Please take the time to read this article. It’s a great summary of why organic farming and organizations like ours are so very important.

Pesticides: Now More Than Ever by Mark Bittman.

NY Times Opinion pages, December 11, 2012.

From our friends at VSU:

_______________________________________________________________________

Colleagues, friends, associates and well wishers of the late Andy Hankins and his family and loved ones and of Virginia State University’ School of Agriculture.

We extend greetings to you from the School of Agriculture at Virginia State University.

The 2013 Virginia Biological Farming Conference will take place in Richmond at the Holiday Inn-Koger Center. This year’s schedule is packed with knowledgeable speakers, informative sessions, and outstanding networking opportunities.

New this year are VABF Farm School Workshops and Tours on Thursday, Feb 7th, immediately preceding the conference. Options abound for beginners, seasoned vegetable growers, hydroponics, commercial compost production, pastured pork, poultry, and beef, dairy, and more.

Details and registration link are on our Conference page.

Hope to see you there!

News from our friends at SSAWG:

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Special E-Blast                              October 2012

You’ve heard about our popular  annual conference coming up this January in Little Rock …Before that big event, Southern SAWG will host …

Growing Farm Profits

A training for horticultural farmers who
are ready to take steps to improve farm profits.

Do you need to know how to increase profits?

Growing great crops is just not enough
to make your farm economically sustainable.  

When/Where:        December 1-2, 2012, Mills River, North Carolina

January 23-24, 2013, Little Rock, Arkansas

This course will cover:

* Managing for Profitability * Critical Decisions * Product Pricing * Records that Matter

* Enterprise Evaluation * Actual Expense Tracking * True Cost Discovery
* Market Channel Evaluation * Profitability Calculating * Real Farm Examples * Useful Tools

Real-farm data will be used to demonstrate practical ways to improve profitability. Participants will take home farmer-friendly business tools for keeping records and making decisions that affect profitability.

Register Now!

To learn more about and to register for the North Carolina training, click here  or contact
Bridget Kennedy at (828) 236-1282, bridget@asapconnections.org

To learn more about and to register for the Arkansas training, which is being held just
before Southern SAWG annual conference, click here:

These risk management trainings are brought to you by
Southern Sustainable Agriculture Working Group.

Support is provided by the USDA Southern Risk Management Education Center.

Mushroom Production Workshop in Mechanicsville – Nov 10th, 8:30-1:00.
Free of charge, but online registration is required:

http://fs6.formsite.com/rjone1nm/mushrooms/index.html

See flyer here.

Southern SAWG’s Practical Tools and Solutions for Sustaining Family Farms Conference
January 23-26, 2013 – Little Rock, AR

 Now Available! Conference program and registration is online!

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Now Available!
2013 Conference and Registration Information
on the Southern SAWG Website.

 
 
The 2013 conference program and registration information is now available on the Southern SAWG website. You will love the program we have put together for this year’s Practical Tools and Solutions for Sustaining Family Farms conference. There are even more sessions and pre-conference events this year!
Pre-Conference Offerings:
Wed & Thurs – Jan. 23-24

Short Courses
Our popular 1½ day pre-conference short courses are intensive learning experiences that provide comprehensive information on whole farming enterprises. With the in-class presentations and the extensive take-home materials, they give you the knowledge you most need to be successful with your enterprise. Click here to learn more about the short courses we are offering this year.

Mini Courses
Our ½ day pre-conference mini courses provide in-depth information on specific topics in greater depth than is possible in our regular conference sessions. Our expert presenters provide you the latest information and answer your pressing questions on the topics you requested. To learn more about these valuable mini courses, click here.

Field Trips
For those who learn best by getting out in the field, we offer five outstanding field trips this year. Our ½ day pre-conference field trips are geared toward organic and sustainable production and marketing of horticultural crops and livestock and community food initiatives. Click here to learn more about these outstanding field trips.

