December 15 is the signup deadline for the Oklahoma Conservation Commission’s new Neighbors Helping Neighbors program. The program allows either poultry growers or their immediate neighbors to sign up for one of several conservation practices to be installed on their farm.
The project will focus on the poultry growing areas of eastern Oklahoma and will primarily work directly between poultry growers and their immediate neighbors. On a larger scale, it will protect natural resources in eastern Oklahoma while also supporting the important regional poultry industry. Landowners that either own a poultry farm or land adjacent to one in the following counties could be eligible: Adair, Cherokee, Craig, Delaware, Haskell, Le Flore, Mayes, McIntosh, Muskogee, Ottawa or Sequoyah.
Some of the natural resource concerns that can be addressed through the program are odor and dust, water quality and light pollution.
For more information or to sign up, visit the program webpage, or contact Jeri Fleming by email or phone (405-334-6343).
The Neighbors Helping Neighbors project is funded in part from USDA NRCS with additional funding from the U.S. EPA Section 319 program and an appropriation from the Oklahoma legislature. Other partners include the Grand River Dam Authority, OSU Extension Services, the Oklahoma Association of Conservation Districts, and the Poultry Federation.
Free virtual training workshops will be offered this fall for both new and experienced users of OK-FIRE, the statewide weather-based decision support system of the Oklahoma Mesonet for wildland fire management with applications to wildfire, prescribed fire, and smoke. Dr. J. D. Carlson, OK-FIRE program manager and fire meteorologist in OSU’s Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering, will conduct the training. Workshops will be held in a virtual format over Zoom from 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., spanning two consecutive afternoons in November and December:
- November 9 (Part 1), November 10 (Part 2)
- December 14 (Part 1), December 15 (Part 2)
Information on the specific content of Part 1 and Part 2 of the workshops can be found on the online registration form. If you can only make one of the two consecutive days, feel free to sign up for the other half of the workshop in another month. It would also be better, if possible, to attend a Part 1 workshop first and a Part 2 workshop in a later month. You also have the option to only sign up for either Part 1 or Part 2. Part 1 will be useful to all wildland fire managers (those who work with wildfires or conduct prescribed burns), while Part 2 will be of most help to those who work with wildfires. Note that the registration deadline for each afternoon workshop is the Friday before the workshop date. Several days before each workshop, an email reminder containing more information as well as the workshop Zoom link will be sent out to those registered.
Workshops will consist of a combination of presentations, website demos, and question/answer periods. Participants will learn about the available fire weather, fire danger, and smoke products on OK-FIRE, as well as their application to wildfire, prescribed fire, and smoke management. In addition to past/current conditions based on Oklahoma Mesonet data, OK-FIRE also includes a 3-day forecast component, useful for anticipating periods of high fire danger as well as identifying windows for prescribed burning. If possible, attendees are encouraged to use either tablets or computers, as the larger screens will make for easier viewing and learning. Please note that these workshops are designed for those who work directly (or indirectly) with wildland fire (wildfire and/or prescribed fire). Finally, for those who attended any OK-FIRE virtual workshops last fall, please note that the workshops this fall will be similar to those of last year.
For more information or to register, visit the OK-FIRE training webpage, or contact Dr. J. D. Carlson by email or phone (405-744-6353).
A collaboration between the Monarch Joint Venture, Sentera Inc., and the U.S.G.S. has developed remote sensing technology to detect and count common milkweed stems. This technology may be a cost-efficient and effective method to help meet monarch conservation targets for the eastern population. Join MJV Executive Director Wendy Caldwell for an update on remote sensing pilot programs and other applications of remote sensing in aiding conservation effectiveness beyond monarchs and milkweed.
This free webinar is first-come, first-served, with a capacity of 500 attendees. Register early to ensure a place.
For more information or to register, visit the registration page, or contact Stacy Carlson by email or phone (651-222-7631).
The Southeast Regional Fruit and Vegetable Conference is the largest educational conference and trade show in the southeastern United States that unites growers, vendors and suppliers.
For more information or to register, visit the conference website, or contact Katie Oxford by email or phone (706-407-2264).
January 6 is the deadline for applications to the USDA Food & Nutrition Service’s Farm to School grant program.
