Agricultural Subsidies are Safe, Everything Else is on the Chopping Block, according to the Environmental Working Group:

Who Really Needs a Haircut?

The House Appropriations Committee is set to vote today on a spending bill that makes deep cuts to a broad range of food assistance programs that provide vital nutritional support for the poor, including pregnant women and children.

What it doesn’t do, despite the chorus of frenzied calls to cut federal spending, is make even the smallest trims in the lavish federal subsidies to industrial grain producers and absentee land owners or to the government’s heavily subsidized crop and revenue insurance programs.

Last week (May 25), the Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture took the first step when it approved the spending bill, which also takes aim at funding for energy, conservation, research and rural development programs.

With Americans still struggling to emerge from the recession that forced millions to apply for food assistance programs, the committee slashed $2 billion from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (food stamps) and $832 million – or 11 percent – from a food program for poor pregnant women and young children. That comes on top of a similar cut just a few weeks ago.

And at a time when food insecurity is a growing global crisis , the House panel voted to cut international hunger programs by $457 million, or 23 percent….

Read more: http://www.ewg.org/agmag/2011/05/who-really-needs-a-haircut/

Nutrient Management  for Vegetable Crops Training, Massachusetts

NESFP Field Training Announcement Join us on June 2, 2011 at 4:00 pm:

Spring has sprung and all the farmers we know are in their fields planting up a storm! Before you plant, though, do you know what nutrients your hungry plants will need for good health, vigor and yield over this growing season?

Please join New Entry in the fields on Thursday to learn about taking soil samples for a soil test, interpreting soil test results, and how to apply the test recommendations through appropriate nutrient management. We’ll be sure to teach you about how to manage nutrients through the use of cover crops, soil amendments and foilar applications. Read more »

Survey Results: Minnesota farmers embrace Farm to School

Farmers see opportunity to educate students and reach new markets

Minneapolis – Farmers, ranchers and other food producers are interested in providing more of their fresh, locally grown food to Minnesota K-12 schools, according to a new survey released today by the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP).

The survey, completed by 67 small- and medium-scale producers and multi-farm collaboratives, showed strong interest in selling more locally grown foods to Minnesota K-12 schools and broad support for educating students about local food and farming issues. Ninety-five percent of respondents indicated that they are either “very” (60 percent) or “somewhat” (35 percent) interested in selling to K-12 schools. When asked about the reasons for their interest, respondents’ top three reasons were to “educate children about the food system,” to “increase access to healthy, locally grown food” and to “[generate] new revenue for my farm.” Read more »

The Multinational Exchange for Sustainable Agriculture (MESA) introduces the Certificate of International Training in Agroecology (CITA) program this year.

For the first time ever, U.S. citizens who value learning from small-scale farmers in other countries can participate in a structured program facilitated through MESA’s global network. MESA’s  Certificate of International Training in Agroecology (CITA) integrates practical and academic learning for a career in sustainable food systems.

Having sponsored over 600 farmers from developing countries to participate in U.S. farmer-to-farmer mentorships since 1997, MESA recognizes that the strongholds of global food justice exist within the small-scale farm. Read more »

Youth Grow Summit, June 28-30, 2011, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York

~ Hosted by the Cornell Garden-Based Learning Program~

We are excited to announce that the Youth Grow Summit will be held at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY from June 28-30, 2011. All high-school aged youth (14-18 yrs old) in New York State who are interested in creating a just and sustainable food system are invited to attend.

The Youth Grow Summit will be an inspiring and empowering 3-day gathering focused on fostering youth leadership in the food system. Our goal is to bring youth from across New York State together to share skills and experience, and to inspire one another around growing food and creating healthy communities. Workshops topics will include youth leadership skills, local farming, food justice, youth entrepreneurship, seasonal cooking, school food and more! Read more »

The following information about The Nitrogen Cycle, one of the Basics to understanding Agricultural Science, comes from The New World Encyclopedia which has generously provided access under a Creative Commons License. Reference information and access to the full article:

Nitrogen cycle. (2008, August 29). New World Encyclopedia. Retrieved 08:00, May 28, 2011 from http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Nitrogen_cycle?oldid=794919.

