Monday, July 8, 2013

Sustainable Farming & Foods

Weekly Events & Opportunities 
 
Grain Place Foods - Farm Tour & Summer Seminar
July 13. Marquette. Every year The Grain Place (the Vetter family farm) and Grain Place Foods hosts the Farm Tour & Summer Seminar for anyone interested in organic farming, the organic food industry, and sustainable agriculture in general. Participants are guided by The Grain Place farm manager Mike Herman on a tour of the farm, learning and sharing ideas about various organic growing practices. Grain Place Foods President Dave Vetter leads the tour through the plant, showing how all the various certified organic grains and seeds are processed and packaged.  Click here for more information. http://www.grainplacefoods.com/in-the-news/grain-place-news/latest-news/

Residue Sampling and Responding to Test Results
July 9 and 11. Online. IOIA Residue Sampling and Responding to Test Results Webinar is an intermediate 200 level course. This webinar will prepare inspectors and certifiers to comply with the requirements of the USDA National Organic Program final rule on residue sampling. The course will cover the sampling of organic crops before and after harvest. References to information on sampling soil and water will also be provided.  The course is geared for persons with an understanding of NOP Standards and organic inspection or certification review. This course is comprised of 3 components: self-study, webinar, and evaluation. http://www.ioia.net/schedule_web.html#residue

Marketing and Managing Grass and Grain-Fed Beef
July 11. Princeton, Iowa. At this Practical Farmers of Iowa field day, Neal Sawyer of Sawyer Beef will discuss his management systems, factors that influence how he makes decisions, as well as marketing the farm has done. Attendees will learn about grazing management and producing and marketing quality beef. If weather permits, the day will also feature a trip to the Sawyers' pastures. http://practicalfarmers.org/events_detail.php?eid=547

Farming for Beneficial Insects: Pollinators, Predators and Parasitoids
July 11. Online. Pollinators and other beneficial insects help ensure healthy crop harvests. Participate in this webinar to learn how to support pollinators and natural enemies of crop pests (predators and parasitoids) by providing diverse habitat and protection from pesticides. This webinar highlights research showing how diverse habitat adjacent to cropland supports improved pollination and reduces pest pressure. This webinar is sponsored by the USDA NRCS East National Technology Support Center.  http://www.conservationwebinars.net/webinars/farming-for-beneficial-insects-pollinators-predators-and-parasitoids

Weed, Pest and Disease Management Workshop
July 13. Kansas City, Kansas. This Growing Growers workshop will equip farmers and soon-to-be farmers with strategies to combat  problems that damage your crop, hurt yields, and drive you to insanity. The presenters will have a strong focus on organic and environmentally friendly ways to keep the plagues under control, so come prepared to soak up detailed and invaluable information.  After lunch, the second portion of the workshop will be walking Gibbs Rd Farm (aka Cultivate KC farm) learning about their operation and how they combat the three plagues. http://www.growinggrowers.com/growing-growers-workshops

Ecoinformatics and the Paleo-World: Climate Change and Vegetation Response at Large Temporal and Spa
Monday, July 8th. 4:00 pm-5:00 pm. Simon Brewer, Department of Geography, University of Iowa. Beadle Center at UNL in Lincoln. Contact: Joyce Ore, 402-472-7082
jore1@unl.edu

Safe handling of eggs from small and backyard poultry flocks
July 11th. 6pm Central. Many backyard flock owners are producing more eggs than they can eat and are considering selling the extras. Those with larger flocks often sell eggs in the Farmers' Market. This webinar will discuss the safe handling of eggs from production to the table. The presenter is Dr. Jacquie Jacob at the University of Kentucky. She has several years of poultry extension experience working with small and backyard poultry producers. https://connect.extension.iastate.edu/poultry

Landowner Habitat Tours
July 9 & 11th. Broken Bow, Hartington, Chardon State Park, North Platte & McCook. Making your farm or ranch operation work with wildlife. For more tour details and to register, please visit: www.NebraskaPF.com or call 308-850-8404
Legal and Financial Clinic
July 9 & 10th & 11th. Syracuse, Grand Island, North Platte & Valentine. Call the Farm Hotline at 800-464-0258 to sign up.

Make Your Own Solar Oven
Saturday, July 13th, 10:00AM. Create your own solar oven and learn more about cooking and baking in the sun. Community CROPS Director Ingrid Kirst will walk you through the process of creating your own solar oven (supplies included in the class fee) and provide instruction on this fun and easy cooking method.  Keep your house cool, reduce your energy costs, and reduce your carbon footprint with a solar oven!  http://www.communitycrops.org/workshops


Upcoming

 
Practical Management of Cover Crops Webinar
July 18. This webinar is presented by Tim Reinbott, University of Missouri Superintendent of Bradford Research Center. To join at 2 pm, log in at  

Seed Savers Exchange Conference and Campout
July 19-21. Decorah, Iowa. Join the Seed Savers Exchange community at the 33rd Annual Conference and Campout. This event brings together experts and amateurs to share seed saving knowledge and stories. Speakers include Dr. Gary Paul Nabhan, Dr. Jack Kloppenburg, Dr. Jeremy Cherfas, Sara McCamant, and Rosalind Creasy. Workshops, a seed swap, and social events are planned. http://www.seedsavers.org/Education/2013-Conference/

No comments:

Post a Comment