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Kamut, an ancient relative of durum wheat, is expanding its market worldwide, says an article in The Prairie Star. The ancient grain was introduced to the modern market by Montana organic farmer Bob Quinn in 1988. The high-protein grain has won market share since in both the U.S. and the European Union, particularly in Italy, where many value-added products have been developed. In the U.S., kamut is grown under contract in Montana, North Dakota, Alberta, and Saskatchewan. It is prized for its high nutritional value.

The Purdue University Women in Agriculture team is accepting nominations for its annual achievement and leadership awards until June 2, according to Indiana Ag Connection. The Achievement Award recognizes women involved with production agriculture on their farms or agribusiness, or those who have started a business related to agriculture. The Leadership Award recognizes women who have roles in agriculture leadership, advocacy for the industry or influence on agriculture policy. Award winners will be presented with a gift for their contributions to the agriculture industry and free registration to the Midwest Women in Agriculture Conference slated for February 2009.

Congressional negotiators are expected to announce a final farm bill conference agreement on Thursday at 1:30 p.m. EDT in Washington, D.C. The bi-partisan, bi-cameral group will discuss the details of the final bill, which makes investments in conservation, energy, nutrition and rural development while continuing and strengthening farm income protection. The event will also be webcast on the House and Senate Agriculture Committee Websites at: http://agriculture.house.gov/hearings/audio.html or http://agriculture.senate.gov/. The conference committee has been working for months on a final bill. The last farm bill was passed in 2003.

Ethanol has reduced the price of gasoline from 17 to 39.5 cents per gallon, according to a new study by the Iowa State University Center for Agricultural and Rural Development. The largest impact of ethanol on gasoline from 1995 t0 2007 was found in the Midwest region where gasoline prices were reduced by 39.5¢ per gallon reports the Dakota Farmer. The report "The Impact of Ethanol Production on U.S. and Regional Gasoline Prices and on the Profitability of the U.S. Oil Refinery Industry" is available at http://www.card.iastate.edu/publications/synopsis.aspx?id=1076.

Producers in 51 eligible watersheds nationwide will have two additional weeks to apply for the Conservation Security Program (CSP) in fiscal year 2008. The sign-up now ends on May 30, 2008. CSP, a voluntary Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) program, encourages and rewards producers who practice outstanding stewardship on working agricultural land by offering financial incentives that increase with the level of conservation effort. Soil and water quality are the primary focus of this program; however, program goals also include improved wildlife habitat, air quality, and environmentally responsible energy production.

AgTrader Exchange network is a new site developed by the Environmental Finance Center at University of Maryland to help farmers throughout the Chesapeake Bay region exchange products such as manure, compost, hay, fodder crops, fruits and vegetables, organics, equipment, livestock and more. All trades (purchases, sales and swaps) through the Web site are strictly between buyer and seller. You register first, then post products anytime, without having to fill out forms. Pricing and delivery are left up to buyer and seller to work out. American Agriculturalist reports the site also features a directory for businesses and a resource section showing a calendar of events and important news for the Chesapeake Bay ag community.

The former printed newsletter, Integrated Crop Management (ICM) News, has been replaced with an online resource. Gerald Miller, director of Iowa State University Extension to Agriculture and Natural Resources, says the change will help subscribers stay informed about crop issues during the upcoming growing season. Iowa Ag Connection reports subscribers can choose to be notified about new articles daily or weekly. They can read articles online as well as print single articles or weekly compilations.

Newton, Massachusetts based food service contractor Unidine became the first food service management organization servicing health care to commit their support for nutritious, local, sustainable food by signing Health Care Without Harm’s (HCWH) Food Service Contractor Pledge. The Pledge is a commitment which outlines steps the Food Service industry can take to support their client hospitals' interest in local sustainable food, and steps it will take as an organization to educate, track and report its progress on adoption of nutritious, local, sustainable food. Health Care Without Harm reports by supporting the Pledge Unidine commits to a framework to support local, sustainable food, such as sourcing of rBGH free dairy, working with local farmers and community based organizations to increase the availability of fresh local foods, support for labeling of genetically engineered foods, and annual reporting on their progress.

Increasing production of crops for biofuels is exacerbating agriculture's impact on biodiversity in many parts of the world, finds a new report by the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy. The report, "Biofuel and Global Biodiversity," is by Dr. Dennis Keeney and Claudia Nanninga and is available online. The paper includes case studies of three regions that have been growing much of the feedstock for biofuels around the world: the U.S., Brazil and Malaysia/Indonesia. The report found that in the U.S., increased corn planting is reducing the diversity of crop rotations and threatening wetlands and acreage set aside for conservation.