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Schematic representation of the flow of nitrogen through the environment (from EPA). The importance of bacteria in the cycle is immediately recognized as being a key element in the cycle, providing different forms of nitrogen compounds assimilable by higher organisms.

The nitrogen cycle is the biogeochemical cycle that describes the transformations of nitrogen and nitrogen-containing compounds in nature.

The basic Earth‘s atmosphere is about 78 percent nitrogen, making it the largest pool of nitrogen. Nitrogen is essential for many biological processes; it is in all amino acids, is incorporated into proteins, and is present in the bases that make up nucleic acids, such as DNA and RNA. In plants, much of the nitrogen is used in chlorophyll molecules, which are essential for photosynthesis and further growth.

The nitrogen cycle reveals the harmonious coordination between different biotic and abiotic elements. Processing, or fixation, is necessary to convert gaseous nitrogen into forms usable by living organisms. Some fixation occurs in lightning strikes, but most fixation is done by free-living or symbiotic bacteria. These bacteria have the nitrogenase enzyme that combines gaseous nitrogen with hydrogen to produce ammonia, which is then further converted by the bacteria to make its own organic compounds. Some nitrogen-fixing bacteria, such as Rhizobium, live in the root nodules of legumes (such as peas or beans). Here they form a mutualistic relationship with the plant, producing ammonia in exchange for carbohydrates. Nutrient-poor soils can be planted with legumes to enrich them with nitrogen. A few other plants can form such symbioses.

Other plants get nitrogen from the soil by absorption at their roots in the form of either nitrate ions or ammonium ions. All nitrogen obtained by animals can be traced to the eating of plants at some stage of the food chain.

Organic Farm Education Internship on Live Earth Farm. Interested in spending a year or more on the Central Coast of California?

Description: Live Earth Farm, established in 1996, is a 100 acre diversified, organic, family farm overlooking the Pajaro Valley in the Santa Cruz area of California.  We offer a year round CSA with 850 members during the regular season.  We grow 50 different fruits and vegetables ranging from perennial fruit trees to a wide variety of annual crops. We sell our produce at five area farmer’s markets and through our CSA program.

We are offering a Farm Educator Apprenticeship.  This apprenticeship will have a unique focus on our education programs.  The apprentice will spend at least 80% of their time on these activities and the other 20% on farm tasks.  Education programs include, but are not limited to: a weekly visit by 7th and 8th grade Montessori students, half day farm tours for students of all ages, once monthly home schooling family visits, and a diversity of community farm days. Read more »

The Greater Portland Convention and Visitors’ Bureau is offering an internship opportunity based on the waterfront in Portland, Maine. The position is p/t as an Events and Public Relations intern for Maine’s food and wine festival, Harvest on the Harbor (www.harvestontheharbor.com). You would be working directly with me and two of my colleagues. Any and all interested in culinary event planning and public relations, culinary and agri-tourism are encouraged to apply. Any interested in future career opportunities in Maine’s culinary or agricultural communities will find endless professional connections as a result as their work with the CVB. Portland, Maine boasts the most restaurants per capita of anywhere in the United States. The city’s proximity to both agricultural land and fishing grounds aids in Portland’s overwhelming culinary focus on farm to table cuisine. Harvest on the Harbor is also farm-to-table themed this year. PLEASE NOTE: in order to be eligible you must be 21+ (or turning 21 before October 20th) and must be available to work ASAP through the first week of November. Read more »

Intern, Apprentice, or Experienced Farmer Wanted for Vegetable Farm in New York

Looking for a change of pace in your life? Come live with us at Horsemen’s Trail Farm in Cold Spring, NY.
Learn livestock husbandry on our multi-species farm, (10> types of animals).
We also grow vegetables for our farm stand. Room & board traded for your part time help. Respond by email or by phone call preferred.
I hate to type; I’d rather be outdoors!

