Healthy Farms Conference Friday Keynotes!

”Water, Soil, Toil: The Ways We Farm”

Farmers and ranchers make tough decisions every day in their farming and ranching practice. Recently proposed policy expansion and calls for increased consideration of animal welfare have pressured farmers, ranchers, and the organizations that represent them to take positions. Where are the farmers’ and ranchers’ voices? Dr. Thompson will provide a presentation laying out the various consumer-farmer-industry interests in agriculture while illustrating how these interests create dilemmas for our farmers and ranchers.

Dr. Paul Thompson holds the W.K. Kellogg Chair in Agricultural Food, and Community Ethics at Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan. He has formerly held positions in philosophy at Texas A&M University and Purdue University. His research has centered on ethical and philosophical questions associated with agriculture and food, and especially concerning the guidance and development of agricultural techno-science. He serves on the United States National Research Council’s Agricultural Biotechnology Advisory Council and on the Science and Industry Advisory Committee for Genome Canada. Thompson’s new work focuses on nanotechnology in the agrifood system.

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"The Key Ingredients for Animal Agriculture: More Farmers, More Attention to Animals"

Pacelle will discuss why it’s critical that family farmers & animal advocates unite to take back our food system from people who have little regard for animals, family farmers, & rural communities.  American consumers & corporate farmers have become too disassociated from the way animals are treated, resulting in a wide array of abuses & a dissolution in American family agriculture.  Consumers increasingly want options.  They want to know their farmers, they want to know how animals are treated, & they want more transparency in the process.  With more farmers on the land, we can help put an end to the disastrous 50-year experiment with factory farming & restore a conscious awareness of humane, responsible, & sustainable food production in the United States.

Wayne Pacelle is President & CEO of The Humane Society of the US.  The HSUS is the largest provider of direct care services to animals, & it works to shape public & corporate policies in the realm of companion animals, farm animals, horses, wildlife, & animals used in testing & research. In the last 9 years, he & HSUS have helped to pass more than 725 new state laws for animals & worked with dozens of major food retailers to provide markets for more humanely produced animal products. Pacelle is the author of the New York Times bestseller The Bond: Our Kinship with Animals, Our Call to Defend Them. 

Register today and save!

http://2015healthyfarmsconference.eventbrite.com/

2014 Healthy Farms Breakout Sessions VII

Register here, https://healthyfarmsconference2014.eventbrite.com

Breakout Sessions

Saturday, February 15th. 3:00pm. 

Growing food in an Urban Neighborhood: Lincoln’s Haley Hamlet. Tim Rinne

A mile from downtown, in Lincoln’s historic Hawley Neighborhood, the residents of a city block are tearing up their lawns and growing food.  Since 2009, two-thirds of an acre of ground in this standard-size block (with no vacant lots) has been converted to an edible landscape to grow vegetables and fruits for the twenty participating neighbors.  This block-based ‘hamlet’ right in the Capital City’s core is working to model a more productive, sustainable and cooperative use of the urban environment... growing community while growing food.

About Tim: Tim Rinne just celebrated his 20^th year as the State Coordinator of Nebraskans for Peace.  Long interested in environmental and climate issues, from 2004-2013, he was the Political and Legislative Chair for the Nebraska Sierra Club.  Helping create the Hawley Hamlet and learning to grow some of his own food is the most satisfying political thing he’s ever done.  Makes you wonder why he waited until he was in his fifties to get going…

Dry Curing & Smoking Ham. Chad Lebo

Black Iberian pigs arrived in the United States in 1539, when Hernando de Soto landed in Florida. From the 16th century until the mid-20th century, curing and smoking ham was a traditional activity on many American farms. You can keep this now-dying tradition alive by dry curing and smoking your own ham and bacon whether you live in farmland and suburbia. But smoking is about more than just ribs. We will learn about many aspects of curing and smoking including various methods of smoking beef, fowl, vegetables, fish, herbs and spices and even water. We will also discuss aging. We will be focusing on whole muscle curing such as bacon and ham and corned beef.

About Chad: While living in Madagascar for 5 years and suffering a terrible lack of bacon, Chad Lebo reached back to his Mennonite roots and began curing and smoking his own bacon and ham. He also began making cheeses to accompany the smoked meats and it eventually grew into a small business crafting and selling artisanal cured meats and cheeses. This business has continued after he moved from Africa to Omaha in June of 2013. His new business, Cure Cooking, is based in Omaha and offers private and public cooking lessons in various traditional food crafts such as curing, cheese making, canning and sourdough bread baking. He also is a consulting cook for the Madecasse Chocolate company designing new flavors that are produced in Madagascar and sold throughout the United States and Europe. Visit www.curecooking.com for more information.

