Weekly Events & Opportunities in Sustainable Farming & Foods!

Webinar: How New USDA Risk Management Tools Can Help Diversified/Specialty Crop Growers

January 11, 10:00am – 11:30am. Online. The 2014 Farm Bill directed USDA's Risk Management Agency to develop tools that support farm diversification. The new Whole Farm Revenue Protection (WFRP) program offers important new protections which provide a financial safety net to cover economic losses due to weather or low market prices. By tying coverage to revenue and diversification, the streamlined application and whole farm coverage is more attractive to farms of all sizes, both organic and non-organic, as well as specialty crop producers, including those who grow canning crops or direct-market. This program is also useful for all types of diversified cash grain and/or livestock producers. Questions we will address include: What crops and livestock enterprises does Whole Farm Revenue Protection insurance cover? What losses are covered? How much revenue does it cover? How much does it cost? What yield or income records are required? How do I decide if this is worthwhile for my operation? Register

Heuermann Lecture

January 12th. 7pm. Nebraska Innovation Campus Conference Center Room, 2012 Transformation Drive, Lincoln. A dialogue on the history and vision for the future of international trade for US Agriculture. Panelist Lecturers: Dr. Clayton V. Yeutter, Former U.S. Trade Representative & U.S. Secretary of Agriculture. Darci Vetter, Chief Trade Negotiator, U.S. Department of Agriculture. For additional information: http://heuermannlectures.unl.edu/

Introduction to Video Editing: Mobile Apps and Beyond

Do you want to branch out to include simple video production in your skillset? Want to be able to use your laptop, iPhone, or iPad to edit short, simple, but effective videos?   If so, this webinar is for you. We’ll share the basics of video editing that are applicable across all platforms, including laptops, tablets, and smartphones. We’ll discuss tips for beginners on capturing good video, “shooting for the edit” to build a more powerful visual story, and demonstrate the actual editing process including iMovie (for iPhone, mac, and iPad) Windows Moviemaker, and the basics of Adobe Premiere Pro. 

The New NRCS Division of Soil Health: Approach and Benefits

January 12th. Online. In this webinar, participants will be provided an overview of the new USDA NRCS Division of Soil Health and how it will function to leverage partnerships, ensure science-based conservation planning, evaluate economic outcomes, and quantify soil health benefits. This webinar is presented by the USDA NRCS Division of Soil Health. http://www.conservationwebinars.net/webinars/the-new-division-of-soil-health-approach-and-benefits

Nuts and Bolts of Small Grains Production

January 12th. Klaas Martens and his partner, Mary-Howell farm 1,400 acres in Penn Yan, New York, where they grow certified organic corn, soybeans, spelt, barley, wheat, triticale, oats, rye, red kidney beans and hay. They also raise livestock; own and operate an organic feed and seed business; sit on numerous boards and committees; speak at conferences across the U.S.; and conduct on-farm research. Klaas will talk about growing small grains as part of his operation in New York, and is eager to have a discussion on growing small grains in Iowa. https://connect.extension.iastate.edu/farminar

Estate and Transition Planning Workshop

January 13. ARDC near Mead, The addess is 1071 County Road G. Ithaca, Nebraska. Contact Keith Glewen, 402-624-8000, kglewen1@unl.edu. Learn more at:http://www.nextgen.nebraska.gov/succession.pdf

Multi-species Grazing: Determining management keys for grazing multiple livestock species together

January 14. Online. The Targeted Grazing Committee of the Society for Range Management presents another in its series of online workshops to see how the principles of targeted grazing are applied on the ground. The facilitator for this session is Dr. John Walker, Texas A&M University. https://targetedgrazing.wordpress.com/training/

Soil Water Sensors for Agriculture - Theory and Issues

January 14. Online. This webinar is presented by the USDA NRCS West National Technology Support Center. Participants will learn about the types of soil water sensors available for on farm use and their advantages and limitations for irrigation water management. The presentation will cover the types of sensors available, the operational theory of each sensor type, and explanations, with examples, of how the physical theory of operation dictates the limits of sensor calibration and performance, and of sensor representativeness in given soils. http://www.conservationwebinars.net/webinars/soil-water-sensors-for-agriculture-theory-and-issues