• Eggs
• Pigs
• Goats
• Sheep and Lambs
• Rabbits
• Horses
• Donkey
• Cow
• Goose (doorbell)
• Veggies
• Bio-Diesel
• Gravity Fed Water System
• Solar
• Wood heat
• Pastured Chickens and Turkeys
• ??? More with your help

Horsemen Trail Farm
Dave Vickery or Mary Finger

Cold Spring, NY
845 590-8846
horsemen@localnet.com

Bi-Rite Market – Assistant Farm Manager Job, California

Mission: In order to better understand where are our food comes from and the work that farmers do to feed us, we operate our own Sonoma farm, Placerville orchard and San Francisco garden.  The Sonoma farm gives Bi-Rite the opportunity to educate the staff and community, by giving them a chance to get their hands in the soil. The amazing fruits and vegetables are used in plethora of ways from being highlighted in the deli dishes to the shelves of the produce department. We also have seasonal staff dinners and share it with our community at 18 reason events.

Position Summary: The Assistant Farm Manager (AFM) works in close partnership with the farm manager to operate the 2 farm plots (1.3 acres) in Sonoma. S/he is responsible for assisting the farm manager with tilling the fields and preparing the soil, timely planting and watering of seeds and transplants, weeding and basic farm maintenance, harvesting and washing crops, properly packaging and storing vegetables. The AFM will assist in the training and staff development of Bi-Rite Market workers and 18 Reason members who offer day labor. Additional responsibilities include starting up the chicken coup and maintaining a healthy environment for the chickens to produce eggs. Read more »

AMS Press Release No. 120-11; Contact: Michael T. Jarvis (202) 720-8998 michael.jarvis@ams.usda.gov

USDA Releases 2009 Annual Summary for Pesticide Data Program

WASHINGTON, May 24, 2011 — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) posted today to the AMS website the 2009 Pesticide Data Program Annual Summary and the data collected that year. This information, along with an explanatory guide for consumers, can be found at www.ams.usda.gov/pdp.

The Pesticide Data Program is a partnership between AMS and cooperating state agencies that are responsible for sample collection and analysis of actual levels of pesticide residues found in the U.S. food supply.

In 2009, surveys were conducted on a variety of foods including fresh and processed fruit and vegetables, beef, catfish, rice, groundwater, and treated and untreated drinking water.  The following 12 states participated in the program during 2009: California, Colorado, Florida, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New York, Ohio, Texas, Washington, and Wisconsin.

Since 1996, the Pesticide Data Program has enhanced its focus on children’s foods in response to the Food Quality Protection Act and provides critical realistic data for U.S. Environmental Protection Agency assessments of dietary exposure to pesticide residues. In addition, these data are used to facilitate global trade of American agricultural products.

Congress approved implementation of the Pesticide Data Program in January 1991 to improve the quality and quantity of information available on chemical residues in domestically produced and imported food. Since its inception, the program has tested 102 commodities.

The data is a valuable tool for consumers, food producers and processors, chemical manufacturers, environmental interest groups, and food safety organizations.

The findings of the Pesticide Data Program Annual Summary, Calendar Year 2009, can be downloaded at www.ams.usda.gov/pdp.  Printed copies will be available at a later date and can be obtained by writing to the Monitoring Programs Division, Science and Technology, Agricultural Marketing Service, USDA, 8609 Sudley Rd., Suite 206, Manassas, VA 20110; by faxing (703) 369-0678; by calling (703) 330-2300, Ext. 110; or by submitting an e-mail request to amsmpo.data@ams.usda.gov.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 27, 2011; Kevin Coburn, Director of Communications; 802-287-8926; coburnk@greenmtn.edu

Green Mountain College announces Master’s in Sustainable Food Systems

POULTNEY, VT–Green Mountain College announced today that it will offer a distance-learning master’s degree in Sustainable Food Systems (MSFS), which builds on the surging interest in food and agriculture issues in the U.S. and on the success of the College’s undergraduate major in sustainable agriculture. The MSFS program has received accreditation from the New England Association of Schools and Colleges and GMC plans to launch its first cohort in January, 2012.