Attracting Beneficial Pollinators with Native Plants. Ben Vogt

Native insects are in evolutionary sync with native plants, so it makes since to include swaths of prairie wildflowers and grasses for nectar and larval food sources. Once you attract these pollinators and pest managers, you’re likely to increase crop yields, mitigate runoff, and improve soil structure. We’ll look at some of the top native plants for home and small farm gardens, as well as new prairie initiatives for larger operations.

About Ben: Benjamin Vogt owns Monarch Gardens, a prairie garden consulting business for DIY homeowners, businesses, and schools. He is on the board of Wachiska Audubon Society, writes a gardening column for Houzz, and speaks nationally on using native plants. You can visit him at his blog The Deep Middle.

2014 Healthy Farms Conference Breakout Sessions VI

Register here, https://healthyfarmsconference2014.eventbrite.com

Breakout Sessions

Saturday, February 15th. 1:30pm. 

Growing citrus fruit in Nebraska in a geothermal greenhouse. Russ Finch

Russ Finch will talk about his geothermal greenhouse, design and utilization, success and failures.

About Russ: has a long history of involvement in a variety of professions. Russ has been involved in seismographing, served in the army, has been a baker and cook, has been involved as a farmer for 45 years and manufacturing for 31 years. He has worked with the post office for 27 years and finally has been involved in greenhouses for 35 years. Mr. Finch’s passion for the last several years has been developing the geo-thermal system and high plains structure adapted to his geo-thermal system. Russ grew his geo-thermal greenhouse design from a heating system he used for his home near Alliance. At 81 years of age, Mr. Finch incorporated a new business to market the "Greenhouse in the Snow" design/structure. Mr. and Mrs. Finch have been married 66 years have a son & daughter.

Learning the Language of the Fields. Daniel Deffenbaugh

Though the health and environmental benefits of sustainable agriculture are well known, a lesser emphasized aspect of this practice is the spiritual growth that can take place as we become intimate conversation partners with the land. For centuries, philosophers and clerics in the West have downplayed the human relationship with nature preferring instead to accentuate our distinction from the natural world on which we are ultimately dependent. Sustainable agricultural practices serve as a means of reintroducing us to our natural home, helping us, in the words of Thoreau, to "learn the language of the fields." In so doing, we regain a sense of what it means to be both physically and spiritually whole.

About Daniel: Daniel G. Deffenbaugh is Professor of Philosophy and Religion at Hastings College and author of Learning the Language of the Fields: Tilling and Keeping as Christian Vocation. A native of southern Ohio, he has been an organic gardener and seed saver for over thirty years. His current academic work focuses on the notion of integrated health, which sees human well-being as a dynamic balance of spirituality, physical vitality, community involvement, and ecological integrity.

Seed Saving for Resilience. Betsy Goodman

Historically, seed saving is something that every gardener did. Now, we are more product oriented and less aware of the value associated with allowing our plants to complete the whole cycle, that is-seed, plant, fruit, seed. Here, we will discuss the importance of seed saving as well as the fundamental basic concepts that a seed saver needs to know. Then, we will focus on specific vegetables upon request. 

About Betsy: Elizabeth graduated from Northern Arizona University in 2009 with a B.S. in Environmental Studies, emphasizing in Sustainability, Community, and Biocultural Diversity. She has worked with various farmers, herbalists, and seed producers along the West Coast. Fall 2011, Elizabeth attended Seed School from NATIVE Seed Search in Tuscan, AZ. Since 2010, Elizabeth has been Production Assistant at BloomsOrganic Farm. Every year, Elizabeth works with the Douglas County Health Department and the Douglas County Extenuation office to plan a community wide Seed Swap. Additionally, Elizabeth is the Founder and Volunteer Coordinator for Omaha Public Library's, Common Soil Seed Library. 

Leigh Adcock, 2014 Healthy Farms Conference Keynote

Growing New Women Farmers in the Midwest

When: February 15th, 12:00pm.

Where: Younes Conference Center, Kearney, Nebraska.

