Entries by Tracy Mumma

Webinar Workshop Series Offered for Small and Beginning Farmers

Iowa State University Extension and Outreach is offering a free, monthly Small Farm & Beginning Farmer webinar series. This workshop series is designed to help empower and inspire small-acreage owners on different ways to utilize their land. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to enhance your small farm’s potential, these expert-led workshops will provide […]

Soil and Water Outcomes Fund Expands Eligibility across Illinois

The Illinois Soybean Association announced that farmers across the state of Illinois are now eligible to enroll in the Soil and Water Outcomes Fund (SWOF). SWOF, an ecosystem services program, provides payment to farmers for environmental outcomes that result from implementing conservation practices. In 2022, the Soil and Water Outcomes Fund provided an average of […]

Community Helps Farm During Weather Crisis

When Vermont experienced intense rains and flooding in July, community members turned out to help Intervale Center with an emergency harvest at its farms, says a story in Sierra magazine. Intervale Center found that it was too late to replant long-season crops after the floods, but the floods were early enough in the season that […]

Finalists Selected for New York AEM-Leopold Conservation Award

Three finalists have been selected for New York’s Agricultural Environmental Management (AEM)-Leopold Conservation Award. New York’s longstanding AEM Award partnered with the Sand County Foundation’s nationally recognized Leopold Conservation Award® program in 2020 to honor a farm and its nominating Soil and Water Conservation District for their efforts to promote and protect the environment through […]

Conversation on Indigenous Food Sovereignty Published

The Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development published a peer-reviewed article, “Indigenous food systems and food sovereignty: A collaborative conversation from the American Association of Geographers 2022 Annual Meeting.” The paper shares a synthesis of the conversation between Suzanne Brant (president & CEO of First Nations Technical Institute) and Keith Williams (director of […]

Videos Address Organic Almond Orchard Weed Control

Two new videos in SARE’s Manage Weeds on Your Farm series explore organic almond-grove weed control on Burroughs Family Farm’s 1,200-acre orchard in Denair, California. In Ecological Weed Management at Burroughs Family Orchards, Benina Montes, who manages the property with her parents, shares how consistent vegetative cover paired with seasonal sheep grazing is used to […]

John May Farm Safety Fund

Applications are accepted year-round. The New York Center for Agricultural Medicine and Health’s John May Farm Safety Fund provides 1:1 matching grants up to $5,000 to small and mid-sized farm operations in New York for repairs and upgrades that make for a safer workplace.

Floating Dairy Offers Approach to Resilient Local Food Production

In Rotterdam, a high-tech floating microdairy offers a new take on local food production, reports the Guardian. The dairy consists of nearly nearly 10,000 square feet of space floating on pontoons that includes space for feeding and milking its 40 cows, milk-processing and cheesemaking facilities, and a space to age cheese. The cows are able […]

Southern SARE Sustainable Agriculture Leadership Program Seeks Nominations

The Southern region Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SSARE) program is seeking nominations for its Sustainable Agriculture Leadership Program for summer 2023. This program provides sponsorship funds (up to $3,000) to support sustainable agriculture education and training activities throughout the Southern region. The sponsorship funds education and training activities to help farmers, particularly historically underserved […]

Cooperative Agreement to Improve Soil Health Tools

American Farmland Trust (AFT) and USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service have signed a two-year, $2 million cooperative agreement to further develop and improve AFT’s soil health economic and environmental tools, including three Soil Health Economic Calculators. AFT announced that it will create a Soil Health Economics Accelerator Team, expanding the existing team by hiring five […]