Weekly Events & Opportunities in Sustainable Farming & Foods!

Farmers Night Out! Visits Axtell!

August 21st. Join Roberts Seed for a Farmers Night Out! this Friday in Axtell. We'll tour their facility and we'll also get to tour their neighbor, Thunderhead Brewing's facility. Roberts Seed is a specialty grain and grain related products company located in the heart of the USA, Nebraska. We supply certified organic and non-GMO grain and grain related products for food, seed and feed markets. Thunderhead Brewing has been brewing Ales and Lagers in Central Nebraska Since 1999. https://www.facebook.com/events/1610626299200424/

Local Food and Sustainable Ag Tour

August 18th. The Nebraska SARE Program is sponsoring a tour that focuses on local food production and sustainability.  We have plenty of room available and are  opening this tour up to the public.  This will be an opportunity to learn more about local food production, sustainability and entrepreneurship in Nebraska.  Master Gardeners and anyone interested in learning about these issues are also welcome to participate in this tour. This tour is of 5 farms/sites where you will have an opportunity to see diverse farming operations.  The tour will leave Lincoln from the large parking lot at 56th & Highway 2 (north of CVS) in the southeast part of Lincoln.  The tour is scheduled for Tuesday, August 18th and we will be leaving the parking lot at 8:30 a.m.  and traveling in an air-conditioned bus.  Our first stop on the tour is Jones Produce, which is located southwest of Lincoln, near Crete.  The cost of the tour which includes transportation and lunch is $25.00. You can also apply for a SARE Travel Scholarship to pay for this registration cost and travel to the pickup site in Lincoln.   Register by calling our office at (402) 274-4755 or emailing me at glesoing2@unl.edu.    

Neely-Kinyon Organic Ag Field Day

August 18. Greenfield, Iowa. Organic agriculture specialist Kathleen Delate and Cynthia Cambardella (USDA-ARS) will present results of research underway at Neely-Kinyon Memorial Research and Demonstration Farm, including the farm's Long Term Agroecologcial Research (LTAR) study, organic no-till for vegetable production, and the new Integrating Livestock in Organic Cropping Systems NIFA project. http://www.leopold.iastate.edu/news/calendar/2015-08-18/neely-kinyon-organic-ag-field-day

“Feeding Our Feathered Friends” Webinar - Citizen Science intro

Wednesday, August 19 at 12:00 pm CDT. From the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, a chance to learn about bird watching and an intro to their citizen science projects. Feeding birds can spark kids’ curiosity, interest in the outdoors and engagement with science! In this webinar, you’ll find out how you  and the youth you work with can: Make your own feeders and create a bird garden; Decide where and when to hang your feeders in order to attract a variety of birds; Learn to identify birds and participate in our citizen science projects. http://www.birdsleuth.org/events/category/webinar/

Ask Me Anything Session – Social Media

Thursday, August 20 at 3:00 pm CDT. Join Victor Villegas (aka DroneSinger) for an AMA session on social media. This will not be a presentation but rather an open forum to ask questions about anything social media - strategy, tactics, tips... if you have a question, Victor will try to answer it. Victor is the Technology & Media Support Coordinator for Oregon State University Extension, chairs the ACE IT SIG and enjoys helping people learn how to use technology to improve their work and lives. Victor's social media claim to fame is via his online persona - DroneSinger, the world's #1 creator of drone songs. He creates funny parody songs to educate and bring attention to drone issues and culture while encouraging safe and responsible flying. http://oregonstate.adobeconnect.com/ace/

NGFN Webinar: One-Page Cost-Benefit Analysis Tool

August 20. Online. The National Good Food Network offers an opportunity to learn about the One-Page Cost-Benefit Analysis Tool in this webinar. Recently created by Farm Credit, this tool is designed to make your difficult purchasing (or other financial) decisions a little easier. Join this one-hour webinar at 1:30 PM MDT to learn how this powerfully simple tool can help your business today, or how you can use this tool to assist the farms and other business owners you work with. https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/7547274677638746369