On an annual basis, USDA awards competitive Farm to School grants that support planning, developing, and implementing farm to school programs. USDA’s Farm to School grants are an important way to help state, regional, and local organizations as they initiate, expand, and institutionalize farm to school efforts.
For more information, visit the program website, or email Jean Bingham.
January 6 is the extended deadline to apply for funding from the USDA Regional Food Business Centers Program.
The USDA Regional Food Business Centers will support a more resilient, diverse, and competitive food system. These Regional Food Centers will support producers by providing localized assistance to access local and regional supply chains, including linking producers to wholesalers and distributors. They will provide technical assistance needed to access new markets, access to federal, state, and local resources, and will assist small- and mid-sized producers in overcoming barriers to market access, with a focus on underserved farmers, ranchers, and food businesses. No match is required.
USDA Regional Food Business Centers will have three main responsibilities:
– Coordination – The Regional Food Centers will act as regional hubs coordinating across geographic areas with USDA, other federal, state, and tribal agencies with relevant resources, regional commissions, stakeholders, and the other Regional Food Centers. They will engage with stakeholders and partners to develop and implement strategic and funding plans for serving the region through technical assistance and capacity building. They will conduct outreach to underserved communities and businesses.
– Technical Assistance – The Regional Food Centers will provide direct business technical assistance to small- and mid-sized food and farm businesses (producers, processors, aggregators, distributors, and other businesses within the food supply chain) and food value and supply chain coordination. Each Regional Food Center will identify priority areas for technical assistance (e.g., aggregation/distribution, specialty crop processing for institutions) for the region it plans to serve.
– Capacity Building – The Regional Food Centers will provide financial assistance through business builder subawards up to $100,000 to support projects focused on regional needs and businesses that are working towards expansion and other investment. These subawards may support staff time, business planning activities, software implementation, the purchase of special purpose equipment, such as food safety, processing and packaging equipment, and value chain coordination, and other expenses associated as outlined in the RFA.
For more information or to apply, visit the program webpage, or email the Regional Food Centers staff.
For more than a quarter of a century, the National No-Tillage Conference has been providing the practical tips and information to run a more successful no-till operation.
The conference features 4 days of nonstop learning from leading no-tillers, agronomists, researchers and other no-till experts sharing innovative ideas that can help get the most out of no-till farming systems.
It offers a mix of General Sessions, expert-led No-Till Classrooms, and collaborative No-Till Roundtables. Plus, pesticide recertification and Certified Crop Advisor credits are available to qualifying attendees.
Just as important is the opportunity to profit from unlimited hallway networking with innovative and forward-thinking minds in no-till.
For more information or to register, visit the conference website, or contact No-Till Farmer by email or phone (866-839-8455).
This free webinar for beginning farmers covers innovative marketing techniques. It is produced by a group of partners including NCAT.
The overall five-part webinar series is designed for beginning farmers and will provide education around small scale production and marketing. Topics will include innovative marketing techniques, crop product systems, food safety practices, grains and specialty crops, and producing and marketing cut flowers.
One-time registration is required; participants may attend whichever sessions they are interested in.
For more information or to register, visit the webinar webpage, or contact Kelly McAdam by email or phone (603-527-5475).
Food Animal Concerns Trust (FACT) awards competitive grants of up to $3,000 to working, independent farmers located in the 50 United States and five major U.S. territories who raise beef cattle, bison, broiler chickens, dairy cows, ducks, geese, goats, laying hens, pigs, sheep and/or turkeys.
Applications must be submitted online by 11:59pm CT on January 10, 2023, to be considered for this round of funding. Grants will be awarded in March 2023.
For more information or to apply, visit the grant webpage, or contact FACT by email or phone (773-525-4952).
Join the 2023 Great Plains Growers Conference January 13-14 in St. Joseph, MO. This 2-day conference attracts vegetable, fruit, cut flower and other specialty crop growers from Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska each year, including a variety of full and part time farm market and diversified horticulture producers.
Concurrent educational program tracks are offered throughout the conference addressing the following topics:
- Business Management/Marketing
- Tree Fruits
- Small Fruits
- Organic Farming
- Conventional Vegetable Production
- Greenhouse, High Tunnel & Hydroponic Production
- Vegetable Integrated Pest Management
For more information or to register, visit the conference website, or contact Buchanan County Extension by email or phone (816-279-1691).
