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Growing food grade soybeans can offer producers more profit potential, according to Illinois Ag Connection. In particular, identity-preserved, organic, or non-GMO food-grade soybeans can offer price premiums. This year's premium for non-GMO beans was $3.40 a bushel. There is high and increasing demand for these products internationally. The number of enhanced-trait varieties of soybeans is also increasing, says the article, providing growers more opportunities.

Farm to School is sponsoring a video contest that invites participants to upload a 30-second to 3-minute video to You Tube that completes the phrase "Real food is..." The contest seeks video that informs, inspires, and encourages student advocacy to restore connections to community, food, land, and place through Farm to Cafeteria programs. Two winners, one k-12 video and one college video entry, will receive $1,000 for their cafeteria food project, and an opportunity for a representative to attend the National Farm to Cafeteria conference in March. Video entries are due by February 8, 2009.

The Organic Farmers Action Network notes that the Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative received a five-fold increase in funding in the new Farm Bill. OFAN predicts that OREI and other sustainable agriculture research initiatives will need volunteers, including farmers and ranchers, to review grant applications. They are encouraging people with expertise relevant to the programs, especially producers, to volunteer to be grant reviewers. They are inviting people interested in volunteering as reviewers to contact Tracy Lerman, OFRF Policy Program Organizer at tracy@ofrf.org .

Ancient religious guidelines dictate how kosher certified meat must be slaughtered and handled, and require that the animal must be healthy at time of slaughter. Some observant Jews are concerned, however, that kosher certification doesn't include enough consideration of how the animal was raised, according to an article in the San Francisco Chronicle. Would-be consumers point to a dearth of meat that is both sustainably produced and kosher. The article describes how sustainable food advocates arranged the kosher slaughter of turkeys in the Bay Area recently.

The Kentucky Agricultural Development Board approved $260,297 from the Kentucky Agricultural Development Fund in agricultural diversification projects across the Commonwealth during their December meeting, reports Kentucky Ag Connection. The awards will support purchase of a greenhouse to provide agricultural learning experiences for students and funding for model programs administered by county cattlemen's associations. Funds were also awarded to counties for several designated investment areas related to diversification.

According to a new set of free publications from the Kerr Center, heirlooms offer much more than just antique accents for both home and commercial gardens. The rich genetic heritage of heirlooms preserves traits that let them flourish in an age before widespread fertilizer, pesticides, and irrigation. Another plus: since they are neither hybridized nor genetically engineered, anyone can save their seed to plant again in the next season. The titles available include Heirloom Variety Trial Report: Okra (PDF/524KB), Heirloom Variety Trial Report: Sorghum (PDF/471KB), and Heirloom Vegetables, Genetic Diversity, and the Pursuit of Food Security (PDF/1.1MB).

The Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service is sponsoring a five-part webinar series to teach supervisors how to improve on-the-job performance for both themselves and their employees. The Enhancing Supervisory and Employee Performance program, sponsored by Purdue Extension's Women in Agriculture team, will consist of sessions held from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on the following Mondays: Jan. 12 and 26, Feb. 9 and 23, and March 23. The interactive program will give participants a better understanding of today's work-force expectations; a recognition that work-force relationships must be based on fairness and trust; an enhanced ability to engage the work force in a business' success; effectiveness in providing quality feedback; coaching tools to enhance communication; leadership skills; and ways to attract and retain a qualified work force.

Portland Public Schools asked Oregon State University to conduct a beef taste test survey as part of its effort to serve more locally produced food. The district had been considering serving hamburger patties made from local grass-fed cattle instead of the grain-fed beef that it now serves and whose origin is unknown to the district. Before purchasing the costlier grass-fed beef, school officials needed to know if students would even like it and could detect a difference. Those surveyed could detect a difference in the burgers, but there was no difference in the meat preferred. "For now, since there was not a strong preference for the grass-fed patty, and it is more expensive, we will not be able to afford to serve the grass-fed patty on a regular basis," Gitta Grether-Sweeney, an assistant director for the school district's nutrition services department said.

Newly signed legislation in Michigan will make it easier for schools in the state to purchase locally grown food. According to Michigan Land Use Institute, the legislation reduces bureaucratic obstacles to significant food purchases by public schools and directs the state Departments of Education and Agriculture to help connect schools and farms. Under the new law, Michigan schools can now buy up to $100,000 of local products without developing a formal bid process.

The Land Connection and the University of Illinois Extension are collaborating to host Food Rules workshops throughout Illinois over the winter months. The goal of Food Rules is to help producers and others gain an understanding of the many regulations regarding food production and sales, and to lower their legal and financial risks. Workshops will take place from 6:30 pm-8:30 pm on January 13 in Champaign, February 3 in Quincy, February 12 in Peoria, and March 3 in Marion. The workshop panel will feature State and County Health Department personnel, representatives from the Illinois Department of Agriculture, legal experts and successful, experienced farmers.

