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Nominations Sought for the MOSES 2011 “Organic Farmer of the Year” Award
The Midwest Organic & Sustainable Education Service (MOSES) is seeking nominations for our 2011 Organic Farmer of the Year award. If you know an organic farmer or farm family who are innovators, who excel in managing their farm resources like soil, water, wildlife, and biodiversity, and who serve as educators and shining examples in their communities and to the next generation. Please take advantage of this opportunity to properly acknowledge the outstanding efforts and nominate them for this award. The award will be presented at the Organic Farming Conference to be held next February 24-26, 2011 in La Crosse, WI.
Those who wish to nominate a farmer for the award must complete and return the nomination form which is available by calling the MOSES office at 715-778-5775 or at the MOSES website, www.mosesorganic.org/foy.html. The deadline for submitting your nomination is September 15, 2010. To avoid duplication of nominees, listed below are the previous recipients.
Conservation Stewardship Program Application Period Extended to June 25, 2010
The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service has announced changes to the Conservation Stewardship Program that expand access, increase payment limits, and promote greater environmental benefit while maintaining program goals. NRCS also extended the current enrollment period for CSP an additional two weeks, now closing June 25, 2010, when applications will be scored, ranked, and funded.
CSP pays participants for conservation performance – the higher the performance, the higher the payment. Producers get credit both for conservation measures they have already implemented and for new measures they agree to add. CSP is offered in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the Pacific and Caribbean areas through continuous sign-up, with announced cut-off dates for ranking and funding applications.
CSP is available to all producers regardless of operation size, crops produced, or geographic location. Eligible lands include cropland, pastureland, rangeland, non-industrial private forest land, and agricultural land under the jurisdiction of an Indian tribe.
Potential applicants are encouraged to use the CSP self-screening checklist to determine whether CSP is suitable for their operation. The checklist, which highlights basic information about CSP eligibility requirements, contract obligations, and payments, and additional information about CSP, may be obtained from the national CSP Web site at www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/new_csp/csp.html.
To apply, call or visit a local USDA Service
Center, Michigan NRCS offices are listed online at www.mi.nrcs.usda.gov/contact/Field%20Offices.html , or in the
telephone book under United States Government, Agriculture Department.
The NOFA-NY2010 Organic Food Guide is now available online. The guide includes valuable material such as, organic and sustainable farms that are certified by NOFA-NY Certified Organic, LLC or are members of NOFA-NY and either certified by other agencies or have signed onto The Farmer’s Pledge. The guide also includes detailed listings of our generous business members.