Michigan State University unheated greenhouse specialist Adam Montri uses his newly built hoophouse as an example of how you can use these passive solar structures to extend the growing season in cold climates. In Part 1 of his series on Hoophouse Production on Sustainable Farmer, he talks about controlling temperature and humidity inside these structures. He also explains his direct-to-consumer approach to marketing his produce year-round.

When: January 15, 2011

Where: Lakeview High School, Battle Creek, MI

Why: This year’s conference is entitled “Rising to the Challenges- Local Farms, Local Food, Local Pride”. Come and discuss challenges and growth opportunities for family farms. Connect with other growers and great resources, network, and learn about organic certification, hoophouses, agritourism and local markets, urban school gardening, food safety, niche marketing, alternative energy, CSAs and much more!  Don Coe of Black Star Farms in Suttons Bay, MI. is this year’s keynote speaker.  He will share how he transformed his vineyard into one of the most successful agritourism destinations in the state. Exhibits and displays will be set up for your enjoyment to connect you to government agencies, nonprofits and agricultural groups and organizations. Read more »

Ayrshire Farm, NC

AYRSHIRE FARM is a 22-acre, organic farm located six miles west of Pittsboro, NC, 20 miles south of Chapel HIll and 40 miles west of Raleigh. The farm has provided for local consumption a diverse selection of delicious, high quality fruits, vegetables and herbs for many years. Click HERE to see a video of the farm.

Five acres of the farm are cultivated, of which two are blueberries, and apple and pear orchards. The remainder of the land is hardwood forest with a stream on the SW boundary. Positioned on a hill facing southward, the three acres of cultivated rows are grouped in eight terraces, 4-6 rows in each, 250-300 feet long. The farm currently has three growing seasons, excluding winter crops which could be included. If you think you might be interested in leasing 1-5 acres at Ayrshire, click ‘Read More’ Read more »

2011 New Mexico Organic Farming Conference

the Southwest’s premiere conference on organic/sustainable agriculture

The 2011 NM Organic Farming Conference will be held on February 18-19th at the Mariott Pyramid Hotel in Albuquerque. The event includes: Welcome by Dr. John Boren, Director of New Mexico State University Cooperative Extension Service; Keynote by Jane Sooby, Director of the Organic Farming Research Foundation; Delicious organic meal and snacks with a focus on locally produced items; Over 30 sessions on crops, livestock, weed and pest management, market gardening, and farm support. Sessions are taught by experienced organic producers and experts in the field.  Get all the details by http://www.farmtotablenm.org/fts/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/2010-org-conf-program-web.pdf

Registration for the conference is now open. Click here to register online. Or, if you want to mail in your registration, click here to download the registration form. Print the form, make the check payable to Farm to Table.

Have $3,500 for a ritzy chicken coop? from Grist – Food by Holly Richmond.

You there. Do you have high-maintenance chickens? How about $3,500? Then you’re in luck. For that trifling sum, a three-story chicken coop can be yours. The designer calls it a “luxury condominium for chickens.” Put it next to your platinum-plated garden trellis and your diamond-encrusted watering bucket.

No, really: The finished structure includes four nesting rooms, a sliding tray for cleaning, a third-floor roosting area and a solar-powered fan—features for “discriminating poultry,” Mr. Ramsey said.

So if you keep three hens for a year—each laying about five eggs and eating two pounds of organic feed a week—a dozen eggs will only cost you $57! What a steal.

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Men in aprons, food-police backlash, and 8 more trends

In the collaborative spirit of The Greenhorns Project, these written pieces by young and beginning farmers are woven together with how-to guidance and interjected with wise words from our agrarian elders. Inspired by the pluck and purposeful protagonism of these young farmers, we hope that readers, eaters, voters and moms will come to understand the tremendous potential of sustainable agriculture in the reclaiming of America.

Michigan State University Extension Specialist Ron Goldy explores how to get started marketing your farm produce. In this first of three segments featured on Sustainable Farmer, Goldy talks about marketing options for small farmers ranging from opening a roadside stand to creating a full-blown farm market. He also explains how to make the decision about whether you should be a destination or drive-by farm market.

The MOSES Organic Farming Conference is the largest organic farming conference in the U.S. Organized by the Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service (MOSES), and held annually in La Crosse, WI, the OFC is an extraordinary, farmer-centered event. With over 70 informative workshops, 150+ exhibitors, locally-sourced organic food, live entertainment and inspirational keynote speakers, the OFC is celebrated as the foremost educational and networking event in the organic farming community.