Great Lakes Hops Working Group 

Thursday, January 14 at 11:00 am CST. This webinar will provide an overview of the formation of the Great Lakes Hops Working Group, a collaborative consisting of hop educators and researchers working in the Midwest and Canada under similar climatic conditions. Presented by Dr. Rob Sirrine, Michigan State University Extension.  Dr. Sirrine is a Community Food Systems Educator with MSU Extension. He provides statewide leadership for hops research, education, and outreach.http://ncrcrd.adobeconnect.com/ncrcrd

Connections between Biodiversity and Livestock Well-being Webinar

January 14. Online. Join eOrganic for a webinar focused on research that is exploring the connections between biodiversity and livestock well-being at 2 p.m. Eastern Time. In 2012, a University of Vermont research team began a multidisciplinary, long-term study to learn if managing farms for increased diversity at different “community” levels (from rumen microbes to forage composition) in Northeast pasture-based dairy production systems positively contributes to improved livestock well-being, health and productivity, and creates an ecological service feedback loop that benefits soil and natural resource diversity. In this webinar, Dr. Juan Alvez will describe the overall project and its goals as well as research results to date. The webinar is free and open to the public; advance registration is required. http://articles.extension.org/pages/73405/connections-between-biodiversity-and-livestock-well-being-webinar-by-eorganic

Small Farms Winter Webinar Series: Lean Farming

January 14. Online. The University of Illinois Extension kicks off its free, weekly educational series for the small farm community with this one-hour webinar. Zack Grant, University of Illinois Extension Local Food Systems and Small Farms Educator, will address Cutting Waste and Maximizing Efficiency on Small Farms.https://web.extension.illinois.edu/registration/?RegistrationID=13379

CropClimate Seminar

January 15th.  4:00 pm–5:00 pm.  Nebraska Innovation Campus Conference Center Room in Lincoln. Dr. Guillermo Baigorria will provide information on the new CropClimate initiative, available at www.cropclimate.org. CropClimate is an interactive tool that uses state-of-the-art knowledge in climate-, soil- and crop-modeling to link the effects of environmental conditions and field management to develop more sustainable crop production systems. It will also be live-streamed on the Water for Food Institute’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/WaterForFood. This seminar is free and open to the public. Contact Dana Ludvik with questions: dludvik@nebraska.edu,402.472.9510.

Workshop: What is Your Pregnant Cow Worth?

January 15. 9:00 am–3:30 pm. Lifelong Learning Center, Northeast Community College in Norfolk. Visit: http://igrow.org/events/i-29-dairy-conference/ for more details and to register

Alternative Growers Group Conference

January 16th. Featuring Summer Miller! St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Fort Calhoun. 9am. “Grow It, Preserve It, Consume It”. The conference will include concurrent talks by local alternative agriculture entrepreneurs, State Forest Health Specialist and area wide sustainable agriculture. The keynote speaker will be Summer Miller. Her topic is the purpose of our plates and experts. why local food matters. Informational and vendor booths will be a part of the conference. Early Registration is available. For a registration form Contact Sandy & Jerry Grove, wildflower@abbnebraska.com, 402-468-5598

Kansas Graziers Association Winter Conference

January 16. Salina, Kansas. "Grass, Soil, and Hope" is the theme for this conference featuring speaker Courtney White, author and Quivira Coalition co-founder. http://www.kansasfarmersunion.com/events/amazing-grazing-events/

Opportunities

Oats & Barley

Looking for 600 bu. of feed-grade oats or barley available?  First choice is certified organic, but not required. Thx, Randy Wattermann, West Point, wattermann@skyww.net

Cass County Farming / Agriculture Waste and Recycling Survey

Cass County seeking input from farmers on Waste & Recycling Survey. Details here,https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Q25L9NT

Cropland

I have 150 irrigated acres in Western Douglas County that I will be available for cash rent spring of 2016. Jeaniffr Snide, G&J Snide Farms LLC,  Jeaniffr5@aol.com

Survey seeks opinions of women livestock farmers

USDA Small Business Innovation Research grant to study the tool- and equipment-related needs of women livestock farmers. To assist Green Heron in designing better tools and equipment, women who raise or care for livestock of any kind are invited to complete a brief survey.   The survey will be open through September, and respondents who complete it will be entered into a drawing for a $100 Green Heron Tools gift certificate. Begun by two small-scale farmers with backgrounds in nursing and public health, Green Heron is the first company in the world to focus on scientifically designing agricultural tools and equipment that work well for women. For more information please visit www.greenherontools.com. Complete the survey at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/greenherontools_women_livestock_farmers.

