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Click on link below to find the news you seek!
Wishing all of you a safe and productive end of season (and good beginning for winter season extension farmers)
Agency:
Agriculture and Rural Development
July 28, 2014
Media contact: Jennifer Holton, 517-284-5724 or
[log in to unmask]
Program contact: Josh Grant, 517-284-5789 or
[log in to unmask]
The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development today announced that certification cost share assistance will be available to eligible Michigan organic producers
and handlers for the period of October 1, 2013 through September 30, 2014.
Reimbursements will be made on a first-come, first-served basis until the funds are exhausted or the application postmark deadline of October 1st is reached, whichever
comes first. All organic certification related expenses, including inspection fees, user fees, and certifier-required testing, paid from October 1, 2013 – September 30, 2014 can be reimbursed through this application.
To qualify, an organic operation must have been inspected and certified by a National Organic Program accredited certifying agent during the time period specified
above. The program provides for a 75 percent cost share of certification costs with a maximum payment of $750 per farm or operation. If an operation is certified in more than one certification category, such as crops, livestock, and handler, they are eligible
for reimbursement up to $750 for each category.
An application and instructions can be downloaded at
http://www.michigan.gov/mdard-organic.
For questions or additional information, contact Josh Grant at (517) 284-5789 or via email at
[log in to unmask]. This program is offered on behalf of the USDA National Organic Cost Share Program authorized in the 2014 Farm Bill.
Agency: Agriculture and Rural Development
Media contact: Jennifer Holton,
[log in to unmask]
or 517-284-5724 Program contact: Antonio Escobar, 800-292-3939
MDARD is reminding certified organic farmers to continue registering their organic farm sites in DriftWatch at
www.driftwatch.org.
Commercial certified applicators must also register in DriftWatch in order to automatically receive information regarding location of certified organic farms.
Questions regarding DriftWatch can be directed to Antonio Escobar, Michigan’s DriftWatch specialist, at 800-292-3939.
By John O’Connell
Capital Press
Published: September 10, 2014 10:28AM
John O’Connell/Capital Press
Terry Long, USDA’s director of Fruit and Vegetable Market News, tells potato growers at an Aug. 27 conference in Sun Valley,
Idaho, about his agency’s plans for improving and adding reports.
The USDA is working to significantly expand its reporting on local and organic food to meet a farm bill directive.
Fruit and Vegetable Market News Director Terry Long said USDA is working toward reporting regional organic pricing of every commodity, farmers’ market sales for every
state and pricing of food sold directly from the farm to consumers. Long also intends to expand a retail report that tracks the percentage of produce advertising mentioning the words “local” or “organic” to also include dairy and beef.
“This last farm bill had several items specifically related to directing the department to develop more information products and insurance tools to local and regional
food systems, as well as organic,” Long said.
Long said Market News has begun a major upgrade of its computer system, largely driven by the need to broaden its organic and local reporting, to provide a consistent
format for individual producers and farmers markets to upload their data. All local and organic reporting will be voluntary.
The farm bill directs USDA’s Risk Management Agency to offer crop insurance price elections for all organic commodities — information now available only for a few organic
crops. Long said Market News, which tracks about 330 fruits and vegetables, is working to significantly expand organic price and volume reporting, which should aid RMA.
“We don’t have an organic russet report out of Idaho,” Long said as an example. “I’d like to see if we can get one in place by next season.”
Long said USDA has begun offering states financial help toward labor and other added costs of reporting weekly statewide farmers market data according to consistent Market
News protocols — and, in some cases, to begin gathering farmers market data. He said 11 states have already begun submitting farmers’ market data to Market News, and Washington and Georgia should be added within the next two months.
Improving farmers’ market reporting will be a step toward a broader goal of providing pricing of farm products sold directly to consumers, including through farmers’
markets, farm stores, farm auctions and the Farm to School program. Long considers direct farm sales to be an area of growing demand with the popularity of agri-tourism but insufficient transparency. He also intends to post locations of direct-sales vendors
to help publicize them.
His staff pours through supermarket ads from 250 U.S. chains, covering 24,000 individual stores, to track when produce is promoted as being local or organic. For the
week ending Sept. 5, for example, 19 percent of ads touted local produce and 13 percent advertised organic. Long said Market News will soon start tracking local and organic dairy and beef advertising.
Sharon Yeago, a founding officer with the Farmers Market Coalition, said her organization has been collaborating in efforts to develop user-friendly software to help
farmers markets submit data.
“We’re really excited about any improvements to data collection,” Yeago said. “I think everyone agrees we lack significant data about the impact of local.”
Laura Batcha, executive director of the Organic Trade Association, is optimistic that improved reporting of organic commodity prices will lead more producers to consider
trying organic.
Organic Soybean Variety Plots Evaluation Tours
Thursday, September 25, 2014
Over 50 non- GMO soybeans varieties are being compared under organic production systems in our region at multiple sites. These varieties are a mix of tried and true brands, new industry releases, and experimental lines from
university breeding programs.
You are invited to join other organic producers to view and voice your preference about characteristics that are desirable to you (pod set, plant height, canopy closure, competitiveness, etc). This information (along with
yield) will be useful to identify varieties in the breeding program to move forward for seed production and release.
