Engage & Connect!
Spring is right around the corner! There are many opportunities to engage, learn and connect with fellow farmers, both young and old in the coming weeks. NSAS will be at several of these upcoming events and we encourage everyone to continue to engage and connect with the community of agriculture. This week we'll be at the Governor's Ag Conference, and have information on sustainable and organic farming and foods. While the conference is not focused at all on sustainable agriculture, it's important to have our voice present and heard. We are especially excited to attend the "From This Grass Earth" which will be held at the Great Plains Art Center on Friday. This exhibit celebrates the wild and immense beauty of the North American grasslands by exploring the legacy of stewards of the Great Plains Landscape. If you've not been to the Great Plains Arts Center in awhile this Friday will be a great opportunity to visit! Some additional events to highlight include a Farm to School Conference in Nebraska City and a Post Harvest Handling Workshop in Lincoln. Check out the complete list below or find us on Facebook! Thanks, and happy farm planning!
Weekly Events & Opportunities in Sustainable Farming & Foods!
Increase the Sustainability of Your Organic Business
March 1. 2pm. Online. As a certified organic business, you already have a leg up when it comes to sustainability. But what does “sustainability” mean? What is sustainable about being an organic business, and how can you continue to deepen your commitment to sustainability? This webinar answers these questions by highlighting eleven “Sustainability Indicator” areas for the organic products sector. https://tilth.org/event/increase-sustainability- of-your-organic-business/
Writing Your Farm Food Safety Plan
March 1st. Please join Community Crops at 5:30 PM for a workshop covering food safety on the farm. We will discuss the different sections of a farm food safety plan and the latest info on the Food Safety Modernization Act. Come learn how and if your operation will be affected by these new rules.
Tree Care Workshop
March 1. Scottsbluff. 8:30 am–3:30 pm. Panhandle Research and Extension Center, 4502 Avenue I, Scottsbluff. Contact, Amy Seiler, 308-633-1173,aseiler2@unl.edu
Important Farm Financials: How to Get Started
March 1st. 7pm. Online.
Most people who get started in agriculture do it out of a desire to grow things, rather than a desire to work with spreadsheets, do calculations or run a business. But understanding basic financial information is vital for long-term success. This farminar is also a chance for beginning and experienced farmers to ask questions of someone with experience as a banker or loan officer.
Governors Ag Conference
March 2-3. Kearney. "Agriculture is Nebraska’s largest industry representing nearly a quarter of the state’s economy. That makes agriculture’s success important to all of us and provides a reason to gather together for a meaningful conversation about the future." Details and to register, http://www.nda.nebraska.gov/gov_ag/
The Role of Nutrition in Reproduction
Wednesday, March 2 at 12:00 pm CST. Dr. Wiltbank will join us to discuss the role nutrition plays in the reproductive health of dairy cattle. https://connect.extension.iastate.edu/dairexnetwebinar/
Food Safety Modernization Act
March 2. Online @ 1pm. Changes for Small Scale Producers. https://purdue.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_ bmBrd3hIYREwlWB
Design and Management of Organic Strawberry/Vegetable Rotations
March 2. Online. Join eOrganic for a free, one-hour webinar on the design and management of organic strawberry/vegetable rotations for soilborne disease control, fertility management and crop production, presented by Carol Shennan and Joji Muramoto of the University of California, Santa Cruz. Findings from a four-year rotation study and on-farm trials will be discussed. The study compared two and four year rotations with either broccoli or lettuce as the primary vegetables grown between strawberry crops. Advance registration is required. http://articles.extension.org/pages/73281/ design-and-management-of- organic-strawberryvegetable- rotations
Getting started with growing cider apples
Wednesday, March 2 at 6:00 pm CST. This session will focus on growing apples for cider making. Cultural practices, variety selection, storage, and other considerations unique to cider apples will be discussed. http://events.anr.msu.edu/BegFrmrWeb2016/
Tree Care Workshop
March 2. North Platte. 8:30 am–3:30 pm. West Central Research and Extension Center Room: Snyder Classroom 402 W. State Farm Rd. North Platte. Contact, Amy Seiler, 308-633-1173,aseiler2@unl.edu
Midwest Farm to School Conference
Wednesday, March 2, 2016, Lied Lodge, Nebraska City, NE. For those interested in building the farm to school initiative in Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri and Kansas. Food service professionals, farmers, students, school administrators, parents, and others are welcome to share ideas and learn techniques to improve students' knowledge of healthy foods and to increase the amount of local foods served in schools. Registration scholarships are available. For more information, an agenda and to register: visitwww.cfra.org/midwest-farm-school or contact Pamela Mueri (mueri683@gmail.com or402-580- 9835).
