Organic Farming Roundtables
March 13. 6:00 pm–9:00 pm. UNL's East Campus in the Plant Sciences Hall Room: 280 – Goodding Learning Center. Contact, Chuck Francis,402-472-1581, cfrancis2@unl.edu. The public is invited to attend and participate in this 14-week series led by Chuck Francis, professor of agronomy and horticulture. The series runs every Monday, Jan. 9 to April 24.
Where has all the farmland gone?
March 14. 6:00 pm–9:00 pm. UNL's East Campus in the Plant Sciences Hall Room: 280 – Goodding Learning Center. Contact, Chuck Francis,402-472-1581, cfrancis2@unl.edu. How to deal with the urbanization and conversion of productive farmland will be the topic of discussion in a 15-week series of courses taking place on the University of Nebraska–Lincoln East Campus. The series will be led by Chuck Francis, professor of agronomy and horticulture, and Amy Swoboda, farm and ranch staff attorney at Legal Aid of Nebraska.
Nutrient Management Research in Field Crops
Monday, March 13 at 6:00 pm CDT. Location: events.anr.msu.edu/FieldCropsWebinarSeries201 7. Growers, consultants and agribusiness professionals are invited to participate in a series of seven online programs addressing field crop production and pest management in 2017. Participants will learn how to enhance their corn, soybean, small grain, forage and potato production systems in the coming season, and have an opportunity to ask questions of agriculture experts.
Getting started with fencing and watering systems for livestock
Monday, March 13 at 6:00 pm CDT. Location: https://events.anr.msu.edu/BegFrmWeb2017/. A good plan is essential for building fences and watering systems that will meet your needs now, and be flexible enough to grow with your livestock operation. They are both experienced cattle farmers as well as extension educators and will provide basics and tips that will help you get it right.
Soil Health Economics: A Farmer's Perspective
March 14.Online.This free, one-hour webinar from NRCS Soil Health Division will present the economic benefits of soil health based on implementing a soil health management system that includes continuous no-till, cover crops, nutrient management, and subsurface drainage. In this webinar, Rodney Rulon, who farms 5,800 acres of corn and soybeans in central Indiana, will present both economic and soil health data from his on-farm studies as he as implemented his system. He will discuss how increasing soil organic matter by over 1.5% has resulted in a yield increase of 12.8 bu/A of corn.
Is Sheep Milk Production in Your Future?
March 14.Online.This webinar will discuss the things that are necessary to produce sheep milk efficiently (e.g., breeds, selection, nutrition, management) and some of the major constraints to a successful dairy sheep industry (e.g., unstable sheep milk market, small size of the industry and producer isolation, lack of a national genetic improvement program). Some examples of producer successes in the industry will also be presented. The presenter is Dr. David L. Thomas, Professor of Sheep Management and Genetics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. This webinar is made possible with funding support from the Let's Grow Committee of the American Sheep Industry Association.
Biological Pest Control on Vegetable Crops
Tuesday, March 14 at 11:00 am CDT.This is the third webinar of the 2017 Winter Webinars put on by the IPM Program. This webinar will provide information on biological control options for pest management in vegetable crops.Biological control is “any activity of one species that reduces the adverse effect of another.” In pest management, biological control usually refers to the action of parasites, predators or pathogens on a pest population which reduces its numbers below a level causing economic injury.Register for this webinar here: https://extension.zoom.us/j/416652370
Findings from the Summit on Intellectual Property Rights and Public Plant Breeding
Wednesday, March 15 at 1:00 pm CDT.Location: https://extension.zoom.us/j/234743552 .Speaker Bio: Dr. Julie Dawson is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Horticulture at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her background is in organic plant breeding and participatory research. She leads a program in collaboration with other plant breeders to test vegetable varieties for quality traits and productivity for regional food systems. Description: The Summit on Intellectual Property Rights and Public Plant Breeding was held in just prior to the National Association of Plant Breeders meeting in August 2016. The goals were to 1) Develop a statement of best practices for the use of IPR and licensing agreements for public cultivars and germplasm. 2) Provide examples of effective strategies for utilizing royalty money or other funding sources to support public cultivar development. 3) Explore existing technology transfer mechanisms to ensure that useful germplasm from public programs moves out of breeding plots and into farmers’ fields. A group of 65 plant breeders and other stakeholders from around the country, representing the public, private and non-profit sectors met for two days to discuss these issues specifically as they relate to plant breeding in the public sector. A set of recommendations from the conference has been developed for release Spring of 2017. This webinar will discuss the main findings and steps forward.
Maximizing Windbreaks on Your Farm
March 16.Online.University of Illinois Extension's Small Farms Winter Webinar Series features practical, lunch-hour presentations on small farm enterprises and strategies. Log in every Thursday at noon for the free, one-hour webinars. The series runs through March 30. This session features David Shiley, University of Illinois Extension Local Food Systems and Small Farms Educator.
Opportunities
Employment Opportunity
The Big Garden in Omaha is currently hiring for our New Roots Internship! The New Roots internship is a paid, hands-on learning experience for anyone interested in urban agriculture. Please contact Cait Caughey -- Education Director at ccaughey@biggarden.org for an application.
