Sustainable Ag News

Pennsylvania Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding announced $1.8 million in targeted investments over three years to help Pennsylvania farmers and processors voluntarily transition to growing and producing organic products. Rodale Institute was awarded $750,000 for three years, and Team Ag, in partnership with Pennsylvania Certified Organic and Kitchen Table Consultants, was awarded $1,041,604 for three years. These organizations will offer free on-farm technical assistance for Pennsylvania producers and processors seeking to transition and become USDA certified organic. The department has also engaged Econsult Solutions to conduct an economic impact study on organic agriculture, helping to guide the industry and department.
Related ATTRA topic: Organic Certification

A new cover crop project led by the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign received nearly $5 million through USDA’s Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities program. According to a press release, at sites in Alabama, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, and Iowa, the team plans to scale up robotic cover-crop planting from 1,000 acres in Year 1 to 20,000 in Year 4 — bringing the cost to less than $10 per acre. Additionally, the team will work with Tuskegee University to enable robotic, high-resolution measurements of soil carbon and to create markets for climate-smart projects for minority, underserved farmers growing specialty crops and animal products.

Historic flooding in Eastern Kentucky last July damaged farm equipment and threatened the viability of some area produce farms, reports Kentucky Ag Connection. In response, Kentucky Horticulture Council launched the EKY Farm Equipment Flood Damage Repair Program to coordinate pickup of damaged small-scale equipment and repair by high school vo-ag programs. Kentucky Farm Bureau provided grant funding to help pay for supplies. Twenty-five growers have already applied to participate in the program, and organizers hope to expand the effort to help small farmers with damaged tractors and to provide replacement hand tools to growers who lost theirs in the flooding.

Independent meat processors in Nebraska now have access to $10 million in loan capital through the Center for Rural Affairs. The initiative is funded by a USDA Rural Development Meat and Poultry Intermediary Lending Program grant. These loans can be used for expansion of existing processors, start-up of new processors, real estate purchase, facilities update or expansion, equipment purchase, energy efficiency upgrades to facilities and equipment, sale of an existing business in cases where the sale will avert closure, or working capital. Both primary and secondary meat processing facilities are eligible. 

Researchers at Pennsylvania State University explored the soil health implications of strategic tillage as part of an integrated weed management strategy. Although no-till systems can be beneficial for soil health, relying on herbicides for weed control can result in development of resistant weeds over time. This research on dairy farms indicated that strategic tillage once in five years within a multi-year crop rotation that includes perennial forages resulted in small setbacks to soil health that recovered after two years. At the same time, the strategic tillage offered the benefits of reducing pesticide use, breaking pest cycles, distributing phosphorus collected on the soil surface, and providing an opportunity to add soil amendments.

Cornell University scientists published research on ancient cereal grain mixes and their potential to adapt in real time to climate change. Researchers learned that some farmers in Ethiopia sow cereal grain mixes called maslins that can contain rice, millet, wheat, rye, barley, triticale, emmer, and more. Researchers found that maslins have been used for more than 3,000 years and in at least 27 countries, for food and livestock fodder, but the ancient practice is nearly forgotten. The crops are grown together, and the resulting grain is used as a single product, which varies in composition depending upon the current growing season’s conditions. The variety within the crop helps farmers deal with climate variability, and also allows maslins to be drought tolerant, pest resistant, and produce more stable yields than a single crop.

Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education (SARE) has released a new bulletin, Transitioning to Organic Production, that lays out basic transition strategies for livestock, field crop, and horticultural systems, including a summary of the certification process and the National Organic Program standards. Practices common to all organic systems are also addressed. The free publication also outlines how organic production practices, paired with sound transition strategies such as flexible timelines, using alternative labels, and coordinating with NRCS programs, can help farmers successfully navigate the transition process.
Related ATTRA topic: Organic Certification

Pennsylvania Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding announced the 20 projects that are recipients of $520,219 in 2022-23 PA Farm Bill Urban Agriculture Grants. The Urban Agriculture Infrastructure Program was created to grow agricultural infrastructure by investing in small businesses to bring operations to a greater scale to meet the demands of local communities. The program works to break down walls of inequality while providing fresh, healthy foods in urban areas where access to food is limited and also exposing young Pennsylvanians to agriculture and the career opportunities offered by the industry. Applicants are eligible for up to $2,500 in micro grant funds, or up to $50,000 in collaboration grant funds, to assist food processors and growers in urban communities to complete projects such as expanding operations, site design, or planning to create community gardens, implementing aquaponic and hydroponic facilities, cold storage expansion, and more. A list of the funded projects is available online.

Research by the University of Colorado Boulder showed that people who started community gardening consumed more fiber and got more physical activity than others, as well as seeing their stress and anxiety decrease. “These findings provide concrete evidence that community gardening could play an important role in preventing cancer, chronic diseases, and mental health disorders,” said senior author Jill Litt, a professor in the Department of Environmental Studies at CU Boulder. The study was a randomized control trial published in Lancet Planetary Health.

Southern SARE reported on a High Tunnel Pest Exclusion research project in Alabama. As part of the project, on-farm participatory research and demonstrations conducted at 22 farms across Alabama from 2017-2021 found that 50% shade cloth was effective at keeping 72% to 100% of macro-insect pests out of high tunnels. The woven shade cloth is installed inside high tunnel side walls and remains in place when side walls are open, impeding insect entry. The shade cloth is used in conjunction with other IPM practices to achieve pest control in a high tunnel. Researchers point out that the exclusion also keeps out larger beneficial insects, including pollinators, but if they’re released inside the tunnel, the shade cloth helps keep them in place.

