Monday, March 27, 2017

Weekly Events & Opportunities in Sustainable Farming & Foods!



Getting started with blueberries

Monday, March 27 at 6:00 pm CDT. Blueberries, Mark Longstroth, Michigan State University Extension. This webinar will provide a review of the current blueberry industry in Michigan, site selection, cultivar selection, cost of production and pest management basics.  Mark works with growers of all sizes and will offer valuable insights for small and start-up blueberry growers. A fee of $10 is charged for this program. The series consists of 9 webinars on various topics. The fee for the 'full series' is $45 (1/2 of full price). https://events.anr.msu.edu/BegFrmWeb2017/

Cover Crops for Potato and Soybean Systems

Monday, March 27 at 6:00 pm CDT. Growers, consultants and agribusiness professionals are invited to participate in a series of seven online programs addressing field crop production and pest management in 2017. Participants will learn how to enhance their corn, soybean, small grain, forage and potato production systems in the coming season, and have an opportunity to ask questions. Location: events.anr.msu.edu/FieldCropsWebinarSeries2017

Organic Farming Roundtables

March 27.  6:00 pm–9:00 pm. UNL's East Campus in the Plant Sciences Hall Room: 280 – Goodding Learning Center. Contact, Chuck Francis,402-472-1581cfrancis2@unl.edu. The public is invited to attend and participate in this 14-week series led by Chuck Francis, professor of agronomy and horticulture. The series runs every Monday, Jan. 9 to April 24.

Where has all the farmland gone?

March 28. 6:00 pm–9:00 pm. UNL's East Campus in the Plant Sciences Hall Room: 280 – Goodding Learning Center. Contact, Chuck Francis,402-472-1581cfrancis2@unl.edu. How to deal with the urbanization and conversion of productive farmland will be the topic of discussion in a 15-week series of courses taking place on the University of Nebraska–Lincoln East Campus. The series will be led by Chuck Francis, professor of agronomy and horticulture, and Amy Swoboda, farm and ranch staff attorney at Legal Aid of Nebraska. 

How to manage solitary orchard bees for crop pollination

Tuesday, March 28 at 1:00 pm CDT. With the uncertainty of healthy honey bee hive availability and the high cost of hive rentals for crop pollination, an alternative or complementary bee, the blue orchard bee, is becoming more available and manageable for fruit and nut tree pollination.  This presentation will describe the life cycle of this North American solitary, cavity-nesting bee, and how it can be deployed for providing pollination services while also maintaining or increasing a managed pollinator population. To register for this free webinar click here, https://extension.zoom.us/j/239662773

Sustainability Metrics and Food Chain Transparency Webinar

March 28. Online. Join the CCOF Foundation for a free webinar on meeting consumer demand for sustainability and transparency in the food chain. Representatives from the Sustainable Food Trade Association (SFTA) and Whole Foods Market will lead a discussion on meeting consumer demand for transparency throughout the food supply chain. https://www.ccof.org/sustainability-metrics-and-food-chain-transparency-webinar

How to Manage Solitary Orchard Bees for Crop Pollination

March 28. Online. This free, one-hour webinar is part of the eXtension Bee Health Webinar Series "Ensuring Crop Pollination in U.S. Specialty Crops." Registration is required. http://articles.extension.org/pages/74051/2017-bee-health-webinar-series:-ensuring-crop-pollination-in-us-specialty-crops

Entomology Seminar

March 28. 4:00 pm–5:00 pm.  Nebraska East Union. Contact, Jeri Cunningham, 402-472-8678jcunningham1@unl.eduSamantha Daniel, a graduate student in the Department of Entomology, will present the seminar, “Investigating the Role of Spiders in IPM for Biological Control of Nebraska Crop Pests.”