Upcoming

Building a Legally Sound Intern and Volunteer Program for Farm Work

January 19. Online. By now, most farmers are aware that doing farm work with interns and volunteers can be legally complicated, and many farms have faced steep fines for doing it wrong. Get ahead of the curve and learn ways to build a legally compliant intern or volunteer program for your farm in this free webinar from Farm Commons.https://farmcommons.org/building-legally-sound-intern-and-volunteer-program-farm-work

Hyperketonemia Treatment at the Individual Cow and Herd Level

Tuesday, January 19 at 12:00 pm CST. Presented by: Dr. Jessica McArt, Cornell University. In this webinar, Dr. McArt will briefly review the physiology of hyperketonemia development as well as β-hydroxybutyrate concentration cut points to use in treatment decision making. Dr. McArt will discuss common treatments, including: medication, method of action, dose, duration, effect. Herd-level testing and treatment strategies will be presented as well as action recommendations following herd prevalence estimation. https://connect.extension.iastate.edu/dairexnetwebinar/

Greenhouse Gas Mitigation Workshop

January 20-21. Online. The USDA Southeast Regional Climate Hub hosts this workshop on Agricultural Solutions: adapting to and mitigating climate change on farms and forests in the southeastern United States. The workshop will focus on adaptive strategies that make working lands more resilient to an increasingly variable climate, while at the same time mitigating greenhouse emissions. State and federal programs that support these efforts will be highlighted, along with tools for improving resilience and communication methods. http://www.ncsu-feop.org/GHG/

"The Power of the Web: Free Internet Legal Research"

Wednesday, January 20 at 11:00 am CST. Join us in our continuing webinar series sponsored by the Agricultural & Food Law Consortium. Our January webinar, entitled, The Power of the Web: Free Internet Legal Research, focuses on getting the most out of free legal materials on the internet. This program is designed to be useful to attorneys and non-attorneys seeking to learn more about free legal research materials. For additional information about the program, please visit the National Agricultural Law Center website here. No pre-registration is required and this webinar is offered free of charge, but limited to the first 100 registrants. https://uaag.adobeconnect.com/research/

Grazing Strategies for Riparian and Wet Meadow Improvement in the Sagebrush Steppe

January 20. Online. This webinar is presented by USDA NRCS West National Technology Support Center. Participants will understand the effects of grazing riparian and wet meadow areas during each season and how to manage grazing to initiate improvement of ecological functions. This webinar will review key principles of grazing management in riparian and meadow areas, describe common grazing strategies and typical vegetation response, and showcase examples from around the sage steppe. http://www.conservationwebinars.net/webinars/grazing-strategies-for-riparian-and-wet-meadow-improvement-in-the-sagebrush-steppe

NGFN Webinar: Group GAP

January 20. Online. GroupGAP is a new service (available Spring 2016) from USDA to audit farmers to Good Agricultural Practices (GAP). Small farmers are feeling the pressure to get third-party certified as more buyers are requiring GAP certification, and as the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) puts them under new regulatory oversight. In this free National Good Food Network webinar, hear the experience of a few of the trailblazers--groups who have already received GroupGAP certification. https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/6529838299388868097

NPSAS Winter Conference

January 21-23. Aberdeen, South Dakota. The 37th winter conference of the Northern Plains Sustainable Agriculture Society is titled "Growing for the Future." Keynote speakers are Organic Valley Veterinarian Dr. Paul Detloff and Founder and Executive Director of Food & Water Watch Wenonah Hauter. The schedule includes half-day workshops and a variety of conference sessions on soil, production, livestock, and business topics. http://npsas.org/component/eventbooking/?task=view_event&event_id=69&Itemid=355

IOIA Webinar: Maple Syrup Inspection

January 21. Online. This International Organic Inspectors Association webinar will prepare inspectors and certifiers to understand the requirements of the standards being used in Canada and the United States for organic maple syrup (and birch syrup) production. It will provide tools for use by inspectors in the woods and sugar camps, as well as in more industrial maple syrup-processing situations. IOIA Maple Syrup Inspection Webinar is an advanced 300-level course. This webinar will be presented in one, three-hour session. http://www.ioia.net/schedule_web.html#jan21