The 22nd Annual Conference will be held February 24-26, 2011 in La Crosse, Wisconsin.

Download a copy of the 2011 Organic Farming Conference Flier for workshop details, menu, volunteer, scholarship and registration info & much more.

Registration is now open! Register by January 15th and save $20. Register online or via mail by downloading a registration form.

We Are What We Eat: Community Health Through Sustainable Farming: 12th Annual Conference – Jan. 14-15, 2011; Pearlstone Center and Kayam Farm,  Reisterstown, Maryland

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER ONLINE! Or download the registration form to mail in with a check here.
View the complete conference BROCHURE (PDF) here!

The Future Harvest-CASA Annual Conference is a highly anticipated annual gathering for hundreds of farmers, agricultural experts and researchers, marketers and food systems advocates who care about the sustainability of food and farming systems in the Chesapeake watershed. Read more »

California Appellate Court Upholds Pesticide Drift Case

http://www.mercurynews.com/central-coast/ci_16923749?nclick_check=1

This week California’s 6th District Court of Appeal in San Jose upheld an organic herb farmer’s right to sue a pesticide applicator over contamination of his crop, and let stand the $1 million award a jury handed the grower two years ago, reports San Jose Mercury News. The decision is significant, agriculture and law experts say, because it strengthens the case for organic farmers or anyone else harmed by pesticides to seek legal recourse, even if the pesticide is legally applied. While state law restricts pesticides from being sprayed on neighboring properties, which is known as pesticide drift, the law doesn’t deal specifically with pesticides that disperse into the air after application and end up someplace else, as happened in this case. Attorneys for the pesticide applicator, Western Farm Service, argued that since the company had not run afoul of state law, Jacobs Farm did not have the right to sue. The Court of Appeals, in its 32-page ruling, dismissed that argument and contended that the jury could hold the pesticide company liable for tainting the organic crops at Jacobs Farm.

Dates: March 4 – 6, 2011.

Location: Madison, Wisconsin

Host: Center for Integrative Agricultural Studies

This intensive three-day school demonstrates what it takes to set up and run a successful orchard business.

Topics include:

• business planning
• orchard establishment
• pest management
• facilities and equipment
• post-harvest handling and marketing
• and more!

The course will be held on the UW-Madison campus. For more information, see the course brochure.

Ag Confidence Index Results: Producers Positive About Current Conditions; Cautious About Future (Click to read full article)

(By Linda H. Smith from DTN Progressive Farmer)

EXCERPT: Producers are extremely positive about current conditions, with an overall rating of 215, compared with 180 in September. “Rising prices for a number of farm commodities have translated into an increase in producer confidence and a more positive evaluation of the present situation,” said Patrick Westhoff, University of Missouri agricultural economist, when he saw the results.

From the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC)

On Friday, December 23, USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) issued a request for applications for FY2011 funding for the Federal-State Marketing Improvement Program (FSMIP). Congress has yet to appropriate FY2011 funding for FSMIP.  AMS program staff, however, decided to issue the notice prior to securing the funding to allow applicants time to leverage funding and submit applications and to give AMS time to process applications within FY2011.  Proposals should benefit multiple producers or agribusinesses and multi-state proposals are eligible for funding. FSMIP proposals will be accepted through February 17, 2011.   A Guide for FSMIP Applicants is posted on the FSMIP website.

Read the full NSAC Post HERE

Young farmers need help from the USDA—and the next Farm Bill (click here to read full article)

(by Lindsey Lusher Shute, Grist)

EXCERPT: Unless an agricultural revival and major policy change begins now, the numbers of farmers will certainly shrink: the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture estimates that 500,000 farmers will retire in the next 20 years. And that’s why U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack recently called for 100,000 new farmers, and some of the few uncontroversial elements of the last Farm Bill were the handful of programs and provisions for new and beginning farmers. The government offers Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program grants (which provide funds for universities and nonprofits to train farmers) as well as direct loans to farmers to operate their farms or buy land.

USDA Press Release No. 0669.10; Contact: Office of Communications 202-720-4623

Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan today announced USDA will provide funding to help organic producers and those transitioning to organic production implement resource conservation practices on their agricultural operations.

“Increasing consumer demand for organically grown foods is providing new opportunities for small and mid-size farmers to prosper and stay competitive in today’s economy,” Merrigan said. “The 2008 Farm Bill calls for this assistance, and we want to help these farmers protect the natural resources on their land and create conditions that help foster organic production.” Read more »