How: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2014-healthy-farms-conference-tickets-8213056473

Leigh Adcock has been executive director of Women, Food and Agriculture Network (WFAN) since 2008. Prior to that, she was a board member for the organization for 2 years, and served from 2003 – 2008 as executive director of the Iowa Farmers Union. In her current role with WFAN, Ms. Adcock is responsible for all communications and development activities, as well as writing and administering grants. She supervises a staff of one fulltime program coordinator, a part-time office manager, and a variety of consultants and contractors. WFAN was founded in 1997 to serve as a regional network for women involved in all aspects of healthy food and farming. The organization was founded in Iowa and currently has 2,000 members nationwide. While the network is national, most programming work occurs in the upper Midwest, and focuses on providing networking, information and leadership development opportunities to women farmers, landowners, and food systems advocates. Ms. Adcock has been instrumental in expanding WFAN’s scope to a national level, increasing membership more than six-fold, increasing funding from under $30,000 to $250,000 per year, and creating successful programs such as Women Caring for the Land conservation program for women farmland owners, and Harvesting Our PotentialSM, the on-farm apprenticeship program which this grant proposal seeks to expand. She is also co-creator of the Plate to Politics project, a collaboration of WFAN, Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service (MOSES) and The White House Project, designed to recruit and train more rural and farm women all over the US to run for public office at all levels, from the community to the White House.

Ms. Adcock holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications/radio and television, with a minor in journalism, from the University of Northern Iowa (1982). She has completed graduate coursework in public policy, also at UNI (1990). Ms. Adcock’s professional experience has included work in television, radio, magazines, newspapers and public relations. She has done volunteer and paid work for environmental, social justice, and sustainable agriculture organizations throughout her career, including the Sierra Club, PeaceLinks, Iowa Waste Reduction Center, Practical Farmers of Iowa, Physicians for Social Responsibility, and others. She served three years on the board of the Iowa Environmental Council. Ms. Adcock grew up on a 360-acre conventional grain and beef cattle farm in northwest Iowa, which she currently co-owns with her mother. She and her husband have two sons and live on an acreage north of Ames, IA.

2014 Healthy Farms Conference Breakout Sessions V

Register here, https://healthyfarmsconference2014.eventbrite.com

Breakout Sessions

Saturday, February 15th. 11:0am. 

Hugelkultur. Ross Brockley

Is Hugelkultur just burying wood and stuff in the ground and planting something on top of it? Yes! Join Lincoln area vegetable grower and stand-up comedian Ross Brockley while he shares his experience with this growing technique.

About Ross: Ross Brockley and his wife operate Farmacueticals, a CSA and have been growing vegetables for 12 years. 

Whole Food Systems as a Tool for Rural Economic Development. Harold Stone

Over the past 3 years, Stones Thoreau – Farm to Market, Inc. has worked to develop diverse food based opportunities in the communities surrounding Davenport, NE. These enterprises optimize rural market niches while remaining nimble to capitalize on new prospects for business development.

About Harold: Dr. Harold L. Stone, owner of Stones Thoreau – Farm to Market, Inc. and South Maple Street Farmers Market and Commercial Kitchen is implementing food-based strategies to restore vitality to rural communities.  His primary focus is to create a replicable whole food system that will serve as an economic engine for development in rural food deserts. For over 30 years Dr. Stone, has been a professor of Regional Planning, a Cooperative Extension Associate in Soil and Crop Science at Texas A&M University, and supervised the preservation of historic structures in Washington, DC for the National Park Service.

Telling Our Farm and Ranch Stories. Twyla Hansen

Everyone has a story to tell about their life on the land. In this session we will explore ways to start writing your own stories of what really happens out there, using a process of guided exercises. Beginner-friendly and interactive; bring your own writing tools.

About Twyla: Twyla Hansen is co-author of four organic farming NebGuides, and has published articles on sustainable agriculture and six books of poetry, winning the Nebraska Book Award in 2012 and 2004. She is a creative writer presenter in schools and libraries through Humanities Nebraska. Her BS (Horticulture) and MAg (Agroecology) are from UNL. Twyla grew up in Burt County on land her grandparents farmed as immigrants from Denmark in the late 1800s. She works and lives in Lincoln, where her wild acre earned the Mayor’s Landscape Conservation Award in 1994.

2014 Healthy Farms Conference Breakout Sessions IV

Register here, https://healthyfarmsconference2014.eventbrite.com

Breakout Sessions

Saturday, February 15th. 9:30am. 

Identification and Management of Flies Associated with Livestock. Kristina Friesen

The four common ‘filth flies’ associated with livestock are horn flies, stable flies, face flies, and house flies.  Because the behavioral ecology and economic impact of each fly is unique, livestock producers must be able to implement a management plan tailored to their system.  During this presentation, the identification, behavior, impact, and management of each fly will be discussed.  

