Commercial Horticulture Webinar Series: Satsuma updates
November 28, 9:00am – 9:30am. Online. Commercial Horticulture Extension Team organizes webinars for providing quick updates to producers on various topics of interest. Webinars will be streamed live via Panopto using the link provided below (evaluation link will be provided later). Webinars will also be archived on this website for later viewing. Participants can send questions during the presentation to Ann Chambliss, Outreach Administrator/IPM Program Assistant, hameae@auburn.edu. Questions may be answered by speakers immediately after the presentation (time permitting) or responses will be posted on this website. http://www.aces.edu/anr/beginningfarms/webinars.php
Potential Challenges to Bees in Nebraska’s Biologically Unique Landscapes
November 29. 4:00 pm–5:00 pm. UNL's East Campus Union. Contact for more information, Jeri Cunningham, 402-472-8678, jcunningham1@unl.edu. About, Natalia Bjorklund, a graduate student in the Department of Entomology, will present the seminar, “Potential Challenges to Bees in Nebraska’s Biologically Unique Landscapes.”
Solar Energy in Agriculture, North Platte
November 29th. North Platte. Register and more information by calling Lincoln County Extension, 308-532-2683
Solar Energy in Agriculture, York
December 1st. York. Register and more information by calling York County Extension, 402-362-5508
Ben Hartman - Using the The Lean System to Earn a Comfortable Living
November 29th. 8:30am. Ben Hartman wil be speaking on his Lean System farming as part of our specialty crops training with funding provided by the USDA. Registration includes lunch and a copy of Ben's book. Using the The Lean System to Earn a Comfortable Living on a Farm. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ben-hartman-using-the- the-lean-system-to-earn-a- comfortable-living-tickets- 28763045042
Tax Preparation for Your Farm
November 29. Feeling overwhelmed when it comes to filing taxes for your farm? Tax preparation should begin with proper record keeping to ensure you have the necessary information for filing when the time comes. It’s important to know what sort of tax records you need to keep, how key tax provisions impact you and how the Schedule F works, among other things. Hear tips on how to best navigate this process from farmer and Drake University Resilient Agriculture Coordinator Matt Russell, and attorney and agricultural tax specialist Kristine Tidgren. http://practicalfarmers.org/news- events/events/farminars/
Agricultural Programs Market Research: Irrigation Efficiency
November 29. Online. In two webinars of an hour and a half each, Bonneville Power Administration will share findings from its analysis of the current state of the agricultural market in the Pacific Northwest and BPA's territory. The presentation will focus on the different options for types of efficiency with Ag and current market barriers. Part two will focus on the top areas of opportunity for the future of agricultural irrigation in BPA's territory. https://www.bpa.gov/PublicInvolvement/Cal/Pages/ IndividualEvent.aspx?item=706
Microbial endophytes of plants: Their roles in promoting plant growth, adapting plants to their environments and engineering ecosystems
November 30. 4:00 pm–5:00 pm. UNL's City Campus in Beadle Center Room: E103. 1901 Vine Street. Contact for more information Lisa Vonfeldt, 402-472-1384, BiotechPSIOffice@unl.edu. “Microbial endophytes of plants: Their roles in promoting plant growth, adapting plants to their environments and engineering ecosystems,” will be presented by Dr. James White, Rutgers University. Refreshments will be served at 3:30 p.m. The event is open to the public. http://biotech.unl. edu/
Soil Compaction and Urban Trees: Strategies for Gaining Ground
Wednesday, November 30 at 1:00 pm CST. Compacted soil is one of the most common and serious problems urban trees face. Compaction quickly causes severe physical, chemical and biological alterations to soil conditions, and remediation is a difficult and lengthy process. What’s a tree care or landscape professional to do? In this webinar, soil expert Dr. Bryant Scharenbroch (University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point) will discuss how soil preservation is critical to prevent and limit soil compaction. Learn how you can protect urban soils from compaction and gain useful management strategies to improve the quality of compacted soils in your local landscape. https://extension.zoom.us/webinar/register/72a64 82dc07c7a1c34538d7d4481ef37
Tools & Strategies to Facilitate Access to Land for the Next Generation of Farmers
December 1. Online. Chesapeake Food Network presents this webinar with Holly Rippon-Butler from the National Young Farmers Coalition. She will discuss how the context for accessing land has changed over the past few decades, making it more difficult for farmers now than ever before. She will then provide details on various tools and strategies to help farmers gain access to land that is affordable and equitable, with a focus on how organizations such as non-profits, land trusts, government agencies, and farmland investment groups can be part of the solution. http://chesapeakefoodshed.net/index.php/december-2016/
Introduction to Holistic Management
December 2 and 3. Where, Central Community College, Hastings Campus. Why HM? Holistic management decision making concepts were developed by Alan Savory and have been practiced and proven worldwide. Proper application of HM principles will enhance the health of your land and increase productivity while reducing operating costs. Register, Bob Shields—phone (308) 379-1361
Farm to School Training
Saturday, December 3rd,, we are offering a farm to school training in Litchfield. School food service staff and fruit and vegetable growers are both invited to attend. There will be separate training for the groups, and then a combined opportunity to network and share with the school, detailing what it is that your farm offers. An optional lunch will be provided for free.Registration: Free. Mileage reimbursement available. RSVP in advance to Kirstin: kirstinb@cfra.org or 402.376.8989
Western Nebraska Sustainable Agriculture Conference
December 2 and 3rd. Sidney. “Money-Making Alternative Agricultural Enterprises for Farm Families” is the theme for the Annual Western Sustainable Ag Crops and Livestock Conference set for Dec. 3 at Sidney. The agenda’s list of topics is diverse: goats; alternative crops such as hops and mint; sidelines such as bee-keeping; and agronomic practices like controlling weeds with propane flaming. The Western Sustainable Ag Crops and Livestock Conference was initiated by farmers who saw the need for a conference to bring research-based, alternative and value-added agriculture information to farmers and ranchers in western Nebraska. The annual conference provides information for a growing group of farmers and ranchers who are looking for new ways to keep their operations sustainable, according to Nebraska Extension Educator Karen DeBoer, one of the conference organizers.