Role of Mycorrhizal Fungi in Soil Health

August 21. Salina, Kansas. This Amazing Grazing event features Larry Simpson of Mycorrhizal Applications and a tour of The Land Institute with Wes Jackson. Reestablishing a mycorrhizal fungal element to crops as well as understanding the role of mycorrhizal fungi in soil and plant health will be the focus of the full-day workshop. http://www.kansasfarmersunion.com/events/amazing-grazing-events/

Agronomic and Environmental Uses of Biochar - Part 2

Friday, August 21 at 1:30 pm CDT. Biochar is a charcoal-like material generated during the pyrolysis of biomass. The high carbon (C) content of biochar and its recalcitrant nature has led to much interest in using biochar to sequester C from the atmosphere by incorporating it into soils. Additional benefits to incorporating biochar into soils include reduction of emissions of greenhouse gases; improving soil physical and chemical properties; increased water retention; increased crop yields; and increased soil retention of nutrients, heavy metals, pesticides, and microbial pathogens. In this 2-part webcast, we will provide a general overview of the history of biochar use, how biochar is produced, and give examples of how biochar is being used for agronomic and environmental purposes.http://connect.extension.iastate.edu/lpelc

Cover Crop Bus Tour

August 22. Salina, Kansas. An all-day bus excursion will highlight the benefits of using cover crops, with tours of a Star Seed test plot and four farms using cover crops. This event is part of the Amazing Grazing summer 2015 series. http://www.kansasfarmersunion.com/events/amazing-grazing-events/

Farm Tour: Crimping, Flaming and Integrating Livestock in Sustainable Cropping Systems

August 22. The farm tour will start at 1:30 p.m. at Larry Stanislav's farm two miles north of Abie. Farmers will learn about increasing soil health by incorporating cultural practices using a crimper and flamer to manage weeds and reduce tillage. At 3 pm Liz Sarno will talk about her grass­finish Devon Beef cattle operation and review pasture management, intetgrating cattle into the cropping system, solar­electric fencing and the Nebraska made “Safety Zone Calf Catcher”; which allows one person to process calves safely. Final stop at 4 pm participants will tour Randy Fendrich's farm. Fendrich has demonstration plots of organic corn varieties that he is evaluating for yield. At 6 pm a free evening meal will be served by Fendrich family; call Wendy 402­584­3837 to reserve your meal and allow the family to plan enough food for the evening. This is a great opportunity for farmers to discuss sustainable farming practices, cover crops, reduction of tillage and manage weeds with a roller crimper and flamer and integrating cattle into your cropping system. For more information contact Liz @ organicu2@windstream.net.

Opportunities

Bull for Sale

Summary info and pics here on Craigslist link:  http://omaha.craigslist.org/grd/5132152665.html. Happy to provide additional information – call or email offline. Bloodlines are known: Dam:  Radiance Dairy (Francis Thicke), Fairfield IA. Sire: Holt Creek Jerseys (Ben Gotschall). Randy Wattermann, Wattermann Family Enterprises, Inc. wattermann@skyww.net, 402-372-5005

Pastured Feeder Pigs for Sale

Eleven pastured feeder pigs. 5 male, 6 Female. Unaltered. These pigs are two-three months old and between 40-50 lbs. They have been born and raised on pasture. They are weaned. We supplement the pasture with brewers grains from two local breweries and with expired produce from Whole Foods. Pigs located in Fort Calhoun. bgodfrey@oppd.com.  See more at: http://www.bestfarmbuys.com/classifieds/detail.php?classified_id=190339&category=Hogs#sthash.2Thc4BcL.dpufhttp://www.bestfarmbuys.com/classifieds/detail.php?classified_id=190339&category=Hogs#sthash.2Thc4BcL.dpuf

OneCert Inc is hiring

OneCert Inc.is an Accredited Organic Certification Agency based in Lincoln, Nebraska. We have an open position for a full-time Administrative Specialist. Inquiries can be sent to jobs@onecert.com. Thanks! Margaret Milligan, Certification Specialist, OneCert Inc. (402) 420-6080, Email: margaret@onecert.com

Soybeans

I'm looking to buy conventional soybeans with out Herbicides pesticides spray.   Rich, richvernon7@yahoo.com