General Conference Info:
Fri & Sat – Jan. 25-26

Expert Presenters
Each year conference participants tell us the great line-up of presenters with their practical experience is what makes our conference program so valuable. These people know their stuff and are willing to share their expertise. One older farmer said “I sure wish I had had access to this kind of expertise when I got started. I’d have gotten a lot further a lot faster!” Click here to see the incredible expertise our presenters are bringing to this program!

 

62 Educational Sessions
The general conference, running all day Friday and Saturday, offers more choices: 62, 1½-hour sessions on a broad range of topics for start-up and seasoned producers alike. Sessions include; sustainable and organic production and marketing information for commercial horticultural and livestock producers, enterprise management lessons, farm policy education and community food systems development information. Click here to see the full description of sessions on this year’s program.

Registration and Fee Waivers

The Southern SAWG conference is always a great bargain, given the quality of the information to be gained and the networking opportunities that come with such a large turnout of the South’s most innovative and successful producers, organizers and advocates in sustainable agriculture. Your farming operation or local foods organization can’t afford to miss this event.

For a listing of fees and a printable registration form, or to use our safe and secure online registration system, click here.

This year we have three options for those looking for a fee waiver to participate in this conference. To learn more about fee waivers and how to apply, click here.

Call for Posters!

If your research or program provides practical information relevant to organic and sustainable family farmers and/or to those working to build local food systems, you are invited to display a poster about your work at the 2013 Practical Tools and Solutions for Sustaining Family Farms conference.

Those interested in displaying a poster or posters must first submit a brief abstract for each poster. Abstracts are due November 16, 2012. Members of the Southern SAWG Scientific Committee will review all submitted abstracts and make decisions regarding acceptance. Click here to learn more and download the full details.

Be a 2012 Conference Sponsor

Your presence as a sponsor will help hundreds of farmers, community food advocates, educators and researchers across the South, and with the visibility this event affords, it will distinguish you as a supporter of the sustainable agriculture movement. Click here to learn more and show your support.
Note to organizational and institutional leaders: We can provide letters of support to your potential funders if you are seeking funds for producers in your area to participate in the pre-conference and conference activities. Just contact us with the details.
Keep up with Southern SAWG through Facebook and Twitter. Show your support for Southern SAWG by liking and following us!

www.ssawg.org

 

 

Farm Tour: Blenheim Organic Gardens, Washington’s Birthplace, VA

Sunday, October 7, 2012 from 1:30 – 4:00

Topic – Fall season vegetable production

Blenheim Organic Gardens is a 20 acre certified organic farm on Virginia’s Northern Neck in Westmoreland County.

Please see this flyer and registration form for VSU’s 10th Annual Small Farm Family Conference that will take place on Tuesday and Wednesday, Oct 30-31, 2012, at the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research in Danville, VA. There is a $10 charge per person to attend.

If you are not able to participate in this event, please share this information with other growers who may be interested in attending this field day.

For registration, please mail the registration form to the address specified with a check or money order for the registration fee.

Please email Mark Klingman at mklingman@vsu.edu if you would like more information.

Virginia Cooperative Extension in partnership with Field to Friends, The Reynolds Homestead, and Virginia FAIRS will host the

2012 Local Foods Network:  Taking the Product to Market

on Thursday, October 18, 2012,

at the

Spencer Penn Centre

 475 Spencer-Penn Road, Spencer, VA 24165

 Conference registration is $18 and includes lunch and conference materials. To register, call Lisa Martin at the Reynolds Homestead 276.694.7181 ext 22 or e-mail her at martinlm@vt.edu  Registration checks should be made payable to Treasurer of Virginia Tech and mailed to Reynolds Homestead; 463 Homestead Lane; Critz, VA 24082.  All registrations must be received by Friday, October 12.

This conference features an array of speakers (see the attached program), including

• Gordon Groover, Extension Economist Farm Management;
• Karleigh Bacon, Virginia Tech Food Sciences Department,
• Jim Matson with Matson Consulting;
• Lisa Fulz, Martinsville Henry County Economic Development;
• Leah Manning, West Piedmont Planning District, and
• Matt Mattox, The Martin Agency.
• In addition, a panel of farmers will share their story on how they moved their products from the farm to the consumer.  The panel includes Jessica Sturm, Bob Tuggle, and Donnie Montgomery.

