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Last spring, the United States Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) created a special initiative as a part of the Environmental Quality Incentives Program. This initiative, called the Organic Initiative, provides financial and technical assistance to agriculture producers who want to improve their organic operations or transition land to organic production. Now that sign-up for the program is over, OFRF is collecting feedback from farmers on the EQIP Organic Initiative. Whether or not you received a contract through the EQIP Organic Initiative, please help us make it better by providing your feedback on this short survey. OFRF will use the feedback on the 2009 Organic Initiative to provide recommendations to NRCS to make the 2010 Initiative work better for farmers. In order for to get data to NRCS in time to affect the 2010 Organic Initiative, this survey will only be available until November 10.

The National Agricultural Statistics Service last week released county-level demographic profiles of U.S. farm and ranch operators. These profiles summarize data from the 2007 Census of Agriculture. Up to seven profiles have been prepared for each county in the United States. Data are available for the following groups: Women Principal Operators, Spanish, Hispanic, or Latino Operators, American Indian or Alaska Native Operators, Asian Operators, Black or African American Operators, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander Operators, and White Operators. County-level profiles of all farms and ranches have been produced for 2007 and earlier censuses, but this marks the first time the profiles summarize information by race, ethnicity and gender.

University of Nevada Cooperative Extension has unveiled a new quiz game that challenges even the most advanced horticulturalists. "Which One is the Weed?" dares players to guess which plants are invasive species and which are native plants based on a pair of photos. At the end of each round, players receive the correct answer and an interesting factoid about the weed in question.

BeginningFarmers.org now has a new Permaculture Page which features information, links to permaculture sites, wikis, and blogs. The page begins with a brief overview of permaculture’s history, ethics, and principles, followed by a list of web resources for delving more deeply into the topic.

Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan twill host her second Facebook chat about the 'Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food' initiative on Thursday, Nov. 5, at 3 p.m. The topic of this chat will be farm to school, which involves getting and using fresh produce and other farm products from local and regional farmers for use in local schools. The effort not only supports increasing economic opportunities for local farmers but also helps school children make healthy food choices. Details are available at www.usda.gov/live and people can submit a question in advance of the chat or watch the conversation on the USDA website.

The Journal of Agriculture and Food Systems Development is a NEW online, international, peer-reviewed journal focused on applied research and best practices in the development of thriving farming communities and sustainable food systems. Authors are invited to submit papers under one of two categories: OPEN CALL--Beginning November 15, 2009, the Journal welcomes papers at any time on any subject related to the development aspects of agriculture and food systems; SPECIAL TOPIC CALL--GROWING FARMERS: Evaluations of, Recent Innovations in, and Best Practices for Young Farmer, New Farmer, Small Farmer, Farm Transfer Programs, Incubators, Networks, and Alliances.

In an effort to answer the common question, "where can I find a meat processor?", the Niche Meat Processing Assistance Network (NMPAN) has created the following webpage:
http://www.extension.org/pages/Find_a_Meat_Processor_Near_You_or_List_Your_Plant

This page lists all the state-specific processor lists a NMPAN research assistant could find. PLEASE HELP: If your state has a list of processors (or any subset) that is NOT listed here, send it to NMPAN. The page also describes a self-listing service for processors that we set up with Local Harvest. NMPAN also aims to add a national list of processors certified to handle organic livestock/meats -- if your state has such a list, please send it too!

The Social Responsibility Initiative at Ohio State University has just released a new topical report examining how the cost of health insurance affects farmers at the rural-urban interface. The report, The Persistence of Agriculture at the Rural-Urban Interface: Does the Cost of Health Insurance Make a Difference? (PDF/861KB), states that the cost of health insurance is a serious concern of farmers operating at the Rural-Urban Interface (RUI) across the United States.

Washington State University entomologist Bill Snyder has landed a $2.05 million USDA grant to help potato farmers reduce their use of pesticides in the Pacific Northwest. "Currently, potato farmers are between a rock and a hard place," says Snyder. "They are going to have to learn to produce a blemish-free crop while at the same time using very few pesticides." The USDA Risk Avoidance and Mitigation grant allows Snyder and his multi-disciplinary and Extension team to investigate low spray techniques for managing insects that transmit plant pathogens, as well as other insect pests in the crop. Results from Snyder's study, along with pest management recommendations, will be given to growers through an innovative program that emphasizes hands-on learning and in-field demonstrations, in addition to Web and print publications.