Organic Prairie Hay

We currently have 75 tons in big round bales and should have another 75 tons ready next week. With an additional 50 tons ready in the next 45 days. They are located near Fairbury and the price is $115/ton.  We might get a second cutting on some of that. If you buy the first cutting, you'll get first shot at the second cutting. I'd like to market nationally as well. If you know of someone who can help me, please let me know. 402-309-4088. Thank you, Jon. 402-309-4088, 

jkyoachim@gmail.com

Dual Purpose, Grass-fed Shorthorn/Devon Herd for sale

We're looking to sell some/all of our wonderful Shorthorn/Devon herd. They have not been given any antibiotics, hormones, vaccinations or grain in the 4+ years we have owned them. We do not baby these cows and they do very well. They are dual purpose. Which means they work very well in our grass-fed beef operation but they also produce a lot of milk. I was told that the older cows had been milked at least once by the previous owners but we haven't actually milked any. We're more interested in developing our beef herd so some of the younger ones will have more of a beef influence.  We have 15 cows/heifers total that are available. Two of those have a strong Longhorn influence, though. About half are going to be in the 7-9 year old range. From there it goes to 5 year-olds and on down. We've been culling about 2-3 cows a year and adding 2-3 replacement heifers. We can be flexible on the timing. They are almost done calving so you can buy them as pairs or we can wait until the calves can be weaned and the cows are re-bred. My intent is to base the pricing on the Huss Livestock Market in Kearney. Ultimately, the pricing will depend on how many you want and how/when you want them (bred cows or pairs). The cattle are located in south-central/eastern Nebraska, in Thayer County, near Reynolds. Delivery is possible. Jon Yoachim, 402-309-4088, jkyoachim@gmail.com

Farm Family Placement Opportunity

'We are a family of four (with two kids), we are looking for any possibility that can lead us to live in the country (no more than one hour and a half driving from the farm to the city of Lincoln). We are specially looking for a farm/ house with a piece of land that is organic oriented .  Please do not hesitate to contact us for any queries (Cell phone; 402-4059195). rllasaca@gmail.com. Thanks. Troy Van Horn".

For Sale by Owner

Tekamah. (40+/- Acre farm with house & buildings). 

We have decided that we must downsize and are going to sell the farm. Please share with anyone you may know who is 

interested.  Northwest of Tekamah, Nebraska. Includes 5 

bedroom/3.5 bath raised ranch with walk-out basement house, Has two kitchens, oversized shower and whirlpool tub in 

master bath, plus walk-in closet. Property has been farmed organically for over 9 years, includes Morton machine shed, 

Butler livestock building and other small buildings. This farm has been ran to be self sufficient for several years. Farm 

does have underground wiring and a battery shed for solar power, solar panels do not go with farm, but all the 

underground wiring and permanent solar infrastructure stays. 

Call Rebecka Fleischman at 402-687-4149 for more information. 

More pictures available upon request. Schedule your tour today.

Looking for Mentorship in Shelton/Grand Island/Kearney Area.

My family and I are returning to Shelton, NE in order to re-establish her family's farm. It is 160 acres but hasn't been used in nearly 30 years. We are going to be establishing a Joel Salatin Polyface Farm type farm. Where we will raise a multi specie critical and threatened heritage breed livestock as determined by the Livestock Conservancy Organization. All livestock will be pastured raised. We are also going to establish seasonal vegetable gardens. Looking for mentorship opportunities in the Shelton/Grand Island/Kearney area that would be willing to help us learn the does and don'ts of pasture based all natural farming. Michael Peña, Michael.A.Pena@uscg.mil

Whole-Farm Revenue Protection Survey 

The National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT) is working with the Rural Advancement Foundation International-USA (RAFI) to better understand experiences with crop insurance and with a new crop insurance product called Whole-Farm Revenue Protection. Whole-Farm Revenue Protection is a pilot crop insurance policy available for the 2015 crop insurance year. The policy provides crop insurance coverage based on a farm’s 5-year revenue history, and it enables a farm to insure more than one crop with one policy. The link to the survey is https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/rafiwfrpsurvey. Questions about this survey can be directed to James Robinson at 919-542-1396 ext. 209 or james@rafiusa.org.