Health Insurance in Agriculture Survey
How does health insurance affect farmers and ranchers? Help influence rural health policy in upcoming survey. Farmers and ranchers: How does health insurance affect you? Help influence rural health policy by participating in an upcoming USDA funded survey. Your responses will help researchers understand how health-insurance policy affects farmers’ and ranchers’ decisions to invest, expand, and grow their enterprises. Selected participants received a letter about the survey in February. If you would like to participate follow this link: https://survey.uvm.edu/index.php/132344?lang=en
Job Opportunity
Organic Certification Specialist - Processing & HandlingOneCert Inc.is an Accredited Organic Certification Agency based in Lincoln, Nebraska. We have an open position for a full-time Organic Certification Specialist - Processing & Handling. Individuals interested in organic food and food systems encouraged to apply! Inquiries can be sent tojobs@onecert.com. Thanks! Skylar Falter, Certification Specialist, OneCert Inc. (402) 420-6080, Email: skylar@onecert.com
Job Opportunity
Organic Certification Intern - CropsOneCert Inc.is an Accredited Organic Certification Agency based in Lincoln, Nebraska. We have an open position for an Organic Certification Intern - Crops. Individuals interested in organic food & farming, encouraged to apply! Inquiries can be sent to jobs@onecert.com. Thanks! Skylar Falter, Certification Specialist, OneCert Inc. (402) 420-6080, Email: skylar@onecert.com
Opportunity in Certified Organic Vegetable Production
Meristem Farm & Nursery is offering a unique opportunity to head up our certified organic vegetable operation. Depending on experience and commitment, this could lead to a long-term contractual arrangement. Our 1900’s era farm (5 acres total) adjoins Papillion, Nebraska. The Aksarben Farmers Market in Omaha is just 8 miles away. For the right person, we can offer housing in the upstairs of our farmhouse, with separate entrance, kitchen, and bath. Our soil is ideal for vegetables, including ¾ acre protected by fencing. The nursery and vegetable operations share 2 greenhouses: a large gutter-connect with solar-heated benches for propagating aronia berry cuttings (our primary business) and in-ground beds for vegetables; and a passive solar house for succulents and bedding plants. Tom Lundahl, (402) 306-4500, Tom@MeristemFarmAndNursery.com
Resource Available
Rural Food Business Toolkit - this resource was designed by the Center for Rural Affairs alongside a USDA Rural Development project in northeast Nebraska which provided in person instruction and support. The toolkit provides resources to growers, processors and food business owners to help them succeed. It can be found and downloaded here: http://www.cfra.org/rural-food-business-toolkit.
New Farm Storage Facility Loan
The Farm Storage Facility Loan (FSFL) Program administered by the 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
Soil Fertility for Forage Production
Monday, March 20 at 6:00 pm CDT. Location: events.anr.msu.edu/FieldCropsWebinarSeries2017. Presenter: Dr. Kim Cassida. Growers, consultants and agribusiness professionals are invited to participate in a series of seven online programs addressing field crop production and pest management in 2017. Participants will learn how to enhance their corn, soybean, small grain, forage and potato production systems in the coming season, and have an opportunity to ask questions of MSU agriculture experts. These live webinar programs can be viewed independently online.
Assistance Programs and Educational Resources for Organic Farming Operations
March 21. Online. During this webinar Drew Katz, Transition Services Coordinator at Oregon Tilth, will provide an overview of assistance programs that are available for organic producers and how to apply for them, and also give a virtual tour of some of the best organic educational resources that are currently on the web. https://tilth.org/event/assistance-programs- educational-resources-organic- farming-operations/
Ensuring Pumpkin Pollination
March 21. Online. This free webinar is part of the Bee Health Webinar Series offered by eXtension. This webinar series will provide an overview of pollination requirements and strategies to ensure pollination of different specialty crops. Presenter Shelby J. Fleischer, Professor of Entomology at Pennsylvania State University, will review pumpkin and pollinator biology and discuss how management at the farm and landscape scale can help conserve both wild and managed bees that provide the ecosystem service of pollination to pumpkins. Registration is required. http://articles.extension.org/pages/74051/ 2017-bee-health-webinar- series:-ensuring-crop- pollination-in-us-specialty- crops
Cheap and Cheerful Stream and Riparian Restoration: Beaver Dam Analogues as a Low-cost Tool
March 22.Online.NRCS Science and Technology presents this free, one-hour webinar on how beaver-assisted restoration techniques can be applied as a low cost alternative for restoring riparian areas. This webinar will provide a brief overview of beaver ecology and hydrogeomorphic feedbacks, beaver-assisted restoration, BDA design and application, and NRCS planning considerations and resources.
Operating a Women Owned Farm Business
Wednesday, March 22 at 11:00 am CDT. We will discuss the different types of business organizations and the liability protection and transition planning benefits of each. Also discussed will be women owned businesses including how to have and manage that designation as well as opportunities and resources related to it. For more information and to register: http://www.eventbrite.com/e/wednesday-webinars- registration-11452674257
Benefits of Mulching Vegetables
March 23.Online.University of Illinois Extension's Small Farms Winter Webinar Series features practical, lunch-hour presentations on small farm enterprises and strategies. Log in every Thursday at noon for the free, one-hour webinars. The series runs through March 30. This session features James Theuri, University of Illinois Extension Local Food Systems and Small Farms Educator.
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