Weekly Harvest Newsletter

Sustainable Agriculture News Briefs - October 12, 2005

Weekly sustainable agriculture news and resources gleaned from the Internet by NCAT staff for the ATTRA - National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service Web site.

News & Resources
* Article Explores Whether the Way We Eat Can Change Urban Agriculture
* Research Abstracts Now Available in Spanish
* Organic Producers Face Strong Competition from Imports
* Urban Farmer Sprouts Good Business Model
* Farm to Chef Express Cooperative Supplies Big Apple
* Online Resources Help Producers Assess Wine Production

Funding Opportunities
* Pest Management Research Grants
* North American Wetlands Conservation Act Small Grants
* Wisconsin Dairy Initiative Grants

Coming Events
* North Carolina Greenhouse Vegetable Growers Annual Conference
* Energy Efficiency and Agriculture: Ag Forum
* Sustainable Small Acreage Farming & Ranching Overview Course

News & Resources

Article Explores Whether the Way We Eat Can Change Urban Agriculture
In a feature article for the Fall/Winter 2005 issue of Terrain.org, authors Martha Works and Thomas Harvey examine the trends of agriculture and urbanization in metropolitan Portland, Oregon. Although urban growth is often associated with the loss of productive farmland, the article, "Can the Way We Eat Change Metropolitan Agriculture?," shows this has not been the case in greater Portland. As population increased in Portland's metropolitan area from 1.3 to 2 million between 1980 and 2003, so did the number of farms, as well as the number of acres in production. Rural-urban linkages have been strengthened through farmers' markets, community supported agriculture, farmer-chef collaborations, and promotion of local food products, and the authors consider the impact of each of these linkages in detail. They also take a preliminary look at two other cities - Kansas City, Kansas and Charlotte, North Carolina - with different cultures, geographies, and growth patterns, and show they too have experienced increases in farmland over the past 15 years. The authors conclude that "Changing food preferences and local food politics can affect land use and landscape and help shape a regional dynamic where agriculture connects rather than divides urban and rural residents."

Research Abstracts Now Available in Spanish
Information about environmentally friendly ways to grow top-quality potatoes, sugarbeets and other crops on irrigated farmlands is available in publications from Agricultural Research Service (ARS) experts in Idaho. Now the summaries, or abstracts, of more than 100 of these publications have been translated into Spanish to streamline use of these methods by Spanish-speaking farm owners, managers and workers in the United States and abroad. The publications, written by ARS scientists specializing in soil science, agricultural engineering and plant disease at the agency's Northwest Irrigation and Soils Research Laboratory in Kimberly, Idaho, cover everything from determining the alfalfa-hay preferences of dairy cows to zapping erosion caused by irrigation water as it whooshes down furrows. Plans call for translating several hundred more abstracts, working from the newer publications to previous ones that date back to the early 1960s.

Organic Producers Face Strong Competition from Imports
Imports of organic meat and produce far surpass U.S. organic exports, says an article in The Des Moines Register, and U.S. producers face the possibility of losing their markets altogether if they can't meet the competition. Clarkson Grain Co. of Cerro Gordo, Illinois, for example, has lost 25 percent of its soybean business just during the past year due to growing imports from South America and China. The article points out that a recent USDA study estimated that the U.S. imported about $1.5 billion in organic food in 2002, while exporting as little as $125 million of organic goods. Organic production costs are generally much lower overseas due to cheaper labor costs, but the flood of imports highlights the fact that organic agriculture isn't necessarily sustainable agriculture.

Urban Farmer Sprouts Good Business Model
The Pitt News recently profiled one producer who is contributing to the growth of urban agriculture in Pittsburgh. Farmer Chris Wahlberg grows organic produce and several varieties of sprouts in an old brewery that has been modified into a productive indoor farm. Thick ceramic tile walls lined with insulation, fluorescent lights when necessary, and plenty of water allow Wahlberg to grow 6,000 to 8,000 pounds of sprouts a day, depending on demand. Wahlberg sells chia, corn, peanut, pumpkin, rice, rye, spinach, and sunflower sprouts, to restaurants and at the Oakland Farmers' Market, and he constantly experiments with new varieties.
Related ATTRA Publication: Sprouts and Wheatgrass Production and Marketing

