Sustainable Ag News

Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA) has posted a basic vegetable and herb planting calendar with dates based on USDA Plant Hardiness zone 5. The calendar includes dates for starting seeds indoors, starting seeds outdoors, and transplanting dates. It includes planting dates from March through October, for early-season crops, late-season crops, and over-wintered crops.

Several sources have created compilations honoring Black innovators and leaders in agriculture for Black History Month in February. Read more about historical and current figures in the agriculture industry in posts from Bio.News, Community Food Co Op, and Gills Onions.

Appalachian Sustainable Development, Rural Action, and the USDA National Agroforestry Center collaborated to develop a new publication on alley cropping, as part of a national NRCS Conservation Innovation Grant. Alley Cropping Case Studies In Appalachia is a nine-page publication on alley cropping, the agroforestry practice of planting rows of trees and/or shrubs to create alleys within which agricultural or horticultural crops are produced. The featured case studies are an herb farm in Kentucky and a nut farm in southern Ohio.
Related ATTRA Blog: Coffee and Avocado Agroforestry: The Perfect Pair for your Plate and the Planet

An international group of scientists have developed a soil health board game that’s available free online, reports Popular Science. The game “Dirty Matters” is for up to six players, ages eight and up, each of whom choose a character living in the soil and possessing abilities and restrictions. Players collaborate to make their way around the board while dealing with a range of environmental events. The goal is to feed six generations without polluting the water, breaking down natural carbon sequestration, or triggering a famine. The game developers are working on a second soil-related board game.

USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service in Indiana issued a press release recognizing the start of Black History Month 2023 on February 1. NRCS notes that Black History Month has become an annual tradition in February and serves as a chance to honor the diverse impact of Black Americans throughout the nation’s history. This includes the lasting impact Black farmers, landowners and communities have had on agriculture throughout the country. “The story of agriculture throughout America and here in Indiana can’t be told without the contributions of Black farmers and they continue to play a key role in providing the food and fiber the world depends on,” said Dan Hovland, acting state conservationist for USDA NRCS in Indiana.

CCOF has posted a summary of resources helpful to farmers affected by recent flooding in California, including regional, state, and federal assistance programs. In addition, the CCOF post lists several CCOF-certified organic farmers who have experienced devastating losses and have set up GoFundMe accounts to cover the costs of damage.
Related ATTRA Publication: Weathering the Storm: A Guide to Preparing for Disaster and Finding Disaster Assistance for your Farm or Ranch

Environmental Working Group has updated its Farm Subsidy Database with data from 2020 and 2021. The database shows that federal farm subsidies between 1995 and 2021 totaled $478 billion. It tracks the names and locations of farm subsidy recipients and the amount of money they receive each year. The data shows that between 1995 and 2021, the top 10% of farm subsidy recipients that received the largest payments received over 78% of commodity program subsidies, and the top 1% received 27% of payments.

Researchers from USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and Oklahoma State University Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources found that sorghum, commonly called milo, served as a pollen food source for bees, hoverflies, and earwigs. Additionally, when sorghum is infested with sorghum aphids, large amounts of honeydew are produced that could be an alternative to nectar for pollinators and predatory insects, including flies, bees, wasps, and ants. The study’s findings show promise that grass species like sorghum can be an alternative crop for pollinators during times when other crops are not available for foraging.

Regenerate America launched a petition January 31, 2023, to demand Congress take action and support regenerative agriculture in the next farm bill. Regenerate America hopes to gather more than 100,000 signatures on the online petition in support of Congress including regenerative agriculture in the 2023 Farm Bill. As defined by this initiative, regenerative agriculture combines Indigenous knowledge, holistic management, and cutting-edge science to work within the context of natural systems. It means healthier soils growing healthier foods, stronger local communities, more profitable regional economies, and more resilient environments.

Iowa State University Extension and Outreach has released a new publication, Organic No-Till Production, that provides a “how-to” for organic no-till production in Iowa. No-till utilizes a rolled down cover crop to facilitate weed suppression, with the commercial crop drilled, planted or transplanted into the rolled mulch. The publication offers an overview of different rolling/crimping systems, an economic outline of costs and returns, and provides producers with the resources they need to secure potential funding from the USDA-NRCS cost-share programs supporting organic no-till.
Related ATTRA Publication: Reducing Tillage Intensity in Organic Production Systems

Penn State University researchers have developed and pilot-tested a customized food safety training program for farmers market vendors. The need for such a program was revealed by earlier research that identified a lack of food safety regulation and training at farmers markets. The new Farmers Market Food Safety training program developed in response to that need includes a PowerPoint presentation and a resource guide. A four-hour online version of the training developed from this study is offered by Penn State Extension.
Related ATTRA Topic Area: Food Safety

USDA encourages urban producers, innovative producers, and other stakeholders to virtually attend the fourth public meeting of the Federal Advisory Committee for Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production on February 23, 2023 from 3:30-6 pm ET. This Committee will discuss recommendations it intends to submit to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to remove barriers to urban and innovative producers and increase access of urban and innovative producers to USDA programs and services. Register online to attend. Comments can also be submitted online.

