Sustainable Farming & Foods

Weekly Events & Opportunities

Nebraska Diversified Ag Tour

August 3. Lincoln, Nebraska. The Nebraska SARE program is teaming up with the USDA Beginning Farmer and Rancher Program to conduct a bus tour in southeast-south central Nebraska to visit four very diverse farming operations in the Thayer County area. The tour will visit a grass-fed cattle operation that uses intensive grazing system, an organic field crop farm, a certified kitchen and local food distribution system, and a cut flower producer. http://www.northcentralsare.org/Newsroom/Regional-News-and-Press-Releases/Nebraska-Diversified-Ag-Tour

In Her Boots: Sustainable Agriculture for Women by Women

August 4. Canoe Creek Produce. Decorah, IA. Discuss farm diversification, beginning farmer challenges and resources, and farmstay start-ups with a panel of experienced farmers plus representatives of FoodCorps and MOSES. Click here for more information. http://www.mosesorganic.org/FieldDayBootsDecorah.html

Pasturing Near Woodlands

July 31. Dorchester, Iowa. This Northeast Iowa Graziers Field Day takes place at the Dave Schulte Farm. Topics will include management strategies for pasturing around timbered areas, pasture management and improvement, and grazing management. http://practicalfarmers.org/events_detail.php?eid=554

Lessons Learned from Natural Stream Restoration/Enhancement Webinar

July 31. This webinar will draw on the combined experience of two retired USDA NRCS employees and present the views and experiences of both the ecological and engineering sides of the Natural Channel Design equation. http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs060/1109295883063/archive/1109470713312.html

Restoring Farmland for Native Pollinators

August 3. Minburn, Iowa. This Practical Farmers of Iowa field day visits Small Potatoes Farm. Learn how to decide which practices you can employ to conserve and restore the farm landscape to support native and wild bees. Hear and discuss results from an ISU survey assessing species diversity and abundance of cucurbit and other crop pollinators across a range of Midwestern landscape types, including Small Potatoes Farm. Examine sunn hemp and a legume mix in the field, being tested as an alternative cover crop for horticultural production. Tour the facilities Rick and Stacy Hartmann use to wash and pack produce for their organic CSA. http://practicalfarmers.org/events_detail.php?eid=555

Growing Squash, Cucumbers and Pumpkins with IPM for Home Gardeners

August 2nd. 11:30am. Join North Central extension specialists on Friday August 2, 2013 11:30AM-1:00 PM CENTRAL TIME for a 90-minute webinar on plant selection and integrated pest management of winter and summer squash, cucumbers and pumpkins. Dr. Rhoda Burrows, Extension Horticulturist, South Dakota State University will discuss planting and management; Celeste Welty, Extension Entomologist, The Ohio State University, will cover cucumber beetles, squash vine borer, and squash bugs; Michelle Grabowski, Extension Plant Pathologist, University of Minnesota will discuss powdery mildew, downy mildew, leaf spot and fruit rot diseases; and Dr. Mary Meyer, Extension Horticulturist, University of Minnesota will be the host and moderator. Three 20 minute presentations will be followed by 10 minutes of questions and discussion offered through umconnect.umn.edu. 

Winning Water Strategies

July 30th. 10:15am. Monsanto Water utilization learning Center, 76268 Hwy 47, Gothenburg. RSVP to Jason orton at (402) 476-0162 or jason@h2oboy.net. The NEWBA Water summit is a special complimentary event for financial contributors who make up our Water Advisory Board. Non-members are invited to join us for the Summit at a cost of $20 per person. Lunch sponsored by Horizon Ag. http://www.nebraskawaterbalance.com/#!events/cord

Legal and Financial Clinic

Wednesday, Jul 31. Fairbury. Call the Farm Hotline at 800-464-0258 to sign up!

Green Cover Seed Field Days

July 30th. We will be having a free field day open house on Tuesday July 30th  – plot tours will start at 4:30 and 7:30 and we will eat at 6:00 so you can tour either before or after we eat.  No RSVP is needed for this but if you want to pickup any seed when you are here, please let us know that in advance.   NOTE:  This field day will not be at our seed building but will be 1 mile straight east of Bladen, NE on the north side of the road.  http://www.greencoverseed.com/

Upcoming

Crop Rotation on Diversified Farms - Webinar 

August 6. Participate in this training to learn about the many variables to consider when developing crop rotations on diversified operations. Emphasis will be placed on considerations for weed, pest, and nutrient management, based on examples and input for farmers.  Click here for more information. http://www.conservationwebinars.net/webinars/crop-rotations-on-diversified-farms?__hstc=220621255.f32ff00f64196b2d145def835d13caa6.1375092686942.1375092686942.1375092686942.1&__hssc=220621255.3.1375092686942

Turning Your Land into a Sponge

August 8. 12:00pm Central. Cattle Production is the largest agricultural activity in Texas and in the Trinity River basin. Drought is a major challenge that faces ranchers and one that is too often unprepared for. Managing the vegetation on the land and setting an appropriate cattle stocking rate are the best ways to protect the productivity and sustainability of your ranch. Leaving sufficient amount of standing vegetation and litter on the land increases rainfall infiltration, which reduces runoff and erosion, allowing the land to store water that can be used later in the growing season or the next year. http://www.forestrywebinars.net/webinars/turning-your-land-into-a-sponge