Weekly Events & Opportunities in Sustainable Farming & Foods!

Farmers Night Out! Visits Axtell!

August 21st. Join Roberts Seed for a Farmers Night Out! this Friday in Axtell. We'll tour their facility and we'll also get to tour their neighbor, Thunderhead Brewing's facility. Roberts Seed is a specialty grain and grain related products company located in the heart of the USA, Nebraska. We supply certified organic and non-GMO grain and grain related products for food, seed and feed markets. Thunderhead Brewing has been brewing Ales and Lagers in Central Nebraska Since 1999. https://www.facebook.com/events/1610626299200424/

Local Food and Sustainable Ag Tour

August 18th. The Nebraska SARE Program is sponsoring a tour that focuses on local food production and sustainability.  We have plenty of room available and are  opening this tour up to the public.  This will be an opportunity to learn more about local food production, sustainability and entrepreneurship in Nebraska.  Master Gardeners and anyone interested in learning about these issues are also welcome to participate in this tour. This tour is of 5 farms/sites where you will have an opportunity to see diverse farming operations.  The tour will leave Lincoln from the large parking lot at 56th & Highway 2 (north of CVS) in the southeast part of Lincoln.  The tour is scheduled for Tuesday, August 18th and we will be leaving the parking lot at 8:30 a.m.  and traveling in an air-conditioned bus.  Our first stop on the tour is Jones Produce, which is located southwest of Lincoln, near Crete.  The cost of the tour which includes transportation and lunch is $25.00. You can also apply for a SARE Travel Scholarship to pay for this registration cost and travel to the pickup site in Lincoln.   Register by calling our office at (402) 274-4755 or emailing me at glesoing2@unl.edu.    

Neely-Kinyon Organic Ag Field Day

August 18. Greenfield, Iowa. Organic agriculture specialist Kathleen Delate and Cynthia Cambardella (USDA-ARS) will present results of research underway at Neely-Kinyon Memorial Research and Demonstration Farm, including the farm's Long Term Agroecologcial Research (LTAR) study, organic no-till for vegetable production, and the new Integrating Livestock in Organic Cropping Systems NIFA project. http://www.leopold.iastate.edu/news/calendar/2015-08-18/neely-kinyon-organic-ag-field-day

“Feeding Our Feathered Friends” Webinar - Citizen Science intro

Wednesday, August 19 at 12:00 pm CDT. From the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, a chance to learn about bird watching and an intro to their citizen science projects. Feeding birds can spark kids’ curiosity, interest in the outdoors and engagement with science! In this webinar, you’ll find out how you  and the youth you work with can: Make your own feeders and create a bird garden; Decide where and when to hang your feeders in order to attract a variety of birds; Learn to identify birds and participate in our citizen science projects. http://www.birdsleuth.org/events/category/webinar/

Ask Me Anything Session – Social Media

Thursday, August 20 at 3:00 pm CDT. Join Victor Villegas (aka DroneSinger) for an AMA session on social media. This will not be a presentation but rather an open forum to ask questions about anything social media - strategy, tactics, tips... if you have a question, Victor will try to answer it. Victor is the Technology & Media Support Coordinator for Oregon State University Extension, chairs the ACE IT SIG and enjoys helping people learn how to use technology to improve their work and lives. Victor's social media claim to fame is via his online persona - DroneSinger, the world's #1 creator of drone songs. He creates funny parody songs to educate and bring attention to drone issues and culture while encouraging safe and responsible flying. http://oregonstate.adobeconnect.com/ace/

NGFN Webinar: One-Page Cost-Benefit Analysis Tool

August 20. Online. The National Good Food Network offers an opportunity to learn about the One-Page Cost-Benefit Analysis Tool in this webinar. Recently created by Farm Credit, this tool is designed to make your difficult purchasing (or other financial) decisions a little easier. Join this one-hour webinar at 1:30 PM MDT to learn how this powerfully simple tool can help your business today, or how you can use this tool to assist the farms and other business owners you work with. https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/7547274677638746369

Role of Mycorrhizal Fungi in Soil Health

August 21. Salina, Kansas. This Amazing Grazing event features Larry Simpson of Mycorrhizal Applications and a tour of The Land Institute with Wes Jackson. Reestablishing a mycorrhizal fungal element to crops as well as understanding the role of mycorrhizal fungi in soil and plant health will be the focus of the full-day workshop. http://www.kansasfarmersunion.com/events/amazing-grazing-events/

Agronomic and Environmental Uses of Biochar - Part 2

Friday, August 21 at 1:30 pm CDT. Biochar is a charcoal-like material generated during the pyrolysis of biomass. The high carbon (C) content of biochar and its recalcitrant nature has led to much interest in using biochar to sequester C from the atmosphere by incorporating it into soils. Additional benefits to incorporating biochar into soils include reduction of emissions of greenhouse gases; improving soil physical and chemical properties; increased water retention; increased crop yields; and increased soil retention of nutrients, heavy metals, pesticides, and microbial pathogens. In this 2-part webcast, we will provide a general overview of the history of biochar use, how biochar is produced, and give examples of how biochar is being used for agronomic and environmental purposes.http://connect.extension.iastate.edu/lpelc