Tallgrass Beef, a market leader in branded grass-fed beef production, will use DNA TraceBack® from IdentiGEN to provide a reliable and accurate traceability system so that every cut of Tallgrass beef can be traced back to the family farm where the animals were raised. Tallgrass Beef packages at the retail meat case will carry IdentiGEN's DNA TraceBack seal, a guarantee to consumers that each cut came from Tallgrass' pasture-based, humane production and processing system.

North Carolina State University’s Program for Value-Added & Alternative Agriculture has become N.C. MarketReady. “We are excited about this new name,” Blake Brown, director and a professor in the N.C. State Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, said. “The new name, N.C. MarketReady, more accurately communicates the scope of our program’s work. Inherent in the name ‘N.C. MarketReady’ is the message that our educational programs help North Carolina producers effectively compete in the marketplace,” Brown added. “Market ready, or being ready for market, implies all facets of a business: research, business planning, production, management, food safety and marketing."

The California Climate & Agriculture Summit (CalCAN) on October 1st was a great success. PowerPoint presentations from the Summit are now available on the California Climate & Agriculture Network website. Presentation topics include farming, climate change, carbon sequestration, and more.

The past year has been one of the most financially challenging dairy producers have ever experienced in recent history. In response to these difficult times and Extension’s mission to connect the agriculture community via multiple channels, Cooperative Extension has developed a Web site exclusively addressing the dairy situation. The Farming Through Difficult Times site serves as a hub for the most up-to-date and action-oriented information on the current financial situation.

Six Bozeman, MT-area schools have teamed up with Gallatin Valley Farm to School program to sell healthy, Montana-made foods and gifts as a fundraiser. The products include roasted cereals and granola, specialty lentils and barley, fresh herbed delicacies, huckleberry preserves, syrups and honey, fresh winter produce, and greeting cards. Gallatin Valley Farm to School was created by parents and community members to increase whole and local foods in schools and support local farmers, community citizenship and environmental awareness.

Researchers, graduate students, business owners, city officials and planners, non-profit organizations, urban farmers, and others involved in the development and management of urban spaces and resources are invited to submit proposals for the Second Ecological Landscaping Conference, to be held in Cleveland Dec. 1-3 and organized by The Ohio State University. "The conference provides a unique forum for discussion of emerging urban issues and new ideas from scientific, policy, and on-the-ground practices perspectives," said Parwinder Grewal, a professor of entomology and environmental sciences and leader of both ULEP and CUEED. The deadline for electronic submission of abstracts is Nov. 16. Instructions are available at http://www.oardc.ohio-state.edu/ulep/abstracts.htm.

The garden on the White House lawn is producing more than vegetables, says President Obama’s deputy secretary of agriculture Kathleen Merrigan. It’s a sign of high-level support for the many changes in the U.S. Department of Agriculture to build stronger connections with our food and farmers, ways to help young people enter agriculture, and add more funds for local and regional food systems. Merrigan spoke at Iowa State University recently to promote the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s new “Know Your Farmer Know Your Food” initiative launched in May. She said a primary reason for her visit was to start a national conversation about food with students on the first stop in a national tour of college campuses. A podcast of the lecture is available on the ISU Lecture Program Web site.

A new organization called the “Small Farms Conservancy” has formed with the mission of supporting small farms. Formed in partnership with the Small Farmer's Journal, the Small Farms Conservancy mission is to educate, advocate, protect, sustain and inspire small farming worldwide; it is a broad-based non-profit public benefit corporation. It is based in Sisters, Oregon.

Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service (MOSES) frequently receives phone calls from folks interested in selling or renting out their farmland. In an effort to connect those folks with new farmers looking for land to farm, MOSES has launched a free online service we've titled, "Land Link-Up". If you would like to submit a posting to advertise farmland you have for sale or rent, or if you are looking to buy or rent farmland, please submit a Land Link-Up posting form.

Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) is holding two public meetings on proposed regulations to implement a new program under which State-inspected establishments with 25 or fewer employees will be eligible to ship meat and poultry products in interstate commerce. The announcement will implement a directive of the 2008 Farm Bill and is one component of USDA's "Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food" initiative to help develop local and regional food systems and spur economic opportunity. The meetings will be held by teleconference and will provide the public with an opportunity to comment on the proposed rule.

Oregon's Department of Agriculture is now accredited to certify farms as organic. For years, farmers who wanted to market their produce as grown under the National Organic Program, had to turn to private organizations like Oregon Tilth or to other states, like Washington and Idaho. But now, says Jim Cramer of the state Department of Agriculture, Oregon will be able to do its own certifications. Oregon is the 16th state accredited for the national program.