USDA is highlighting recent changes to the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP) that make it more accessible to underserved producers. A recent rule removes paperwork barriers and establishes procedures through which an underserved producer with a CCC-860, Socially Disadvantaged, Limited Resource, Beginning and Veteran Farmer or Rancher Certification, on file prior to the applicable NAP application closing date will automatically receive basic Coverage for any NAP-eligible crops they plant. Underserved producers on file for 2022 will also receive retroactive basic coverage. Like all other covered producers, underserved producers will still need to file a notice of loss and apply for benefits. In addition to the basic catastrophic level coverage under NAP, producers can buy-up higher levels of coverage by paying a premium. Underserved producers receive a 50% discount on any premiums. Producers who are interested in obtaining NAP coverage for 2023 should also contact their local FSA county office for information on eligibility, coverage options and applying for coverage.
Related ATTRA topic area: Crop Insurance

Iowa State University Extension and Outreach has a new five-page publication, Stocking Rates: Calculating How Many Horses a Pasture Can Maintain. It details how many acres are required per horse, based on horse and pasture condition, and it includes charts that detail how much acreage each kind of horse requires. Peggy Auwerda, associate professor in animal science and extension equine specialist at Iowa State, said equine owners often only have a few acres, and making the most of those acres is important, to save on feed costs and preserve the quality of the pasture. Even with very small pastures of a couple acres, she said it makes sense to manage those effectively and to implement a rotational grazing system, so that the grazed portion can recover.

Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources is launching MassGrownWellness, a program that will deliver a series of in-person and online training events for all Massachusetts agriculture community supporters, including all farmers, MDAR and professional staff, and the partner organization advocates. Numerous two-hour in-person and online training events are planned for January, February, and March. These will raise awareness of mental health and stress on farms by discussing the stressors unique to farmers and farm families and how these affect their mental health and well-being. Trainings will also identify the barriers farmers face when accessing resources and the methods to facilitate connection to available supports. 
Related ATTRA topic area: Farmer Well-Being

The Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future (CLF) and the Bloomberg Center for Government Excellence developed a new digital tool, Food System Resilience: A Planning Guide for Local Governments, for local governments to prepare for food systems disruptions caused by natural and human-made disasters. The Planning Guide provides information, resources and numerous tools for local governments to build local food system resilience by either creating a stand-alone food system resilience plan or embedding strategies for food system resilience into local government plans. The guide offers six modules: getting starting, equity in resilience, define, assess, strategize, and implement and measure food system resilience.

Iowa Farm to School and Early Care Coalition announced that four early care providers have been selected for The Iowa Farm to ECE Learning Collaborative. Providers will engage in training and technical assistance to develop a site-based, five-year local procurement plan; learn about and discuss racial equity in early childhood education and local food systems; grow skills and partnerships to be positioned to serve as farm to ECE peer mentors to other childcare professionals and in future regional learning collaboratives; and present together at the 2023 Iowa Farm to School and Early Care Conference.
Related ATTRA topic: Farm to School

The EU-funded RELACS (Replacement of Contentious Inputs in organic farming Systems) project has been working to identify alternatives to copper pesticides and livestock antibiotics that organic growers can utilize. In addition, it investigated alternatives to mineral oil in crop-pest management and explored locally adapted nutrient supplies. Researchers investigated a range of solutions, including acoustic disruption as a control for corp pests, feeding livestock heather as a de-wormer, and utilizing feeding and breeding regimes to reduce reliance on livestock antibiotics.

The Produce News reports that Homegrown Organic Farms is launching GROWN by, a video series on YouTube that follows four of the company’s farmers through their growing and harvest seasons. The featured farms are the Peterson family, Agustin Cardenas, France Ranch, and Pipco Fruit Co. The series is designed to help consumers understand where their fruit comes from and the people who produce it. “We are excited to share our grower’s stories in a different way,” said Elise Smith, Homegrown’s marketing manager. “This series gives viewers the chance to engage with our growers in a unique setting and each episode will feel like a visit to the farm.”

Ohio Department of Agriculture announced that the state’s Beginning Farmer Tax Credit of 3.99% is now available to those who’ve recently entered the field and those who help beginning farmers. Beginning farmers will need to complete a financial management program to qualify, and additional qualifications for eligibility are listed online. Along with beginning farmers, asset owners, or people or businesses that sell or rent qualifying farmland, livestock, buildings, or equipment to beginning farmers may apply as well.

USDA has signed cooperative agreements with several more states recently under the Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program. The program provides up to $900 million through non-competitive cooperative agreements to enable state, territory, and tribal governments to support local, regional, and underserved producers, and maintain or improve food and agricultural supply chain resiliency through the purchase of food produced within the state or within 400 miles of the delivery destination. The latest states to sign agreements were Utah, Massachusetts, Maryland, and New Hampshire.

USDA announced a $9.6 million investment to increase independent meat processing capacity in the United States and diversify the nation’s meat supply. This investment includes 23 Value Added Producer Grant program grants, totaling $3.9 million, to help producer-owned companies process and market new products. USDA is also providing guarantees for a total of $5.7 million in loans to two companies through the Food Supply Chain Guaranteed Loan Program using American Rescue Plan funding. A USDA press release also highlighted other recent accomplishments to date to support meat producers, promote competition, and strengthen local and regional food supply chains.