Nine Wisconsin dairy entrepreneurs and agribusiness leaders have been awarded more than $121,000 in this year’s second round of Value Added Dairy Initiative Dairy (VADI) processor grants. The grant program offers funding to individuals or groups, businesses and organizations to help fund projects geared at innovation, market development and modernization of dairy processing. Grants in this round will fund development of a specialty butter, modernize marketing techniques for specialty cheese and milk, create a goat-milk aged raw-milk cheese, develop a local food distribution network, and begin a company dedicated to specialty whey processing.

The Fair Food Foundation has announced that it is ceasing operation as a grant making foundation. According to the announcement by foundation president Oran B. Hesterman, the funds of the donors to the Foundation were managed by Bernard L. Madoff, a prominent financial advisor who was arrested for defrauding investors out of billions of dollars. Due to the loss of funding, Fair Food Foundation is no longer in a position to consider any requests for funding, and is closing down its operation. The organization sought to work with historically excluded urban communities to design a food system that upholds the fundamental right to healthy, fresh and sustainably-grown food.

Some California organic farmers unknowingly used ammonium sulfate on their farms, reports The Sacramento Bee, when they applied a supposedly organic liquid fertilizer. According to investigation by the Bee, California Department of Food and Agriculture officials learned of the problem in June 2004, but didn't order the product removed from the organic market until January 2007. Another organic fertilizer product was also pulled from the market during investigation in 2007. Organic farmers who used the synthetic-contaminated product, including Earthbound and Driscoll, were not penalized by organic regulators. The story discusses the demand for organic fertilizers, and how they are regulated and tested, in its presentation of the history of this case.

"The Urban Side of Green" is a series of online videos produced by Penn State Outreach that discuss the benefits of greening up city landscapes. Part one of the series features an interview with Penn State's Dorothy Blair. Blair, an assistant professor of nutrition, is a longtime advocate of eating locally -- a lifestyle sometimes described as "localvore." Blair has been studying and teaching about global food production system for 30 years. "If you're producing food in a urban area, it's very diversified -- many producers on tiny plots. It's very energy-efficient, and you have people eating food that is good for them--extremely fresh--with the kind of nutrients they might find difficult to obtain because of their low budget," says Blair.

Snow's piling up in Vermont, but farmers are still selling their produce. This winter, they have more venues. The number of farmers' markets open year-round has grown from six last year to at least 11 this winter, thanks to rising demand, according to the Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont. Farmers are extending their seasons by moving indoors — to gymnasiums and churches — for weekly or monthly markets.

U.S. agricultural producers will soon have the opportunity to speak out about their water use when the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) conducts the Farm and Ranch Irrigation Survey. The irrigation survey, which is a supplement to the 2007 Census of Agriculture, will for the first time include a focus on nursery and horticultural operations. National Agriculture Statistics Service (NASS) will collect information about irrigation water use during 2008, including application methods, equipment, facilities, expenditures, crop acreage and yield. On Jan. 12, 2009, NASS will mail the irrigation survey to 35,000 producers nationwide.

U.S. acreage planted with organic cotton increased for second straight year, according to research compiled by the Organic Trade Association (OTA). Analysis of available data found that the total acres planted in organic cotton grew from 8,510 in 2007 to 9,279 in 2008, constituting a nine percent increase. Other survey findings revealed that changes are taking place within the organic cotton market. Organic cotton farmers saw the range in average price they received per pound increase from between $0.85 and $1.25 for organic upland cotton in 2006 to between $1 and $1.50 in 2007.

The New York State Council on Food Policy Monday issued its annual report to Governor David A. Paterson. The report includes the Council's recommendations on food policy for 2009 and proposed steps needed to implement the recommendations. The Council's four priority food policy areas are maximizing participation in food and nutrition assistance programs; strengthening the connection between local food products and consumers; supporting efficient and profitable agricultural food production and food retail infrastructure and; increasing consumer awareness and knowledge about healthy eating; and improving consumer access to safe and nutritious food. For a copy of the Council on Food Policy's annual report and all of its recommendations, please visit www.nyscfp.org and click on "Report to Governor".

A new field tool developed by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists applies poultry litter to fields in shallow bands, reducing runoff of excess nutrients like phosphorus and nitrogen. The tool digs shallow trenches about two to three inches deep in the soil. It then places the poultry litter in the trenches and covers it with soil. Burying the litter significantly reduces the risk of runoff. Litter was applied to bermudagrass forage plots, and then watered the field with a rainfall simulator. When the litter was applied with the new tool, phosphorus and nitrogen runoff were 80 to 95 percent lower than when the litter was applied in the conventional manner.

The “Crop Production Guide 2009” has been released by the North Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station and North Dakota State University Extension Service. This is the 19th edition of the publication. The book has 271 pages of crop production information suited for producers and agricultural specialists. “This publication has the 2008 climate summary, integrated pest management, soil test recommendations, variety trial information and research reports,” says Hans Kandel, NDSU Extension Service agronomist. “This is a comprehensive publication with variety information about our main crops, which include wheat, barley, oats, flax, field peas, lentils, canola, soybeans, dry edible beans and sunflowers,” Kandel says.