Francis and Susan Thicke, who own and operate Radiance Dairy near Fairfield, Iowa, are the 2009 recipients of the annual Spencer Award for Sustainable Agriculture. The Thickes manage 236 acres where 60 paddocks are used to feed their herd of 80 Jersey milk cows. The herd is rotationally grazed, moving to a new paddock twice daily. In their on-farm processing plant, they produce skim, lowfat and whole milk, as well as yogurt and cheese, all of which is sold locally. The Thickes will be the sixth recipients of 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 the state. The award includes a $1,000 stipend and is one of Iowa's largest awards in sustainable agriculture.

A three-year study by Texas AgriLife Research found producers should test soil nitrate levels to a depth of at least 18 inches or more rather than a previously recommended 6 inches. The new recommendation comes after research revealed high levels of nitrogen found in deeper soil depths. Researchers also found cotton is able to utilize these nutrients throughout the growing season. The findings could lead to more than $50 million in savings for Texas farmers and reduce the threat of leaching to groundwater. "The thing that surprised me the most (about the findings) was how rapidly cotton could remove nitrogen from deeper depths of the soil," aid Dr. Frank Hons, an AgriLife Research scientist who led a study team. "This and associated studies indicate that in certain instances we may have been over-fertilizing portions of Texas cotton, adding more fertilizer than the plant actually needs."

In a press release and in congressional testimony this past week, USDA announced tentative totals for stage one of the 2009 Conservation Stewardship Program sign-up -over 21,000 farmer and rancher applications representing a total of nearly 33 million acres of crop, pasture, range, and forested land. For 2009 as for future years, 12.8 million acres are available for enrollment. The 25.6 million acres to be enrolled in 2009 and 2010 and those producers will receive the first of their five annual CSP payments in October 2010. Comments from producers and farm organizations are being sought by October 28 (its says September 28 but comments extended) to help improve future CSP program rules-- details available at
http://sustainableagriculture.net/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/csp-ifr-action-alert-10.pdf.

The Fieldprint Calculator is an educational tool designed to help you assess how some of your operational decisions affect overall sustainability performance. We have identified methodologies for estimating the key performance areas at the national level. The Calculator is an easy way to find out how your current land use, energy use, water use, greenhouse gas emissions, and soil loss compare with state and national averages. This is the first release of the Fieldprint Calculator and we will continue to make updates to this site to improve it. We encourage your feedback and questions. Please take the time after you complete the calculator questions to complete a short survey to provide us with valuable feedback that will help us tailor this tool for your use.

The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition's Food Safety on the Farm: Policy Brief and Recommendations (PDF/552KB) is now available! The brief examines some of the current legislative food safety proposals that have been introduced in the 111th Congress, as well as administrative developments within the Obama Administration, the FDA, and the USDA. The paper concludes with NSAC's policy recommendations grounded in the experience and interest of small and mid-sized family farmers.

Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan today announced the award of 55 grants totaling approximately $49 million for 745 projects to enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops, which are defined as fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture and nursery crops, including floriculture. Upon reviewing states' plans for funding, USDA selected projects that support local and rural agriculture interests, increase the competitiveness of small producers, and promote or create direct marketing opportunities for specialty crop producers. Funds will be used by the 50 states, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, according to their plans submitted to USDA that describe how the state agency will carry out the program. Summaries of all awards can be viewed at www.ams.usda.gov/scbgp.

Rye is often grown in winter and killed in the spring, so the dead stalks can be flattened over soybean and vegetable fields to block sunlight and prevent spring weeds from getting the light they need to germinate. The effect makes rye a popular alternative for organic farmers who grow crops without herbicides. Rye’s roots also capture nutrients and hold the soil in place, reducing erosion and run off. John Teasdale, research leader of the ARS Sustainable Agricultural Systems Laboratory in Beltsville, Md., is working with ARS chemist Cliff Rice to see whether organic compounds released by rye in the soil play a role in suppressing weeds and whether those compounds can be exploited to improve rye’s weed-killing capabilities. Although compounds in rye are known to inhibit weed growth, little is known about how they behave in the soil.

Kerr Center Bobby Quinn has written "Comfrey" (PDF/141KB) a short article on the production and uses of the herb. The article includes sources of seeds and additional resources.

The Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service (MOSES) is offering a Farmer to Farmer Mentoring Program in 2010 to help new organic farmers make the transition to organic production with help from experienced farmer mentors. Applications are now being accepted for mentor farmers and those to be mentored (mentees).