florida.org/core/item/topic.aspx?s=0.0.110.37432&tid=85010
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Kelly Monaghan
Program Assistant
Florida SARE Program, UF/IFAS & FAMU
Center for Sustainable and Organic Food Systems
3031 Mc Carty Hall D, PO Box 110310, Gainesville, FL 32611
Ph:(352)273-3508; Fax: (352)392-8196
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