Each will inspire and challenge all local food system stakeholders to examine the successes and challenges of moving their products from the field to the consumer.

To register, call Lisa Martin at the Reynolds Homestead 276.694.7181 ext 22 or e-mail her at martinlm@vt.edu  Registration checks should be made payable to Treasurer of Virginia Tech and mailed to Reynolds Homestead; 463 Homestead Lane; Critz, VA 24082.  All registrations must be received by Friday, October 12.

Have you dreamed of farming one day, but have no idea where to start? Do you want to meet and talk with other farmers who have already taken the plunge?  Then maybe VABF’s FARM SCHOOL is for you!

 The purpose of this program is to help beginning farmers and ranchers in Virginia to make informed farm planning decisions as part of a whole farm plan.  This six week comprehensive program (Monday evenings from 6:00-9:00pm 10/22-11/26/12) will introduce students to these curriculum modules:

• Introduction to Whole Farm Planning (10/22 & 10/29)
• Marketing (11/5)
• Sustainable Farming Practices (11/12 & 11/19)
• Holistic Business Management (11/26)

Each module is organized at the introductory to intermediate stage of farming knowledge and experience.  At the end of each module, additional resources and Virginia service provider contact information are available to help continue the farm planning process.  The curriculum was developed by Virginia Tech, and is being offered as part of Virginia Beginning Farmer and Rancher Coalition Project through VABF.

Established farmers and Virginia service providers will participate in each of the six weekly programs, offering their own experience, feedback, encouragement and expertise to participants.

Students will have reading and homework assignments each week, including homework to be completed prior to the first session on 10/22.

Two farm tours are planned as part of the Farm School experience.  On Sunday, November 11th (rain or shine), we will tour Shalom Farms from 1:00-2:30 and Keenbell Farm from 3:30-5:00pm.  Students can participate in either or both tours, depending on their interests.

Shalom Farms is a regional food security, community development project of United Methodist Urban Ministries of Richmond (UMUMR). Shalom Farms, located near the James River in Goochland County, provides vegetable production for low-income, urban neighborhoods and FeedMore. The tour’s focus will include cole crops, cover crops, crop rotations, weed and insect management practices, greenhouse production and soil management.

Keenbell Farm is a third generation located in western Hanover County, VA.  The farm, established in 1951, produces great tasting Grass-Fed Beef, Pastured Pork, Free Range Chicken, and Eggs.  All animals are raised beyond organic standards, on pasture and stress free.  This tour’s focus will include information on basic animal husbandry, pasture management, fencing, shelter requirements, grazing rotations, feed, and manure management.

At the end of the six week program, students will have the opportunity to participate in a networking event that will bring farmers, consumers, chefs, farmers market vendors, store owners, and others together in an informal social setting.  This event is scheduled for Sunday, December 2nd from 2:00-4:00pm, and will be held at Midnight Brewery in Rockville, Virginia (Goochland County, just a short drive west of Short Pump).  The networking social is free as part of the Farm School program, and includes hors d’oeuvres and locally brewed beers.

Participation is limited to 30 students.

Full refunds offered up to seven days prior to the event.  After 10/15/12, no refunds will be given.

For additional information on the VABF Farm School 2012 fall program, including SCHOLARSHIP INFORMATION, contact Lisa Dearden, Program Manager, by email or phone (804) 314-9141.

Additional information on this grant funded program:

Virginia Whole Farm Planning Programs are based on newly developed whole farm planning curriculum developed by the Virginia Beginning Farmer and Rancher Coalition.   The Virginia Beginning Farmer and Rancher Coalition Project is sponsored through the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program (BFRDP) of the USDA-National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), Award # 2010-49400-21720.  This project is housed in the Department of Agriculture and Extension Education at Virginia Tech.  Please email Kim Niewolny, Project Director, for more information, or visit the Virginia Beginning Farmer and Rancher Coalition Project website.