BEGINNING FARMER & RANCHER SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM

The Beginning Farmer and Rancher Scholarship program is designed to give new and beginning farmers and ranchers a low-cost opportunity to participate in the Carolina Farm StewardshipAssociation's (CFSA) Sustainable Agriculture Conference Oct 26-28, 2012 in Greenville, SC.  

The Sustainable Agriculture Conference is an unparalleled opportunity for beginning farmers to learn how to be successful in their sustainable farming enterprises.  The conference has special programming for beginning farmers on basic farm planning, marketing, how to avoid common startup pitfalls, and applying for grants and loans for farmers.  Other conference workshops cover cutting edge issues in sustainable agriculture, including organic weed and pest control, plant diseases, soil fertility, heritage livestock, food safety and processing, and direct marketing.  All of it is essential information for new farms to thrive.  

Scholarship recipients will be eligible to attend all regular conference activities, beginning with the dinner and evening program on Friday, Oct. 26, and including all workshops, plenary sessions, meals and networking sessions taking place on Saturday, Oct. 26 and Sunday, Oct. 27. The scholarship does not cover the pre-conference workshops and tours held on Friday, Oct. 26, or travel & lodging costs.  The value of this scholarship totals $300.

 

Scholarship Eligibility: Up to 40 scholarships are available.  For purposes of this scholarship program, a new or beginning farmer or rancher is defined as an individual who:

* Has not operated a farm or ranch, or who has operated a farm or ranch for not more than 10 consecutive years, and

* Will provide substantial day-to-day labor and management of the farm or ranch.

* CFSA encourages minority farmers to take advantage of this scholarship.  A portion of the 40 scholarships are reserved for minority farmers.

Scholarship Requirements: Recipients will be required to attend one of the two Basic Farm Planning workshops and cover the cost of their own lodging and travel expenses.  

Scholarship Application Deadline:
The deadline to apply for this scholarship is Aug. 15, 2012.   Scholarship recipients will be notified of award decisions by Sept. 5, 2012.  Those applicants who do not receive the scholarship will be eligible to register for the Conference at the low early bird rate for students and apprentices.  

Download Scholarship Application -  http://www.carolinafarmstewards.org/sac-support/

For More Information: Email info@carolinafarmstewards.or with "Scholarship" in the subject line.

This scholarship program is made possible by a grant from National Institute for Food and Agriculture and the National Center for Appropriate Technology, and we are grateful for this support.

Biopesticides and Resistance Management Webinar

This looks like a great webinar and one that I am sure many of you will find useful.

Biopesticides and Resistance Management

Used in partnership with traditional chemicals in an IPM program, biopesticides can prolong the efficacy of important crop protection products. Because of their unique modes of action, it is difficult for pests and pathogens to develop resistance to most biopesticides. Including biopesticides in the rotation of crop protection products can prevent or delay the development of resistance to all the products used.

When: April 26, 2012
2:00 - 3:00 pm EST

Speakers include:

Margaret Tuttle McGrath
Department of Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology
Cornell University
Long Island Horticultural Research & Extension Center

Frank Sances
Founder and Director
Pacific Ag Research

Dr. Lerry Lacey
(Retired) USDA, ARS, Yakima Agricultural Research Laboratory
Wapato, WA

To register for the webinar go to: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/711422897

Agriculture is the Nation's Largest Employer

In response to yesterday's post on Agricultural Degrees, I wanted to pass this message on from an outstanding Extension professional in Hendry County, Florida, Gene McAvoy. You can follow Gene on Twitter, @SWFLVegMan

"Agriculture is the nation's largest employer with more than 23 million jobs (that is 17% of the civilian workforce involved in some facet of American Agriculture).


Without it we would be hungry and naked… and would lack many other intangible benefits that American’s value - open spaces, wildlife, clean water etc. Not to mention the safest, most abundant food supply on the planet.


I encourage you to print out the attached photo and display it prominently in your shop, office, barn - share it with friends.


American’s farmers and ranchers leading the way to economic recovery."

Producer Grants Available for Sustainable Agriculture

GRIFFIN, Georgia – Calls for Proposals for the 2012 Producer Grants, intended for farmers/ranchers and farmer/rancher organizations throughout the Southern region, are now available from the Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education (SARE) program.

Proposal submission deadline is 11:59 Eastern Standard Time on Nov. 15, 2011. Announcement of grants will take place in February 2012.

Producer Grants are used to conduct projects that solve problems farmers face and to develop information on what works and what doesn’t so that other farmers and ranchers facing those same problems can benefit from the results of the funded project. The grants are not designed to pay a farmer to farm. They are designed to take some of the financial risk away from trying a solution.

Projects may be funded for up to two years for a project maximum of $10,000 for an individual producer or $15,000 for a producer organization. Producer organizations should be comprised primarily of farmers/ranchers and must have a majority farmer representation on their governing board.

Log on to http://www.southernsare.org/Grants/Apply-for-a-Grant to download the current Calls for Proposal. The Calls for Proposal includes application information, program priorities, use of funds, proposal submission instructions, and contact information. Be sure to carefully follow the information in the Calls for Proposals when submitting your grant. Failure to follow the submission guidelines may result in your proposal being rejected.

Focus areas for Producer Grants include beneficial insect habitat, alternative crops/livestock, organic agriculture, sustainable marketing products, sustainable grazing systems, soil organic matter, building/protection/management, increasing sustainability of existing farming practices, appropriate technology and agroforestry/water quality.

SARE is a competitive grants program funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to promote research and education about sustainable agriculture. Southern SARE is administered by a host consortium consisting of the University of Georgia, Fort Valley State University and the Kerr Center for Sustainable Agriculture in Oklahoma.

For more information on Southern SARE, log on to http://www.southernsare.org, follow us on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/southernsare, or fan us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/southsare.