Latest News
ATTRA’s daily recap of sustainable agriculture news and resources gleaned from the Internet.
1st Annual Soil Health Innovations Conference
Our inaugural virtual conference was a huge success! Almost 700 people learned about cutting edge soil-health practices and technology.
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Blog 58. Safety Nets and the Polar Vortex
I’m still trying to wrap my head around the polar vortex that hit the United States in mid-February: leaving people in Texas without power for up to two weeks, coming within five minutes of crashing the entire Texas power grid, and devastating farms and ranches across the state, including some good friends of mine. It was a “teachable moment” for sure, offering lessons about climate disruption and power industry deregulation among other things. As someone who spent several years working on improving crop insurance for organic farms, the storm also got me thinking about safety nets: who has them and why some people don’t.
By Mike Morris, NCAT Southwest Regional Director09 April, 2021
Blog 57. Reflections on NCAT’s First Soil Health Innovations Conference
Everyone has their “thing”—that topic or interest that they just can’t get enough of. That topic that you bore people with at parties (remember parties?) when you talk about it just a little too long. For me, my “thing” is soil. I find the topic of soil so endlessly fascinating, and I get to think about, talk about, teach about, and play with soil as a job and a way of life. I’m lucky enough to be a soil specialist for NCAT and I live on a family farm.
By Nina Prater, NCAT Sustainable Agriculture Specialist07 April, 2021
Blog 56. Connecting with the Customer
Before I get into another blog post on farm marketing, I need to tell you that I am a dreamer. I was the high school kid who participated in mock government and wrote bills to solve all the county’s issues. I went into the Peace Corps. I’ve only ever held a job working with and for the public and nonprofit sectors. Somewhere, deep inside of me, hidden beneath veneers of humor and rational thinking, is an optimist.
By Daniel Prial, NCAT Community Food Specialist29 March, 2021
Blog 55. Reclaiming Wood
So many of our projects on the farm require building structures out of wood. I’m always building a new raised bed or chicken coop or fences to keep the chickens from messing with my vegetables, but a recent trip to the local hardware store was a rude awakening. Wood prices were double what I paid six months ago. Why? They said it had something to do with the fires out west. After taking a moment to reflect on the inter-connectedness of everything, I paid for the wood I needed and went on my merry way. My trip home was merry indeed because I passed by an opportunity, literally: pallets. Stacks and stacks of pallets.
By Justin Duncan, NCAT Sustainable Agriculture Specialist22 March, 2021
Upcoming Events
ATTRA’s interactive calendar of events will keep you updated on the the goings on in Sustainable Agriculture. We also provide the opportunity for organizations to publicize their upcoming event, festival and projects through our online events calendar.
Internship Opportunities
A directory of on-the-job learning opportunities in sustainable and organic agriculture in the U.S. (and some in Canada) has been published since 1989 as a tool to help farmers and apprentices connect with each other.
Funding Opportunities
A clearinghouse of available grant and funding opportunities within the realm of Sustainable Agriculture.
Guide Helps Food Hubs and Farms Understand FSMA Supplier Verification Rules
Farm Commons, Community Alliance with Family Farmers, and University of California Cooperative Extension have released Demystifying the Food Safety Modernization Act’s Preventive Controls Rule: Supplier Verificatio
10 April, 2021Corteva Agriscience Creates Carbon and Ecosystems Services Portfolio
Global agriculture company Corteva Agriscience announced that it has created a new Carbon and Ecosystems Services portfolio to develop innovative products and services. According to the company, the initial offering will
10 April, 2021The Nature Conservancy and NRCS Announce Multi-State Cooperative Agreement
The Nature Conservancy and USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) announced a five-year cooperative agreement to increase private land conservation in Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and South Dakota. T
10 April, 2021
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