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Weekly Harvest Newsletter
Sustainable Agriculture News Briefs - March 8, 2006
Weekly sustainable agriculture news and resources gleaned from the Internet by NCAT staff for the ATTRA - National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service Web site.
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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
* ATTRA Launches New Spanish Newsletter
* Food Markets in Low-Income Neighborhoods Critical, Says New Report
* Webcast to Focus on Watershed Group Funding
* Ohio Group Offers Farm Apprentice Program
* Center for Farmland Policy Innovation Opens in Ohio
* Sustainability Course Offered for Small-Acreage Idaho Farmers
Funding Opportunities
* Economics of Invasive Species Management Competitive Award Program
* RMA Community Outreach and Assistance Partnerships
* Water Conservation Assessment Project
Coming Events
* Southwest Marketing Network Conference
* Strengthening Rural Community Food Systems
* How to Create Successful Markets Workshop
News & Resources
ATTRA Launches New Spanish Newsletter
The first edition of Cosecha Mensual (Monthly Harvest), ATTRA's new Spanish-language e-newsletter, was launched on March 1. This monthly newsletter focuses on sustainable agriculture resources and events of interest to Latino producers and to those who provide technical or financial assistance to the Latino agricultural community. Please share Cosecha Mensual with any colleagues or clients who may be interested in Spanish-language sustainable agriculture resources. Comments, suggestions, and questions may be sent to the Cosecha Mensual newsletter editor Megan Schuknecht at megans@ncat.org.
> Subscribe to ATTRA's Spanish Newsletter Cosecha Mensual
Food Markets in Low-Income Neighborhoods Critical, Says New Report
Food, Markets and Healthy Communities, a new report from the Local Initiatives Support Corp. (LISC), discusses the importance of food markets in low-income neighborhoods. The report concludes that “a high-quality food market is a critical component to a community’s physical and economic health.” For example, the absence of such markets imposes hardships on residents, since they’re forced to travel greater distances and perhaps pay higher prices for food. The report, which includes case studies, can be downloaded online.
Webcast to Focus on Watershed Group Funding
EPA’s Watershed Academy will sponsor its ninth free Webcast seminar on March 22, 2006. The two-hour audio Web broadcast is on the topic "Sustainable Financing for Watershed Groups," and will be presented by Wendy Wilson and Pat Munoz of River Network. The Webcast will explore the keys to effective fundraising, including organization essentials, top fundraising strategies, and a comprehensive fundraising plan. Local watershed organizations, municipal leaders, and others are invited to sign up for these free, online Webcast training sessions. During the Webcasts, trainees simultaneously log on to the Web and/or participate by phone conference lines in live training conducted by expert instructors.
Ohio Group Offers Farm Apprentice Program
The Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association has announced its 2006 Apprentice Program, which provides hands-on experience in sustainable and organic farming. The program highlights low input and organic farms across Ohio, giving students and others the unique opportunity to work and learn. The program allows interns and farmers sharing similar interests to identify each other and helps farmers pass along a stewardship ethic to the younger generation. Apprentices can apply and search farm opportunities online.
Related ATTRA Content: Sustainable Farming Internships and Apprenticeships
Center for Farmland Policy Innovation Opens in Ohio
A new center designed to promote innovative ways to protect Ohio's farmland is up and running at Ohio State University, thanks to $400,000 in funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service. The center is a response to the needs of local leaders and landowners in their communities who want to retain viable farming while expanding development and are unsure of how to balance the two. The center will soon begin accepting applications for funding for farmland protection projects under its Farmland Policy Partnership Program.
Related ATTRA Publication: Conservation Easements
Sustainability Course Offered for Small-Acreage Idaho Farmers
A ten-week course on sustainable agriculture for small-acreage farmers and ranchers will be offered in the Pocatello, Idaho, area, reports the Idaho State Journal. The course, called "Cultivating Success," was developed by the University of Idaho and the University of Washington, and helps owners of small acreages tap into market opportunities available through sustainable practices. The course will cover sustainability concepts, whole farm planning, resource evaluations, direct marketing, enterprise assessments, sustainable crop production, ecological soils management, integrated pest and weed management, sustainable livestock and poultry production, grazing management, equipment and facilities and budgets.
> More Breaking News
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Funding Opportunities
Economics of Invasive Species Management Competitive Award Program
The Program of Research on the Economics of Invasive Species Management (PREISM) offers a publication that describes research priority areas and application requirements for 2006. Competitive award program funding for 2006 is expected to be about $1 million. Individual grants and cooperative agreements range from $50,000 to $250,000. The program is publicly announced and competitively awarded through the use of peer review panels. Proposals should focus on economic research, evaluation, modeling, and/or decision support system development with direct implications for USDA policies and programs regarding invasive species. Applications may be submitted electronically or as paper proposals.
Proposals are due April 28, 2006.
RMA Community Outreach and Assistance Partnerships
The U.S. Department of Agriculture Risk Management Agency (RMA) announces the availability of approximately $5 million for partnership agreements that will fund outreach projects to provide information and training to women, limited resource, socially disadvantaged and other traditionally under-served farmers and ranchers, who produce Priority Commodities as defined in Part I.C. Awards under this program will be made on a competitive basis for projects of up to one year.
Proposals are due May 1, 2006.
Water Conservation Assessment Project
The U.S. Department of Agriculture requests applications for the Integrated Research, Education, and Extension Competitive Grants Program-Conservation Effects Assessment Project. This program supports education and extension projects aimed at improving the quality of water resources in agricultural watersheds across the nation. Some $2.6 million is expected to be available. For more information, see the link above, or contact Joanna Moore at moneill@csrees.usda.gov. Refer to Solicitation# USDA-GRANTS-020306-002.
Proposals are due April 11, 2006.
> More Funding Opportunities
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Coming Events
Southwest Marketing Network Conference
March 27-29, 2006
Grand Junction, Colorado
This annual conference focuses on expanding markets for Southwest small-scale, alternative and minority producers. Presentations and workshops are offered.
Strengthening Rural Community Food Systems
May 7-9, 2006
LaGrande, Oregon
This Food, Education and Development symposium at Eastern Oregon University will include panel discussions, workshops, and demonstrations, and will provide skills for action on a variety of topics related to community food systems.
How to Create Successful Markets Workshop
May 11-12, 2006
New York, New York
Project for Public Spaces presents this workshop on how to start a market in your neighborhood or town. Look at case studies and explore the market planning process, including goal setting, concept development, economic feasibility, management, site selection and design.
> More Events
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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.
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