About Kristina: Kristina Friesen is a medical and livestock entomologist working with the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service.  I received my degrees in microbiology, entomology, and animal science from Montana State University.  For my graduate studies I investigated the transmission of West Nile virus in a colony of American white pelicans, then stable fly development and behavior.  After graduating from MSU, I was hired by the ARS to focus on stable fly development and management.

Lone Tree Foods. Lori Tatreau

LTF is a groundbreaking network of local food producers in western Iowa & eastern Nebraska, dedicated to safe, sustainable, & humane production practices. As producers expand into new markets, LTF provides the necessary training, marketing, technical assistance and mentoring. This innovative alliance of non-profits, community colleges, restaurants and trainers work to build the capacity of our producer members. Lone Tree Foods creates systems that support increased access to locally grown and raised foods for professional food buyers. By linking resources in Iowa and Nebraska, we are bridging urban and rural communities to build a united, community-based food system. Lone Tree Foods is a group of famers producing local food and selling into the Omaha, Lincoln, Council Bluffs areas to wholesale buyers such as restaurants and stores. We work together to establish quality and delivery standards, purchase supplies, crop plan, and educate ourselves. We are working toward a full local food aggregation and distribution system and possible food hub. If you would like to learn more about our group, how to participate, and our plans for the future and general insight into the local food system and wholesale sales, please join me for this interactive presentation.

About Lori: Lori Tatreau is a passionate local food advocate working to rebuild a sustainable local food supply. She has been a local food buyer for a small health food grocer, a bouquet maker at the Omaha Farmer’s Market, an organic farm apprentice, Local Forager for the Midwest Region of Whole Foods Market, organizer of a local food dinner for 500, and George Paul Vinegar sales associate. In addition to managing the Midweek Market at Midtown Crossing, she is currently manager of Lone Tree Foods, a local food producers network for farmers ready to scale up to wholesale sales. She is also President of the Douglas County chapter of the Nebraska Farmers Union, and member of the Marketplace Committee of the Nebraska Agriculture Council, a project of the Humane Society of the United States. In 2012 Lori was hostess and organizer of the monthly Hootenanny series at the Waiting Room in Benson which raised money for local food and farm projects. She is an Omaha native with an MFA in Painting from Hunter College in New York and hopes to retire to a bison ranch in the Sandhills someday.

CSA 102- How two beginner farmers started a CSA program from scratch.  26^th Street Farm.

Hannah Keen and Will Boal, farmers at 26th Street Farm (a two acre CSA farm in Hastings, NE), will present on how they successfully started a CSA program in a smaller community, and the lessons learned after two years of being a beginner farmer. If you are interested in starting a CSA, this will be a good choice for you.  We also would like to encourage an open dialogue with other CSA farmers, so please attend and share your stories.

About Hannah & Will:

Hannah Keen is a Nebraska native who's farming interests come from growing up with a family that always had a kitchen garden.  After moving to the Pacific Northwest for a farming internship, she met Will Boal.  Due to their acess of Land in Nebraska, they moved back and together they are beginning their third year farming two acres in Hastings, Nebraska.

Will Boal is an Oregon native who grew up in the city, but during college realized his interest in farming and ending up embarking on a variety of farm internsips before ending up on a vegetable farm in Washington State where he met Hannah Keen.  2014 will be the third year of farming at 26th Street Farm in Hastings, Nebraska.

2014 Healthy Farms Conference, Youth Programming

"Healthy Farms, Healthy Kids Nebraska!"

February 14th & 15th. Kearney. 

Register here, https://healthyfarmsconference2014.eventbrite.com

Friday – February 14, 2014

10:00 am – 11:30 am

Movement for Little Farmers (Kids/Family Class)

Leader: Chelsea Taxman

This playful, nature-inspired movement class is designed for the young at heart.  Chelsea will lead the class through a variety of movements, imagery activities, group exercises and laughter.  While the class is designed for children, family members are encouraged to join in on the fun and take a load off.

A native to Omaha, aspiring herbalist, permaculturist and home gardener, Chelsea Taxman is also the Education Coordinator for Truck Farm, an urban agriculture education program.   She travels to Omaha Public Schools offering education to youth about where our food comes from today.  Chelsea incorporates lessons of healthy eating, movement and sustainability into the Truck Farm curriculum. She is a Registered Yoga Teacher in the Omaha area and cofounder of Black Iris Botanicals, a wild-crafted a locally sourced herbal beauty product line.