The 2008 Michigan Farm Market and Agricultural Tourism directory is now available in hard copy and online. The 2008 directory was created by a partnership among the Michigan Farm Marketing & Agri-Tourism Association, Farm Bureau Insurance, Michigan Farm Bureau, and the Michigan Department of Agriculture. The 2008 directory has more farm market listings than last year's, features an alphabetical index, and a new regional tab design to help customers find markets and products. It also features an availability chart showing when various types of fresh fruits and vegetables produced in Michigan are in season. Farm listings can be accessed via a searchable database at www.MichiganFarmFun.com.

A survey of 19 percent of the bee colonies in the U.S., conducted by USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and the Apiary Inspectors of America, showed winter losses of more than 36 percent. The research was part of ARS efforts to find the cause of Colony Collapse Disorder. The level of bee losses attributed to Colony Collapse Disorder remained about the same as last year, with a little over one-third of those who lost bees reporting the disappearance of all adult bees from some colonies.

The University of California IPM Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program released several new titles in its "Quick Tips" series of references in April. The new fact sheets, which are available online, address a variety of insect and disease pests. Titles include "Mosquitoes," "Peach Leaf Curl," "Powdery Mildew," "Spider Mites" and "Thrips."

Three high school students in Great Barrington, Massachusetts are launching a gardening program that they hope will put local foods on school cafeteria menus, reports The Berkshire Eagle. Project Sprout is developing a garden of fruits and vegetables that founders hope will eventually grow food for the three schools in the local district. Students will also learn about gardening in the outdoor classroom. The ambitious project is winning community support.

The U.S. Composting Council invites people to join them in celebrating International Compost Awareness Week May 4-10 across the United States, Canada and the UK. Information on promotional events and composting curriculum for schools are available online.

Ohio State University's Organic Food and Farming Education and Research (OFFER) Program has released A Transition Guide to Certified Organic Crop Management, says Ohio Ag Connection. The 74-page guide is designed to make the rules and realities of organic farming of grains, fruits and vegetables understandable. Topics include steps in the organic certification process, plus Midwest certification agencies; Seed, land use, planting stock, crop rotation and harvesting/handling standards; Pest, weed, disease, crop nutrient and soil fertility management standards; Exemptions, exclusions, record keeping, and allowed and prohibited substances. Copies are $15 each, with checks made payable to OSU/OFFER sent to OFFER Program, 201 Thorne Hall, OSU/OARDC, 1680 Madison Ave., Wooster, OH 44691.

UK supermarket chain Tesco will place carbon footprint labels on twenty of its own-brand products in a two-year trial program beginning this spring, reports The Cumberland News. The retailer launched the plan in response to customer demand for more information on environmental attributes and climate change impacts of grocery products.

On April 30 NRCS presented the 2008 Excellence in Conservation Award to Mike and Annie Dee of Dee River Ranch, Aliceville, Alabama. Brother and sister Mike and Annie Dee have gone the extra mile to ensure that their farming operation on the 10,000-acre ranch is not only profitable but also environmentally sound. They have incorporated conservation practices into their farming operation that have enhanced the productivity of the farm, reduced soil erosion, improved moisture retention in the soil, and provided wildlife habitat. The NRCS Excellence in Conservation Award is the highest award the agency gives to honor those outside the Federal government for their work in conservation.

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey is encouraging Iowans who grow pesticide sensitive crops (such as organic production, vineyards, orchards or fruits and vegetables) and who have apiaries (bee hives) to register their locations with the State Department of Agriculture. A directory is being developed to provide pesticide applicators with the locations of crops that are most susceptible to damage from pesticide drift. The list of locations will be accessible in an online directory at the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship's Web site. Wallaces Farmer reports this list of locations will be available so pesticide applicators can be aware of sensitive areas prior to making pesticide applications.

Due to a recently passed bill, state officials can now grade meat in Indiana. The job is no longer left just to federal meat inspectors. Indiana Prairie Farmer reports that the legislation means the Indiana State Board of Animal Health now has he authority to apply quality grades on a voluntary basis for meat processed here in Indiana. "We heard from beef producers all across Indiana that graded meat would benefit the industry," says Julia Wickard, executive director of the Indiana Beef Cattle Association. "Now state inspectors can perform this function on locally grown beef." What the legislation does is give producers an opportunity to market beef products differently in Indiana than they have before, Wickard says.

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) has published its 2008 Directory of Minnesota Organic Farms. The directory lists more than 200 of Minnesota’s certified organic producers, organized both by county and by the type of organic crops, livestock, fruits, or vegetables produced. This directory is intended for use by organic food manufacturers, marketers, brokers, dairy and other livestock farms, grocery stores, restaurants, and other food service operations. Print copies of the 2008 Directory of Minnesota Organic Farms are available free of charge by calling 651-201-6012. The Directory is also available as a PDF (785KB) download.

