Getting Started with Hops Webinar
February 24. This evening webinar is part of the ongoing 2014 Beginning Farmer Webinar Series from Michigan State University Extension. http://msue.anr.msu.edu/news/msu_extension_offers_online_ programs_for_beginning_farmers
Maximizing Small Grain Production
Growers, consultants and agribusiness professionals are invited to participate in a series of six online programs highlighting field crop production and pest management on Monday evenings beginning Feb. 24 through March 31, 2014. Participants will learn how to enhance their field crop production systems in the coming season and have an opportunity to ask questions of MSU agriculture experts. The live webinar presentations will begin at 7 p.m. EST each Monday evening and run until 8 p.m. EST. One MDARD Pesticide Recertification Credit will be available through each webinar for application to one of the following categories: Private Core, Commercial Core or Field Crops. Participants can view the programs independently online free of charge. However, pre-registration is required to access connection information.http://events.anr.msu.edu/event.cfm?folder= fieldcropswebinars2014
Farm Start-Up, Accessing Land & On-Farm Crop Storage
February 24. Kansas City, Kansas. This evening workshop is part of the Growing Growers series geared toward beginner farmers, but offering great information and skill development for more experienced farmers as well. Interested in starting your own farm? Learn how to access land and start your own business. http://www.growinggrowers.org/workshops.html
Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Soil Quality in Long-term Integrated and Transitional Reduced Tillage Organic Systems
February 25 and 27. Join eOrganic for a 2-part webinar series about a current USDA-NIFA funded research project: Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Soil Quality in Long-term Integrated and Transitional Reduced Tillage Organic Systems. Presenters will be Ann-Marie Fortuna, North Dakota State University, and Craig Cogger and Doug Collins, Washington State University-Puyallup. The first webinar will take place on February 25, 2014, and the second will take place on February 27, 2014. Both presentations will be at 2PM Eastern Time (1PM Central, 12PM Mountain, 11AM Pacific Time). They will each last 45 minutes, followed by a 30 minute question and answer session. The webinars are free and open to the public. Advance registration is required. http://www.extension.org/pages/70280/
Entomology Lecture (link)
Tuesday, February 25th. 4:00 pm-5:00 pm. "Delivering plant resistance to the field: Characterizing and breeding soybeans resistant to Aphis glycines" by Lia Marchi Werle, entomology graduate student. Entgomology Hall at UNL. Contact: Jeri Cunningham, 402-472-8678, jcunningham1@unl.edu
Farminar: Pesticide Drift: Response and Compensation
Tuesday, February 25, 7:00pm – 8:30pm. Online. Consider this scenario: your farm is subjected to chemical drift from a neighbor's application to their property adjacent to your land. What steps do you follow once this happens? Learn how an organic vegetable and livestock farm has responded (and continues responding) to pesticide drift. http://connect.extension.iastate.edu/farminar
Webinar: Starting a Farm
February 25. 6 p.m. A beginning farmer has to find financing, lease or buy land, coordinate equipment, establish a website, and so much more, all while growing crops or raising livestock. The legal issues abound, but this webinar will help beginning farmers understand the fundamental issues that should demand attention while the farm gets started. Register and learn more here, http://www.farmcommons.org/webinars
Biochemistry & Redox Biology Seminar -- Peter J. Lammers
"A Route to Algal Biofuels via EcoSystem Services: The Case for Extremophile, Galdieria sulphuraria" Tuesday, February 25th. 4:00 pm-5:00 pm. Dr. Peter J. Lammers, professor, Energy Research Laboratory, New Mexico State University, will present this seminar. Peter Lammers is Professor and Director of the Energy Research Laboratory at New Mexico State University and P.I. of a multi-institutional 2013 DOE-EERE award for Algal Biomass Yield Improvements. The presentation will focus on algal cultivation, biomass processing to energy products using hydrothermal liquefaction and nutrient recycling. The extreme challenges of large-scale algae cultivation will be discussed in the context of water resource limitations in arid regions and food/fuel constraints. Results of outdoor cultivation trials suggest multiple opportunities for biotechnology development using the Cyanidiales group of acidophilic red alga. Progress towards the goal of energy-positive municipal wastewater treatment will be described. All Biochemistry/Redox Biology Center Seminars are free and open to the public. Website: http://www.chemistry.nmsu.edu/Faculty/LAMMERS.htm
Farm to School Workshops
Ord, Spaulding, Loup City. February 25, 26, 27. www.cfra.org
Panhandle No-till Partnership Winter Conference
February 26 – 27. Gering. More information about the Partnership, their educational activities, and the Winter Conference is at: www.panhandlenotill.org.