Weather and Crop Risk Management Seminar

March 29. 1:00 pm. UNL's Hardin Hall, Auditorium. Contact, Cory Walters, 402-472-0366cwalters7@unl.edu. Speakers will include: Al Dutcher, School of Natural Resources, Elwyn Taylor, Iowa State University, Tyler Williams, Nebraska Extension. Streaming is available at: https://nebraskaextension.zoom.us/j/668993715Additional Public Info: http://agecon.unl.edu/weather-seminar

Poultry on a Small Scale

March 30. Online. This webinar by NCAT's Kevin Ellis is part of the Small Producers Initiative webinar series. Kevin will be sharing information about starting and maintaining a small poultry flock. http://www.smallproducersinitiative.txstate.edu/Webinars.html

Soil Management for High Tunnels

March 30. Online. University of Illinois Extension's Small Farms Winter Webinar Series features practical, lunch-hour presentations on small farm enterprises and strategies. Log in at noon for this free, one-hour webinar, which concludes the series. This session features Nathan Johanning, University of Illinois Extension Local Food Systems and Small Farms Educator. http://news.aces.illinois.edu/news/learn-small-farming-skills-your-desk-winter

Using Biofungicides, Biostimulants and Biofertilizers to Boost Crop Productivity and help Manage Vegetable Diseases

March 30. Online. Join eOrganic for a free webinar on biofungicides, biostimulants, and biofertilizers. In this webinar, participants will describe the different types of products available in the marketplace today, provide an overview of recent studies evaluating their efficacy, and discuss strategies for identifying the most effective products and application practices. Presenters are Giuseppe Colla of Tuscia University in Viterbo Italy, MariaTeresa Cardarelli at the Italian Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry in Rome, Italy, and Dan Egel and Lori Hoagland of Purdue University. Advance registration is required. http://articles.extension.org/pages/74056/using-biofungicides-biostimulants-and-biofertilizers-to-boost-crop-productivity-and-help-manage-vege

Animal welfare considerations for backyard poultry flocks

Thursday, March 30 at 2:00 pm CDT. https://extension.zoom.us/j/142597111. As more people become interested in backyard flocks, it is important to consider the welfare of the birds in your flock. This webinar will discuss some of the concerns related to backyard poultry flocks.

Great Plains Symposium: Flat Places, Deep Identities

March 30-31.  8:30 am–5:30 pm. Nebraska Innovation Campus Conference Center Room: Auditorium. Contact, Katie Nieland, 402-472-3965knieland2@unl.edu. “Mapping” as a metaphorical concept has also proved valuable to humanists and others attempting to understand our region. The 2017 Great Plains Symposium invites exploration of how place and mapping influence Great Plains identity, culture, economy, agricultural practices, natural resources, environmental issues, business strategy, art and creative expression, literature, social movements, politics, and more.http://www.unl.edu/plains/2017-symposium

Food Tank Summit: Investing in Discovery

April 1-2​. Boston, Massachusetts, and live-streamed​. On April 1, experts and top leaders across all sectors of the food world will come together for interactive panels and discussion moderated by top journalists. The entire first day will be live streamed on www.FoodTank.com. On the morning of April 2, Food + Future coLAB will host a walking tour of their facility. After a networking breakfast, Food + Future will share with attendees its vision of using radical collaboration and transparency to innovate within the food system.​ https://foodtank.com/summit



Opportunities


Robinette is Hiring

2017 Greenhouse, Micro Greens and Wash Station Lead; This is full-time position working primarily in the Greenhouse and heading up our Micro Greens operation but also with the opportunity to work in the field with the crew. Potential for year-round employment.

2017 Field Crew Members; We are offering 2 full-time seasonal Field Crew Member positions on the farm in 2017. Work as part of our crew to harvest, wash, plant and weed all while gaining experience working on a vegetable farm.

To learn more about these positions and to apply go to www.robinettefarms.com and click the menu tab "Employment" or click on the Job Title in the above text to take you to the same page.