The comment period on the National Organic Program's proposed new access to pasture regulation ends December 23, and a group of organic dairy farmers in California are expressing their dissatisfaction with the new rule, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. Albert Straus explains why he and other farmers in Marin and surrounding counties feel the new rule is not well-suited to their particular climate and situation, and why they oppose it.

Pennsylvania Agriculture Secretary Dennis Wolff announced the second round of tax credits through the state's Resource Enhancement and Protection program, or REAP. The State Conservation Commission approved farmers’ REAP applications on a first-come, first-served basis for the $10 million in tax credits available for the 2008-09 fiscal year. 231 on-farm conservation practices have been completed and more than $1.6 million in REAP tax credits have been awarded through the program. The remaining $8.4 million in tax credits have been committed to projects that have not yet been completed. Farmers can receive tax credits of up to $150,000 per agricultural operation for 50 or 75 percent of the total cost of a conservation project, depending on the best management practice implemented. Farmers may also qualify for a 50 percent tax credit to purchase no-till planting equipment.

The National Organic Program has posted final recommendations on numerous topics, as submitted by the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) in November 2008. The recommendations, available online in PDF, address issues including fish food and net pens in aquaculture, pet food, and certifying operations with multiple sites. NOSB also issued recommendations relating to updating the Policy and Procedures Manual and the New Members Guide.

Earlier this week, President-elect Barack Obama nominated former Governor of Iowa Tom Vilsack as his choice for Secretary of Agriculture. The appointment has gathered comment and reaction from diverse sources, including an editorial in The New York Times, which says Vilsack enjoys a large center of support. American Farmland Trust has issued a press release lauding the nomination. Meanwhile, in an NPR interview, author Michael Pollan commented that it's difficult not to see the choice of Vilsack as "agribusiness as usual."

Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer announced intent to establish a new USDA Office of Ecosystem Services and Markets and the creation of a federal government-wide Conservation and Land Management Environmental Services Board to assist the Secretary of Agriculture in the development of new technical guidelines and science-based methods to assess environmental service benefits which will in turn promote markets for ecosystem services including carbon trading to mitigate climate change. OESM will provide administrative and technical assistance to the Secretary in developing the uniform guidelines and tools needed to create and expand markets for vital ecosystem services. The first ecosystem services to be examined will be carbon sequestration.

The Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture will honor Carroll County, Iowa, grazier Steve Reinart with its annual Spencer Award for Sustainable Agriculture. Reinart owns and operates Reinart's Prairie Reds, a 500-acre grass-fed organic beef and seed stock operation. Currently, Reinart manages a herd of about 120 Red Angus cows, and relies entirely on forages and holistic grazing management for their nutrition. He also manages his pastures to encourage wildlife habitat establishment and incorporates conservation practices such as shelterbelts, ponds and wetlands into the farm system. Reinart will be the fifth farmer to receive the Spencer Award, established in 2002 to honor farmers, educators or researchers who have made a significant contribution toward the stability of mainstream family farms in Iowa.

In 2008, the Ohio State University continued evaluations of corn hybrids marketed for organic producers at the Hirzel Sustainable Systems site, a certified organic farm located near Bowling Green in Wood county and on certified organic land at OARDC Badger Farm, near Apple Creek in Wayne county. Also studied was a transitional site near South Charleston in 2008. For 2008, four open pollinated (OP) varieties, three OP varietal crosses and two conventionally produced, untreated hybrids were included in the tests. The results for the 2008 Organic Corn Performance Test can be viewed at: http://agcrops.osu.edu under the corn tab on the left hand side.

A $500,000, four-year research project by the University of Wyoming will investigate the economic and environmental sustainability of three production approaches in cash crop and beef calf production. The research, starting next spring, will examine conventional, reduced input and organic approaches on small- and medium-sized crop-range-livestock operations. The ambitious project will link small plot research into specific plant and soil processes, large plot systems research and on-farm studies. Research that compares whole systems on farms and at research stations is needed because principles developed in isolation from other farm operations too often fail when applied to complex whole-farm systems, reports the High Plains Journal.

The Midwest Agribusiness Trade Research and Information Center (MATRIC) at Iowa State University has published a book on using distillers grains, a co-product of biofuels production, as a feedstuff for livestock and poultry. The book is only available online at http://www.matric.iastate.edu/DGbook and is free for downloading. Chapters cover nutrition and live animal performance of beef cattle, dairy cattle, swine and poultry when fed various distillers grain products. Storage, shelf life and transportation issues are included, as are new technologies on the horizon and challenges remaining in the use of distillers grains. Two chapters discuss the trade value of U.S. distiller grains in small and large international markets.