Everything about geese for the beginner - benefits and challenges of incorporating geese into your small farm operation
Wednesday, March 2 at 10:30 am CST. Location: https://connect.extension.iastate.edu/ poultry
Using the Internet to Drive Farm Sales
March 2. Online. This 90-minute webinar from PASA will provide an overview of the importance, trends, potential and strategies associated for farm internet marketing. Participants will be given basic instruction on how to setup and use email lists, Facebook and Twitter. Participants will come out of the webinar with a framework to develop and distribute content across a variety of platforms on a weekly basis during the busy harvest season. The presenter is Simon Huntley from Small Farm Central. Registration is free, but the session is limited to 100 participants. http://pasafarming.org/events/pasa- events/pasa-webinar-using-the- internet-to-drive-farm-sales
Monitoring, Assessment, and Engagement to Sustain Forest Benefits in a Changing Climate
Sarah Workman, Extension and Technology Transfer Specialist and Bill Christie, Biological Scientist will discuss climate tools developed by the Eastern Forest Environmental Threat Assessment Center. The Center partners with government agencies, universities, and nongovernmental organizations to improve the collective national capacity to predict, detect, monitor and assess threats to forest, range and wildlands.
Farm Succession Workshop
March 3. Kearney at the Extension Office. Topics will include stages of succession planning, contribution and compensation; balancing interests of on-farm and off-farm heirs; setting goals; analyzing cash flow; balancing intergenerational expectations and needs; beginning farmer loan and tax credit programs; and the use of trusts, wills, life estate deeds and various business entities. Call the Rural Response Hotline at 800-464-0258 to register or for more information.
What NOT to Do in the Landscape
March 3. UNL's East Campus @ 12:00 pm–1:00 pm in Keim Hall. The subtitle for this session is “things that drive me nuts,” says presenter Eric Berg, Community Forestry and Sustainable Landscapes program leader for the Nebraska Forest Service. Berg said this will be a lighthearted, subjective look at landscapes. “Most gardeners have strong and very individual preferences about how a garden should look and function.” He said this session will include some landscape tips but it is intended less as a how-to session than as a humorous look at landscape choices. Anyone wishing to listen in can take part online at: connect.unl.edu/brownbag. The presentations are also available afterwards atarboretum.unl.edu/brown-bags.
Small Ruminant Webinar: Internal parasite control
March 3. Online. The fifth installment in the University of Maryland Extension Small Ruminant Program's winter webinar series is by Dr. Gareth Bath, University of Pretoria, South Africa. Pre-registration is not required for these weekly, evening webinars, but participation is limited to the first 100 people who log on. http://www.sheepandgoat.com/#!webinars/cu81
Small Farms Winter Webinar Series: Getting Your Beehives Ready for Spring
March 3. Online. The University of Illinois Extension presents a weekly educational series for the small farm community. Webinars will be held from noon -1:00 pm on Thursdays and are free. This session is presented by Doug Gucker, University of Illinois Extension Local Food Systems and Small Farms Educator. https://web.extension.illinois.edu/ registration/?RegistrationID= 13379
Tree Care Workshop
March 3. Ord. 8:30 am–3:30 pm. Lower Loup NRD Office. Contact, Amy Seiler, 308-633-1173, aseiler2@unl.edu
Corn Residue Grazing and Baling Effects on Soil Physical Properties
March 4th. UNL's East Campus Keim Hall. Tim Shaver, associate professor, Agronomy and Nutrient Management Specialist, UNL Agronomy and Horticulture, West Central Research and Extension Center, will present “Corn Residue Grazing and Baling Effects on Soil Physical Properties.” Corn residue grazing and baling can provide a valuable and cost effective means of feeding cattle and is a common practice Nebraska. However, there are concerns about the effects of residue removal on corn yields and soil physical properties. The results of a long term study concerning this issue will be presented. Join us in person or online at https://connect.unl.edu/fridayseminarseries.
From This Grass Earth
March 4. 5:00 pm–7:00 pm. Great Plains Art Museum Room: Main gallery, 1155 Q St, Lincoln. Join us for the opening reception of “From This Grass Earth.” A 15-documentary about the project will be screened at 6 p.m. in the Museum. “From This Grass Earth” celebrates the wild and immense beauty of the North American grasslands by exploring the legacy of stewards of the Great Plains landscape. http://www.unl.edu/plains/gallery/ currentexhibits.shtml
Post Harvest Handling & Food Safety Workshop
March 5th. Lincoln. Participating producers will receive a free copy of the Wholesale Success manual (if they did not receive a book at the previous training). Normally an $80 value, this 300+ page manual is newly updated, revised, and in its third printing. Wholesale Success covers up-to-date best practices information on food safety, postharvest handling, packing, business management, marketing, and crop- specific profiles for over 100 crops. Learn about: Aligning produce food safety to your buyers’ demands Human Health and Hygiene Harvest, Postharvest & Transportation Policies & Practice. Registrations are being handled by SCC. You can call them directly at402.437.2700 and register for the food safety training.
