Weekly Harvest Newsletter
Sustainable Agriculture News Briefs - November 18, 2020
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
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Farmers' Guide to the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program 2 Available Online
- Report Compares E-commerce Platforms for Farmers
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Vision for Reimagining Native Food Economies Presented in New Publication
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'Farmers for America' Film to Air on PBS
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Minnesota Local and Regional Marketing Project Receives Grant Funding
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Pacific Islands Agroforestry Planning Tool Available Free Online
Funding Opportunities
- Minnesota Agricultural Growth, Research, and Innovation Farm to School Grants
- NC AgVentures Grant Program
- Environmental Quality Incentives Program in Texas
Coming Events
- Acres USA Eco-Ag Conference and Trade Show
- Iowa Organic Conference
- High Tunnel Conference
News & Resources
Farmers' Guide to the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program 2 Available Online
Farmers' Legal Action Group has published the Farmers' Guide to Coronavirus Food Assistance Program 2 (CFAP 2). CFAP 2 is a direct-payment program for farmers, run by USDA, and the 96-page PDF is a detailed explanation of how the program works. Potential applicants should be aware that CFAP 2 is a completely different program than the first CFAP program. The program application deadline is December 11, 2020.
Related ATTRA Video: CFAP 2—It's Better!
Report Compares E-commerce Platforms for Farmers
CSA Innovation Network has released Farmer to Farmer eCommerce Platforms Report, a comparison of sales platforms. The 11-page report includes details on pricing and features of different platforms and provides farmer ratings for the five most popular farm-specific sales platforms, plus four additional platforms used by many farmers. The information was compiled through a national survey of farmers in 2020.
Related ATTRA Publication: Tips for Selling on the Internet
Vision for Reimagining Native Food Economies Presented in New Publication
Native American Agriculture Fund has released a 19-page publication on Reimagining Native Food Economies. It offers a vision for Native food and agriculture infrastructure rebuilding and recovery. The publication asserts that a regional food system grounded in Native culture, and that provides economic opportunities and diversification for Tribes and producers to feed their communities, is necessary. The authors propose building 10 regional food hubs in Indian Country.
'Farmers for America' Film to Air on PBS
Farmers for America is a documentary film that celebrates young and beginning farmers and the opportunities agriculture has to restore rural communities. NCAT, the National Young Farmers Coalition, National Farmers Union, the Farmer Veteran Coalition, and other national outreach partners are promoting showings of the film. During the next two months, 25% of PBS affiliate stations across the country will air the film. A schedule of broadcast dates is available online, as is a trailer for the film.
Minnesota Local and Regional Marketing Project Receives Grant Funding
The Minnesota Department of Agriculture and partners at the University of Minnesota received a Federal-State Marketing Improvement Program grant through USDA to develop a roadmap for strengthening statewide support for small- and medium-sized agricultural producers in Minnesota. This project will engage producers in direct-to-consumer sales, like farmers markets, U-Pick, and CSAs, as well as those engaged in wholesale markets, such as selling to schools, grocery stores, restaurants, and through distributors.
Related ATTRA Publication: NCAT Marketing Tip Sheet Series
Pacific Islands Agroforestry Planning Tool Available Free Online
Hawaii-based agroforestry innovators Permanent Agriculture Resources and Forest Agriculture Research Center have announced the launch of a free Agroforestry Design Tool to assist planners and growers. The online tool guides the user in selecting from a range of planting patterns suitable for multistory agroforestry and more than 200 fruit, nut, timber, native, and culturally significant plants from throughout the Pacific Islands.
>>More Breaking News
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Funding Opportunities
Minnesota Agricultural Growth, Research, and Innovation Farm to School Grants
Minnesota Department of Agriculture is accepting proposals for two new Agricultural Growth, Research, and Innovation grants that aim to increase local purchasing in Farm to School programs. School districts may apply for Farm to School Full Tray Grants intended for school districts that have some Farm to School procurement experience, or for Farm to School First Bite Mini-Grants intended for school districts that have little to no experience with local procurement.
Applications are due by December 18, 2020.
NC AgVentures Grant Program
NC AgVentures Grant Program is a Cooperative Extension program sponsored by NC Tobacco Trust Fund Commission that provides grants to North Carolina independent family farms, and community organizations that work with family farms, to develop new and innovative agricultural projects that will increase farm profits. Grant awards up to $8,000 are available to eligible applicants in 46 North Carolina counties.
Applications are due by December 18, 2020.
Environmental Quality Incentives Program in Texas
USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Texas has announced the first funding application deadline for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). Applications are taken year-round for NRCS programs, but deadlines are announced to rank and fund eligible conservation projects. EQIP is a voluntary program that provides financial and technical assistance to agricultural producers.
The first application deadline for 2021 funding is December 4, 2020.
>>More Funding Opportunities
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Coming Events
Acres USA Eco-Ag Conference and Trade Show
December 1-4, 2020
Online
Acres USA is taking its annual Eco-Ag Conference and Trade Show virtual this year. This educational experience and trade show unites farmers, ranchers, and ag professionals from every facet of eco-farming to share their experience and expertise. Beginning and generational farmers will learn the latest in cutting-edge technology and methods.
Iowa Organic Conference
November 23, 2020
Online
This year's half-day virtual conference includes three speakers, a cooking demonstration with organic ingredients, and a virtual show of exhibitors and sponsors.
High Tunnel Conference
December 1, 8, and 15, 2020
Online
New Hampshire Extension's High Tunnel Conference will be virtual this year, in three parts. The first session is a keynote with Dave Chapman, from Long Wind Farm in Vermont.
>>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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