Weekly Events & Opportunities in Sustainable Farming & Foods!

Ewe & Us Farmers Night Out!

July 6th. Wahoo. The evening is designed for anyone interested in sheep production and/or the associated aspects of the Sustainable practices essential on a farm of 22 acres.

The family business has been raising sheep on a small farm in eastern Nebraska for over 35 years. The owners – a professional shepherd and a fiber artist – are committed to the production of quality fleece and lamb. A farm tour, a light pot luck supper, and much discussion is on the agenda. All are welcome, no need to be a member of NSAS. Discussion topics will be adjusted to the interest of those present. Sheep selection and management, intensive grazing and pasture, and niche marketing of wool products, and the pitfalls and pleasures of a farm based business.   https://www.facebook.com/events/1017745064917091/

Managing and Monitoring Hypocalcemia in Dairy Cows

July 6. Online. Learn how to manage organic dairy herd health during this webinar. During the webinar, Ohio State University Associate Professor and Extension Veterinarian Dr. Gustavo Schuenemann will provide information on best transition cow management practices to avoid a drop in dry matter intake, prevent hypocalcemia and ketosis, and maintain a strong immune system for animals under certified organic management. There is no cost to attend the webinar, but pre-registration is required.  http://www.oeffa.org/events.php

Good Agricultural Practices (GAPS) - Webinar Series

July 6, 6pm – 8pm. Online. The webinar is designed to provide information to growers on how to keep produce safe from production to the market. Topics of this webinar will include: What is GAP's; Water quality and testing; Soil management; Record keeping; Traceback, etc. The webinar series will be held Mondays, July 6, 13, 20 and 27 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Click here http://web.extension.illinois.edu/units/event.cfm?UnitID=629&EventID=69076 for more information and to register. 

Revisiting Organic Agriculture Webinar Series: Definitions and Regulatory Requirements

July 7. Online. American Society of Agronomy is offering this monthly series of webinars that will examine several issues associated with organic production and management. Cost for each individual webinar is $25 for members and certified professionals and $40 for non-members. Cost for the series is $113 for members and certified professionals and $180 for non-members.https://www.agronomy.org/education/online-courses

Understanding Organic Labeling Requirements and Label Claims

July 7. Online. This webinar from Oregon Tilth and the Natural Resource Conservation Service will address labeling requirements under the National Organic Program as well as other labeling claims such as non-GMO, natural, and more. Join OTCO staff and other guest speakers in this free, one-hour webinar to learn about the intricacies of various label claims and how to ensure that your labels are compliant. The webinar begins at noon PDT.  http://tilth.org/event/organic-labeling-webinar/

Forage Management for Livestock Production

July 8. Online. This free, one-hour webinar is presented by the USDA NRCS Central National Technology Support Center. This webinar is a refresher course on the basics of conservation planning on pastureland. Participants will learn how to balance forage supply with animal demand. http://www.conservationwebinars.net/documents/planned-conservation-webinars

Hops Farm Tour

The Washington County Extension Office will be offering a tour of Bauman’s Hop Farm at 7 p.m. July 9. The Extension office offers tours every summer of interesting landscapes and alternative agricultural businesses throughout the county. This tour will focus on Stephen Bauman’s hops enterprise in Fort Calhoun. The farm is growing three varieties of hops: about 200 plants each of Cascades and Centennial, and a test plot of Chinook.

DIY Pollinator Houses

July 9. Learn about mason bees, leaf cutter bees, other beneficial insects and pollinators in the garden, and make your own insect hotel! Free and open to the public. This program is part of our Growing Gardeners Workshop Series, which is a collaboration between City Sprouts and the Big Garden. Our purpose is to offer four seasons of hands-on workshops that feature skills and techniques for every gardener and urban farmer: growing, cooking, preserving and eating healthy local food. All workshops are free or low-cost, all ages, and no one will be turned away for inability to pay. RSVP to Ali at gardenmanager@omahasprouts.org. https://www.facebook.com/events/1440467009596469/

Adaptive High Stock Density Grazing

July 10. Online. This free webinar is part of a monthly series for grazing specialists, land managers, or grazing educators, hosted by Green Lands Blue Waters and The Pasture Project. The series presents topics important to grazing, with perspectives from scientists, experts, and producers. The webinar begins at 9 a.m. Central Time. http://greenlandsbluewaters.net/Perennial_Forage/grz_ed_webnr_AHSD.html

