June 1997 |
Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas (ATTRA)
P.O. BOX 3657
FAYETTEVILLE, AR 72702
PHONE: 1-800-346-9140 --- FAX: (501) 442-9842
House Subcommittee Pencils in $1.3 for ATTRA
ATTRA & Partners Procure SARE Grant for Sustainable Beef Trainings
ATTRA to Co-Host Autumn Sustainable Beef Workshops
New Technical Specialists Help Serve Increasing Numbers of Farm Clients
Greer Pens Research Column for Cut Flower Quarterly
Hall & Kaltenekker Returning Home to Midwest
New Free-Range Poultry Guidebook Covers Production, Processing, Pricing & Promotion
Visitors Welcome at "Sustainable Farming Connection" on WWW
Conservation Hotline Online
Today's Quote
House Subcommittee Pencils in $1.3 for ATTRA
On June 25, the House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee included $1.3 million for the ATTRA program in its recommendations for FY98 spending.
There are several more steps before the full House will vote, but this action marked a significant turnabout. Previous House subcommittees had zeroed out the program in each of the past 8 years of consideration. Historic occasion
"Though we know we have a long road to go before the FY98 process is complete, we are extremely happy that this historic milestone was reached," ATTRA Project Manager Teresa Maurer said. "The positive subcommittee action accurately reflects the continuing and diverse public interest in our program. It shows a willingness to support us at the beginning rather than in the final stages of Congressional action."
The appropriation of $1.3 million for ATTRA is included in the portion of the USDA budget for Rural Business-Cooperative Services (RBS) which is housed within the Rural Development agency. The amount represents no increase in funding over FY97 levels.
In March and May, testimony for the House and Senate subcommittees was invited and submitted in support of a small increase to $1.5 million, which would partially recognize the dramatic increase in demand for ATTRA information during five years of level or decreased funding. Further Congressional action
The full House Appropriations committee is scheduled to take up the bill on July 9, followed by House floor action. The measure then must proceed to markup and action on the Senate side, expected in late July. Conference committee action to resolve any differences in amounts could also occur in late July before the August Congressional recess.
ATTRA & Partners Procure SARE Grant for Sustainable Beef Trainings
ATTRA animal scientists have procured a Southern Region SARE Professional Development Program grant to train educators and develop informational materials for sustainable beef production in 1997-98. Project partners
Partners in the project are educators at the University of Tennessee Highland Rim Experiment Station, the Cooperative Extension Service and Natural Resource Conservation Service in Tennessee and Arkansas and local producers.
According to ATTRA Technical Specialists Ron Morrow and Ann Wells, who led efforts to acquire the grant, the project goal is to train educators and key producers in monitoring sustainability and making recommendations for farms involved in sustainable beef cattle production. Others involved in the project include ATTRA Technical Specialists Alice Beetz and Preston Sullivan.
Project staff members are developing a variety of educational materials, including a special checksheet which will allow farmers to assess profitability, environmental condition and the social impact of their farming systems. A key outcome of the project will be a manual to assist educators in helping farmers make decisions concerning sustainability of their beef cattle operations.
Workshops slated
Two workshops are planned to teach 90 to 180 agency personnel, Cooperative Extension agents and producers how to use the checksheet and manual.
Farmers will soon be able to request the checklist and manual through ATTRA. Watch future editions of ATTRAnews for details.
For additional details, readers may call ATTRA Technical Specialists Ron Morrow or Ann Wells at 800-346-9140).
ATTRA to Co-Host Autumn Sustainable Beef Workshops
ATTRA will offer two sustainable beef management workshops, from September 23-25 in collaboration with the University of Missouri Forage Systems Research Center at Linneus, MO, and from October 7-9 at the University of Tennessee Highland Rim Experiment Station in Springfield, TN.
The workshops are designed to acquaint producers and educators with comprehensive farm planning through livestock programs which minimize the use of harvested forages and grain while increasing the dependence upon properly managed pastures. Attendees should have some understanding and/or experience in controlled grazing. The information is designed for producers, extension agents and NRCS personnel interested in comprehensive planning of farms where beef cattle are the primary enterprise.