Employment Opportunity

The Big Garden in Omaha is currently hiring for our New Roots Internship! The New Roots internship is a paid, hands-on learning experience for anyone interested in urban agriculture. Please contact Cait Caughey -- Education Director at ccaughey@biggarden.org for an application.

Health Insurance in Agriculture Survey

How does health insurance affect farmers and ranchers? Help influence rural health policy in upcoming survey. Farmers and ranchers: How does health insurance affect you? Help influence rural health policy by participating in an upcoming USDA funded survey. Your responses will help researchers understand how health-insurance policy affects farmers’ and ranchers’ decisions to invest, expand, and grow their enterprises. Selected participants received a letter about the survey in February. If you would like to participate follow this link:  https://survey.uvm.edu/index.php/132344?lang=en

Resource Available

Rural Food Business Toolkit - this resource was designed by the Center for Rural Affairs alongside a USDA Rural Development project in northeast Nebraska which provided in person instruction and support. The toolkit provides resources to growers, processors and food business owners to help them succeed. It can be found and downloaded here: http://www.cfra.org/rural-food-business-toolkit.

New Farm Storage Facility Loan

T​he Farm Storage Facility Loan (FSFL) Program administered by the FSA has expanded to include some new eligible commodities. The new commodities eligible for facility loans include floriculture, hops, rye, milk, cheese, butter, yogurt, meat and poultry (unprocessed), eggs, and aquaculture (excluding systems that maintain live animals through uptake and discharge of water). Commodities already eligible for the loans include corn, grain sorghum, rice, soybeans, oats, peanuts, wheat, barley, minor oilseeds harvested as whole grain, pulse crops (lentils, chickpeas and dry peas), hay, honey, renewable biomass, and fruits, nuts and vegetables for cold storage facilities.​ ​FSA has expanded the FSFL program to include portable equipment and storage and handling trucks.  These items can be new or used.  Along with these changes in equipment eligibility, the FSFL program now has a Microloan option for producers that have $50,000 or less in FSFL loans.  The FSFL Microloan reduces the down payment requirement from 15% to 5% and offers an abbreviated application by allowing the producer to self-certify their storage need. Loan applications should be filed in the administrative FSA office that maintains the farm’s records.​ ​For more information about Farm Storage​ Facility Loans, visit ​ ​www.fsa.usda.gov/pricesupport, or contact your local FSA office. To find your local FSA office, visit http://offices.usda.gov.



Upcoming


Considerations for Transitioning Perennial Production to Organic

April 4. Online. Join this free, one-hour webinar presented by USDA NRCS Science and Technology and Oregon Tilth to learn about the specifics of transitioning perennial production systems to organic. Organic fruit production is increasing and more producers are considering the transition to organic. This webinar with David Granatstein will explore the challenges and opportunities specific to transitioning perennial systems to organic certification. http://www.conservationwebinars.net/webinars/considerations-for-transitioning-perennial-production-to-organic

Taking Stock of Organic Research Investments 2002 -2014

April 6
​. 
Online
​. 
Organic Farming Research Foundation invites you to join them for a webinar discussion of the findings from their report, Taking Stock: Analyzing and Reporting Organic Research Investments, 2002 - 2014. The webinar will describe the types, locations, and impacts of USDA research, as well as research gaps and topics that require greater attention. The webinar will conclude with a set of recommendations for strengthening organic research in the United States to best support the needs of organic farmers. OFRF encourages all researchers, students, policy makers, and farmers interested in understanding research trends and opportunities to attend.

Pruning and Trellising Tomatoes

Thursday, April 6 at 1:00 pm CDT
​. 
https://extension.zoom.us/j/172536116
​. 
This webinar will provide information on tomato pruning and trellising techniques and how they can improve pest management when properly applied.

​Small Scale Farming Workshop

April 8th. ​A group of Nebraska Extension Educators in the southeast corner of the state are planning a Small Scale Farming Workshop on Saturday, April 8th at the Kimmel Education & Research Center in Nebraska. See flyer below for more details or go online to: http://extension.unl.edu/statewide/nemaha/small-scale-farming-workshop/.  Contact, Gary Lesoing (402-274-4755) if you have any questions.