11:30 am – 12:00 pm

Fulton Family Farm Projects – Youth

Cami Fulton - Anatolian shepherd dog

Colleen - Fulton Missouri Fox Trotter

Timothy Fulton – Hereford Cattle

Fulton kids will talk about their organic family ranch and how their livestock play a role in their diversified operation.

1:00 pm – 2:30 pm

Have Fun Making Cornhusk Farm Animals

Leader: Jean Roberts, Cornhusk Creations

 

Jean Roberts of Axtell, NE was born north-west of Axtell 81 years ago.  She and her twin sister, Joan Johnson, often helped their dad pick corn by hand when they were children.  Her husband, Robert Roberts, is a contractor and has built over 100 houses.  They have 7 children and 9 grandchildren.

Shortly after they were married in 1954, Jean read an article in a magazine that featured “Cornhusk Dolls”.  She has since made hundreds of dolls, given close to a hundred demonstrations and has dolls in 23 foreign countries.  The highlight of her hobby was being selected to represent Nebraska for 5 days for the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D. C. at a celebration for the 1976 Bicentennial of our constitution.  And she is still making “Cornhusk Creations”.

2:45pm – 4:30 pm

How and Why to Start a Local Plant Nursery

Leader: Bob Henrickson, Horticulture Program Coordinator, Nebraska Statewide Arboretum, Inc.

Kids will receive information to create a native plant nursery using the latest growing techniques that produces a plant with a quality root system. Learn about basic growing practices and practical tips for trees, shrubs, native wildflowers and prairie grasses to make your property more bird and pollinator friendly while also saving time and money with lower maintenance and water use. Discover some simple marketing ideas for selling your product.

Bob Henrickson is the Horticulture Program Coordinator with the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum, Inc. a private, non-profit organization and program of the Nebraska Forest Service. His responsibilities include assisting affiliated arboretum sites with plant collection and to acquire, propagate and produce native and exotic plants for plant development and sales. Bob co-hosts a gardening talk show on a community radio station in Lincoln. He is passionate about native plants that benefit wildlife and reflect a sense of place here on the Plains.   

Saturday – February 15, 2014

9:30 am to 11:30 am

Organic Gardening, Birdhouses and More

Leader: Tom Tomas

Kids will learn to “Feed the soil rather than the plant,” Tom will bring soil and compost and talk about the different properties and how to use them.  Kids will decorate gourds for birdhouses and learn to construct a teepee structure for pole beans.

Tom Tomas is a long-time organic gardener and friend of sustainable agriculture.  Tom has local knowledge in tree grafting, seed saving and is a home plant breeder.  He describes himself as a former farmer with extensive training and experience in horticulture and organic agriculture.  He earned a degree in Horticulture and taught at Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture at Curtis for six years. He went on to obtain a PhD from Cornell and has worked for the Nebraska Sustainable Agriculture Society and with organic certification.

1:30 pm to 3:00 pm

Tell Your Farm’s Story

Leader: Twyla Hansen

Kids will learn to write stories about their farm favorite building, field, animal or person that they have learned from or have spent time with. We will have fun exploring the many possibilities of story-telling.

Twyla Hansen is Nebraska's State Poet. She is co-author of four organic farming NebGuides, and has published articles on sustainable agriculture and six books of poetry, winning the Nebraska Book Award in 2012 and 2004. She is a creative writer presenter in schools and libraries through Humanities Nebraska. Her BS (Horticulture) and MAg (Agroecology) are from UNL. Twyla grew up in Burt County on land her grandparents farmed as immigrants from Denmark in the late 1800s. She works and lives in Lincoln, where her wild acre earned the Mayor’s Landscape Conservation Award in 1994.

3:15 pm – 4:30 pm

Shoo, fly! Don’t Bother Me!

Leader: Kristina Friesen, Research Entomologist, USDA’s Agricultural Research Service.

This interactive session will begin to equip our future farmers with the ability to identify filth flies as well as learn the basics of their life cycles.  Kids will learn to identify eggs, larvae, pupae, and adults of stable flies and house flies and go over the fly life cycle with them.  They will learn where the flies are problems on the farm and what can be done to manage flies.

Kristina Friesen is a medical and livestock entomologist working with the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service.  She received degrees in microbiology, entomology, and animal science from Montana State University.  For her graduate studies she investigated the transmission of West Nile virus in a colony of American white pelicans, then stable fly development and behavior.  After graduating from MSU, she was hired by the ARS to focus on stable fly development and management.

