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From Vermont to central California, developers are creating subdivisions around organic farms to attract buyers. If you plant it, these developers believe, they will buy. Increasingly, subdivisions, usually master-planned developments at which buyers buy home sites or raw land, have been treating farms as an amenity reports The New York Times. “There are currently at least 200 projects that include agriculture as a key community component,” said Ed McMahon, a senior fellow with the Urban Land Institute.

Georgia Organics' curriculum on organic and sustainable growing is now free online. Intended for use by university extension agents, master gardeners, and high school educators, is the first of its kind in the state. It can be viewed online for free or it costs $10 as CD-Rom.

A new Iowa State University Extension guide is designed to help small-scale poultry producers in Iowa figure out poultry slaughter and processing regulations. Iowa Poultry Slaughter, Processing, and Sales Guidelines for Small-scale Producers (PDF/4.5MB) also discusses marketing limitations and provides additional resources.

Rabobank has released its sustainable agriculture survey that finds that nearly 70 percent of the U.S. farmers and ranchers have taken steps toward implementing sustainable agricultural practices. According to Rabobank Farm & Ranch Survey, three out of every four U.S. farmers are aware of sustainable practices, and most have used direct seeding, minimized the use of chemicals or employed crop rotation. The survey targeted farmers who own or operate a farm grossing $250,000 or more in one of three U.S. census regions: Midwest, South and West.

The Community Food Security Coalition has released a report from a recent study. State Implementation of the New WIC Produce Package: Opportunities and Barriers for WIC Clients to Use Their Benefits at Farmers’ Markets (PDF/3.42MB) provides an overview of the current status of the new WIC Package Rule [at 7 CFR 246.12(v)] and the issue of states authorizing farmers as vendors for the new cash value vouchers for fruits and vegetables. The report includes an overview of survey data, barriers, and case examples collected from 36 states regarding their decision to authorize or not to authorize farmers as vendors for the new cash value fruit and vegetable vouchers. It also includes policy recommendations.

The Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 directed the U.S. Department of Agriculture to evaluate the role of animal manure as a source of fertilizer, and its other uses. The report, Manure Use for Fertilizer and for Energy: Report to Congress, covers the use of manure as a crop fertilizer, impacts on animal operations of restricting manure applications, and competition from energy uses of manure.

A new report issued today by Food & Water Watch examines how the slow demise of local small slaughter and processing operations in the United States is preventing farmers and ranchers from fully satisfying rising consumer demand for meat from sustainably raised livestock. Entitled Where’s the Local Beef?, the report identifies the reasons for the disappearance of small plants, presents examples of the next generation of processors and offers policy solutions to rebuild the small slaughterhouse sector of the meat industry.

Principal Research Scientist Elham Ghabbour and Chemistry Professor Geoffrey Davies are directing an undergraduate National Soil Research Project at Northeastern University, Boston (NU) that is measuring the humic (HA) and fulvic acid (FA) contents of the nation’s agricultural top soils (0 – 30 cm). The objective is to determine the status and monitor the quality of our soils over time. The project needs you to send a one-pound, dried soil sample parcel post to NU from the nation’s farms and counties for analysis.

The Nebraska Grazing Lands Coalition announces the launch of its Rangeland Monitoring Program and has contracted with two new Rangeland Technicians to implement on-site technical monitoring assistance. Funded by the Nebraska Environmental Trust and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service of Nebraska, the new NGLC Rangeland Monitoring Program provides assistance to landowners and managers in identifying grazing management goals and implementing a monitoring system to measure change. The program is available across the state on a first-come, first-serve basis for a low cost of only $25. Participants will receive an initial on-site consultation and training session with an NGLC Rangeland Technician who will provide assistance in identifying a monitoring plan, establishing one monitoring site and collecting samples.

Sustainable agriculture and land tenure are the focus of a new research and outreach collaboration between Drake University and Iowa State University. The two-year jointly funded program -- the Iowa Landowner and Sustainable Agricultural Land Stewardship project -- will be carried out by a partnership between the Agricultural Law Center at Drake and the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture at ISU. The project will explore trends in Iowa farmland ownership and the transition of land to a new generation of owners, many of whom will rent or lease farmland to others.

The USDA Economic Research Service has released "Access to Affordable and Nutritious Food—Measuring and Understanding Food Deserts and Their Consequences: Report to Congress." This report fills a request for a study of food deserts—areas with limited access to affordable and nutritious food—from the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008. The report summarizes findings of a national-level assessment of the extent and characteristics of food deserts, analysis of the consequences of food deserts, lessons learned from related Federal programs, and a discussion of policy options for alleviating the effects of food deserts.

