The 2023 Oklahoma Association for Environmental Education Expo has the theme, “The Sustaining Power of Nature”.
From oceans to the Amazon rainforest, keynote speaker Conservation Biologist Laurie Gillum, has dedicated most of her life to studying endangered species and their habitats, including cetaceans, chimpanzees, birds, and bugs. This passion for the natural world led her on a surprising journey to teaching kids about how their relationship to the plants and animals around them can make a positive difference in the world. There will be a variety of hands-on and lecture style presentations on topics such as creating living labs, Climate, Water & Resilience, Forest Therapy, Eco Audits, Wind Energy, Recycling and Composting, Lichen, Youth Climate Challenge, Bees, Living Loose Parts, and Virtual Reality for Outdoor Education.
For more information or to register, visit the conference webpage, or contact OKAEE by email or phone (405-702-7122).
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).
Join the 2023 Farmers Market “Boot Camp” for a fast-moving overview of the basics of running a farmers market. You will get practical, grounded, and timely tools needed for opening day and beyond. Board members get a look behind the info booth to see what goes into market operations, as well as their role in sustaining a strong market organization and building a great team.
For more information or to register, visit the event webpage, or contact the Washington State Farmers Market Association by email or phone (206-706-5198).
The National Association of Conservation Districts’ Annual Meeting is the premier event for leaders in conservation, from district officials and agency representatives to industry professionals. Each year, the meeting draws over 1,000 conservation leaders from across the United States and its territories.
Meeting attendees have the opportunity to:
– Network with landowners, partnering organizations, companies and government agencies
– Discover emerging technologies, services and programs through the Innovation Fair
– Engage in professional development
– Participate in forums discussing natural resource issues
– Develop strategies for education and outreach
– Influence conservation policy
For more information or to register, visit the event webpage, or contact the National Association of Conservation Districts by email or phone (202-547-6223).
Practical Farmers of Iowa invites all beginning farmers and landowners to the annual Beginning Farmer Summit for an opportunity to reconnect with friends and peers and make new acquaintances. The event is free, and farmers from all enterprises are encouraged to attend.
Registration is required and open online until Feb. 8.
For more information or to register, visit the event webpage, or contact Greg Padget by email or phone (515-232-5661).
The Farmer Veteran Fellowship Fund is a small grant program that provides direct assistance to veterans who are in their beginning years of farming or ranching. The Fellowship Fund does not give money directly to the veteran, but rather to third-party vendors for items the veteran has identified will make a crucial difference in the launch of their farm business. Awards range from $1,000 to $5,000.
The application for the Farmer Veteran Fellowship Fund opens once per year at which time eligible veterans are given four weeks to submit a fully completed application.
Once the application period ends, an advisory panel of agricultural industry professionals convenes to review submissions. The application review process can take up to two months with awardees usually being notified in the spring.
Fellowship recipients have six months to use their award.
Upon notification of their award, Fellowship recipients may begin seeking out third-party vendors to make their purchase. All third-party vendors must be approved by the Fellowship Fund manager prior to purchase.
After an approved third-party vendor has been selected, the Fellowship Fund manager makes the payment on the farmer veteran’s behalf.
The application, which consists of both short answer and essay questions, is comprised of five main focus areas: military service, educational background, prior farming experience, business and financial planning, and short-term and long-term goals.
Applicants are evaluated based on the following criteria:
- Farm training/experience and/or transferable skills
- Personal investment in their farm business
- Strength of funding request and ability to show how an award will help grow their farm business
- Vision and goals for the future of their business
- Community involvement
Required Documents
- A business plan
- Proof of service
For more information or to apply, visit the fellowship website, or contact the Farmer Veteran Coalition by email or phone (530-756-1395).
SoilCon 2023 is a free, virtual conference that brings research, extension, and production together to move soil health principles into practice. The Washington State Soil Health Initiative (WaSHI), with support from Western Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (WSARE), organizes the conference.
For more information or to register, visit the conference website, or email the Washington State Soil Health Initiative.
Meaningful conversations between women farmers, rural business leaders and landowners have been a goal of the Women Managing the Farm Conference since the event began in 2005, and the 2023 meeting is no exception. From ag advocacy at large and small scales to the impact of military aggression on global food security to mental health, the 2023 Women Managing the Conference offers women the chance to explore how to grow their operations, their communities and themselves.
This annual conference provides a supportive setting in which women can develop the skills, resources and knowledge needed for success in a competitive agricultural environment. Conference sessions are designed to keep women up to date on the latest advancements in agriculture and thriving within their rural communities.
During the two-day conference, attendees will also select from presentations covering many topics, including a K-State calving school, farm finances, relationships and health, agricultural and estate law, crop production and marketing, management and more. Attendees also choose networking sessions tailored to the different roles women hold, such as agricultural partners and helpers, independent producers, absentee landowners, ag industry career women and business managers.
Early registration runs through January 15, 2023, at $175, with scholarships available for those who apply before that deadline. New this year is a student rate of $60 for any high school or college students. After that date, registration is $200. Additional pre-conference sessions are available for $25, including beginning QuickBooks, advanced QuickBooks, interactive farm safety and an introduction to UAV/drone technology.
For more information or to register, visit the conference webpage, or contact Rhonda Lund by email or phone (785-532-4016).
After a two-year pandemic hiatus, Georgia Organics will once again its conference for farmers, community advocates, equity activists, and climate leaders. Over three packed days, attendees will build and reinvigorate the connections that lead to impactful collaborations for Georgia’s food system.
For more information or to register, visit the conference webpage, or contact Georgia Organics by email or phone (678-702-0400).
February 16 is the application deadline for the USDA NIFA Food Safety Outreach Competitive Grants Program.
The Food Safety Outreach Program will complement and expand the national infrastructure of the National Food Safety Training, Education, Extension, Outreach, and Technical Assistance Competitive Grants Program. The Food Safety Outreach Program will build upon that national infrastructure, with a sustained focus on delivery of customized training to members of the target audiences.
Awardees will develop and implement food safety training, education, extension, outreach and technical assistance projects that address the needs of owners and operators of small to mid-sized farms, beginning farmers, socially-disadvantaged farmers, small processors, or small fresh fruit and vegetable merchant wholesalers. Grant applications will be solicited directly from those in local communities to include those from community-based organizations, non-governmental organizations, food hubs, farm cooperatives, extension, and other local groups.
For more information or to apply, visit the program webpage, or contact Jodi Williams by email or phone (202-424-9722).
