Monday, March 18, 2013

Weekly Events & Opportunities

Production Planning and Plant Propagation
March 18. Belton, Missouri. This evening workshop is part of the Growing Growers Market Farming workshop series. Workshops focus on practices and a scale of production suitable for a market farmer. Participants typically include apprentices, new or experienced growers and others who are interested in the particular topic or who are considering trying to farm. http://www.growinggrowers.com/growing-growers-workshops

Cover Crop Innovations Webinar
March 18. Penn State Extension is hosting a series of webinars during the winter of 2013 to focus on cover crop innovations. This webinar focuses on optimizing weed suppression and nutrient use efficiency in cover crop-based no-till organic corn. University of Maryland and USDA-ARS researchers discuss optimizing cover crop mixture composition and manure application to achieve weed suppression and adequate, efficient nitrogen delivery in a cover crop-based no-till corn system. http://extension.psu.edu/cover-crops/webinars/2013-webinar-series

Biomass Crop Production Workshop
March 19. Iowa City, Iowa. This workshop from Iowa State University Extension will provide information about miscanthus and other perennial bioenergy crops for energy generation in Iowa. Farmers, energy producers, land managers and anyone interested in biomass production are welcome to attend and learn more. http://www.aep.iastate.edu/biomass/

Agricultural Energy Webinar Series: Optimizing Irrigation Efficiency
 
March 19. Delivery of irrigation water through farm irrigation systems from ground or surface water sources to the field requires the addition of energy. The amount of energy that must be added is affected by the type of irrigation delivery system, system pressure, elevation difference between the field and the water source, inches of water applied, and the land area being irrigated. This presentation by Scott Sanford, Outreach Specialist from the Rural Energy Program, University of Wisconsin, will cover some of the things that can be done to an existing system to reduce energy costs. http://bse.wisc.edu/Farm_Energy_Webinar.htm
Livestream: Joel Salatin's Secrets to Beyond-Organic Farming

March 20-22. Verge Permaculture is offering the opportunity to participate in three days of live, online workshops with Joel Salatin. March 20 Salatin will present "You Can Farm – The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Start and Succeed in a Farming Enterprise." March 21 will be "Pastured Poultry Profits – Net $25,000 in 6 Months on 20 Acres" and March 22 Salatin will conduct "Salad Bar Beef." Participants can register for just one day, or all three. http://vergepermaculture.ca/blog/events/joel-salatin-live-stream-event/

Small Farms Webinar: Weed Control in Pastures

March 21. This webinar will offer management strategies to minimize weeds and include a discussion of pesticide selection and safety. The webinar is part of a Small Farm Webinar series offered weekly by University of Illinois Extension. https://webs.extension.uiuc.edu/registration/default.cfm?RegistrationID=7543

Advanced Irrigation Methods for Market Growers

March 23. Kansas City, Missouri. This workshop is part of the Growing Growers Market Farming Workshops series. Workshops focus on practices and a scale of production suitable for a market farmer. Participants typically include apprentices, new or experienced growers, and others who are interested in the particular topic or who are considering trying to farm. http://www.growinggrowers.com/growing-growers-workshops

Tree Care Workshop

March 19. Grand Island. Hort Pro. http://nfs.unl.edu/tree-care-workshops

Cover Crop Decision-Making Tools
 
March 19th. 7-8:30 p.m. Just getting started with cover crops or want to hone your cover crop selections? Learn more about two online tools, the SmartMix (cover crop) Calculator­­, developed by Green Cover Seedof Bladen, Neb., and the Cover Crop Selector Tool developed by theIowa Cover Crop Working Group in Ames,Iowa. Both resources are available online forfarmers and landowners to improve their cover crop decision-making. http://connect.extension.iastate.edu/farminar

Stockmanship School

March 22. Dave and Meg Schmidt will be hosting a two-day stockmanship school taught by Richard McConnell and Tina Williams (www.handnhandlivestocksolutions.com) on Friday, March 22 and Saturday, March 23. Tina Williams is the daughterof the late stockmanship expert Bud Williams (www.stockmanship.com). The event will be held in southwestIowa (Audubon Co. area) with the exact venue to be determined by the levelof interest. The cost is $300/person ($250 for additional membersof the same family or farm operation). Meals are not included. Please contact Meg Schmidt (meg@troublesomecreekcattle.com or 712.254.0751) for additional details.
 
Seed Savers Exchange Spring Kick-Off 
 
March 23. Startoff your gardening season by attending these workshops: Seed Starting, Planning Your Garden for Seed Saving, Heirloom Gardening. Learn more and Register here! (Note: There is a 25 participant limit for each workshop). Seed Savers Exchange, 3094 North Winn Rd, Decorah,Iowa . (563) 382-5990


Upcoming

Webinar on Organic Farming Systems Research at the University of Nebraska


March 26. Join eOrganic for a free, one-hour webinar that will present summaries of organic systems research at the University of Nebraska. The webinar will include 10-minute summaries by researchers of projects that emphasize production issues, grain quality, and agrosystem impacts. http://www.extension.org/pages/67368/

Introduction to Aquaponics Training

March 30. Minneapolis, Minnesota. This workshop will teach you how to create a closed-loop aquaponic system. Participants will be taught about the basics of fish and plant health; design implementation; maintenance of an aquaponic system; Minnesota regulations for aquaponic farming; and a tour of the Urban Farm Project's aquaponic system with over 10,000 fish. http://www.w-e-i.org/introduction-aquaponics-training