USDA National Organic Program (NOP) has published a new, free, online course in the Organic Integrity Learning Center. The new Scenario-Based Inspector Training is a comprehensive course teaching concrete advanced inspection skills for crop, livestock, and handling operations. This course uses a first-hand view of field-based scenarios to demonstrate how inspectors apply knowledge and skills to successfully inspect organic operations. These complex, real-world situations demonstrate the skills used to conduct successful organic inspections, including critical thinking, risk determination, effective interpersonal communication, and the observe-and-report approach.
Related ATTRA Publication: Preparing for an Organic Inspection: Steps and Checklists

Two new videos from Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education (SARE) are the first in a series featuring farmers who use ecological strategies to control weeds without herbicides. In Ecological Weed Management at Johnson Farms, South Dakota farmer Charlie Johnson explains how late planting, patience, diversity and a six-year crop rotation all play a role in managing weeds on his farm. The second video, Managing Weeds in Organic Corn and Soybeans, specifically illustrates how a custom rotation leverages diversity to manage weeds.
Related ATTRA topic: Weed Control

When the Netherlands was found in violation of EU environmental law, the government developed a plan to reduce nitrogen emissions that includes a 30% reduction in farmed animals by 2030, reports The Guardian. The plan has met with protest in the Netherlands, but it is being held up by some experts as a sign of the type of governmental action that will be necessary to protect the environment and biodiversity. Some say that the United States, as the world’s largest producer of beef, chicken, and cow’s milk, will need to take similar action to identify a point of “peak meat” and reduce livestock populations or change the way animals are raised in order to protect environmental quality.

The Livestock Conservancy has released a 12-minute video, How to Shear Sheep & Why It’s Important. The film showcases the beautiful dance between sheep and shearer, the importance of sheep shearing to the health and well-being of sheep, and the impact that Slow Fashion and local wool have on the economy and local community. The video offers an opportunity to learn tips on the best way to shear humanely, including preparing sheep for shearing and best tools for the job; understand why shearing is important for the health of the sheep; watch the art of humane sheep shearing; and discover how you can support a sustainable industry and help save rare sheep breeds from extinction.

USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) is currently making automatic Coronavirus Food Assistance Program 2 (CFAP 2) top-up payments to underserved farmers and ranchers. Payments will be based on the 2020 program certification on form CCC-860, Socially Disadvantaged, Limited Resource, Beginning and Veteran Farmer or Rancher Certification. Producers who have not previously certified to their status for the 2020 program year have until February 10, 2023, to submit form CCC-860 to be eligible for the additional payments. Contact your local USDA Service Center for more information.

The Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers Policy Research Center at Alcorn State University is conducting a brief survey to understand Black farmers’ access to capital and how current credit programs can be improved. New and experienced Black farmers are encouraged to give their feedback. The survey informs a project by Fort Valley State University and other 1890 institutions, designed to answer how Black farmers have historically and currently fund their farm operations. A second objective of the project is to ensure that current access to credit programs within the Farm Credit Administration (FCA) and USDA, Farm Service Agency (FSA) are factually beneficial and timely.

The Center for Rural Affairs released a report on the results of its survey of Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) participants in the Midwest. Producing a Sustainable Future: Producers’ Feedback on the Nation’s Leading Conservation Program shows that CSP is making strides in providing financial and technical assistance for producers to maintain agricultural production on their land and simultaneously address resource concerns with conservation practices. The report incorporates feedback from 421 farmers and ranchers in Nebraska, Iowa, South Dakota, Minnesota, and Kansas. These points are among the findings:

Related ATTRA publication: Federal Working Lands Conservation Resources for Sustainable Farming and Ranching

CSA Innovation Network is offering online resources and promotional materials for CSA Week, scheduled for February 20-26, 2023. Organizers are encouraging farmers and farmer support organizations across the country to come together in promoting CSA during this week. The CSA Week website offers a free digital toolkit with resources, tools, and templates to help promote CSA. An interactive CSA Week Participant Map is also accessible online.
Related ATTRA publication: Community Supported Agriculture