Grain Place Tour

Tours of the organic Farm and Plant will start around 8:30am, with refreshments and networking in between and are free to all. Lunch is to follow around noon, catered by Chef Fayne Petersen of Creative Cuisine Catering. The cost is $15 and RSVP's are required for the meal. (tickets can be purchased at our website www.grainplacefoods.com or paid for day of, or e-mailinfo@grainplacefoods.com  or call 402-854-3195). After lunch all are invited to hear our speakers – Nebraska State Poet Twyla M. Hansen, UNL Research & Extension Entomologist Dr. Bob Wright, and Dr. Jessica Shade, Director of Science Programs for The Organic Center who will be speaking on "Science Supporting the Benefits of Organic". *GPF is located at 1904 N Hwy 14, approximately 7 miles north of Aurora, (off I-80 exit 332) or 2 miles south of Marquette right on Highway 14.

Opportunities

Farm Hand Position Available

I am writing to announce an open position for a part time farm hand. This position involves approximately 30 hours a week in exchange for room and board. Additional paid work is available now and then. This individual would have their own living quarters separate from the main house. This position would be great for a single person, maybe a recent retiree who still has plenty of gusto for farm chores and gardening help. This position will be physically demanding and involve outdoor work in all weather conditions, so please keep that in mind. We will require a background check and references. This position will require some fixit know how. If you know anyone who may be interested in this position, please have them contact me at:  serenasaurus09@yahoo.com. Serena Bourne

Dual Purpose, Grass-fed Shorthorn/Devon Herd for sale

We're looking to sell some/all of our wonderful Shorthorn/Devon herd. They have not been given any antibiotics, hormones, vaccinations or grain in the 4+ years we have owned them. We do not baby these cows and they do very well. They are dual purpose. Which means they work very well in our grass-fed beef operation but they also produce a lot of milk. I was told that the older cows had been milked at least once by the previous owners but we haven't actually milked any. We're more interested in developing our beef herd so some of the younger ones will have more of a beef influence.  We have 15 cows/heifers total that are available. Two of those have a strong Longhorn influence, though. About half are going to be in the 7-9 year old range. From there it goes to 5 year-olds and on down. We've been culling about 2-3 cows a year and adding 2-3 replacement heifers. We can be flexible on the timing. They are almost done calving so you can buy them as pairs or we can wait until the calves can be weaned and the cows are re-bred. My intent is to base the pricing on the Huss Livestock Market in Kearney. Ultimately, the pricing will depend on how many you want and how/when you want them (bred cows or pairs). The cattle are located in south-central/eastern Nebraska, in Thayer County, near Reynolds. Delivery is possible. Jon Yoachim, 402-309-4088, jkyoachim@gmail.com

Farm for Sale

We are near Lincoln (40 miles) and the same to Omaha. Sold a lot of fruit and vegetables off the farm plus raw milk, beef and chickens. Fruit Trees, Berries, Vegetables, Herbs, flowers. It's time for us to retire. 3+ bedroom, new kitchen and 2 new full bath. Multiple outbuildings 130 yr old historic farmstead. No chemicals for almost 7 years. On blacktop $265,000. Jean Slocum, reply to:gramafarmer@gmail.com 

Farm Family Placement Opportunity

'We are a family of four (with two kids), we are looking for any possibility that can lead us to live in the country (no more than one hour and a half driving from the farm to the city of Lincoln). We are specially looking for a farm/ house with a piece of land that is organic oriented .  Please do not hesitate to contact us for any queries (Cell phone; 402-4059195). rllasaca@gmail.com. Thanks. Troy Van Horn".

For Sale by Owner

Tekamah. (40+/- Acre farm with house & buildings). 

We have decided that we must downsize and are going to sell the farm. Please share with anyone you may know who is 

interested.  Northwest of Tekamah, Nebraska. Includes 5 

bedroom/3.5 bath raised ranch with walk-out basement house, Has two kitchens, oversized shower and whirlpool tub in 

master bath, plus walk-in closet. Property has been farmed organically for over 9 years, includes Morton machine shed, 

Butler livestock building and other small buildings. This farm has been ran to be self sufficient for several years. Farm 

does have underground wiring and a battery shed for solar power, solar panels do not go with farm, but all the 

underground wiring and permanent solar infrastructure stays. 