Monday, March 13, 2017

Weekly Events & Opportunities in Sustainable Farming & Foods!



Organic Farming Roundtables

March 13.  6:00 pm–9:00 pm. UNL's East Campus in the Plant Sciences Hall Room: 280 – Goodding Learning Center. Contact, Chuck Francis,402-472-1581cfrancis2@unl.edu. The public is invited to attend and participate in this 14-week series led by Chuck Francis, professor of agronomy and horticulture. The series runs every Monday, Jan. 9 to April 24.

Where has all the farmland gone?

March 146:00 pm–9:00 pm. UNL's East Campus in the Plant Sciences Hall Room: 280 – Goodding Learning Center. Contact, Chuck Francis,402-472-1581cfrancis2@unl.edu. How to deal with the urbanization and conversion of productive farmland will be the topic of discussion in a 15-week series of courses taking place on the University of Nebraska–Lincoln East Campus. The series will be led by Chuck Francis, professor of agronomy and horticulture, and Amy Swoboda, farm and ranch staff attorney at Legal Aid of Nebraska. 

Nutrient Management Research in Field Crops

Monday, March 13 at 6:00 pm CDTLocation: events.anr.msu.edu/FieldCropsWebinarSeries2017Growers, consultants and agribusiness professionals are invited to participate in a series of seven online programs addressing field crop production and pest management in 2017. Participants will learn how to enhance their corn, soybean, small grain, forage and potato production systems in the coming season, and have an opportunity to ask questions of agriculture experts.

Getting started with fencing and watering systems for livestock

Monday, March 13 at 6:00 pm CDTLocation: https://events.anr.msu.edu/BegFrmWeb2017/A good plan is essential for building fences and watering systems that will meet your needs now, and be flexible enough to grow with your livestock operation. They are both experienced cattle farmers as well as extension educators and will provide basics and tips that will help you get it right.

Soil Health Economics: A Farmer's Perspective

March 14
​. 
Online
​. 
This free, one-hour webinar from NRCS Soil Health Division will present the economic benefits of soil health based on implementing a soil health management system that includes continuous no-till, cover crops, nutrient management, and subsurface drainage. In this webinar, Rodney Rulon, who farms 5,800 acres of corn and soybeans in central Indiana, will present both economic and soil health data from his on-farm studies as he as implemented his system. He will discuss how increasing soil organic matter by over 1.5% has resulted in a yield increase of 12.8 bu/A of corn.

Is Sheep Milk Production in Your Future?

March 14
​. 
Online
​. 
This webinar will discuss the things that are necessary to produce sheep milk efficiently (e.g., breeds, selection, nutrition, management) and some of the major constraints to a successful dairy sheep industry (e.g., unstable sheep milk market, small size of the industry and producer isolation, lack of a national genetic improvement program). Some examples of producer successes in the industry will also be presented. The presenter is Dr. David L. Thomas, Professor of Sheep Management and Genetics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. This webinar is made possible with funding support from the Let's Grow Committee of the American Sheep Industry Association.

Biological Pest Control on Vegetable Crops

Tuesday, March 14 at 11:00 am CDT
​. 
This is the third webinar of the 2017 Winter Webinars put on by the IPM Program. This webinar will provide information on biological control options for pest management in vegetable crops
​. 
Biological control is “any activity of one species that reduces the adverse effect of another.” In pest management, biological control usually refers to the action of parasites, predators or pathogens on a pest population which reduces its numbers below a level causing economic injury.
​ 
Register for this webinar here: https://extension.zoom.us/j/416652370

Findings from the Summit on Intellectual Property Rights and Public Plant Breeding