Paul A. Olson Seminars in Great Plains Studies
A Prophet without Honor?: Malthus on the Great Plains. Wednesday, February 26th. 3:30 pm-4:30 pm. KSU economic historian Derek Hoff will speak at the Center for Great Plains Studies on population change in the Great Plains. The lecture is free and open to the public. View the lecture's live stream here: https://connect.unl.edu/gpc-olson. Website: http://www.unl.edu/plains/ seminars/Olson/olsonseminars. shtml
Water Seminar Series
A Vision for an Ultra-High Resolution Integrated Water Cycle Observation and Prediction System. Wednesday, February 26th. 3:30 pm-4:30 pm. Eight public lectures on a varied slate of state and regional water issues will form the University of Nebraska's spring semester water seminar series that begins Jan. 15 and runs through April. The seminars are free and open to the public. Hardin Hall on UNL's East Campus in Lincoln.
Spring 2014 Biotechnology/Life Sciences Seminar Series
Efficient gene-inactivation and non-meiotic allele introgression in livestock. Wednesday, February 26th. 4:00 pm-5:00 pm. Presented by Dr. Scott Fahrenkrug, Recombinetics, Inc. A reception will be held at 3:30 p.m. The event is open to the public.http://biotech.unl.edu/
Small Farms Winter Webinar Series: Asparagus Production
February 27. Online. The University of Illinois Extension presents a weekly educational series for the small farm community, providing practical knowledge on emerging topics which advance local food production in Illinois. Webinars are held from 1:00 - 2:30 pm on Thursdays and are free. This session is presented by Mike Roegge, University of Illinois Extension Small Farms/Local Foods Educator. https://webs.extension.uiuc.edu/registration/? RegistrationID=8854
Farm Credit East Webinar: Navigating the Grant Process
February 27. Online. This webinar will provide answers to questions about the grant process. For example: What kinds of grants are available to Northeast producers? Who funds them? What application processes are like? What can farmers apply for on their own and when should they engage a grant writer? What services does Farm Credit East provide? This webinar features Farm Credit East consultant Nathan Rudgers. http://bit.ly/1fDIuru
17th Annual Winery and Grape Growers Forum and Trade Show
Thursday, February 27th. 9:00 am-4:00 pm. Features both state and national industry experts sharing their advice on everything from growing grapes to marketing the wine they produce. Keynote speakers include Keith Striegler owner of Flint Ridge Winegrowing Services, Katie Cook enology project leader at the University of Minnesota, and Danene Beedle, marketing director of the Missouri Wine and Grape Board. More information and forms available @ www.unl.edu/viticulture. Holiday Inn & Convention Center - Kearney, NE
Heuermann Lecture: Our Culture War Over Food and Farming
Thursday, February 27th. 3:30 pm-5:00 pm. Dr. Robert Paarlberg, Betty Freyhof Johnson '44 Professor, Department of Political Science, Wellesley College: Author of "Food Politics: What Everyone Needs to Know." Additional Public Info: Preceded by a 3 p.m. public reception. Hardin Hall in Lincoln.
Engler Lecture Series welcomes Jason Tatge (link)
25th Annual MOSES Organic Farming ConferenceThursday, February 27th. 7:30 pm-9:00 pm. Jason Tatge, 2013 Pipeline Innovator of the Year and Founder of Farms Technology LLC and Farmobile LLC will be speaking about Entrepreneurship and Ag-Tech ventures. Dessert reception to follow. Public welcome! UNL's East Campus Union.
February 27-March 1. La Crosse, Wis. Started 25 years ago as a gathering of 90 people who wanted to learn more about farming organically, the MOSES Conference has grown to become the country’s foremost educational and networking event for the organic community with annual attendance topping 3,000! The people involved in organic and sustainable farming tend to be passionate about food and farming, which makes for a truly inspiring event. Please join us in celebrating the 25th anniversary of this remarkable gathering! Find more information here, http://mosesorganic.org/conference/
Legal and Financial Clinic
Friday, February 28. Valentine. Call the Farm Hotline at 800-464-0258 to sign up.