For further workshop information or to be placed on the list to receive registration forms when available, call ATTRA Technical Specialists Ron Morrow or Ann Wells ( 800-346-9140), Forage Systems Research Center (816-895-5121) or Highland Rim Experiment Station (615-382-3130).
New Technical Specialists Help Serve Increasing Numbers of Farm Clients
ATTRA recently welcomed four new technical specialists to its staff. They are Lane Greer, George Kuepper, Ron Morrow and Ann Wells.
Lane Greer responds to client information requests for sustainable production of vegetables and ornamentals. She graduated from the University of Arkansas in 1987 with a degree in marketing and in 1995 received a masters degree in horticulture there. Before joining ATTRA, Lane worked as a member of management for Wal-Mart and as coordinator for cooperative education students at the university. She also operates "Summers Garden," a cut flower farm and business, which she launched in 1996.
George Kuepper researches ATTRA cases involving a host of sustainable agronomic and horticultural issues. With an MS in agronomy, George has amassed more than 20 years experience in various aspects of sustainable farming production, research and education. He has worked with the Kerr Center for Sustainable Agriculture, Meadowcreek Project and the Center for the Biology of Natural Systems. George's personal interests include researching and writing about the spiritual and metaphysical aspects of sustainable agriculture.
Ron Morrow is an animal scientist with a PhD from the University of Tennessee and BS and MS degrees from the University of Arkansas. He was employed for 20 years by the University of Missouri, where he served as an area livestock specialist and progressed through academic ranks to professor in the Department of Animal Science. He taught introductory animal science, beef production and other courses. Working in the area of cow-calf management and forage systems, Ron served on the Forage Systems Research Center committee and developed the integrated farming systems demonstration efforts at Wurdack Farm. He launched the controlled (management-intensive) grazing research at the university and in 1991 received the prestigious Kemper Award for Teaching Excellence which carried a $10,000 award. Upon seeing a need to take information on grazing management directly to the producer, Ron co-organized the Missouri grazing workshops a new concept to demonstrate research programs conducted at the centers. Ron continues this effort at ATTRA, having recently led the successful application for a SARE PDP grant to develop sustainable beef management workshops to follow the concept of the grazing workshops.
Ann Wells, D.V.M., graduated from Oklahoma State University School of Veterinary Medicine in 1980 and has worked in both mixed and small animal practices. Operating a sheep and goat veterinary practice sparked her interest in complementary veterinary medicine. Ann has also raised organic fresh-cut herbs, sheep and dairy goats. Products from these sources were direct-marketed to restaurants, up-scale grocery stores, specialty food stores and individuals.
Greer Pens Research Column for Cut Flower Quarterly
ATTRA Technical Specialist Lane Greer is writing a research update column on "Sustainable Agriculture and Pest Control" for the Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers (ASCFG) Research Fund. The column will be published in ASCFG's The Cut Flower Quarterly which is mailed to all members. The Fund last year supported the National Cut Flower Trial Program, which introduced new cut flower varieties to ASCFG members. In addition to financially supporting the research columns, the Fund is working in a longterm goal to establish a grant program to fund research of interest to growers and to encourage the training of teachers, Extension personnel and researchers in specialty cut flower production.
Hall & Kaltenekker Returning Home to Midwest
Bart Hall, technical specialist, and his wife Margit Kaltenekker, information specialist, are leaving ATTRA after nearly five years, and returning to their home in the Midwest. Bart has accepted a position as Director of the Horticulture Division at Midwestern Bio-Ag, a supplier of fertilizers and soil management services for sustainable agriculture.
Margit will continue her own business of working with organic and transitional farmers as a certification inspector and consultant. The couple will be based in Blue Mounds, Wisconsin, starting in July.
During his tenure at ATTRA, Bart provided clients with information about soil science and fertility, organic agriculture, and midwestern cash crops, along with various horticultural crops, including many tropicals.
Margit, an experienced organic vegetable farmer, assisted several specialists in their research and casework.
New Free-Range Poultry Guidebook Covers Production, Processing, Pricing & Promotion
By Anne Fanatico
ATTRA Technical Specialist
Free-Range Poultry Production and Marketing, a new guidebook developed with the assistance of a USDA SARE grant by Herman Beck-Chenoweth, describes an innovative way to raise poultry on range and market meat and eggs. Under the free-range method, long portable houses (skids), which hold up to 400 broilers each, are towed by tractor every few weeks to new locations in the pasture. The wooden skids are enclosed with chicken wire, have litter-covered floors and tarp-covered gable roofs, and doors on both ends. Concentrate feed costs are reduced by access to range.