Upcoming

Environmental Benefits of Organic Agriculture: Soil

August 27. Online. This one-hour webinar is presented by USDA NRCS Science and Technology. It is the third in a four-part series exploring the environmental benefits of organic agriculture. This session will present scientific research examining the benefits of organic farming practices to soil. The webinar begins at 1 pm Eastern. http://www.conservationwebinars.net/webinars/environmental-benefits-of-organic-agriculture-soil

Putting the "Culture" in AgriCulture

August 29. Harlan, Iowa. This Practical Farmers of Iowa field day at Rosmann Family Farms and Farm Sweet Farm will focus on whole-farm organic production, marketing and integrating into local food systems. In the morning, highlights include the Rosmanns' farrow-to-finish swine operation and Maria's retail store. During lunch, help celebrate Practical Farmers of Iowa's 30th anniversary, which will include special guest speakers. Following lunch, the discussion will include organic crop rotations, grazing and the other livestock enterprises. To conclude, Ellen and Daniel will speak about their new restaurant and their local foods delivery service. https://www.facebook.com/TFTRVA

Weekly Events & Opportunities in Sustainable Farming & Foods

Hosting Safe, Legally Secure Farm Events

January 5, 2015. Online. Make sure your farm isn’t left with the short end of the stick after a good-intentioned event goes bad. From zoning compliance to guest injuries and serving prepared food, this Farm Commons webinar will work through a checklist of things a farm should address before hosting an event. http://farmcommons.org/hosting-safe-legally-secure-farm-events-0

Farm Commons Webinar: Adding Value Without Adding Legal Liability to Farm Products

January 6. Online. Although starting a processing operation, improving packaging, and developing new products are great ways to make the farm more profitable, these activities have a huge legal impact, says this Farm Commons webinar. Employment laws, liability potential, state/federal regulations, and tax factors all change when a farm begins to process product. Farms relying on cottage food laws should make sure to attend- this webinar will talk about what these laws do not do to protect farms.http://www.farmcommons.org/adding-value-without-adding-legal-liability-farm-products

Health problems with the digestive system of poultry

Tuesday, January 6 at 1:00 pm. As the first in a four part webinar series on poultry health, Dr. Frame will start this webinar with an introduction to chicken health programs. The remainder of the webinar with discuss problems with the digestive system. The digestive system of poultry is exposed to a variety of pathogens on a daily basis. Dr. Frame will be discussing how some of these digestive-related diseases are manifested in poultry. https://connect.extension.iastate.edu/poultry

Building the Capacity of Small Meat Processors:

January 7. The Niche Meat Processor Assistance Network presents this free one-hour webinar at 10am PST / 1pm EST. NC Choices, an initiative of the Center for Environmental Farming Systems at North Carolina State University, spent two years working with a set of small processors in North Carolina, providing a range of technical assistance and support. On this webinar, NC Choices and three processors who participated in the project will tell us how they did it, what they accomplished, and why it matters. To attend: Go to https://connect.extension.iastate.edu/nichemeat 5-10 minutes before start time and log in as a guest.

Great Plains Growers Conference

January 8-10. St. Joseph, Missouri. This three-day conference for beginning and experienced growers features presentations by knowledgeable speakers from throughout the nation. The conference showcases educational information from all five states: Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and South Dakota, along with vegetable specialists and growers from those states. There is also a trade show with more than 50 exhibitors. http://www.greatplainsgrowersconference.org/

Organic Production Round Table Discussion

January 10th @ 1:30pm. Learn More about Organic Agriculture and Marketing: If you want to learn more about organic farming, here is the opportunity where you will get farmer to farmer answers and information. A panel of certified organic Nebraska farmers and grain elevators managers will answer questions about the following topics. The event is free and open to the public.  No registration is needed, refreshments will be provided.  Location: Columbus Community College, Columbus. For more information contact: Kim Mosel @ 402-620-2701  ociane1@yahoo.com

American Forage and Grassland Council Annual Conference

January 11-14. St. Louis, Missouri. The Missouri Forage and Grassland Council and the Illinois Forage and Grassland Council will host this event. It includes workshops on cover crops and soil health, cool season grasses, native species, and grassland improvement, as well as the national forage bowl. http://www.afgc.org/annual_conference.php