Wednesday, March 15 at 1:00 pm CDT
​. 
Location: https://extension.zoom.us/j/234743552
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Speaker Bio: Dr. Julie Dawson is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Horticulture at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her background is in organic plant breeding and participatory research. She leads a program in collaboration with other plant breeders to test vegetable varieties for quality traits and productivity for regional food systems. Description: The Summit on Intellectual Property Rights and Public Plant Breeding was held in just prior to the National Association of Plant Breeders meeting in August 2016. The goals were to 1) Develop a statement of best practices for the use of IPR and licensing agreements for public cultivars and germplasm. 2) Provide examples of effective strategies for utilizing royalty money or other funding sources to support public cultivar development. 3) Explore existing technology transfer mechanisms to ensure that useful germplasm from public programs moves out of breeding plots and into farmers’ fields. A group of 65 plant breeders and other stakeholders from around the country, representing the public, private and non-profit sectors met for two days to discuss these issues specifically as they relate to plant breeding in the public sector. A set of recommendations from the conference has been developed for release Spring of 2017. This webinar will discuss the main findings and steps forward.

Maximizing Windbreaks on Your Farm

March 16
​. 
Online
​. 
University of Illinois Extension's Small Farms Winter Webinar Series features practical, lunch-hour presentations on small farm enterprises and strategies. Log in every Thursday at noon for the free, one-hour webinars. The series runs through March 30. This session features David Shiley, University of Illinois Extension Local Food Systems and Small Farms Educator.



Opportunities


Employment Opportunity

The Big Garden in Omaha is currently hiring for our New Roots Internship! The New Roots internship is a paid, hands-on learning experience for anyone interested in urban agriculture. Please contact Cait Caughey -- Education Director at ccaughey@biggarden.org for an application.

Health Insurance in Agriculture Survey

How does health insurance affect farmers and ranchers? Help influence rural health policy in upcoming survey. Farmers and ranchers: How does health insurance affect you? Help influence rural health policy by participating in an upcoming USDA funded survey. Your responses will help researchers understand how health-insurance policy affects farmers’ and ranchers’ decisions to invest, expand, and grow their enterprises. Selected participants received a letter about the survey in February. If you would like to participate follow this link:  https://survey.uvm.edu/index.php/132344?lang=en

Job Opportunity

Organic Certification Specialist - Processing & Handling
OneCert Inc.is an Accredited Organic Certification Agency based in Lincoln, Nebraska. We have an open position for a full-time Organic Certification Specialist - Processing & Handling.  Individuals interested in organic food and food systems encouraged to apply! Inquiries can be sent tojobs@onecert.com. Thanks! Skylar Falter, Certification Specialist, OneCert Inc. (402) 420-6080, Email: skylar@onecert.com

Job Opportunity

Organic Certification Intern - Crops
OneCert Inc.is an Accredited Organic Certification Agency based in Lincoln, Nebraska. We have an open position for an Organic Certification Intern - Crops. Individuals interested in organic food & farming, encouraged to apply! Inquiries can be sent to jobs@onecert.com. Thanks! Skylar Falter, Certification Specialist, OneCert Inc. (402) 420-6080, Email: skylar@onecert.com

Opportunity in Certified Organic Vegetable Production

Meristem Farm & Nursery is offering a unique opportunity to head up our certified organic vegetable operation. Depending on experience and commitment, this could lead to a long-term contractual arrangement. Our 1900’s era farm (5 acres total) adjoins Papillion, Nebraska. The Aksarben Farmers Market in Omaha is just 8 miles away. For the right person, we can offer housing in the upstairs of our farmhouse, with separate entrance, kitchen, and bath. Our soil is ideal for vegetables, including ¾ acre protected by fencing. The nursery and vegetable operations share 2 greenhouses: a large gutter-connect with solar-heated benches for propagating aronia berry cuttings (our primary business) and in-ground beds for vegetables; and a passive solar house for succulents and bedding plants. Tom Lundahl, (402) 306-4500, Tom@MeristemFarmAndNursery.com

Resource Available

Rural Food Business Toolkit - this resource was designed by the Center for Rural Affairs alongside a USDA Rural Development project in northeast Nebraska which provided in person instruction and support. The toolkit provides resources to growers, processors and food business owners to help them succeed. It can be found and downloaded here: http://www.cfra.org/rural-food-business-toolkit.