Cornstalk Grazing: Influence on Corn Yield, Soil, Water and Livestock
Friday, February 28th. 10:00 am-3:00 pm. Additional Public Info: All times are Mountain Time. Location: Water Resources Field Lab at Brule. The program will be held at the Armstrong Family's Purty Punkins main building, which is just north of the Water Resources Field Lab at Brule. The address of the Purty Punkins building is 351 Road West M South, Brule, NE. Contact: Aaron Stalker, 308-696-6707, aaron.stalker@unl.edu
Thermal Conversion of Animal Manure to Biofuel
February 28th, 1:30pm Central. Continued advances in technology have facilitated new avenues to access and extract energy (in various forms) from materials such as animal manure and crop residues that have not traditionally been considered viable fuel sources. Thermo-Chemical conversion encompasses the chemical conversion of such biomass feed stocks into energy products through action of thermal processes such as Combustion, Gasification, and Pyrolysis. Biomass gasification is a well-developed technology that has the potential to convert various feed stocks into value added products for on-farm heat generation and carbon sequestration. The availability of on-farm gasifiers that can handle diverse feed stocks is limited and represents a hurdle to the widespread utilization. Please tune-in to the upcoming Thermal Conversion of Animal Manure to Biofuel webinar, as Dr. Sammy Sadaka discusses his current research efforts in Thermo-chemical conversion technologies and explores some of the bio-energy prospects that this field offers. https://connect.extension.iastate.edu/lpelc
Department of Agronomy & Horticulture Seminar (link)
Bread, beer, and beef - life is good. Friday, February 28th. 3:30 pm-5:00 pm. Seminar presented by Steve Baenziger, professor, UNL Agronomy & Horticulture and Nebraska Wheat Growers Presidential Chair. Additional Public Info: Refreshments served at 3:00 p.m. Keim Hall on UNL's East Campus.
Holistic Financial Planning
February 28-March 1, 2014 (2 Days), 8:00 a.m.—5:00 p.m. To register go to: www.cccneb.edu/conferences. For further information about the workshops contact Bob Shields at 308-379-1361 or Bob.Shields01@gmail.com
March 1. Missoula, Montana, and online. Community Food and Agriculture Coalition is offering four workshops for farmers and ranchers in their first three years of operation between January and March 2014. This third workshop focuses on planning for financing your farm and preparing and understanding financial statements. One of the presenters for the workshop is NCAT's Tammy Howard. http://missoulacfac.org/planning-for-on-farm-success. html
TEDx Manhattan: Changing the Way We Eat
March 1. New York, New York and online. TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. This fourth TEDx Manhattan event features numerous speakers on agriculture, food systems, and the culture of food. Talks will be streamed live online. http://www.tedxmanhattan.org/
Winter Lecture Series
March 2nd. 7:00 pm-8:00 pm. Climate change is the focus of the 2014 Winter Lecture Series that will take place on several Sunday evenings at Hardin Hall auditorium. The lectures are free and open to the public. Hardin Hall in Lincoln. Directions: 33rd and Holdrege Streets on UNL's East Campus
Opportunities
NSAS Membership
February is NSAS Membership Month! Enjoy the Healthy Farms Conference? Like the information and conversations happening across the NSAS List Serv? Look forward to the Young Farmer Nights or Sustainability Happy Hour? These are but a few of the programs NSAS membership dues go to support.
At the summer NSAS Board meeting the board decided due to the changes in bookkeeping and membership recordkeeping the membership year would be set with a fixed expiration date.Beginning this year, the membership year for the Nebraska Sustainable Ag Society begins on February 1st and concludes on January 31st of the following year. Memberships purchased anytime during the current membership year will expire on January 31st. When registering for the annual conference members are able to purchase/renew their membership for the upcoming year, and are encouraged to do so in order to obtain a full year of membership benefits. Get the maximum benefits from your 2014 NSAS membership by joining by February 28th! Questions about memberships, and benefits, contact any NSAS board member, http://nebsusag.org/about.shtml
Funding to attend Moses Conference
We have some funds in the UNL organic grant for attending the MOSES conference if someone is interested they need to contact Charles Shapiro. cshapiro@unl.edu.Office: 402-584-3803
Lost & Found from the Healthy Farms Conference
We have several items that people are missing. We have a small kleen kanteen drink container and a travel coffee mug.Notebook from Russ Finch Session. Includes notes from the Russ Finch session on Geothermal Greenhouses, addresses, etc. If these are yours please contact me today at healthyfarms@gmail.com
Upcoming
Using Contans for White Mold Management on Organic Farms Webinar
March 4. Online. Join eOrganic for a webinar on Using Contans (Coniothyrium minitans) for White Mold Management on Organic Farms, by Alex Stone of Oregon State University. Alex Stone will explain what white mold is, and how to diagnose it on the farm. She will discuss the life cycles of the biocontrol agent, Contans (Coniothyruium minitans), and the white mold pathogen (Sclerotinia sclerotiorum). Farmers will learn how to incorporate Contans into an integrated white mold management program. The webinar is free and open to the public. Advance registration is required. http://www.extension.org/pages/69132/