Opportunities
GM Position at Open Harvest
Open Harvest Co-op Grocery has been serving Lincoln, NE as a leader in the organic and natural foods market for 40 years. We are seeking a General Manager to steer us through the increasingly competitive market and lead the success and continued growth of our store. We are looking for a candidate that embraces Cooperative Principles, is passionate about local food and economies, and has a strong work ethic and personal integrity. If you have questions, please email Brande Payne, Board Chair at openharvestboard@gmail.com. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.
Ducks, Geese & Guineas
We are looking for baby ducks and geese available this Spring. We are interested in Cayuga, Khaki Campbell or other breeds for egg production. The geese we are looking for are Chinese or African for guard animals. Guineas for bug control.
Summer Garden Educators
Big Garden in Omaha is hiring. WE ARE HIRING for our 2016 Summer Garden Educators. Know 19+ young adults looking for a full-time summer job gardening & working with youth? Contact Cait at ccaughey@bigmuddyumc.orgfor more information.
I have two registered milking Devons, 1 six year old bred cow who had been milked before and one bred heifer. The cow is a1/a2 and the heifer has not been tested but has a 25% chance of being a2/a2. Both bred to a low birthweight belted Galloway bull. Makes some good beef calves. Their are only 1500 or so in the U.S. And they don't really fit my herd. I would like them to go to someone who would use them for what they were bred for. I am asking $1500 a piece. Let me know if you have any questions. Thanks, Eric Lanik, Johnson Hill Farm, 402-480-2485
Upcoming
Integrating Grazing into Cropping Systems
March 8. Online. This free, one-hour webinar presented by the USDA NRCS Soil Health Division will describe opportunities to integrate crop and livestock systems and how soil health responds to grazing of cover crops and perennial forages in diverse agricultural operations. Unique soil carbon and nitrogen dynamics in integrated crop-livestock systems will be explored in this presentation by Alan Franzluebbers, Ph.D., as well as description of a simple biologically based measurement to assess nutrient cycling. http://www.conservationwebinars.net/ webinars/integrating-grazing- into-cropping-systems
Farm Biosecurity Plans and All Hazard Plans for Farms
Tuesday, March 8 at 12:00 pm CST. Do you have a farm biosecurity plan? Are you prepared for all hazards? Join Dr. Gregory Martin, Pennsylvania State Extension, to learn what goes in the plans. Lynette Black, Oregon State University Extension, will moderate. https://connect.extension.iastate.edu/eden
Tips of the Trade: Creative Marketing for Humane Farms
March 8th. FACT will offer a free webinar entitled Tips of the Trade: Creative Marketing for Humane Farms on Tuesday, March 8, 2016 from 3 to 4:15 p.m. EST. If you have ever wanted to learn new & innovative ways to market the products your farm produces, this is the webinar for you! Register here
Working with Local Organic Grains
March 8. Online. eOrganic invites you to a free, one-hour webinar by bakers and pasta makers on incorporating local grains into their businesses. Four panelists will discuss why they began working with local grains, the development of their product lines and how they have dealt with such issues as sourcing local grain and flour, flour quality, pricing and marketing, and what customer reaction has been. The webinar takes place at 2 p.m. Eastern Time. Advance registration is required. http://articles.extension.org/pages/73465/ working-with-local-organic- grains
Small Ruminant Webinars: Natural parasite control
March 10. Online. This is the final episode of the University of Maryland Extension Small Ruminant Program's winter webinar series. The free, evening webinar is presented by Dr. Dahlia O'Brien, Virginia State University, at 7 p.m. EST. Pre-registration is not required, but participation is limited to the first 100 people who log on. http://www.sheepandgoat.com/#!webinars/cu81
Webinar: Building a Website to Tell Your Farm's Story
March 10. Online. Learn how to build an effective farm website to reach new customers through direct marketing, in this webinar from Future Harvest CASA. The webinar is perfect for new farmers looking to build thier first website, and for experienced farmers looking to freshen up their existing websites. https://www.futureharvestcasa.org/field- school/field-school-events
Small Farms Winter Webinar Series: Raising Meat Birds on Pasture
March 10. The University of Illinois Extension presents a weekly educational series for the small farm community. Webinars are held from noon -1:00 p.m. on Thursdays and are free. This session is presented by Andy Larson, University of Illinois Extension Local Food Systems and Small Farms Educator. https://web.extension.illinois.edu/ registration/?RegistrationID= 13379