Opportunities

Producers Choice Chef Award: Farmer Hosts Needed

The Producers Choice Chef Award committee of the Nebraska Sustainable Agriculture Society is looking for 25 farmers to participate in 2015 Chef Award Dinner.  This offer is exclusively for farmers! You are being offered one or two tickets at $50 each (instead of the $125 public price) and the opportunity to sponsor a table at the event.  The event is 5:30-9pm on Sunday January 25th, but you may be asked to arrive earlier for photo ops. For the $50 (or $100 for 2)  ticket price you will  1. eat a delicious meal prepared by six of the top chefs from Lincoln, Omaha,and Hastings and each receive two complimentary drink tickets.  2. Your farm and names will be on the table that evening as well as listed in the event program that evening.  We are doing extensive promotion for this event so  3. we will promote you and your farms during the weeks leading up to the event. For more information please contact, chefaward@gmail.com. Details about the event can be found here, http://nebsusag.org/chef.html

Local Foods Survey

This survey is being conducted by graduate student, Megan McGuffey, from the University of Nebraska at Omaha who is working with the Local Foodshed Working Group. The goal of this survey is to help create a more accurate picture of how many farmers are participating in the Lincoln/Lancaster County local food market. We are asking you to help us to complete this survey so that we can better understand the complex, local food system that gets food to our plates. If you have any questions or concerns about the survey please contact Megan McGuffey at mmcguffey@unomaha.edu. Follow this link for the survey,  https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1wuvRR4EFNcvPiazbZ4F6Av-PjeuvXrtFgT54SW4Pl2o/viewform?c=0&w=1

Upcoming

The Science Behind Healthy Soil: NRCS' Soil Health Literature Review Project

January 13. Online. 

Join the webinar for an overview of the USDA NRCS Soil Health Literature Review Project and its accompanying public website and USDA employee SharePoint that provide access to a searchable database of journal references related to physical and chemical soil health properties and conservation practices. Link: http://www.conservationwebinars.net/webinars/the-science-behind-healthy-soil-nrcs-soil-health-literature-review-project

Specialty Crop Producer Workshops – Farmer Training

January 13, 14, 15, 16: GAPs (Good Agricultural Practices) Level 1: GAPs are production and farm level approaches to ensure the safety of fresh produce for human consumption. GAPs Level 1 will cover education training in preparation for a self-audit and on farm food safety plan.  A USB Drive will be provided with the materials needed for the training. Our Farmer Training series will consist of training in 5 Nebraska Cities: Grand Island, Norfolk, Lincoln, Scottsbluff (Via Video Conference) and Omaha.  We will be using local producers as well as national trainers to offer a unique farmer training program that is unlike anything NeFU has done before.  Our goal is to help producers move to the next level of production by providing the skills necessary to increase efficiency and profitability.  These trainings are open to any speciality crops producers, beginning or experienced,  that are producing for markets. http://Nebraskafarmersunion.org/farmertraining 

Grazing Guides for Dairy Systems Webinar Series: Collecting a Forage Sample and Interpreting the Analysis

January 14. Online. This webinar presented by Mat Haan, PSU Extension, will discuss how to collect a representative forage sample and how to interpret the analysis. This session is part of a monthly webinar series that will cover current research and basic management issues of interest to experienced, novice, conventional and/or organic, dairy grazers and industry representatives that support them. http://extension.psu.edu/animals/dairy/events/grazing-guides-for-dairy-systems-webinar-series-collecting-a-forage-sample-and-interpreting-the-analysis

Vegetable and Small Fruit Production Webinars: Current Issues in Strawberry Pest Management

January 14. Online. Cornell Cooperative Extension and Penn State Extension are teaming up to present a series of webinars to keep fruit and vegetable growers informed on critical production issues. The series provides convenient access to timely updates in commercial vegetable and small fruit production for extension educators, producers, and industry representatives in Pennsylvania, New York, and surrounding state. http://bit.ly/1yhHcha

Got Sustainable, Beer....?