New Farm Storage Facility Loan

T​he Farm Storage Facility Loan (FSFL) Program administered by the FSA has expanded the FSFL program to include portable equipment and storage and handling trucks.  These items can be new or used.  Along with these changes in equipment eligibility, the FSFL program now has a Microloan option for producers that have $50,000 or less in FSFL loans.  The FSFL Microloan reduces the down payment requirement from 15% to 5% and offers an abbreviated application by allowing the producer to self-certify their storage need. Loan applications should be filed in the administrative FSA office that maintains the farm’s records.​ ​For more information about Farm Storage​ Facility Loans, visit ​ ​www.fsa.usda.gov/pricesupport, or contact your local FSA office. To find your local FSA office, visit http://offices.usda.gov.



Upcoming


Soil Fertility for Forage Production

Monday, March 20 at 6:00 pm CDT. Location: events.anr.msu.edu/FieldCropsWebinarSeries2017.  Presenter: Dr. Kim Cassida. Growers, consultants and agribusiness professionals are invited to participate in a series of seven online programs addressing field crop production and pest management in 2017. Participants will learn how to enhance their corn, soybean, small grain, forage and potato production systems in the coming season, and have an opportunity to ask questions of MSU agriculture experts. These live webinar programs can be viewed independently online.

Assistance Programs and Educational Resources for Organic Farming Operations

March 21. Online. During this webinar Drew Katz, Transition Services Coordinator at Oregon Tilth, will provide an overview of assistance programs that are available for organic producers and how to apply for them, and also give a virtual tour of some of the best organic educational resources that are currently on the web. https://tilth.org/event/assistance-programs-educational-resources-organic-farming-operations/

Ensuring Pumpkin Pollination

March 21. Online. This free webinar is part of the Bee Health Webinar Series offered by eXtension. This webinar series will provide an overview of pollination requirements and strategies to ensure pollination of different specialty crops. Presenter Shelby J. Fleischer, Professor of Entomology at Pennsylvania State University, will review pumpkin and pollinator biology and discuss how management at the farm and landscape scale can help conserve both wild and managed bees that provide the ecosystem service of pollination to pumpkins. Registration is required. http://articles.extension.org/pages/74051/2017-bee-health-webinar-series:-ensuring-crop-pollination-in-us-specialty-crops

Cheap and Cheerful Stream and Riparian Restoration: Beaver Dam Analogues as a Low-cost Tool

March 22
​. 
Online
​. 
NRCS Science and Technology presents this free, one-hour webinar on how beaver-assisted restoration techniques can be applied as a low cost alternative for restoring riparian areas. This webinar will provide a brief overview of beaver ecology and hydrogeomorphic feedbacks, beaver-assisted restoration, BDA design and application, and NRCS planning considerations and resources.

Operating a Women Owned Farm Business

Wednesday, March 22 at 11:00 am CDT​. We will discuss the different types of business organizations and the liability protection and transition planning benefits of each.  Also discussed will be women owned businesses including how to have and manage that designation as well as opportunities and resources related to it.​ For more information and to register: http://www.eventbrite.com/e/wednesday-webinars-registration-11452674257

Benefits of Mulching Vegetables

March 23
​. 
Online
​.  
University of Illinois Extension's Small Farms Winter Webinar Series features practical, lunch-hour presentations on small farm enterprises and strategies. Log in every Thursday at noon for the free, one-hour webinars. The series runs through March 30. This session features James Theuri, University of Illinois Extension Local Food Systems and Small Farms Educator.