Weekly Harvest Newsletter
Sustainable Agriculture News Briefs - January 2, 2019
Weekly sustainable agriculture news and resources gleaned from the Internet by NCAT staff for the ATTRA Sustainable Agriculture website. The Weekly Harvest Newsletter is also available online.
News & Resources
- Washington and Oregon Launch Program to Help Women Farmers, Ranchers, and Food Business Owners
- Cornell Pollinator Network Releases Pesticide Decision Guide
- California Beginning Farmers Benefit from Advisors, Mentors
- Goats Recycle Christmas Trees
- Online Exhibit Features Leaders in Preserving Heirloom Seeds
- Century-Old Vermont Dairy Draws Instagram Followers
Funding Opportunities
- California Fertilizer Research and Education Program Grants
- Tennessee Agriculture Enterprise Fund
- American Lamb Board's Local Lamb Promotional Funding Program
Coming Events
- Sustainable Food & Farm Conference
- Georgia Organics Conference & Expo
- Healthy Farms Conference
News & Resources
Washington and Oregon Launch Program to Help Women Farmers, Ranchers, and Food Business Owners
Oregon Department of Agriculture, the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture Foundation, and Washington State Department of Agriculture have launched a project to help women ag entrepreneurs succeed. An online survey will inform development of a women's business accelerator program due to launch in fall/winter 2019. Women who own a farm/ranch or a farm-based food business in Washington or Oregon are invited to complete the survey by January 31, 2019. These women can also apply for a total of $40,000 in funds to launch, grow, or scale their businesses.
Cornell Pollinator Network Releases Pesticide Decision Guide
Cornell University recently released A Pesticide Decision-Making Guide to Protect Pollinators in Tree Fruit Orchards. The 30-page online guide helps growers and pesticide applicators understand and compare the acute toxicity and synergistic effects of different pesticides on pollinators, helping them choose a product that is effective against target pests but poses minimal risk to bees.
California Beginning Farmers Benefit from Advisors, Mentors
Beginning farmers in California are often more drawn to the outdoor aspects of the career than the business side of farming, reports Southern California Public Radio, yet when small farms fail, it's often because business-management skills were lacking. Some organizations are trying to change that by offering a variety of farm-business education programs.
Related ATTRA Tutorial: Business Planning and Marketing
Goats Recycle Christmas Trees
In many parts of the country, people who are looking for a final use for their real Christmas trees are donating them to flocks of goats. Goat Dispatch, a landscape management company in Minnesota, is accepting donated trees as feed for its flock for the fifth year. In other locations from New Jersey to Colorado, goat owners accept real trees and wreaths to provide their goats a nutritious and entertaining feed.
Related ATTRA Publication: Tips for Marketing Sheep and Goat Products: Vegetation Management Services
Online Exhibit Features Leaders in Preserving Heirloom Seeds
The stories of nine small seed companies that are leaders in preserving heirloom seeds are presented in an online exhibit from Seed Savers Exchange, The Rise of Heirloom Seeds. "This first wave of heirloom seed companies did not offer seed catalogs in response to consumer demand. Instead, they created it," says Seed Savers Exchange in the introduction to the exhibit.
Century-Old Vermont Dairy Draws Instagram Followers
Richardson Family Farm in Hartland, Vermont, has nearly 14,000 Instagram followers, reports Burlington Free Press. Amy Richardson focuses on providing quality content and finding ways to connect with her audience. She shares tips with other farmers: be uniform in operating an account and be consistent with the farm message. She also reminds them that growing the platform requires a time commitment.
Related ATTRA Webinar: Using Instagram to Grow Your Farm Business
>>More Breaking News
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Funding Opportunities
California Fertilizer Research and Education Program Grants
The California Department of Food and Agriculture's Fertilizer Research and Education Program (FREP) is accepting concept proposals. FREP's competitive grant program funds research that advances the agronomic and environmental performance of fertilizing materials. This year's priorities include the following: technical education, demonstrating and/or validating management practices that optimize nutrient and irrigation management, addressing barriers to adoption of management practices, filling knowledge gaps in nitrogen management for specific crops, performing research on the role of organic input materials in soil nutrient management, and investigating and understanding mitigation strategies for nitrogen loss.
Concept proposals are due by January 31, 2019.
Tennessee Agriculture Enterprise Fund
The Agriculture Enterprise Fund (AEF) is an incentive program that supports job creation and economic development by facilitating agricultural development in Tennessee. The AEF awards grants to starting or expanding agricultural, food, and forestry businesses; farmers; nonprofits; local governments; and other entities in Tennessee. Recipients must demonstrate a strong potential for impact on local farm income, access to markets, increased capacity, or agricultural innovation. Priority will be given to businesses located in at-risk, distressed, and adjoining counties. Applications are considered quarterly.
The next two application deadlines are January 4, 2019, and April 1, 2019.
American Lamb Board's Local Lamb Promotional Funding Program
The American Lamb Board's Local Lamb Promotional Funding program provides funds to state and local lamb organizations to support activities and programs that promote American lamb to consumers, media, chefs, and/or retailers.
Applications are due February 28, 2019.
>>More Funding Opportunities
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Coming Events
Sustainable Food & Farm Conference
February 7-10, 2019
Grass Valley, California
Sierra Harvest’s Sustainable Food & Farm Conference educates, motivates, and connects the community with field days, speakers, workshops, and social activities.
Georgia Organics Conference & Expo
February 8-9, 2019
Tifton, Georgia
Attendees at the annual Georgia Organics Conference and Expo will connect with like-minded peers, tour farms, and cultivate new skills at all-day and in-depth workshops and conference educational sessions, as well as exhibit booths.
Healthy Farms Conference
February 8-9, 2019
Grand Island, Nebraska
Nebraska Sustainable Agriculture Society's annual Healthy Farms Conference focuses this year on "Revitalization." The conference facilitates farmer-to-farmer training and support with five breakout sessions, two keynote presentations, and networking.
>>More Events
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ATTRA was developed and is managed by the National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT). The program is funded through a cooperative agreement with the United States Department of Agriculture's Rural Business-Cooperative Service.
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