Ploughshare Brewing Co. Press Release              
For Immediate Release                                November 3, 2014          
Contact:          Matt Stinchfield
                        Cell:  402-318-1689
                        Work:  402-742-0420
                        Matt@ploughsharebrewing.com

Now On Tap!  Ploughshare Craft Beer
Ploughshare introduces four of its specially brewed beers to the public,

Lincoln, NE: Ploughshare Brewing Company, located downtown at 16 and P, is introducing their first four Ploughshare craft beers on Monday, November 3, 2014.  

Tailgate Red Ale.  With an unpretentious nod to all things red and the deeply rooted custom of tailgating before the game, Tailgate Red is a quaffable, refreshing beer, gently hopped, with a light caramel malt note and a toasty finish!

Farmboy Cream Ale. Ours is smooth session ale, lightly hopped and cold conditioned for an ultra-smooth taste you “don’t have to think about.” Farm Boy is a starting point for those just beginning their exploration of craft beer and for anyone else interested in a crisp, light-bodied, highly refreshing beer.

Percheron IPA has a solid malt backbone of premium pale malts, a kiss of caramel malt, and a prodigious hop character with an artful blend of resinous, piney, and citrusy hops. If you’re a “hop head,” Percheron is hands above the rest.

Weathervane Belgian-Styled Witbier distinguishes itself from the big named wheat beers by pointing in the direction of a more traditional recipe (40 percent raw wheat) and a nearly forgotten brewing technique called “turbid mash decoction.”  Ours is lightly spiced with a secret blend of East Indian spices and fermented with a characterful Belgian yeast strain.

In addition to serving its own amazing beer, Ploughshare Brewing Co. offers a rich seasonal menu that features traditional beer cuisine. Ingredients are sourced from Nebraska based producers and farmers, with a focus on sustainable resources and an emphasis on organic ingredients. Everything is made from scratch in house and the menu includes a selection of vegetarian and gluten free options. Special attention is given to crafting a menu that works harmoniously with Ploughshare beers.

Ploughshare Brewing Co. offers a rotation of craft beer on 12 taps. It also offers wine and non-alcoholic beverages, including fresh French pressed coffee and nostalgic sodas.  The brewery uses traditional brewing methods and styles, and sources only the highest quality ingredients for its beer.  Matt Stinchfield, Owner and Head Brew Master, opened Ploughshare Brewing Co. in July 2014.

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Weekly Events & Opportunities in Sustainable Farming & Foods

Considerations for designing supplemental programs for forage-fed growing cattle

Grassland Studies 2014 Fall Seminar Series. September 29. 3:00 pm–4:00 pm. UNL's East Campus Union. Presented by Mary Drewnoski, Dept. of Animal Science, UNL, “Considerations for designing supplemental programs for forage-fed growing cattle.” Free and open to the public. Ctr for Grassland Studies, 402-472-4101, grassland@unl.edu. http://grassland.unl.edu/upcoming-seminars

Legal and Financial Clinic

Tuesday, September 30. Fairbury. Call the Farm Hotline at 800-464-0258 to sign up.

NaturePalooza 2014

September 30. 3:00 pm–8:00 pm. Lincoln. Lisa Pennisi, 402-472-5875, lpennisi2@unl.edu. See wildlife up close, browse the exhibits, cast for bass, call for turkeys, sing and dance with the String Beans, dare to venture down to the snake pit and bone yard, learn to make your yard a wildlife habitat, and sample Lincoln’s hottest food trend: food truck cuisine. Free prizes and gifts.http://snr.unl.edu/event/naturepalooza2014/

Long-term Agro-ecosystem Research - Sustainably Intensifying Production to Meet Future Demands for Agricultural Products

SNR Fall Research Seminar. October 1. 3:30 pm. Lincoln, UNL's East Campus in Hardin Hall. Mark Walbridge, National Program Leader of the Water Availability and Watershed Management Natural Resources and Sustainable Agricultural Systems at the Office of National Programs (USDA/ARS), will present “Long-term Agro-ecosystem Research - Sustainably Intensifying Production to Meet Future Demands for Agricultural Products.” The seminar is free and open to the public.

