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Weekly Harvest Newsletter
Sustainable Agriculture News Briefs - March 7, 2007
Weekly sustainable agriculture news and resources gleaned from the Internet by NCAT staff for the ATTRA - National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service Web site. The Weekly Harvest Newsletter is also available online.
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Share The Harvest: Please forward this newsletter to friends and colleagues who might be interested in the latest sustainable agriculture news, funding opportunities, and events.
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News & Resources
* Maine Hosts Community-Supported Agriculture Fair
* Hawaiian Farmers Work on Local Food Issues
* Sustainable Growers School Established in Georgia
* NY College Awarded $4.9 Million for Agriculture Center
* UC Launches Viticulture Website
* Tilth Producers Updating Directory
Funding Opportunities
* North Dakota Marketing Assistance Program
* Maine Agricultural Development Grant Program
* Lindbergh Foundation Agricultural Related Grants
Coming Events
* Missouri Organic Farming Workshop
* Agriculture in the City Conference
* Organic Beekeeping Workshop
News & Resources
Maine Hosts Community-Supported Agriculture Fair
Slow Food Portland and the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association are sponsoring Maine's first Community-Supported Agriculture Fair in order to help consumers connect with local farms that practice community-supported agriculture (CSA). The Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram reports that about 50 of Maine's 78 CSA farms have been invited to the event, where they will display pictures and videos of their farms and have samples of the products they offer. "It's just a way of our helping connect people to locally grown food," said Beth Richardson, one of the organizers of the event.z
Related ATTRA Publication: Community Supported Agriculture
Hawaiian Farmers Work on Local Food Issues
A group of Kaua'i's North Shore organic farmers are discussing issues of producing locally grown food, distributing it to residents, and doing both without hurting the land for future generations. The farmers on this outer Hawaiian island would like to keep the produce they grow on their island, but they are having difficulty with marketing and logistical issues. Kaua'i has sunshine markets, a few community-oriented restaurants, and Papaya's grocery stores that support locally grown produce, but the major food retailers cannot buy from these farmers based on insurance liability. The Garden Island News reports that one participant is working on an "all Kaua'i meal". This would help celebrate the diversity of food grown locally. The farmers hope that Kaua'i's community becomes involved in these issues and change the way they see the food in the store and on their plates.
Sustainable Growers School Established in Georgia
The West Georgian reports the University of West Georgia's Department of Continuing Education has established the "Sustainable Growers School." The school will help students learn the basics of soil and agriculture, farm planning, funding, and equipment purchasing. Jim Agan, PhD, Director of the Continuing Education program says, "there are lots of folks who have property that is underutilized and they are interested to learn how to use it more efficiently for agricultural purposes."
NY College Awarded $4.9 Million for Agriculture Center
Alfred State College has received a $4.9 million state grant that will allow it to develop a new agriculture center. According to this news release, the new Center for Organic and Sustainable Agriculture at Alfred State College will include the state's first on-campus organic dairy herd, as well as a working farm and a new computerized dairy management system. The center also will conduct research and provide continuing education opportunities for the larger community, including conferences, workshops and online tutorials for the community. Officials said the college plans to integrate alternative energy technologies.
UC Launches Viticulture Website
A wealth of information about grape growing is now available to the wine and grape community through the University of California's new Integrated Viticulture Online website. The website is designed to increase accessibility to the work of university researchers, including faculty and Cooperative Extension specialists and farm advisors. Content is continuously added and updated.
The heart of the site is the "viticultural information" section, which provides information on a variety of subjects ranging from grapevine breeding to worker health and safety. Photos and links to valuable publications, people and online resources are included. The website also includes instructional video modules featuring presentations from recent workshops and seminars, and a calendar of viticultural seminars and events.
Related ATTRA Publication: Grapes: Organic Production
Tilth Producers Updating Directory
Tilth Producers, an organic and sustainable producers association in Washington State, is offering producers a listing in its 2007-2008 directory. The directory is a comprehensive listing of organic and sustainable farmers and food resources in the state, and serves to link those growers with wholesalers, retailers and consumers. Growers interested in being listed in the directory can download an application form at the link above. Deadline for submission is March 9, 2007.
> More Breaking News
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Funding Opportunities
North Dakota Marketing Assistance Program
The Marketing Assistance Program (MAP) will give food companies the opportunity to expand their markets. The program will provide matching funds, up to $2,000, for travel and lodging expenses to increase sales of North Dakota food and agriculture.
Proposals are due December 31, 2007.
Maine Agricultural Development Grant Program
The Agricultural Development Grant program is a competitive grant program which funds market research, market promotion and new technology demonstration projects. These grants are given to projects that will help a number of businesses, rather than support individual businesses. Applications will be accepted until March 30, 2007.
Proposals are due March 30, 2007.
Lindbergh Foundation Agricultural Related Grants
The Charles A. and Anne Morrow Lindbergh Foundation offers grants for categories that include agriculture and conservation of water and natural resources. Each year, the foundation provides grants of up to $10,580 (a symbolic amount representing the cost of the Spirit of St. Louis) to men and women whose individual initiative and work furthers the Lindberghs' vision of a balance between the advance of technology and the preservation of the natural/human environment.To date, 270 men and women in the United States and abroad have received more than $2.6 million to support their work. The foundation has recently contributed funding toward projects that include research into high-strength cellulose natural fibers and mitigation of effects caused by widespread planting of legumes. An application form can be accessed by touching the link above, or write the foundation at 2150 Third Avenue, North, Suite 310, Anoka, Minnesota 55303. The deadline for 2008 projects is June 14, 2007.
> More Funding Opportunities
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Coming Events
Missouri Organic Farming Workshop (PDF)
March 24, 2007
Ava, Missouri
This Organic Farming Workshop will provide the tools you need to begin using organic farming methods and obtain certification for your farming operation. Organic standards and certification, organic agricultural business planning, organic livestock production and more will be covered.
Agriculture in the City Conference
April 13-14, 2007
Boston, Massachusetts
The emerging importance of urban agriculture as a solution to many public problems is the focus of the 2007 Urban Agriculture in the City Conference entitled, "Urban Agriculture: Changing the Way We Think about Food, Hunger and Health." This conference organized by The Food Project will highlight research, policies and programs from the grassroots and up that are utilizing urban agriculture to address problems that relate to the health of producers, consumers, land and community.
Organic Beekeeping Workshop
April 27-28, 2007
Chestnut Ridge, New York
The Pfeiffer Center presents a workshop for active beekeepers as well as for beginners including a hands-on session. In this workshop we will look at the bee colony as an organism and what it needs in order to further its health and vitality. Lots of practical advice and demonstrations will give novices enough information to get started with their own hive, and encourage experienced beekeepers to adopt organic procedure.
> More Events
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are available online. ATTRAnews is the bi-monthly newsletter
of ATTRA - National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service.
 ATTRA - National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service is managed by the National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT) and is funded under a grant from the United States Department of Agriculture's Rural Business-Cooperative Service. Visit the NCAT Web site for more information on our sustainable agriculture projects.
© Copyright 2007 NCAT
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