Weekly Events & Opportunities in Sustainable Farming & Foods

Food Safety in Organic Poultry Webinar

February 4. Online. Join eOrganic for a webinar on Food Safety in Organic Poultry Production by Irene Hanning-Jarquin and Sandra Diaz Lopez. The webinar will cover basic microbiology with respect to poultry production with a focus on foodborne pathogens. Pre-harvest, processing, and post-harvest intervention methods will be discussed. The objective is for the intended audience to gain familiarity with the aspects of food safety and an understanding of approaches that can be used as intervention practices. The webinar is free and open to the public. Advance registration is required. http://www.extension.org/pages/70273/

Insights from an Organic Certifier

February 4. Online. The NRCS East National Technology Support Center is launching its 2014 series of webinars on organic and sustainable agriculture with this free webinar. http://www.conservationwebinars.net/documents/planned-conservation-webinars

Niche Meat Processor Assistance Network Webinar: Cooperative Interstate Shipment

February 4. Online. This Niche Meat Processor Assistance Network webinar is presented in collaboration with USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service. Ohio and Wisconsin were the first two states to qualify for the new Cooperative Interstate Shipment Program, which allows state-inspected meats from qualifying plants to be shipped across state lines. On this webinar, state inspection program directors and plant operators from both Ohio and Wisconsin will tell us why their states signed up and how it's working out so far for the plants who are participating. The agencies will also describe the process they went through to qualify. An official from USDA-FSIS will provide background on the CIS program. http://www.extension.org/pages/70151/

2014 Western Tree Care Workshops

North Platte. 

 Tuesday, February 4th. 

 

8:30 am-3:30 pm. 

Developed specifically for public works employees, green industry professionals, and landscape enthusiasts, these full-day workshops cover emerging issues in tree and landscape care. 

 

Location, 

North Platte NRD Conference Room, 

100547 Airport Rd, 

Scottsbluff NE, C

ontact, 

Amy Seiler, 

308-632-2749, 

 

aseiler2@unl.edu

Marketing for Profit: Tools for Success

February 4 or 5. Online. The Farmers' Market Federation of New York is offering a series of marketing webinars for direct marketing farmers. Each webinar is offered twice. This session is called "Drudgery that Pays Well! Maintaining Databases and Information," with Laura Biasillo, Ag Development Specialist, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Broome County. http://www.nyfarmersmarket.com/work-shop-programs/webinars/registration.html

Harvesting Clean Energy

February 4-6. Helena, Montana. The 2014 Harvesting Clean Energy will draw participants from a diverse range of fields - from farmers, ranchers, and other rural land owners, to agriculture and forest-based businesses and organizations, facility managers and food processors, to rural utilities, lenders, economic development leaders and elected officials, and representatives of local, state, federal and tribal agencies and clean energy firms, consultants, and supporters. Hear from leading experts and practitioners about the steps to successful clean energy projects that can help you cut costs and diversify revenue for your business or facility operations—be it on the farm, in the forest or in the city. Learn how you can improve efficiencies and produce clean energy, feedstocks, and co-products for yourself and for market. The renewable energy opportunities addressed include biofuels, woody biomass, microhydro, geothermal, solar, wind and combined heat and power. http://harvestcleanenergy.org/events/conference.html

Consider Food Safety Requirements for GMOs Before Starting Development

Wednesday, February 5th. 

4:00 pm-5:00 pm. 

Presented by Dr. Richard Goodman, UNL Internal Speaker. 

 A reception will be held at 3:30 p.m. The event is open to the public. 

Additional Public Info: Open to the public. 

http://biotech.unl.edu/. Beadle Center, 

 

1901 Vine Street, Lincoln. 

Spring 2014 Biotechnology/Life Sciences Seminar Series (link)

Getting Started With Organic Vegetable Pest Control Webinar

February 5. Online. This evening webinar is part of the ongoing 2014 Beginning Farmer Webinar Series from Michigan State University Extension.http://msue.anr.msu.edu/news/dependable_information_for_beginning_farmers_where_can_it_be_found

Small Farms Winter Webinar Series: Organic Pest Management: Insects

February 6. Online. The University of Illinois Extension presents a weekly educational series for the small farm community, providing practical knowledge on emerging topics which advance local food production in Illinois. Webinars are held from 1:00 - 2:30 pm on Thursdays and are free. This session is presented by Rick Weinzierl, University of Illinois Extension Specialist, Entomology, Department of Crop Sciences. https://webs.extension.uiuc.edu/registration/?RegistrationID=8854