Livestock Inputs Webinar

October 1. This webinar presented by IOIA and the Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI) will introduce commonly used organic materials, what organic inspectors look for during an inspection, and how OMRI evaluates livestock inputs. It will include pre-course self-study; in-class discussion, examples, exercises, and the opportunity for questions and answers; and a post-course evaluation. Participants who meet minimum requirements will receive a joint IOIA/OMRI NOP Livestock Input Materials Certificate of Completion. This webinar is conducted as part of a partnership between OEFFA, Ohio State University's Department of Preventative Veterinary Medicine, and the International Organic Inspectors Association (IOIA) funded by a Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) professional development grant. The project is designed to provide educational programming for veterinarians, Extension educators, and other professionals who routinely work with organic livestock herds and flocks.http://www.oeffa.org/events.php

Legal and Financial Clinic

Thursday, October 2. Grand Island. Call the Farm Hotline at 800-464-0258 to sign up.

Showy Plants for the Late Season Garden

 

October 2.  12:00 pm. Karma Larsen, 402-472-7923, klarsen1@unl.edu. Community Forestry Specialist Graham Herbst and UNL Extension Horticulturist Kathleen Cue will talk about perennials that bloom far into fall, native plants that offer winter food source as well as color and woody plants like paperbark maple, goldenraintree and hickory for late season interest. This presentation is part of a brown-bag series on “all things green” sponsored by the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum, UNL Department of Agronomy/Horticulture, UNL Garden Friends and Friends of Maxwell Arboretum. Event sponsors hope to bring together a community of on- and off-campus people who care about the environment. There will be time for discussion at each session and, when weather permits, time to walk through the campus landscape. For more information about the brown-bag series, call the Arboretum at 402-472-2971, emailarboretum@unl.edu or visit arboretum.unl.edu/brown-bag-series.

Studying the Role of Geography in shaping genetic diversity

School of Biological Sciences Seminar - Graham Coop, University of California-Davis. October 2. 3:30 pm–4:30 pm. Lincoln. Contact,402-472-2720, biology@unl.edu. All seminars are free and open to the public. 

http://biosci.unl.edu/seminar-series

Tunnel to Table Workshop

October 5. Clay Center, Kansas. The Kansas Rural Center's "Tunnel to Table" workshops will offer experienced and beginning vegetable and fruit growers critical information on applying polytunnels--such as high tunnels and low tunnels--as strategic tools for Kansas farms. Topics of each workshop's presentations and round-table discussions featuring area growers will include Kansas-specific polytunnel structure considerations, production and marketing strategies, economics of tunnel production, and solutions to common region-specific challenges. http://kansasruralcenter.org/low-tunnel-giveaway-and-registration-open-for-krc-high-tunnel-workshops/

Raise the Roots

October 5th. Omaha. Harvesting the desire for a vibrant local food system and a bright green Omaha, Raise the Roots combines live music, local bites and multi-media experiences to create sustainable community. Following in the footsteps of predecessor event “Hootenanny” (founded by Lori Tatreau), Raise the Roots will launch its inaugural happening on October 5th from 5:00 to 8:00pm at the Waiting Room, 6212 Maple Street in Benson. https://www.facebook.com/events/1476858159265622/

Opportunity

FarmTable Delivery is hiring

We really need a driver ASAP. Qualifications include: - Experience driving an 18ft vehicle - Experience driving a diesel vehicle - Good driving record - Familiar with driving in Omaha, Des Moines, Lincoln a plus! - Detailed orientated - good time management skills - a people person. Right now, 10-15 hours a week. Will increase as company grows. Will Train! SEND RESUMES with REFERENCES TO farmtabledelivery@gmail.com 

Spent Brewing Grains Available, Omaha

There is a new brewery opening up in Omaha that has an immediate need to get rid of spent brewing grains. They would much rather get them to a farmer or into a composting program, or both. John Fahrer , jrfahrer@gmail.com,  402-321-0416

Carbon Sequestration

I am trying to find out how much carbon is sequestered each year under ground on a tallgrass prairie that has not reached its peak storage capacity.   Looking for the amount sequestered per acre , ha per year. I am also looking for graph of the capacity of carbon storage over time in a recreated tall grass prairie.  I attend a lecture were the presenter had a graph that showed that a tallgrass praire reached its peak of storage at 100 years. I can not find or remember the name of the presenter other than that it was a young women not from Iowa or Nebraska.  Thanks Glenn, pollockg@cox.net, home 4025716230.

