Weekly Harvest Newsletter
Sustainable Agriculture News Briefs - January 30, 2013
Weekly sustainable agriculture news and resources gleaned from the Internet by NCAT staff for the ATTRA - National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service website. The Weekly Harvest Newsletter is also available online.
News & Resources
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New Handbook Helps Livestock Farmers Be Good Mentors
- Cover Crop Decision Tool Extended to Iowa
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Study Shows Positive Effects of Managed Grazing on Soil
- Research Helps Make Biopesticide Production Less Expensive
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NCR-SARE Seeks Nominations for Administrative Council Members
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New App Helps Farmers Budget for Fuel
Funding Opportunities
- Mary Boyer Sustainable Food & Agriculture Grant 2013
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Mississippi EQIP Specialty Crops Initiative
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California Fertilizer Research and Education Program
Coming Events
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Organic Dairy & Field Crop Conference
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Empowering Women in Agriculture Seminars
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Northern Piedmont Specialty Crops School
News & Resources
New Handbook Helps Livestock Farmers Be Good Mentors
The Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems at the University of Wisconsin-Madison has released Passing Along Farm Knowledge: A Mentor-Intern Handbook for Dairy and Livestock Farmers. This handbook will help mentors develop their teaching skills as they progress through an internship. The 36-page publication is available free online as a 1.1MB PDF file.
Cover Crop Decision Tool Extended to Iowa
The Cover Crop Decision Tool was developed by the Midwest Cover Crops Council to help farmers select cover-crop species based on their main crops, available planting windows, and what they needed from the cover crop. The tool went online in 2011 for Indiana and was later expanded to Michigan, Illinois, Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin, and Ontario. With the latest update, the Cover Crop Decision Tool can be used for Iowa crops and conditions.
Related ATTRA Publication: Overview of Cover Crops and Green Manures
Study Shows Positive Effects of Managed Grazing on Soil
A long-term southern Wisconsin cropping systems study shows that soils under managed grazing have a number of positive characteristics compared to soils under other cropping systems. A new Research Brief released by the Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems reports that researchers found interesting differences between systems in terms of erosion potential, earthworm counts, water-stable aggregates, soil carbon, and the Soil Quality Index.
Research Helps Make Biopesticide Production Less Expensive
Biopesticides containing beneficial fungi are often grown on grains or other solids, but USDA scientists with the Agricultural Research Service have shown a liquid diet can work better. The approach, dubbed "liquid culture fermentation," offers several benefits, including lower material costs and increased yields of certain forms of insect-killing fungi.
NCR-SARE Seeks Nominations for Administrative Council Members
North Central Region Sustainable Agriculture Research & Eduction (NCR-SARE) is seeking nominees for two seats on its Administrative Council. One position is for a producer representative actively engaged in farming or ranching in one of the 12 states served by NCR-SARE. The other opening is for a State Department of Agriculture representative of a state in the North Central Region. Nominations are due by February 15, 2013.
New App Helps Farmers Budget for Fuel
Farmers can use a new Farm Fuel Budget cell phone app to plan their farm fuel budgets and use. A North Dakota State University Extension Service specialist developed the Android app for crop producers to compare projected fuel costs and use for their farming operations based on alternate crop acreages, tillage systems, and crop rotations. The app can be downloaded from the Google Play Store.
Related ATTRA Publication: Conserving Fuel on the Farm
>> More Breaking News
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Funding Opportunities
Mary Boyer Sustainable Food & Agriculture Grant 2013
Blue Ridge Women in Agriculture is accepting applications for the Mary Boyer Sustainable Food & Agriculture Grant. This grant program strengthens the local food system by supporting female farmers, ranchers, and processors who plan to create innovative, sustainable solutions to production or market obstacles in the High Country of North Carolina and Tennessee.
Applications are due by March 1, 2013.
Mississippi EQIP Specialty Crops Initiative
USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is offering financial and technical assistance to help specialty-crop producers enhance their farms while cleaning and conserving water and improving soil. This initiative, part of NRCS' Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), offers about $500,000 to Mississippi specialty-crop producers. Assistance through this initiative will help producers install terraces, buffers, and efficient irrigation systems, plant cover crops, and implement other conservation activities.
April 19 is the deadline for the second ranking period of 2013.
California Fertilizer Research and Education Program
The California Department of Food and Agriculture's Fertilizer Research and Education Program (FREP) is currently accepting concept proposals for the 2013 grant cycle. FREP's competitive grant program funds research that advances the environmentally safe and agronomically sound use of fertilizing materials.
Concept proposals are due by February 15, 2013.
>> More Funding Opportunities
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Coming Events
Organic Dairy & Field Crop Conference
March 1, 2013
Auburn, New York
NOFA-NY encourages veteran farmers, new farmers, and farmers interested in transitioning to organic management to attend. The program includes a half-day intensive workshop on Transition to Organic Dairy Management and workshop tracks on dairy, business, and field crops.
Empowering Women in Agriculture Seminars
March 2 or 8, 2013
Fredericksburg, Texas, or Albuquerque, New Mexico
Holistic Management International is inviting women farmers to a free, one-day seminar to learn how Holistic Management whole farm/ranch planning can help them manage risks, make better decisions, and reap the benefits of a sustainable, profitable agricultural business.
Northern Piedmont Specialty Crops School
March 1, 2013
Roxboro, North Carolina
The school is designed to explore the art and science of growing and marketing specialty crops and will feature many ideas for specialty crops growers to be successful in their ventures.
>> More Events
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Digital versions of recent and archived Weekly Harvest and ATTRAnews newsletters are available online. ATTRAnews is the newsletter of ATTRA - National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service.
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