This past winter cattle producers experienced record high prices, on the spot market, for supplemental feed. There is now a new website that will provide decision making tools for contracting feed this fall. FeedsandFeeding.com is designed to help cattlemen decide on which feed, bi-product or commodity is most nutritional and cost effective. Producers can check spot prices and compare cost from month-to-month. The site also addresses feeding cost and provides suggestions for reducing those costs.

The Agricultural Research Service (ARS) is using satellites to determine how much acreage is being farmed using conservation tillage. A group of scientists and researchers have created and evaluated conservation tillage maps using Landsat TM 5 imagery. This satellite mapping technique shows promise for streamlining national efforts to monitor changes in conservation tillage adoption over time, evaluate the efficacy of conservation tillage placement, and reduce the need for time-consuming field surveys to ensure compliance with federal cost-sharing programs.

Beginning in 2006, The Pew Commission on Industrial Farm Animal Production (PCIFAP) undertook an exhaustive examination on the impacts to humans, animals and the environment of intensive food animal production. Areas studied by the Commission included the spread of zoonotic diseases and other public health threats, environmental degradation, animal welfare concerns, and socioeconomic effects on rural communities. The final report, Putting Meat on The Table: Industrial Farm Animal Production in America (PDF/6.2MB) is now available. The report offers practical recommendations designed to address public health, environmental, and animal welfare concerns; ensure a safe, abundant food supply; and foster sustainable and economically viable models of animal agriculture.

Legislation near becoming law in Maryland would help bring local foods to school cafeterias, according to an Associated Press story. Schools have been prevented from purchasing food grown by local farmers by bidding rules and limited by food preparation ability. The new legislation would establish "Maryland Homegrown" week in cafeterias: a small introduction to local foods. It also encourages farm field trips to teach students about local food, and connects schools purchasers with Department of Agriculture marketers. Meanwhile, schools aren't the only place in Maryland where local foods are drawing attention. The Baltimore Sun reported recently on growing farmers' market, CSA, and restaurant demand for locally grown dairy products, meats, and produce. These growing markets are helping farmers connect with an appreciative audience for their products.

Washington's new "Local Farms-Healthy Kids" legislation is designed to improve nutrition in school food programs and support state agriculture, says an article in The News Tribune. The law provides $570,000 in school nutrition grants to help purchase state-grown produce. Food service operators say there may be challenges in implementing an ideal program, however. Since some school food programs are losing money, even an added grant may not put local produce prices within reach. Meshing cafeteria needs with local growing seasons, and preparing the fresh foods, may be additional challenges for schools. Supporters counter that the measure is meant to be an important first step in a long process of encouraging local food purchasing.

A recent presentation on the basics of organics by Jim Riddle, the University of Minnesota’s Organic Outreach Coordinator, is available online as a video from the Southeastern Libraries Cooperating/Southeast Library System. In the video, Riddle explains the basic requirements for certification of organic crops; summarizes some recent research findings about the benefits of organic production; and presents a few helpful web resources. The video may be viewed in 10-minute clips, or in its entirety.

Some food processors in Oregon who are interested in letting the public know that their products are sustainably grown have developed a new certification program, according to Oregon State University Extension Service News. Oregon State University Extension and the organization Food Alliance helped NORPAC, a farmer-owned cooperative of 165 farms, and the largest fruit and vegetable processor in the Willamette Valley, develop a voluntary certification system. The system includes four performance standards: soil and water conservation, responsible pest management, safe and fair working conditions, and wildlife habitat conservation. Developers call the program a "middle way" between conventional and organic production, that emphasizes sustainability and stewardship.

Washington State University, which offers a Graduate Certificate in organic agriculture, will now make its certificate program available through online distance learning courses, according to The Grower. Admission to WSU is required to enroll in courses and to earn the certificate, though participants may apply as non-degree seeking students. The program includes a range of courses available through distance learning, as well as an "on ground" practicum or professional internship in organic agriculture.

The steering committee of the Governor's Summit on Food and Agriculture is seeking candidates for a newly established Montana Food System Council, a statewide citizen group that will provide statewide leadership on issues related to increasing Montana's capacity to grow, process and distribute food, and to provide its citizens access to healthy and affordable food. The MFSC will be a 15-17 member citizen council with representation from varied areas of interest and expertise related to the Montana food system. Self nominations and nominations of others are accepted. A selection committee is accepting applications. For more information, contact Peggy Grimes at pgrimes@montanafoodbanknetwork.org or (406) 721-3825, or Mary Stein at mstein@montana.edu or (406) 994-5640.