"925,000 Campsites: The Commodification of an American Experience"

Friday, February 7th. 4:30 pm. In conjunction with his exhibit at the College of Architecture, Martin Hogue, William Munsey Kennedy Jr. fellow at the State University of New York's Department of Landscape Architecture, will give a lecture on this and other research projects. A reception will follow immediately in the College of Architecture, 10th and R Streets. Using author-produced maps and diagrams, as well as a collection of archival materials, the exhibit examines how this cultural ideal of rugged American character came to be appropriated and transformed into widely replicated templates and generic spatial protocols. Location:  Room: Reception following at College of Architecture. Mary Riepma Ross Media Arts Center

"The Maximilian-Bodmer Expedition"

Friday, February 7th. 

5:00 pm-7:00 pm. 

Karl Bodmer's vivid reflection of the landscapes, wildlife, frontier settlements, and American Indian peoples that he and Prince Maximilian of Wied encountered during their expedition of 2,500 miles along the upper Missouri River in 1832-1834. The exhibit is equipped with a mobile phone tour enabling visitors to learn about the expedition while they view the artwork. 

 

Free Admission. 

Location: 

Great Plains Art Museum, 

 

1155 Q St., Hewit Place,

All Bugs Good and Bad Webinar Series: If Flowers are Restaurants to Bees, Then What Are Bees to Flowers?

February, 7th. 1pm Central. Learn how bees help flowers and therefore help feed the world.  Find out what you can do to help encourage these valuable pollinators.  This webinar will be presented by Dr. John Skinner, a Professor in the Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology at the University of Tennessee.  Moderated by Danielle Carroll, Regional Extension Agent, Alabama Cooperative Extension System. Click here to login as a guest and participate in the live event. For more webinars in this series, see All Bugs Good and Bad 2014 Webinar Series.  The  webinars are brought to you by the following eXtension Communities of Practice: Imported Fire Ants, Urban IPM, Bee Health, Invasive Species and Gardens and Landscapes; and by the Alabama Cooperative Extension System. http://connect.extension.iastate.edu/fireant

A visit to Mosaicultures Internationales Montreal: The Giants of the Horticultural Arts

Friday, February 7th. 3:30 pm-5:00 pm. Seminar presented by Ellen Paparozzi, professor, UNL Agronomy & Horticulture. Department of Agronomy & Horticulture Seminar. Keim Hall on UNL's East Campus in Lincoln. 

Horsin Around 2014 

Featuring Tommy Sheets from New Albany, Indiana. Saturday, February 8th. In its 22nd year, UNL’s Horsin Around continues to treat the Midwest horse industry with some of the country’s elite trainers that are rarely available in the area. The 2014 edition of Horsin Around will be another rare opportunity to learn from one of the best coaches of youth and amateurs as Tommy Sheets, from New Albany, Indiana will be the feature trainer. Please visit the site below for more information: http://animalscience.unl.edu/web/anisci/anscextensionequinehorsinaround

Your Path from Farm to Fork: Choosing Humanely & Sustainably-Raised Foods

February 8th. Omaha. A seminar for consumers seeking alternatives to factory farmed food. Doors open at 10:00AM, presentations start at 10:30AM. A locally-sourced, gourmet buffet lunch will be provided! Fort Omaha Campus, Swanson Conference Center, Bldg 22. MCC Institute for the Culinary Arts (Campus entrance at 32nd & Sorensen Pkwy) . $25.00. Presentation topics include: the costs associated with buying humanely-raised food; why local farmers employ high animal welfare standards to provide sustainable food for Nebraska families; and what methods are easiest for making purchases of these products. Special guest speakers include: Chef Clayton Chapman, Owner of The Grey Plume—discussing humane options for dining out and what products will be offered at the grand opening of The Grey Plume Provisions, a retail complement to Chapman’s award-winning restaurant. Chef Brian O’Malley, Faculty Member, MCC Institute for the Culinary Arts—offering insight into how local chefs support eating with a conscience. Space is limited, RSVP is required! Contact jnickerson@humanesociety.org with any questions.