The newly-published "Farm to Market, North Dakota's Guide to Selling Local Food," (PDF/835KB) a handbook of direct farm marketing, is now available from the North Dakota Department of Agriculture (NDDA). The 36-page booklet is a valuable reference both for experienced direct marketers as well as for producers considering direct marketing.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced a weekly summer workshop series at 'The People's Garden' to teach area residents and tourists about the many aspects of growing a garden. The "Healthy Garden" Workshop Series will be held every Friday from noon to 12:30 p.m. from June 19 through Sept. 25, at 'The People's Garden,' located at 12th St. and Jefferson Drive, SW at the USDA Jamie L. Whitten Building on the National Mall in Washington, DC. "In many ways, USDA's 'People's Garden' is the nation's demonstration plot, showing how small steps can mean important gains in mitigating global warming and producing a safe, sustainable and nutritious food supply," said Vilsack. "The garden concepts we're teaching this summer can be your contribution to providing healthy food, air, and water for people and communities across the country."

Beginning in August, fruit and vegetable growers selling at farmers’ markets in Oklahoma will have a large new group of customers: women and children who participate in the USDA Supplemental Food Program for Women, Infants and Children, better known as WIC. For the first time in the history of the program, the approximately 100,000 participating women, infants, and children in Oklahoma will each receive a $6, $8 or $10 paper voucher each month for purchasing fruits and vegetables. First, farmers must apply to the Oklahoma WIC office.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today urged producers to learn about the new Average Crop Revenue Election (ACRE) program before the August sign-up deadline. Congress created ACRE in the 2008 Farm Bill to give producers an additional option to help manage the risks associated with farming. The ACRE program is a new option for farmers who may have previously participated in FSA's Direct and Counter-Cyclical Program (DCP). The ACRE program is an alternative to the counter-cyclical program. ACRE payments are based on what the producer actually plants, with payments calculated using recent market prices. The deadline for producers to sign up is Aug. 14, 2009.

In 2009, Land Stewardship Project’s Farm Beginnings program is marking its 12th year of providing firsthand training in low-cost, sustainable methods of farming. The course is tailor-made for people of all ages just getting started in farming, as well as established farmers looking to make changes in their operations. Farm Beginnings participants learn goal setting, financial planning, business plan creation, alternative marketing and innovative production techniques. Classes will begin this fall and are being held in two locations: River Falls, Wisconsin, and Spicer, Minnesota. The deadline for registration is August 26.

About 400 farmers, food service buyers, health professionals, county government officials, chefs and university representatives came together at the Farm to Fork Summit held in North Carolina State’s McKimmon Center in May to develop a State Action Plan. The conference included remarks and pledges of support by Gov. Beverly Perdue, U.S. Rep. Bob Etheridge, former U.S. Rep. Eva Clayton and other dignitaries. The Center for Environmental Farming Systems (CEFS), directed by Dr. Nancy Creamer, hosted the summit, which took place after more than a year of planning and conversations. Last fall, CEFS hosted six regional summits to learn what was happening regionally to build local food economies and to identify opportunities and obstacles. CEFS is developing the State Action Plan for Building a Sustainable Local Food Economy in North Carolina that will be presented to decision makers, policy makers, business leaders, government agencies and funders over the next few months.

American Planning Association (APA) invites you to make a proposal for a session, workshop, poster, facilitated discussion, or technology showcase at the 2010 National Planning Conference in New Orleans. Topic areas include rural planning, food systems, and sustainable communities. Proposals are due by August 18, 2009.

Searching for locally grown foods in Minnesota has become even easier with improvements to the online Minnesota Grown Directory from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA). The comprehensive local foods directory contains listings in 77 counties that feature 750 farms, farmers markets' and other locations to find the freshest food available. The online improvements to the Minnesota Grown Directory include a new mapping system using Google Map technology, making it easy to get directions from any location to a farm or market.

Information from the 2007 Census of Agriculture is now available for 73 American Indian reservations, including reservation-level information on agricultural production, economics and demographics for individual farms. The 2007 Census of Agriculture marks the first time NASS has attempted to collect census forms from individual farm and ranch operators on American Indian reservations in every state.