Over thirty undergraduate students already focus their academic work on food systems at the College. Four grants over the past three years totaling over $250,000 have enhanced facilities and supported faculty research capacity at the College’s Cerridwen Farm and the adjoining Solar Harvest Center. Read more »

This month in the farmer webinar series Missouri Beginning Farmer Project will take a look at just how social media can boost your marketing plan and sales. Lane is an agriculture marketing consultant who grew up on a livestock farm in southwest Missouri.  She has worked for the Brownfield Farm Radio Network and Missouri Department of Agriculture, where she specialized in the local foods industry.  Lane runs Agri-Comm Services, a marketing business in Hollister, MO and works with the businesses on developing innovative marketing campaigns, including social media.  She is also spear-heading “The Market Lady” specialty crop grant project in southern Missouri this summer.

In the first webinar Lane will introduce all the different arenas of social media (facebook, blogs, twitter, etc.).  In the second and third webinars, Lane will present live demonstrations on the step-by-step process of these different social media outlets.  If you’ve been thinking about social media or have been wondering how to increase the sales on your farm, join in for each of these webinars and get a jump start on marketing your farm and farm products.

Meeting Name:  Social Media Marketing Introduction

When: Monday June 6, 7:00 – 8:30 pm
Time Zone:  Central Time (US and Canada)

To join the meeting:
http://univmissouri.adobeconnect.com/r59532978/

Meeting Name:  Social Media Marketing Live Demonstrations Part 1

When: Monday June 13, 7:00 – 8:30 pm
Time Zone:  Central Time (US and Canada)

To join the meeting:
http://univmissouri.adobeconnect.com/r44829575/

Meeting Name:  Social Media Marketing Live Demonstrations Part 2

When: Monday June 20, 7:00 – 8:30 pm
Time Zone:  Central Time (US and Canada)

To join the meeting:
http://univmissouri.adobeconnect.com/r62273718/

We are a small diverse Organic Fruit Farm in Michigan offering internship and volunteer opportunity on our 22 acre family owned and operated farm. We are located in South West Michigan just one mile from Lake Michigan. Nestled in Michigan’s fruit belt we are well suited to fruit production.

We are growing: Strawberries, raspberries, pears, apples, peaches, tomatoes, melons, herbs, flowers and some veggies. We have a High tunnel where we grow tomatoes and, a small green house for starts. The bulk of the production is in the great outdoors !!  We need lodes of help this season !!!

This 2011 season, with the help of a generous grant we are: Preparing 6 acres of fields for new plantings; Raising more High Tunnels; Building a walk-in cooler; Building chicken tractors, and a small (straw bale) barn; and Constructing a kitchen for canning fruit products and pie production. Read more »

Agriculture Committee Members have asked President Obama not to cut funding for essential programs. Senate Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) is leading an effort to counter House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan’s (R-WI) proposal to slash the agriculture budget by 48 billion dollars over the next decade. A letter sent to President Obama on May 19th signed by Stabenow and 9 other Democratic Members of the Ag. Committee, states that “Unreasonable cuts to the farm bill budget would… seriously jeopardize our ability to craft a balanced new farm bill meeting critical national priorities.”

As the letter points out, Ryan’s proposed budget would make substantial cuts to conservation programs, support for local and regional agriculture, incentives for rural job creation. The context for the letter is an ongoing battle over the federal budget between Democrats and Republicans. The farm bill represents approximately 2% of the federal budget, and 65% of it is money for nutrition and food stamp programs. Approximately 12% is allocated to commodity support programs, 11% to farm insurance, and 10% to conservation programs. The remaining 2% of the farm bill, which represents 0.04% of the includes all the research programs, beginning farmer programs, specialty crop programs, and rural development programs that are offered by USDA.

Congressman Ryan is proposing significant cuts to that 0.04%, as well as to other sections of farm bill programs, ostensibly, as a way to reign in the federal budget deficit. But it doesn’t take a math major to recognize that cutting into o.o4% of ones budget will not do much in the way of reducing budget deficits. If I was lucky enough to make $100,000 per year, I hope I’d be intelligent enough to recognize that the spending $300 instead of $400 on anything would be unlikely to make a significant dent in my debt/deficit problems. Yet the Congressional Budget Committee seems incapable of doing that math. While recognizing that cutting the federal budget deficit is important, I for one hope that the Ag. Committee letter helps to bring that message home to the Executive Branch of our government. You can help too. Please call or write your representative (you can find their contact info at: http://www.usa.gov/Contact/Elected.shtml).