Cover Crop Bus Tour

August 22. Salina, Kansas. An all-day bus excursion will highlight the benefits of using cover crops, with tours of a Star Seed test plot and four farms using cover crops. This event is part of the Amazing Grazing summer 2015 series. http://www.kansasfarmersunion.com/events/amazing-grazing-events/

Farm Tour: Crimping, Flaming and Integrating Livestock in Sustainable Cropping Systems

August 22. The farm tour will start at 1:30 p.m. at Larry Stanislav's farm two miles north of Abie. Farmers will learn about increasing soil health by incorporating cultural practices using a crimper and flamer to manage weeds and reduce tillage. At 3 pm Liz Sarno will talk about her grass­finish Devon Beef cattle operation and review pasture management, intetgrating cattle into the cropping system, solar­electric fencing and the Nebraska made “Safety Zone Calf Catcher”; which allows one person to process calves safely. Final stop at 4 pm participants will tour Randy Fendrich's farm. Fendrich has demonstration plots of organic corn varieties that he is evaluating for yield. At 6 pm a free evening meal will be served by Fendrich family; call Wendy 402­584­3837 to reserve your meal and allow the family to plan enough food for the evening. This is a great opportunity for farmers to discuss sustainable farming practices, cover crops, reduction of tillage and manage weeds with a roller crimper and flamer and integrating cattle into your cropping system. For more information contact Liz @ organicu2@windstream.net.

Opportunities

Bull for Sale

Summary info and pics here on Craigslist link:  http://omaha.craigslist.org/grd/5132152665.html. Happy to provide additional information – call or email offline. Bloodlines are known: Dam:  Radiance Dairy (Francis Thicke), Fairfield IA. Sire: Holt Creek Jerseys (Ben Gotschall). Randy Wattermann, Wattermann Family Enterprises, Inc. wattermann@skyww.net, 402-372-5005

Pastured Feeder Pigs for Sale

Eleven pastured feeder pigs. 5 male, 6 Female. Unaltered. These pigs are two-three months old and between 40-50 lbs. They have been born and raised on pasture. They are weaned. We supplement the pasture with brewers grains from two local breweries and with expired produce from Whole Foods. Pigs located in Fort Calhoun. bgodfrey@oppd.com.  See more at: http://www.bestfarmbuys.com/classifieds/detail.php?classified_id=190339&category=Hogs#sthash.2Thc4BcL.dpufhttp://www.bestfarmbuys.com/classifieds/detail.php?classified_id=190339&category=Hogs#sthash.2Thc4BcL.dpuf

OneCert Inc is hiring

OneCert Inc.is an Accredited Organic Certification Agency based in Lincoln, Nebraska. We have an open position for a full-time Administrative Specialist. Inquiries can be sent to jobs@onecert.com. Thanks! Margaret Milligan, Certification Specialist, OneCert Inc. (402) 420-6080, Email: margaret@onecert.com

Soybeans

I'm looking to buy conventional soybeans with out Herbicides pesticides spray.   Rich, richvernon7@yahoo.com

Organic Prairie Hay

We currently have 75 tons in big round bales and should have another 75 tons ready next week. With an additional 50 tons ready in the next 45 days. They are located near Fairbury and the price is $115/ton.  We might get a second cutting on some of that. If you buy the first cutting, you'll get first shot at the second cutting. I'd like to market nationally as well. If you know of someone who can help me, please let me know. 402-309-4088. Thank you, Jon. 402-309-4088, 

jkyoachim@gmail.com

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 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

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

Environmental Benefits of Organic Agriculture: Soil

August 27. Online. This one-hour webinar is presented by USDA NRCS Science and Technology. It is the third in a four-part series exploring the environmental benefits of organic agriculture. This session will present scientific research examining the benefits of organic farming practices to soil. The webinar begins at 1 pm Eastern. http://www.conservationwebinars.net/webinars/environmental-benefits-of-organic-agriculture-soil

Putting the "Culture" in AgriCulture

August 29. Harlan, Iowa. This Practical Farmers of Iowa field day at Rosmann Family Farms and Farm Sweet Farm will focus on whole-farm organic production, marketing and integrating into local food systems. In the morning, highlights include the Rosmanns' farrow-to-finish swine operation and Maria's retail store. During lunch, help celebrate Practical Farmers of Iowa's 30th anniversary, which will include special guest speakers. Following lunch, the discussion will include organic crop rotations, grazing and the other livestock enterprises. To conclude, Ellen and Daniel will speak about their new restaurant and their local foods delivery service. https://www.facebook.com/TFTRVA