The American Medical Association (AMA) has approved a new policy that supports a healthy and sustainable food chain within healthcare systems at a recent AMA meeting in Chicago. AMA also plans to work with healthcare and public health organizations to educate their community and the public about the importance of healthy and ecologically sustainable food systems. The AMA’s new Sustainable Food policy builds on a report from its Council on Science and Public Health, which indicates that locally produced and organic foods “reduce the use of fuel, decrease the need for packaging and resultant waste disposal, preserve farmland … [and] the related reduced fuel emissions contribute to cleaner air and in turn, lower the incidence of asthma attacks and other respiratory problems.”

The national Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program is now offering a continuing education program. This continuing education program is designed primarily for Cooperative Extension and Natural Resource Conservation Service personnel (particularly new staff members), and other agricultural, natural resource and community development professionals. It emphasizes core concepts and a basic understanding of sustainable agriculture, its goals and its relevance to every farming and ranching operation – large or small. The program includes five courses, available free of charge. Courses 1 and 2 are offered now through the eXtension online campus.

This spring, the Ohio Department of Agriculture unveiled the Sustainable Agriculture license plate, with proceeds to support statewide sustainable agriculture initiatives. Sales generated from the plate will create a grant fund open to any producer seeking to improve on-farm sustainability, which will ultimately help maximize environmental, economic, and social benefits Ohio receives from sustainable agriculture.

USDA has received about 10,000 responses to date its first nationwide survey of organic farmers and producers to date, says USDA Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan. The survey was conducted in all 50 states and began the survey in early May. Questionnaires were sent to all known organic producers and responses were due this week.

A seven-year research effort achieved a milestone last month when the Vegetation Drought Response Index expanded across the 48 states of the continental United States. VegDRI maps, produced every two weeks, combine satellite-based observations of vegetation conditions with climate and biosphysical information to map drought's effect on vegetation at a one-kilometer resolution. The researchers are recruiting people to join the VegDRI evaluator network. Evaluators in the past have included ranchers, farmers, climatologists, extension agents, resource management agency employees, and others in the general public.The researchers are recruiting people to join the VegDRI evaluator network. Evaluators in the past have included ranchers, farmers, climatologists, extension agents, resource management agency employees, and others in the general public.

Ten new grants totaling nearly $128,000 were awarded to research and education projects throughout the country this spring by the Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF) Board of Directors. Projects aimed at improving organic fruit production gained significant support as did research into pest management and organic seed production. Among the projects funded this spring were innovative studies into pest management through intercropping, organic cover crop seed production and trials of promising organic vegetable varieties.

Iowa State University Extension now makes it easy for farmers to diversify by listing their farms as agritourism destinations. How much of an attraction and how much added income seem to be limited only by farmers’ imaginations. And ISU Extension agents are skilled at helping farmers with everything from imagination and pricing to drawing up maps to make sure the city folks can find their way. Because farmers are creative in tapping this rapidly growing revenue stream, ISU’s http://www.VisitIowaFarms.org web site now lists agritourism businesses under 11 categories: Bed and Breakfast, Christmas Tree Farm, Farmers’ Market, Fruit/Vegetable U-Pick Operation, Hiking for a Fee, Hunting/Fishing for a Fee, Mazes for a Fee, Retail Stores, Trail Riding, Vineyard/Winery, and Other.

With corn ethanol production increasing the demand for corn and competing for acres available for grazing, a project of the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture looks at how cattle producers can reap the benefits of both systems. The Leopold Center’s Ecology Initiative is funding a multi-year research and demonstration project led by Iowa State University Extension beef specialist Dan Loy. He is exploring the costs and advantages of feeding dried distillers grains (DDGs) as a supplement with forage or pasture-based systems. When ethanol is produced, the starch is stripped from the corn kernels during fermentation and what remains is a finely ground material high in protein and energy, which makes it a valuable feed for livestock. Loy is studying cattle performance, pasture utilization and pasture quality of grazing systems that use DDGs as a supplement in addition to normal feeding routines. He is also testing delivery methods, such as pellets or cubes, both of which have presented obstacles.

Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan announced that a first-of-its-kind agreement has been reached between the United States and Canada that will expand opportunities for organic producers in both countries. The "equivalency agreement" follows a review by both nations of the other's organic certification program and a determination that products meeting the standard in the United States can be sold as organic in Canada, and vice versa. Under a determination of equivalence, producers and processors that are certified to the National Organic Program (NOP) standards by a U.S. Department of Agriculture accredited certifying agent do not have to become certified to the Canada Organic Product Regulation (COPR) standards in order for their products to be represented as organic in Canada. Likewise, Canadian organic products certified to COPR standards may be sold or labeled in the United States as organically produced. Both the USDA Organic seal and the Canada Organic Biologique logo may be used on certified products from both countries. The COPR goes into effect on June 30.