Because of the distance between the plot locations, there are two options for touring the plots:
1. Visit the closest site at the time listed under Tour Plots below and tour the plots with your host and other organic farmers.
2. Start at the Kellogg Biological Station, Dick Davis Farm or Don Brockriede Farm and tour that site at the time listed under Tour Plots. Vans will take a group from those locations to the Dave Sting Farm for lunch, touring
the Sting plots and a discussion of the varieties with Dechun Wang, MSU Soybean Breeder. The vans will return to the starting location.
To reserve a spot in a van, call Lori Mike, MSUE Gratiot County, 989-875-5233 by September 22.
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Location |
Kellogg Biological Station |
Dick Davis Farm |
Don Brockriede Farm |
Dave Sting Farm |
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Address |
9693 40th Street
Hickory Corners, MI 49060 |
5670 S. Ely Highway
Middleton, MI 48856 |
4667 Hollenbeck Road
Columbiaville, MI 48821 |
West side of Colling Rd. just North of W. Bay City Forestville Rd
Unionville, MI 48767 |
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Hosts |
Dean Baas |
Dan Rossman |
Bob Battel |
Dean Baas
Dan Rossman
Bob Battel
Dechun Wang |
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Tour Plots |
8:00 – 9:00 am |
9:00 – 10:00 am |
10:00 – 11:00 am |
1:00 – 2:00pm |
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Van Leaves for Sting Farm |
9:00am |
10:00 am |
11:00 am |
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Arrive Sting Farm |
12:00 pm |
12:00 pm |
12:00 pm |
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Lunch Provided |
12:00 – 1:00pm |
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Tour Dave Sting Farm and Variety Discussion with Dechun Wang, MSU Soybean Breeder
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1:00 – 2:00pm |
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Vans Leave to return |
2:00 pm |
2:00 pm |
2:00 pm |
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Arrive back at starting location |
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Date:
September 19, 2014
Time: 1-4 pm
Location: Forgotten Harvest Farm 9153 Major Rd Fenton, MI 48430
Contact: Call or email MSU Extension - Saginaw Office 989.758.2500 or
[log in to unmask]
Date: September 12, 2014
Time: 1-4 pm
Location: Saginaw Valley Research and Extension Center 3775 S Reese Rd Frankenmuth, MI 48734
Contact: Call or email MSU Extension - Saginaw Office 989.758.2500 or
[log in to unmask]
MSU Extension Specialist, Walter Pett, has placed two demonstration honey bee hives at the Forgotten Harvest Farm, near Fenton, and two at the Saginaw Valley Research and Extension Center, near Richville. Along with Extension Educator, Ben Phillips, we would
like to invite beekeepers of all ages and experience levels to learn about the various methods for removing honey from honey bee hives, inspecting the colonies for Varroa mites, and wintering strategies. Bring protective equipment for interacting with demonstration
hives.
The 6th Annual Green Space Trail Race will be held
October 11, 2014
9:00 am
at the Ingham Conservation District
Please note this year the race will be on a Saturday
(previous runs have taken place on Sunday)
Enjoy a challenging run or peaceful walk through 200 acres of prairie, wetland and woodland and support
local conservation at the same time.
Early Bird Registration: $25.00 (ends 9/13/14)
After September 13th: $35.00
There is a 5K or 10K option.
Dogs on leash are welcome to join in the fun too.
Register
Today!
Soil and Nutrition Conference: Putting Principles into Practice
January 31, 2013 (All day) to February 2, 2013 (All day)
First Churches
129 Main Street
Northampton, MA
Cost: $150 for NOFA, RFC, or BFA members; $160 non-members
NOFA/Mass and
Bionutrient Food Association present the 2013 Soil and Nutrition Conference with John Kempf, Dan Kitredge, and Derek Christianson
This conference aims to grow the movement for enhancing soil fertility as a basis for the long-term ecological and economic sustainability of farming, the environment,
and society as a whole. The focus of this year’s conference is applying practical management strategies on the farm from principles of biological soil fertility. Our lead speaker is John Kempf from Middlefield, OH. John speaks in clear practical language about
scientific understandings of plant ecosystems and how the health of people is connected to healthy land and quality produce.
Presenters:
John Kempf
is a speaker on soil fertility, farm consultant, and proprietor of Advancing Eco-Agriculture.
Dan Kittredge is a farmer and director of Bionutrient Food Association.
Derek Christianson is a CSA farmer at Brix Bounty Farm in Dartmouth, MA.
Farms Under Cover: Investigating the Benefits of Cover Crops
Wednesday, October 1st, 9 a.m. to noon
Graham Farm, 68721 40th St., Paw Paw, MI
(corner of CR 358 and 40th St.)
Free!