To download a brochure and registration form, go to http://ckb.unl.edu. For more information about the conference or exhibitor booths, contact Extension Educator Karen DeBoer at the Extension Office in Sidney; telephone 308-254-4455; email: kdeboer1@unl.edu. Sponsors include Nebraska Extension, Nebraska Sustainable Agriculture Society (NSAS) and Organic Crop Improvement Association Nebraska Chapter No. 2.
Opportunities
FSMA Survey
The North Central Region Center for FSMA Training, Extension and Technical Assistance team would like to reach as many producers as possible in our region. This survey is anonymous and the information gathered will help them identify and meet small scale fruit and vegetable farmer’s educational needs with regards to compliance with FSMA. The survey will take about 15 minutes to complete and will help individuals/farms determine if they will be required to comply with the FSMA Produce Rules. It will also help the team determine fruit and vegetable producers' level of knowledge on food safety and determine their top education needs in our region. They need producer input so that they can start developing appropriate and targeted training materials ASAP. The deadline for completing the survey is November 30, 2016. https://ncrfsma.org/
Farm Beginnings 2017
Nebraska Extension will begin its 9 th Farm Beginnings ® Program atthe Kimmel Education and Research Center at 5985 G Road Nebraska City, NE 68410.on January 7 th . Nebraska Extension and the Nebraska Sustainable Agriculture Societyare facilitating the Farm Beginnings ® Program to be held in Nebraska City. The FarmBeginnings ® Program is an educational training and support program designed to helppeople who want to evaluate and plan their farm enterprise. Farm Beginnings ®participants engage in a mentorship experience and network with a variety ofsuccessful, innovative farmers; attend practical, high quality seminars, field days andconferences.For a brochure and an application for the Farm Beginnings® Program go to http://nemaha.unl.edu and scroll down to the Farm Beginnings® article. For more information about the program contact Gary Lesoing, Extension Educator at glesoing2@unl.edu or at (402) 274-4755,
Hay for Sale
I have Organic White Wonder Millet Hay and Grass Hay for Sale. Large round Bales. Will Deliver if need be. Snyder Organic Farms, Larry Snyder. Kimball, NE. 3082357175, larrsnyd@gmail.com
Cereal Rye Bales
I have 25 large round bales of cereal rye grass for sale. This grass contains the cereal rye as well as the grass. It was grown as transition crop under organic conditions. It was planted as a cover crop, but a crop was not planted because it was always too wet last spring. This should be able to be ground and used for feed. We can load it for you. Call Cheryl at 402-617-1718. Thanks
Osage Orange Posts
Over the years several NSAS members, especially organic producers , have bought osage orange posts from my son Chris Rohrbaugh. He still offers posts but is also producing for Crete Lumber in Crete. Crete Lumber has always been a great supporter of sustainable agriculture. Paul & Cyndie Rohrbaugh, Pawnee Pride MeatsSteinauer, NE.
New Farm Storage Facility Loan
The Farm Storage Facility Loan (FSFL) Program administered by the FSA has expanded to include some new eligible commodities. The new commodities eligible for facility loans include floriculture, hops, rye, milk, cheese, butter, yogurt, meat and poultry (unprocessed), eggs, and aquaculture (excluding systems that maintain live animals through uptake and discharge of water). Commodities already eligible for the loans include corn, grain sorghum, rice, soybeans, oats, peanuts, wheat, barley, minor oilseeds harvested as whole grain, pulse crops (lentils, chickpeas and dry peas), hay, honey, renewable biomass, and fruits, nuts and vegetables for cold storage facilities. FSA has expanded the FSFL program to include portable equipment and storage and handling trucks. These items can be new or used. Along with these changes in equipment eligibility, the FSFL program now has a Microloan option for producers that have $50,000 or less in FSFL loans. The FSFL Microloan reduces the down payment requirement from 15% to 5% and offers an abbreviated application by allowing the producer to self-certify their storage need. Loan applications should be filed in the administrative FSA office that maintains the farm’s records. For more information about Farm Storage Facility Loans, visit www.fsa.usda.gov/pricesupport, or contact your local FSA office. To find your local FSA office, visit http://offices.usda.gov.
Upcoming
Graze and Bale: Cover Crops as Forage
December 6. In addition to providing a variety of environmental benefits, cover crops on a crop-livestock farm offer economic returns when used as a forage source. James Holz and Bill Frederick have a combined 12 years of experience growing cover crops and operate Iowa Cover Crop, a custom cover crop application business. James will share his experiences with chopping and baling covers, while Bill will discuss cover crop grazing strategies. http://practicalfarmers.org/news- events/events/farminars/
Managing Cucurbit Downy Mildew in Organic Systems in the Northeast
Join eOrganic for a webinar on managing downy mildew in cucumber, pumpkin and other cucurbits! The webinar takes place on December 6, 2016 at 2PM Eastern Time (1PM Central, 12PM Mountain, 11AM Pacific). The webinar is free and is open to the general public. Advanced registration is required.
Growing for the Future
December 5-8.Online.National Farmers Union presents this online virtual conference for beginning farmers and ranchers. The conference is completely online during evenings, and features farmer-to-farmer webinars, live Q & A, a discussion board, a resource center, and free giveaways. It focuses on beginning farmer and rancher issues, including: mentorship, business planning, USDA programs, women and veterans in farming, conservation, and much more.
