Weekly Harvest Newsletter
Sustainable Agriculture News Briefs - July 13, 2011
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.
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News & Resources
- Your 2 Cents Program Launched to Fund New Farmers
- Humane Society and Egg Industry Agree to Promote Federal Standards for Hens
- Farming and Environmental Groups Urge Comment on National Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement
- Bayer CropScience Settles Biotech Rice Litigation
- GardenShare Plans Food Day Youth Summit
- Eastern Bumblebee Identified as Pumpkin Pollinator
Funding Opportunities
- North American Wetlands Conservation Act Small Grants Program
- Animal Welfare Approved Good Husbandry Grants
- Rural Business Opportunity Grant Program
Coming Events
- National Farmers Market Week
- Arkansas Agritourism Conference
- Kentucky Grazing School
News & Resources
Your 2 Cents Program Launched to Fund New Farmers
Rodale Institute has announced the launch of Your 2 Cents, designed to raise funds to support student scholarships for sustainable
agriculture degrees, military veterans establishing careers in organic
farming, and new organic farmers, while establishing research grants for
farmers. Companies can participate by donating two pennies per case sold to the Your 2 Cents fund.
Humane Society and Egg Industry Agree to Promote Federal Standards for Hens
The Humane Society of the United States and the United Egg Producers
announced an unprecedented agreement to work together toward the
enactment of comprehensive new federal legislation for all 280 million
hens involved in U.S. egg production. The proposed standards would define the first federal law
addressing the treatment of animals on farms.
Farming and Environmental Groups Urge Comment on National Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement
Public comments on the proposed national marketing agreement to regulate the handling of leafy green vegetables are being accepted until July 28, 2011. Some of the organizations that are providing information and encouraging comment on the proposed agreement are Community Alliance with Family Farmers, NOFA Massachusetts, and Food & Water Watch.
Bayer CropScience Settles Biotech Rice Litigation
Bayer CropScience will pay up to $750 million to resolve claims
submitted by long-grain rice growers. The settlement program will be open to all U.S.
farmers who had been growing long-grain rice during the period of 2006
through 2010.
GardenShare Plans Food Day Youth Summit
On Food Day, October 24, GardenShare will bring together New York high school
students from around the North Country region for a day of workshops,
films, discussions, and networking around food issues.
Eastern Bumblebee Identified as Pumpkin Pollinator
Cornell University entomologist Brian Nault has identified the eastern
bumblebee as the best native pollinator of New York's pumpkin crop. A research team will will develop a decision-making guide vegetable growers can use to
determine if their fields should be supplemented with commercial bees or
if native populations are sufficient to pollinate the crop.
Related ATTRA Publication: Alternative Pollinators: Native Bees
>> More Breaking News
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Funding Opportunities
North American Wetlands Conservation Act Small Grants Program
The U.S. Small Grants Program is a competitive, 1:1 matching grants program
that supports public-private partnerships carrying out projects that involve long-term protection, restoration, enhancement and/or
establishment of wetlands and associated uplands habitats for the
benefit of all wetlands-associated migratory birds with grants up to $75,000.
Applications are due by October 27, 2011.
Animal Welfare Approved Good Husbandry Grants
Animal Welfare Approved farms, farms that have completed an application
to join the program or slaughter plants that are working with an AWA
farm are eligible to apply for a grant of up to $5,000.
Applications are due by September 30, 2011.
Rural Business Opportunity Grant Program
Almost $2.5 million is available to rural public bodies, nonprofit corporations, Native American tribes and cooperatives for grants to support regional economic development strategies and promote job creation.
Applications are due August 1, 2011.
>> More Funding Opportunities
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Coming Events
National Farmers Market Week
August 7-13, 2011
National
Many markets across the country plan special events, and many states
also declare Farmers Market Week. Support materials for publicizing
Farmers Market Week are available from the Farmers Market Coalition.
Arkansas Agritourism Conference
August 18-19, 2011
Little Rock, Arkansas
The conference is targeted to farmers, entrepreneurs, and rural
community leaders interested in developing, growing, or supporting
agritourism business ventures in Arkansas.
Kentucky Grazing School
August 15-16, 2011
Woodford County, Kentucky
This school addresses beef, dairy, sheep and goat grazing with
presentations, field exercises, tours of grazing demonstrations, and the
opportunity to design your own grazing system.
>> More Events
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