Farm to Chef Express Cooperative Supplies Big Apple
The October issue of Grassroots magazine features Farm to Chef Express, a farmer cooperative that is bringing fresh upstate farm produce to New York City. One farm's sales of free-range chicken and pork to city chefs led to requests for more products, and a cooperative was formed to meet the demand. Now 24 upstate farmers are supplying meat, eggs and produce to 19 New York City restaurants each week. Farm to Chef Express (FCX) has helped chefs interested in seasonal food connect with farmers. This summer some chefs even toured the farms whose produce they use. Now FCX is looking at ways to continue to serve their chef clients in the off-season, as well as options for better meeting their needs year-round, such as refrigerated trucks, twice-weekly delivery, and streamlined ordering.

Online Resources Help Producers Assess Wine Production
Interactive spreadsheets and videos on the wine industry are now online at the Agricultural Marketing Resource Center (AgMRC) Web site to help producers determine whether a winery or vineyard might be feasible for their operation. The financial feasibility spreadsheets are included in two workbooks, the Ten-Year Winery Financial Planning Workbook and the Cost to Establish a Vineyard Workbook. A set of three Total Wine Package videos, streamed for online viewing, explore the opportunity of growing grapes and making wine, present a behind-the-scenes look at the science of enology, and cover selling a total wine experience. Funding for this project was provided in part by the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture.

> More Breaking News

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Funding Opportunities

Pest Management Research Grants
The Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF), in partnership with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), has issued a call for proposals to conduct research on managing weeds, insects, and diseases using organic methods in the intermountain West and in the Midwest. Through partnership with EPA’s Sustainable Agriculture Initiative, the funds will be available to farmers, scientists, extension agents, and other interested research partners in EPA Regions 5 and 8. Region 5 includes Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin and 35 tribal nations in those states. Region 8 includes Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, Wyoming, and 27 tribal nations in those states.
Proposals are due December 15, 2005

North American Wetlands Conservation Act Small Grants
The purpose of the 1989 North American Wetlands Conservation Act (NAWCA), as amended, is to promote long-term conservation of North American wetland ecosystems, and the waterfowl and other migratory birds, fish and wildlife that depend upon such habitat. Principal conservation actions supported by NAWCA are acquisition, creation, enhancement and restoration of wetlands and wetland-associated uplands. The Small Grants program is intended to promote long-term wetlands conservation activities through encouraging participation by new grantees and partners who may not otherwise be able to compete in the Standard Grants program. Grants and cooperative agreements of up to $50,000 are available.
Proposals are due December 2, 2005

Wisconsin Dairy Initiative Grants
The Wisconsin Dairy Initiative is offering grants of up to $7,500 to help dairy farmers get started in business or for existing dairy farmers to transition to or enhance organic or intensively managed grazing operations. Cow, goat or sheep operations may apply. Projects must incorporate financial analysis and planning. The application requires a minimum 25 percent funding match. Applications may be submitted at any time. Applications are available online or by calling (608) 224-5137.

> More Funding Opportunities

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Coming Events

North Carolina Greenhouse Vegetable Growers Annual Conference
October 25-26, 2005
Raleigh, North Carolina
The conference features a number of speakers, on topics of tomato production, melon, pepper and cucumber production, greenhouse improvements, lettuce growing, and transitioning a farm operation to the next generation.

Energy Efficiency and Agriculture: Ag Forum
November 14-16, 2005
Des Moines, Iowa
American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy presents this special event. The conference will highlight energy efficiency technologies, policies, and actions that can contribute to increased viability and sustainability of farms, ranches, and the rural business community. The forum's theme is "Increasing Energy Efficiency in the Agriculture Sector: Farms, Ranches, and Rural Small Businesses" and it will offer an agenda spanning the many energy issues found in rural America.

Sustainable Small Acreage Farming & Ranching Overview Course
November 16, 2005 - March 1, 2006
Everett, Washington
This 14-week course (meeting one evening a week) is part of the Cultivating Success small farm education program offered by Washington State University. Topics include whole-farm planning, sustainable production, direct marketing, sustainable livestock, and enterprise budgets.

> More Events

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Digital versions of recent Weekly Harvest and ATTRAnews newsletters 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.

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