FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:   August 28, 2009

Contact:         Sharon D. Sachs, Spokesperson
Phone:   800-372-6092, ext. 3 or 614-885-3042
Email:   sachssd@aol.com

Begin Farming Ohio Website Launched to Assist Beginning Farmers

Columbus, Ohio (Aug 27, 2009) – For the first time Ohio’s new and beginning farmers have an entire website dedicated to their unique information needs and designed to make it easier for them to find the services and resources they seek. The website URL is http://www.beginfarmingohio.org.

The website represents the collaborative efforts of the Cuyahoga Valley Countryside Conservancy; Ohio Department of Agriculture, Sustainable Agriculture; Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association (OEFFA); the Organic Food and Farming Education & Research Program of the OSU Ohio Agriculture Research and Development Center; and the Ohio State University Extension. These entities, working together as Begin Farming Ohio, aim to build Ohio’s capacity to provide, expand, enhance, and sustain services to beginning farmers. Read more »

For moer information on the CSP, go to:

http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/new_csp/csp.html

http://sacdev.org/publications/grassrootsguide/conservation-environment/conservation-stewardship-program/

http://attra.ncat.org/csp/

http://www.mosesorganic.org/attachments/fundsforfarmers/csp.html

The Jew & the Carrot, a blog on sustainable food and contemporary Jewish life, is looking for an intern. The project is run by the organization Hazon, which is based in New York City.

For More Information: www.jcarrot.org | www.hazon.org

From The Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service:
VISIT the MOSES online events calendar for full listings! Or Click Read More for information on selected events! Read more »

The GFJI SECOND ANNUAL GATHERING IS ONLY TWO MONTHS AWAY!

GET YOUR REGISTRATION MADE TODAY!!

SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATIONS DUE SEPTEMBER 15!!!
(that’s in two weeks folks, so don’t wait!)

Details, ONLINE REGISTRATION, SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION TO DOWNLOAD are at:

www.growingfoodandjustice.org

Organic Certification Cost Share Funds Available – Deadline: Varies by State

Organic farmers and processors are invited to apply for certification cost share funds for federal fiscal year 2009 (October 1, 2008 through September 30, 2009). The current Federal Farm Bill provides funding for this popular program that helps organic farmers and processors with the cost of their organic certification, an annual expense.

Payments to eligible producers will be limited to 75 percent of an individual producer’s or handler’s certification costs up to a maximum of $750.00. Click ‘Read more’ for information on ow to apply. Read more »

An excellent website which compiles links to organic farming resources, organizations, opportunities, publications, websites, and more, check out All Organic links at:

http://www.allorganiclinks.com/

For thousands of years seed has been considered ‘sacred’. Not so any longer.

For an excellent picture and video of consolidation in the seed industry see Phil Howard’s excellent, well researched diagram, and time lapse images at https://www.msu.edu/~howardp/seedindustry.html

The East Palo Alto Community Farmers’ Market seeks an organized individual to assist and lead in the management and operations of its weekly market.

The successful candidate will be an effective and diplomatic organizer with initiative, creativity, and an understanding of food security principles; and an adept public speaker with strong outreach, organizational, financial, marketing, and project management skills. Read more »

USDA Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan recently sent out a memo regarding three USDA rural development programs that she thinks can be better utilized to advance local and regional food system development in the following areas: 1) The Communitiy Facilities program; 2) The Business and Industry Guaranteed Loan Program; and 3) The Value Added Producer Grant Program.

Each provides funds for building local food systems. Some are aimed more at organizations, and some are specifically for producers. Please check out this  local-food-memo for detailed descriptions of these programs

FamilyFarmed.org has two new internship positions available at our Oak Park Office

FamilyFarmed.org is an Oak Park based non-profit organization that works to build local food systems. It connects local farmers with trade buyers and consumers through its website, EXPO, and programs. In 2007,Yahoo! named FamilyFarmed.org as the inaugural recipient of their Yahoo! for Good Green Award. Chicago Magazine recently declared FamilyFarmed.org to be one of its favorite websites.

They are  looking for a Special Events Intern and a Technology Intern click the ‘Read More’ button below for position descriptions and application info. Read more »

MOFGA’s Farmer-in-Residence (F.I.R.) Program offers aspiring farmers committed to organic agriculture and public outreach the opportunity to live and farm at MOFGA’s Common Ground Education Center in Unity, Maine. Farmers-in-Residence participate in MOFGA’s Journeyperson Program, which gives new and aspiring organic farmers access to the land, resources, and support they need to establish successful farm enterprises.

MOFGA’s property in Unity encompasses 250+ acres in predominantly agricultural Waldo County. In addition to hosting the Common Ground Country Fair every September, the land is home to MOFGA’sstaff offices, a number of livestock barns, an exhibition hall, and an ecologically-designed farmhouse. The F.I.R. journeypersons have access to the farmhouse to use as a dwelling and headquarters for their farming activities. They also have access to MOFGA’s agricultural resource base with which to establish and develop their own farm businesses. Read more »

There’s a great new article by Matt Hickman on the Mother Nature Network Website. It’s called 40 Farmers Under 40 and it profiles 40 young, energetic, ecologically and socially conscious farmers. It’s a neat piece, and has spurred a lot of comments and discussion.

The recent food and financial crisis have shown the importance of and need for urban food security programmes. Changes in climate, only add to challenges faced by cities and specifically the urban poor. This is not only the case in the global South, but also relevant for the global North where for example the number of people that are dependent on support by food banks is steadily increasing.

In order to contribute to these discussions, Ryerson University, ETC Urban Agriculture and the Resource centres of Urban Agriculture and Food security (RUAF, www.ruaf.org) will be offering in the coming months 2 distance learning courses, the first on “Dimensions of Urban Agriculture” and the second on “Urban Agriculture Policy Making”. Read more »

The Live Earth Farm Discovery Program (LEFDP) is a new, nonprofit education organization located at Live Earth Farm.

Live Earth Farm is a beautiful 100 acre organic family farm and CSA in Watsonville, CA. They offer a variety of educational and community outreach programs including: Farm Tours, Infant and Toddler Programs, a Montessori Middle School Program in Partnership with Wavecrest of Santa Cruz Montessori, and a Farm Education Internship.

Live Earth Farm Discovery Program’s mission is to provide hands-on educational programs focused on local, organic, and sustainable food systems.  The program’s intent is to reach out to all segments of the community with an emphasis on low-income, diverse and underserved populations.

The LEFDP “classroom,” Live Earth Farm, is a well established community-based, small, organic farm which exemplifies farm to fork environmental stewardship.  LEFDP offers year round farm-based educational programs on topics including but not limited to:

• Organic and nature based sustainable farming;
• Nutrition;
• Local food networks;
• Humane livestock management;
• Environmental education;
• Permaculture design.

This family-run organic farm is an ideal venue for teaching about where our food really comes from, and for learning about the vital interconnectedness between human communities and the Earth, about our place in fragile ecological systems.

Live Earth Farm Discovery Program
Community Food Systems Education
www.LiveEarthFarm.net

Michigan State University is now offering a Graduate Certificate in Community Engagement for more information see this flyer

They are also offering Tools of Engagement a set of online modules that let students learn how to work collaboratively with community partners. For more information see this flyer

AgBrain is a great resource which lists hundreds of Ag. websites alphabetically by category. Now you can  Find Beginning Farmers on AgBrain