Sustainable Farming & Foods

Weekly Events & Opportunities

Nebraska Young Farmer Night

August 26th. 5:30pm. Branched Oak Farm There will be a Young Farmer night at the Branched Oak Farm intern program near Raymond on Monday, August 26th from 5:30 to 8pm. The interns are: Margaret Milligan, Erin Frank, Jenn Anderson, and myself Drew Nelson. The farm situation is set up as a work trade, where we all put in 10 hours of work on the dairy or in cheese making each week in exchange for rent and land usage for our own projects.    Margaret and Erin run a 40 share CSA on the land as well as chickens, I am raising hogs and ducks - and am primarily making cheese, and will be developing my own line of cheese soon, and Jenn and I are planning a small barley malting operation next year.  Jenn also is also on the cheese side of things.  More details at,http://www.darlinreds.com/about-usins.html  There will be a potluck beginning around 5:30 pm followed by pasture walks, tours and games. As with every NSAS event, we strongly encourage families to attend! For complete details and to rsvp please visit, https://www.facebook.com/events/624236637617004/?context=create#

Budding and Grafting Fruit Varieties for Organic Production - Webinar

August 29. Presenter, NCAT Horticulture Specialist Guy Ames. Regionally and locally adapted fruit crops aren’t just a treat for the palate. Developing them can fill a number of needs – from providing a boon to organic fruit growers to helping detail-oriented farmers and nurserymen make a decent on-farm income. As a horticulture specialist at NCAT, Guy provides farmers, especially fruit growers, with the best information available to empower them to be the most environmentally sound growers they can be while maintaining a sustainable income. Click here for more information. https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/339521898?__hstc=220621255.f32ff00f64196b2d145def835d13caa6.1375092686942.1376302862228.1377512578561.4&__hssc=220621255.1.1377512578561

Small-scale Micro-irrigation Design and Components Webinar

August 28. This free, one-hour webinar features Hamid Farahani, Ph.D., Water Management Engineer at the USDA NRCS East National Technology Support Center. Webinar participants will be introduced to the basics of micro-irrigation and its components, and they will learn about the critical design factors for a system, within the context of NRCS Conservation Practice Standard 441. http://www.conservationwebinars.net/webinars/small-scale-micro-irrigation-design-and-components

Free Workshop on Alternative Market Certification Options

Join us on Tuesday, August 27th 10:00AM—3:00PM. Isles Reception Hall, 6232 Havelock Ave in Lincoln, NE. Learn how to add value to your product! The presentation schedule includes: 10:30AM: American Grassfed Association, 11:15AM: Certified Humane®, 12:00PM: Lunch is served, 12:30PM: Global Animal Partnership 5-Step Program, 1:15PM: USDA Organic, RSVP Required to Jocelyn at jnickerson@humanesociety.org or (402) 541-7077

Considerations for Raising Chickens in the Mountains

August 28th. 12pm Mountain. Learn about some of the major considerations when raising chickens in the mountains. Eric McPhail, Colorado State University Extension Director in Gunnison County, will discuss food, shelter, water, and predator protection as well as how to manage egg and meat production. To register go to:https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1heyJqfEG16NwfKQjR09g34I6sFaqcOao0y_CZoTDjaQ/viewform

Ethanol Use in Antique Tractors and Other Legacy Engines

August 30th. 10am. Presented by Ed Brokesh, Kansas State University This webinar will look at the interaction of ethanol with different materials found in older engines. It will also consider the combustion process and what that may mean for the operation an older engine. Participants should come away with a better understanding of the care and maintenance of an engine using ethanol containing fuels. At the meeting time, copy and paste this URL into your browser to enter the meeting:https://connect.extension.iastate.edu/agenergy/

Legal and Financial Clinic

Wednesday, August 28th. Kearney. Thursday, August 29th. Valentine. Call the Farm Hotline at 800-464-0258 to sign up.   

Physical, Chemical and Biological Properties of Soil and Water

August 28. August clinic topics include:  Physical, Chemical and Biological Properties of Soil and Water….The Cornerstone of the Human Race; Cover Crops for Improving the Soil; Infiltration Test and Organic Matter; Soil Temp., Electrical Conductivity, pH, N and P tests; Irrigation and Soil Water; Using Solvita Respiration Tests and N Flush; Soil Profile and Positioning of Landscape; and Management Considerations to Improve the Physical, Chemical and Biological Properties of Soil. For more information or to register, contact the ARDC CMDC Programs, 1071 County Road G, Ithaca, NE 68033, call (800) 529-8030, fax (402) 624-8010, e-mailcdunbar2@unl.edu or visit the Web at http://ardc.unl.edu/training.shtml.

Preventing or Mitigating Potential Negative Impacts of Pesticides on Pollinators

August 29. 1:00 pm. Giulio Ferruzzi, Ph.D., Conservation Agronomist, USDA NRCS West National Technology Support Center, Portland, OR. Mace Vaughan, Pollinator Program Director, Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation and Joint Pollinator Coordinator, USDA NRCS West National Technology Support Center, Portland, OR. Participants will learn to use the NRCS conservation planning process to prevent and/or mitigate pest management risks to pollinators and pollinator habitat. Pollinators are a diverse component of on-farm wildlife, and they are critical for plant reproduction. More than 80 percent of plants either require or benefit from pollinators to produce seeds or fruit. This webinar is designed to help conservation planners use the NRCS conservation planning process to prevent and/or mitigate pest management risks to pollinators and pollinator habitat. The presenters will lead you through the steps to determine whether pesticide use on a farm or ranch poses potential hazards to pollinators, and then help you develop conservation and/or Integrated Pest Management plans that prevent or mitigate these hazards. This webinar is sponsored by the USDA NRCS National Wildlife Team located at theCentral National Technology Support Center. Contact William L. Hohman, Ph.D., Wildlife Biologist, for more information about our webinars. Contact Giulio Ferruzi, Ph.D., Conservation Agronomist, West National Technology Support Center, for assistance with Integrated Pest Management. http://www.conservationwebinars.net/webinars/preventing-or-mitigating-potential-negative-impacts-of-pesticides-on-pollinators

Have an event to add? Get it to healthyfarms@gmail.com by the Sunday prior and we'll be sure to include it!