CSA Week is taking place from February 20th through February 26th, 2023! During this special week, farmers and farmer support organizations across the country come together in promoting CSA.
In previous years, CSA Day was led by Small Farm Central, and it become “the day” when CSA farms collectively promote CSA across the country with unified messaging and urgency for members to sign up. It’s a way for everyone to encourage CSA sign-ups while promoting the CSA movement across the nation. In 2021, the CSA Innovation Network extended the event from one day to an entire week, continued it in 2022, and is doing so again in 2023! This will give more time to build engagement with new and returning CSA members.
Don’t forget to log your CSA Week participation on the new interactive CSA Week Participant Map! This map allows everyone celebrating CSA Week to see all the participating farms and farm support organizations across the country.
For more information, visit the CSA Week webpage, or email the CSA Innovation Network.
The first ever Dallas Inner-City Growers’ Summit is a collaborative forum for producers and food system stakeholders looking to improve the way the region feeds itself. The summit features networking sessions, expert speakers, workshops, and more.
Collaborate with local food system practitioners to look at best practices across the country and internationally to work towards building a more sustainable and resilient food system in north Texas.
For more information or to register, visit the summit webpage, or contact Rabekha Siebert by email or phone (214-930-2122).
At the Heart of America Grazing Conference, forage and grazing experts from across the nation will lead discussions on the latest research in grazing, soil science, soil health, and other topics.
Topics include bale grazing, soil science and soil health, the power of managed grazing, grazing options with small ruminants, and shared experiences from seasoned graziers.
For more information or to register, visit the conference webpage, or contact Keith Johnson by email or phone (765-494-4800).
At the eighth annual Farming Evolution conference, authors and popular speakers David Montgomery and Anne Biklé will be presenting. Also on the program are several producers, the Palisade Insectary, and Rocky Mountain Farmer’s Union AgWell program.
For more information or to register, visit the event webpage, or contact the Haxtun Conservation District by email or phone (970-854-2812 x3).
Extensive use of plastic mulches in food production systems has created massive concerns about the long-term sustainability of using this input. It is critical to find more effective yet environmentally friendly alternatives for plastic mulches to facilitate weed management in organic and conventional production systems. This is a necessary step towards developing more sustainable production systems with a lesser environmental impact that helps to build soil health over time.
This webinar will review preliminary results of the Specialty Crop Grant Project established in Camarillo, CA, where the Rodale Institute assessed how replacing plastic mulches with cover crops and living mulches along with no-till and reduced till will affect artichokes and strawberries growth, yield and quality (as a model crop, but the results will be applicable to any other vegetable in the rotation), soil health, irrigation water use efficiency, weed suppression efficacy.
For more information or to register, visit the event webpage, or contact the Rodale Institute by email or phone (610-683-1400).
Become a community scientist with this Monarch Larva Monitoring Project training! The MLMP team from the Monarch Joint Venture and the UW-Madison Arboretum co-lead these virtual one-day trainings on how to collect data that contributes to our knowledge about the monarch population. Participants learn about monarch biology, monitoring procedures, and data entry protocols, and are able to ask monarch biologists their questions about monarchs and monitoring.
This session will be relevant for both newcomers and individuals who are already participating in the MLMP or another monarch citizen science project. The four-hour training will be conducted in two parts with a one-hour break between them. This year, MLMP is offering three trainings focused on specific regions: western states on February 4th, southern states on February 25th, and northern states on April 29th.
For more information or to register, visit the training webpage, or contact Katie-Lyn Bunney by email or phone (651-222-7631).
“Butterflies, Birds, & Bees OH MY!” is a free workshop to…
– Start you on the path to have a “nature friendly” yard
– Introduce native plants, wildflowers, and pollinator patches
– Provide seed to create starter plants
– Apply for help to create your own Pollinator Patch
– Meet the Yard by Yard Community Resiliency Project
– Learn about the Crow Creek Watershed
– Understand functional landscapes
The workshop is free, but advance registration is required by 5:00 P.M. Tuesday, February 21.
This workshop is a cooperative effort between the Oklahoma Sierra Club and the Crow Creek Community.
For more information or to register, contact the Tulsa County Conservation District by email or phone (918-280-1595 x3).
The 2023 Oklahoma Association of Conservation Districts State Meeting includes more breaks for networking, watershed training, and special sessions for new employees and new directors. In addition, the meeting will provide information about ecosystems crediting markets, climate smart agriculture, and the vast amount of federal funding that is on the horizon for conservation. Additional topics include direct marketing of products, diversifying your operation to include agritourism and increase financial resiliency, and what exactly it is that large corporations are looking for from commodity producers in the upcoming year. As always, there are also networking opportunities with local, state, and national leaders in conservation.
For more information or to register, visit the meeting website, or contact Sarah Blaney by email or phone (517-763-8609).
Rodale Institute offers a micro-grants program specifically targeted to support projects and consulting for small-scale BIPOC (Black, Indigenous & People of Color) farmers, whether you’re organic, transitioning to organic, or an aspiring organic farmer.
Grant funding is focused on needs such as tools, equipment, training, consulting, or anything that ensures the farmer’s success. Funding should have the potential to positively impact a farmer’s transition to organic, allow them to better market their products, or solve a particular problem that is typically un-fundable through normal operational or lending strategies. Projects that have a high level of potential impact on the individual farm and/or the communities they serve will be given the highest priority.
Any U.S. small-scale BIPOC farmer who is currently organic or wishes to pursue the transition process to become organic, or any student/intern/apprentice farmer involved in an organic operation is eligible to apply for these funds. The Organic Farmers Association is a partner in the process to identify and screen potential recipients for the grants.
Projects will be prioritized based on potential impact and success. Project budgets should be a maximum of $2,000. An annual report will be due 60 days after the end of the project.
Applications open January 1 and are due by February 28th of each year. Proposals will be reviewed by a committee of Rodale Institute staff and board members, Organic Farmers Association, and/or partnerships with other groups as appropriate. Funding decisions will be made by April 30th. Funds will be available immediately and released as per the demands of the project being funded.
The application process is a streamlined process requiring a complete application and budget. Additional appendices are permitted with a total limit of 5 pages. The Finance office is available to help with any or all parts of the application process. Input from Rodale Institute staff or any other office is no assurance that the project being submitted will be funded.
For more information or to apply, visit the program webpage, or contact Elaine Macbeth by email or phone (610-683-1400).
The ninth annual Oklahoma Local Agriculture Summit focuses on increasing the availability of local food in Oklahoma communities and strengthening farmers markets and agritourism sites through education and networking opportunities.
The conference is facilitated by the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry, ONIE Project, Langston University, and key stakeholders from agricultural, community, and public health agencies. The farm bus tour will take place on Monday, Feb. 27. Two in-depth workshops will take place on Tuesday, Feb. 28, including hands-on marketing training and a workshop sharing best farm practices. The full summit with more than 20 breakout sessions is scheduled for Wednesday, March 1 followed by the agritourism rolling workshop bus tour on Thursday, March 2.
Most of the events associated with the summit are free to attend; however, registration is required for each event.
The conference has five tracks addressing topics of special interest to farmers market managers, growers, agritourism producers, Christmas tree growers, and community support organizations. Topics will include accepting SNAP/EBT, growing practices, marketing to consumers, and more. A meal on March 1 will be provided to all registrants.
For more information or to register, visit the event website, or contact the Oklahoma Local Agriculture Collaborative (OLAC) by email or phone (405-271-2091).