_Tour George Kusmack’s 13-species & 3-species cover crop mix fields
_Tour a field aerial-seeded with annual ryegrass
_S_o_i_l_ _h_e_a_l_t_h_ _d_e_m_o_n_s_t_r_a_t_i_o_n_s_ _
_E_x_p_l_o_r_e_ _r_o_o_t_s_ _i_n_ _a_ _r_o_o_t_ _p_i_t_ _
_L_e_a_r_n_ _h_o_w_ _r_e_s_i_d_u_a_l_ _h_e_r_b_i_c_i_d_e_s_ _a_f_f_e_c_t_ _c_o_v_e_r_ _c_r_o_p_s_ _
_G_e_t_ _t_i_p_s_ _o_n_ _h_o_w_ _t_o_ _t_e_r_m_i_n_a_t_e_ _c_o_v_e_r_ _c_r_o_p_s_ _i_n_ _t_h_e_ _s_p_r_i_n_g_ _
Please RSVP: Colleen Forestieri or A.J. Brucks
269-657-4030 x5
Or register online: www.VanBurenCD.org
Click here to download and print registration form.
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You're Invited to
TWO Great Upcoming Events!
Open House
Lansing Roots
Incubator Farm, a Program of the Greater Lansing Food Bank,
Open House on Monday, September 15 from 4-7pm;
We would like to you to join us to celebrate and support developing farmers in Mid-Michigan! Drop in at any time for informal farm tours, meet and greet with participant
farmers and staff, and refreshments. Rain or Shine.
The Open House is located on the Lansing Roots Farm at Der Happy Hallow at
1084
S. Hagadorn Rd., Mason, MI
Lansing Roots is a program of the Greater Lansing Food Bank (GLFB), designed to help beginning farmers from the area begin successful market gardening and farming enterprises
through an incubator farm setting, while growing produce to supply the Mid-Michigan area.
The program focuses on refugee, immigrant, minority, low-income, and women farmers, and offers participants space to grow at the Lansing Roots farm, as well as support
in learning farming techniques, business planning, and marketing strategies. Designed to host farmers for 2-5 years, the incubator plots for first year farmers are 1/4 acre. With opportunities to expand in later years, participants will have the ability to
scale-up their farm production to support their new business enterprises.
The Garden Project is announcing an Annual Potluck
Thursday,
September 18 at 6pm This year it will be located at the Hunter Park Pavilion, located at
1400
E. Kalamazoo St., Lansing, MI 48912. Bring a dish to pass if you are able! We will have games, awards, and more!
All are welcome to see what exciting work we are doing for our community members and neighborhood.
We hope that you are able to attend both to show your support and join in on the festivities! If you're unable to join both, try for one; we'd love
to see you! |
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The [log in to unmask]&job=1486152&ymlink=2640000&finalurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Elocalfoodassociation%2Eorg%2F%3Fpage%3DEvents">LOCAL
FOOD BUYERS EXCHANGE - MIDWEST is a day-long conference
focused exclusively on the development and implementation of local food business
solutions, and will include interactive education, roundtable discussions and
networking opportunities for local food buyers and sellers.
Join us in Chicago on November 6 for a new kind of business meeting focused solely
on building the local food market in the upper Midwest - one that's viable, sustainable and
profitable! WHEN: Thursday, November 6, 2014, 8:00am – 6:00pm
Click
[log in to unmask]&job=1486152&ymlink=2640000&finalurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Elocalfoodassociation%2Eorg%2F%3Fpage%3DSchedule">here
for the full agenda. WHERE:
•
[log in to unmask]&job=1486152&ymlink=2640000&finalurl=http%3A%2F%2Fohare%2Ehyatt%2Ecom%2Fen%2Fhotel%2Fhome%2Ehtml">Hyatt
Regency O'Hare
9300 Bryn Mawr Avenue
Rosemont, IL 60018 WHAT TO EXPECT:
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Cutting-edge information from the local food landscape
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Best practices that can help your business thrive
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Networking with other local food professionals
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Discussions about how public policy can support local food business
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Enhanced professional credibility and effectiveness
•
Plus, an inspirational keynote from celebrity chef and local food champion,
[log in to unmask]&job=1486152&ymlink=2640000&finalurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Erickbayless%2Ecom%2Fabout%2Drick%2Dbayless%2F">Rick
Bayless WHO SHOULD ATTEND?
•
Institutional food service managers and decision makers
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Restaurant owners and managers
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Hotel food and beverage managers
•
Food distribution managers and decision makers
•
Grocery store purchasing managers
•
Local food growers and sellers REGISTRATION: Local Food Association Members: $150
Non-members: $195
Space will be limited by category. Registration fee includes: education, including
keynote speaker, Rick Bayless, and meals (continental breakfast, lunch and
networking reception). |
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SPONSORSHIPS AVAILABLE!
For more information please contact Hallie Jaeger at
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Grant for food hugs for inputs!!
CSX Corporation and The Conservation Fund has launched a grant program
supporting the transportation of fresh food to food deserts. The grants range from $2,500 to $10,000 that may be used for items such as: refrigerated vehicles, food hubs, veggie
vans, etc.
Please see the following link for more information:
http://www.csx.com/index.cfm/media/press-releases/transporting-nutrition-to-food-deserts/
The application is due Oct 1st.
Contact Person for the grant announcement:
Vimie Joy Magsino
The Conservation Fund
PO BOX 506 | Sawyer, MI 49125