Looking for Grazing Goats

I am looking for someone who has a herd of goats that would be interested in grazing them in Jefferson County for a while.  I have a number of young mulberry, red cedar, and Chinese elm trees in need of “management”.  The pasture is contained with high-tensile electric wire. Ralph & Carolyn Tate, All Things Natural, 

(402) 932-3405

Job Opportunity

OneCert is expanding our staff. We are looking for two Certification Specialists: one will primarily focus on crops (and livestock) and the other will primarily work with handling operations. Contact Sam Welsch for more information, 402-420-6080. 

www.onecert.com

Yeoman Keyline Shank For Sale

If you are into restorative farmscale agriculture, this is a necessary tool.  I will show you how to build an implement for way under the cost of what you can buy commercially and I will even teach you how to use it.  You can use this tool for regenerating pasture, implementing keyline systems, planting trees, root pruning and making mini swales. I live in Papillion just outside of Omaha.  Call if you are interested at the number below. Jonathan Dodd, Keipos, Inc. & New Earth Farm & Goods, 321.544.2851

Upcoming

Effective Management of Farm Employees

Monday, October 6 at 12:00 pm CDT.  Durst and Moore will discuss the results of phone interviews with 158 employees from 11 dairy farms, including: Employee turnover rate and employee engagement, Management makes a difference, Focus employees on achieving performance standards, Providing opportunities to learn and develop, Language and cultural barriers. https://connect.extension.iastate.edu/dairexnetwebinar/

Organic Farming and Soil Health Webinar

October 7. In partnership with Oregon Tilth, the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service's East and West National Technology Support Centers are pleased to present "Understanding Organic and Sustainable Agriculture" webinars in 2014. This discussion with Kris Nichols will feature new research on soil health from the Rodale Institute, a leader in organic agriculture which hosts the longest-running side-by-side U.S. study comparing conventional chemical agriculture with organic methods. http://conservationwebinars.net/

Natural Legacy Conference

October 8 – 9. Gering. For natural resource professionals and conservationists to gather to learn about important actions taking place in the state for wildlife habitat and at-risk species.  A conference flyer is available here, and free registration can be completed here. http://shopoutdoornebraska.ne.gov/Events/

Life Cycle Assessment of Foods Conference

October 8-10. San Francisco, California. The American Center for Life Cycle Assessment will host the ninth international conference, LCA Foods 2014, which unites the scientific community with food industry professionals, researchers, academics, and policymakers. This will be the first time the conference is held outside Europe and it is an opportunity to enhance U.S. agriculture through sustainability. The event combines a scientific academic focus with a food expo to demonstrate that sustainability is measurable and therefore doable. http://lcafood2014.org/

Insect Management in High Tunnels

October 9. Online. Purdue Extension is offering a series of free webinars and workshops providing essential how-to and background information on topics related to year-round growing. For this one-hour webinar, the presenter will be Rick Foster, Purdue professor of pest management, vegetable and fruit crops, and Extension coordinator. http://www.indianaagconnection.com/story-state.php?Id=770&yr=2014

Organic Inputs: Options and Opportunities for Improving Crop Health and Productivity Webinar

October 9. OEFFA and the Cuyahoga Valley Countryside Conservancy have partnered to offer this webinar and other educational opportunities designed to address the business and production aspects of managing successful specialty crop operations. This webinar will review key concepts and principles involved in choosing organically acceptable inputs. Details that will help growers make sound and profitable choices for their operations will be provided. This webinar will be presented by Brian McSpadden Gardener, Ph.D. He is a professor in the Department of Plant Pathology at the Ohio State University. http://www.oeffa.org/events.php

Manage Your Forest for Pine Straw and Rake in the Profits

October 9. Online. This event is part of an eight-session series of webinars on non-timber forest products during fall 2014. In this free, hour-long session, Becky Barlow, Alabama Cooperative Extension Forestry Specialist, will present on harvesting pine straw and will cover other decorative non-timber forest products. https://www.extension.org/sites/default/files/Webinar%20Line%20Up%20.pdf