Call Rebecka Fleischman at 402-687-4149 for more information. 

More pictures available upon request. Schedule your tour today.

Looking for Mentorship in Shelton/Grand Island/Kearney Area.

My family and I are returning to Shelton, NE in order to re-establish her family's farm. It is 160 acres but hasn't been used in nearly 30 years. We are going to be establishing a Joel Salatin Polyface Farm type farm. Where we will raise a multi specie critical and threatened heritage breed livestock as determined by the Livestock Conservancy Organization. All livestock will be pastured raised. We are also going to establish seasonal vegetable gardens. Looking for mentorship opportunities in the Shelton/Grand Island/Kearney area that would be willing to help us learn the does and don'ts of pasture based all natural farming. Michael Peña, Michael.A.Pena@uscg.mil

2014 Farm Bill - Conservation Compliance Changes | NRCS

The 2014 Farm Bill re-established the applicability of the Highly Erodible Land Conservation and Wetland Conservation provisions to crop insurance subsidies, but the Farm Bill did not change how these were implemented in conservation programs. USDA is seeking comments on an Interim Final Rule, which would make official this change to conservation compliance provisions. Submit comments on regulations.gov.

Highly Erodible Land Conservation (HELC) and Wetland Conservation (WC) provisions aim to reduce soil loss on erosion-prone lands and to protect wetlands for the multiple benefits they provide. HELC and WC provisions apply to all land that is considered highly erodible or a wetland, and that is owned or farmed by persons voluntarily participating in USDA programs, unless USDA determines an exemption applies. 

Producers, and any affiliated individuals or entities who participate in most programs administered by the Farm Service Agency (FSA), the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), and the Risk Management Agency (RMA) are required to comply with these provisions. Farmers seeking federal crop insurance premium subsidies for the 2016 reinsurance year must comply by June 1 by filing form AD-1026. The 2016 reinsurance year runs from July 1, 2015 to June 30, 2016.

http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detailfull/national/programs/farmbill/?cid=stelprdb1257899

Whole-Farm Revenue Protection Survey 

The National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT) is working with the Rural Advancement Foundation International-USA (RAFI) to better understand experiences with crop insurance and with a new crop insurance product called Whole-Farm Revenue Protection. Whole-Farm Revenue Protection is a pilot crop insurance policy available for the 2015 crop insurance year. The policy provides crop insurance coverage based on a farm’s 5-year revenue history, and it enables a farm to insure more than one crop with one policy. The link to the survey is https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/rafiwfrpsurvey. Questions about this survey can be directed to James Robinson at 919-542-1396 ext. 209 or james@rafiusa.org.

Upcoming

Clear Creek Organic Farms Farmers Night Out!

July 13th. Clear Creek, Spaulding. A farm tour which may include the pastured poultry, pastured pork, dairy processing facility, the certified kitchen and the future meat processing facility.  Also a tour and demonstration of the garden and equipment.  Followed by a meal of products produced by us, including ice cream. Come early and enjoy the beautiful scenery.  Tanking, canoeing , fishing, and swimming in/on the Cedar River available. Primitive campsites with a shower/bathroom also available. https://www.facebook.com/events/717960358326445/

Fruit & Vegetable Market News Organic Reporting Webinar

July 16. Online. USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) invites you to a live, interactive webinar on our Fruit & Vegetable Market News Organic Reporting. The webinar will provide an introduction to Fruit & Vegetable Market News and how it works, and it will explain how you can put Market News Organic reports to work for you. The free, one-hour webinar will be presented by Kimberly Mercer, Assistant to the Director, AMS’ Fruit and Vegetable Market News Division, beginning at 2 p.m. Eastern. Registration is required as space is limited. For more information

Cover Crops in Corn in July: Will They Make It to the Fall?

July 16. Orange City, Iowa. This year, farmers Jon Kiel, Kirk Den Herder, and Denny Vande Brake are trying something different: seeding various cover crop species into their corn when the corn is six to eight inches tall. http://practicalfarmers.org/news-events/events/field-days/