Popular in the U.S. before the 1960s, this method for raising chickens continues to be used in Europe today. Interest is currently increasing in the U.S. in range poultry models for seasonal production or year-round production in warm areas.
Differs from "pastured poultry"
The free-range method differs from the "pastured poultry" model developed by Virginia farmer Joel Salatin in that the chickens are not confined on range in specialized pens. In the free-range model, the commercial broilers range about 100 feet from the skid. The only required fencing is a strong perimeter fence to keep out neighbors' dogs. Predation at night is not a problem if the chicken wire is tightly attached to the skid. Turkeys are raised in a similar way. The author also produces eggs, but the layers are kept in a permanent building with access to a large yard.
This model is well-suited for direct marketing and appeals to consumers interested in "natural" products produced without routine use of antibiotics and growth promotants. The processing and marketing sections of the guidebook include first-hand information on egg collection, processing, pricing, and promotion. Eggs are sold fresh—within 3 to 4 days after gathering.
Marketing explored
Fryers, broilers, roasters, and various cuts are sold. (Check with your state agriculture department for regulations concerning on-farm poultry processing in your state.) Advertising and sale to grocery stores, health food stores, restaurants, caterers, farmers' markets, and buying clubs is discussed, along with home delivery, mail order, CSA's (community-supported agriculture), tips on media coverage and other strategies. Sample promotion materials are included such as newsletters and order forms, and counter cards for point-of-sale promotion.
The guidebook is made up of a three-ring binder with tabs and also has sections on incubation and hatching, and brooding chicks. It is about 82 pages long (single-sided pages). Diagrams are included for skid construction and range feeders. The author has researched older, hard-to-find scientific literature and has six years of free-range poultry experience. The writing style is informal and conversational.
The guidebook is available for $39.50 plus $4.50 s/h from:
Visitors Welcome at "Sustainable Farming Connection" on WWW
Two former editors of The New Farm magazine have launched Sustainable Farming Connection (SFC), an interactive World Wide Web site where farmers and others forging more sustainable food systems can find and share valuable information.
"Our site offers innovative production and marketing stories to help you cut costs, improve soil, protect the environment and add value to healthy food," says site author Craig Cramer. The SFC webpages include commentary by rural writers such as Gene Logsdon, timely news and action alerts, archived material and links to other key sites.
Discussion groups also provide a forum for farmers to ask questions, exchange tips and "talk" with others about topics of importance to them.
SunSITE at University of North Carolina has volunteered to host Sustainable Farming Connection.
Support from the Wallace Genetic Foundation and the encouragement of many well-known organizations including the Wallace Institute for Alternative Agriculture and the National Center for Appropriate Technology which operates ATTRA also have played key roles in the site debut, notes fellow editor Christopher Shirley.
Stop in for a visit at: http://sunsite.unc.edu/farming-connection
For more information and sponsorship information, contact:
Christopher Shirley
cdshirley@aol.com
Committee for Sustainable Farm Publishing
609 S. Front St.
Allentown PA 18103
(610) 791-9683
Conservation Hotline Online
Farmers and others seeking to enroll in new USDA conservation programs can call the "Conservation Options Hotline" sponsored by the Center for Rural Affairs at Walthill, NE. The hotline number is (402) 994-2021.
The hotline provides counseling on the USDA's Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and Conservation Farm Option (CFO). It is being conducted in cooperation with the Midwest Sustainable Agriculture Working Group, a network of grassroots sustainable agriculture, environmental, church, rural and food organizations.
Today's Quote
"Whenever there are in any country uncultivated lands and unemployed poor, it is clear that the laws of property have been so far extended as to violate natural right. The earth is given as a common stock for man to labor and live on...The small landowners are the most precious part of a state."
--President Thomas Jefferson in a letter dated Oct. 28, 1785, to politician (later president) James Madison. This quote was also featured in a recent issue of Forge Quarterly, the newsletter of Financing Ozarks Rural Growth & Economy.