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.
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).
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).
Join NCAT’s third annual national conference, “Growing Hope: Practical Tools for Our Changing Climate,” online Tuesdays and Thursdays from February 28 – March 16. This free virtual convening will feature renowned speakers and showcase farm stories that make the connection between our changing climate, healthy soils, farm productivity, and resilience.
You will hear from farmers and ranchers who are producing food, fiber, and fuel in ways that restore and maintain landscape health and mitigate greenhouse gases. You will hear from producers who have come to understand the centrality of carbon to agroecosystems. You will share stories of people coming together to support each other in challenging times.
The conference will leave you with an understanding of climate beneficial agriculture and actions you can take on your own land to make your farm and your local community resilient in the long term.
For more information or to register, visit the conference webpage, or contact Emilie Ritter by email or phone (800-346-9140).
This free webinar for beginning farmers covers producing and marketing grains. 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).
Western Monarch Mystery Challenge (MJV webinar)
Stay connected with the latest monarch conservation topics by attending Monarch Joint Venture’s free monthly webinars. This series is a unique opportunity to hear from experts across various interdisciplinary fields related to monarchs, other pollinators, their habitats, and the threats and pressures that make conservation urgent. Bring your questions and get ready to discover how you can get involved to protect monarchs.
All webinars are one hour long and occur at 1:00 PM Central Time. Please note that scheduled webinars are subject to change.
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).
All past webinars are available to view; visit MJV’s webinar archive. This series is co-hosted by the Monarch Joint Venture and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s National Conservation Training Center.