Low Stress Cattle Handling Workshop

February 8th. This workshop, part of the Amazing Grazing Series of Educational Events, will be offered February 8, 2014 at Ramada Hotel & Conference Center, 1616 W. Crawford St. in Salina, KS. 785-823-1791. Dr Lynn Locatelli of Cattlexpressions is a student of renowned animal handling expert Bud Williams. Dr Lynn began her veterinary career in Benkelman, Nebraska after graduating from UC Davis, and has 19 years of experience in both large animal veterinary practice and consultation. She educates many by private consultation and as a national and international speaker at veterinary seminars and cattleman’s conferences. She resides in Watrous, New Mexico. Everyone has a little different opinion about what low stress animal handling means. Plan to attend this Low Stress Cattle Handling session to learn cattle handling techniques that will improve cattle health, well being, performance, handler safety and profitability in your operation. Registration for the day is $25.00 and can be done by going to kansasgraziers.blogspot.com. You can register online or download a registration form and mail it to the address given. For questions or folks with no email to register: Call Mary Howell at 785-562-8726.

Nebraska Hop Growers Meeting

12pm. February 8th. Infusion Brewery, Omaha. https://www.facebook.com/events/1487033851522952/

Opportunities

Sourcing items for the NSAS conference menu

Hello NSAS Farmer Friends, Hopefully this finds you all well.  We are getting close to the annual conference again!!  It's always such a nice time to catch up with old friends, learn something new, and enjoy some food that is sourced from our local food growers.   We are working to finalize the menu for the conference and would request that you check your stores and see what you could contribute (sell, discount or donate) for the three meals we put on.  Consider:  root crops, other veg you may have stored, apples, nuts, cheese, meat, eggs, flour, ??? No Item may be to small to be considered.  Garnishes, break items... Please see what you could offer and reply to  jgarvey4@mccneb.edu.   Our conference meals are always the best of any conference!  Help make it happen again!!

Land for Rent

For immediate rent--101 acres, 12 way cover crops for livestock grazing--2' tall--at Douglas, NE. Contact Mike at 402.314.1571, mcdonald1.mike@gmail.com 

Veggie Producers

I have accepted a research gig (volunteer) to come up with a list of ag producers (not grain) who are selling produce and/or animal products into the Lincoln and/or Omaha markets, or have the capability and interest to do so. If you are such a person, please contact me off-list at the email address below and provide me with: Name, address, email address, and a very brief description of what you grow/raise.  Example below: Gene Gage, Heartland Organics, Martell,gene@heartlandorganics.net, sustainably grown veg and herbs. I will compile the list, organize it as best I can, and give it to the Lincoln Foodshed Working Group, a volunteer, non-profit group of Lincoln foodies. But I have to acknowledge that I have not a clue about what they intend to do with it.

Seeking Land for Veggie Production

Hello everyone. I am sending this out to begin the search for land for our farm, Cook Grow Sew, to continue our Vegetable production and possibly begin the expansion into raising animals. We have been renting a small plot of land (1 acre) for the last 2 years in Northeast Lincoln from Sunwest farms, and this year might be our last. We currently live in that part of Lincoln so it has been an ideal situation when it comes to managing the daily commute, but we are open to options. Ideally we would like to find a place we can be on for a longer period of time, as building soil is a time consuming and dedicated process. I have talked to a couple of folks and gotten some leads, but so far nothing has panned out.  We really appreciate any information that could help us to continue to grow local food for our community. Thanks, Jeremiah Picard, Cookgrowsew.com, 402.570.3746

Custom Grazing/Finishing Available

Hope this finds everyone well. We've been blessed with the opportunity to lease some additional ground and are looking to take in some cattle in 2014. We can take them in at anytime. We have  turnips, organic cornstalks, creek/timber ground and hay that are available now until the growing season. From there, we will have warm season pastures and annual forages for grazing/finishing. Depending on timing and a few other factors, we can take in, up to, an additional 30-60 AU's. Since we are building our herd, we will consider cash or cows as payment. Please feel free to call me on my cell if you'd like to discuss further, 402-309-4088. Thank You, Jon

Looking for Equipment

Anyone have a single row transplanter for sale or rent, suitable for bare rooted raspberrries? Mike @ mdl1356@gmail.com

Upcoming

2014 Healthy Farms Conference

February 14th & 15th. Kearney.  Deadline to reserve lodging is quickly approaching. $89.95/night good for single/ double/ triple/quadruple occupancy. To reserve a room call, 308.237.4400 and reserve a room under The Healthy Farms Conference reservations.  We have numerous opportunities  to participate including young and beginning farmer rates, family packages, and member discounts. To register for the conference please visit, http://www.eventbrite.com/e/2014-healthy-farms-conference-tickets-8213056473