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FARMS UNDER THREAT: THE STATE OF THE STATES Executive Summary

By VABF AdminMay 23, 2020Articles and Research, VA Farming Resources, VABF News

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vabfarming

VABF's mission is to educate about, advocate for, and promote organic and biological farming and gardening.
@vabfarming #vabf www.VABF.org

Did you miss our Soil Health Webinar Series earlie

Did you miss our Soil Health Webinar Series earlier this year? Now you can watch all of those excellent presentations (and more!) on the *new* VABF YouTube Channel! Link in bio, or type: bit.ly/VABFyoutube

🌱 Dig deep in to soil health with Dan Kittredge, Pam Dawling, Mark Schonbeck, and Cedric Shannon.

🍅 Learn about Lean Farming, Yoga for Farmers, Injury Prevention, Social Media for Farmers, and Winter High Tunnel Growing in Virginia in our series hosted in partnership with the Virginia Beginning Farmer & Rancher Coalition.

🌾 Discover how to better protect your crops from insect damage and disease in our three-part educational series created in partnership with the Common Grain Alliance.

🐓 Enjoy the Common Ground Soil Stories series with explorations into soil health on Laughing Water Farm (located in Marion, Virginia).

Right now we're building our collection of past VABF Conference presentations. Let us know if you have recordings to share!

P.S. More news on the VABF Conference coming soon! 🌿🎉

#Farming #virginiafarmers #organicfood #VABF

🎉🌱🌿🌳🌎Tomorrow, June 23rd, is Nation

🎉🌱🌿🌳🌎Tomorrow, June 23rd, is National Soil Health Day! 🌍🌳🌿🌱🎉 Celebrate with us by helping to launch #4theSoil!

·· Build the movement by learning more and pledging that you are #4theSoil at 4theSoil.org/#Pledge
🍀link in bio🍀

Ira Wallace of @southernexposureseed, Amy Hicks of @amysorganicgarden, and Renard Turner of Vanguard Ranch are just a few of the amazing Virginia farmers who have already pledged to be 4 the Soil!

·· Join @4thesoilva at 2pm on Wednesday, June 23rd for a Facebook Live event (see Events on Facebook @4theSoilVA)

We'll hear from some of the Virginia farmers who have pledged to be 4 the Soil about their commitment to soil health!

·· Visit the Tip & Resources at 4theSoil.org to learn more about how to be 4 the Soil and what that means for the health of our planet.

You can start today by following the four core principles of healthy soil management:

1. Keep Soil Covered
It’s the first step in protecting it from erosion, but also buffers soil temperature, slows rainfall runoff, and aids rainfall infiltration.

2. Minimize Soil Disturbance
Both physical and chemical. This proactive measure can heal and protect properties of the soil and ultimately enhance the biological component of soil life.

3. Maximize Living Roots
Doing this longer throughout the year fuels biological activity, aids nutrient cycling, and contributes to improved soil structure.

4. Energize with Diversity
Use different crop species and integrate livestock where possible for specific purposes to enhance chemical, physical and/ or biological aspects of the soil. It improves the whole system.

Let's create a movement of #SoilLovers · #PlantLovers · #EarthLovers & #ChangeMakers - tell a friend, share the post, make the changes in your own backyard and become a 4 the Soil Ambassador to the world!

4 the Soil is an initiative of Virginia Tech and an awareness campaign of the Virginia Soil Health Coalition.

#4theSoil #4theFuture #4theFarmers #4theFood #4theBees #4thePlants #4thePeople #4theAnimals #4theWater #4theBay #4theOcean #4theWorld

Celebrate National Soil Health Day next Wednesday,

Celebrate National Soil Health Day next Wednesday, June 23rd with the launch of the "4 the Soil" initiative!

Centered in Virginia and stewarded by VA Tech Co-operative Extension and the Virginia Soil Health Coalition, 4 the Soil will build awareness about the critical importance of soil and following four core principles of healthy soil management - in VA, regionally and across the country.

“Soil and water are the basis for all of life – human, animal, and plant,” said Danny Boyer of Four Winds Farm. “We need to sustain soil and water for ourselves and for future generations. Therefore, we all need to be 4 the Soil.”

Find more of their partner organizations and farms (including many VABF member farms) on their website, find resources for how to be 4 the Soil, and get on their Mailing List for updates: 4theSoil.org

IG @4thesoilva
FB 4 the Soil

VABF has been supporting local biological and orga

VABF has been supporting local biological and organic farming and gardening since 1978! VABF members include farmers, gardeners, homesteaders, students, teachers, researchers, and general supporters of local and sustainable food systems. We'd love to have you join us! https://vabf.org/join-or-renew/#join

This week, VABF members can enjoy free access to "Understanding your Finances" with C&F Bank and Foodshed Capital - find event details from Real Local RVA: https://reallocalrva.com/event/understanding-your-finances-a-virtual-workshop/

All VABF members also have access to our Partner Discount Code Page (on the VABF website). Right now, don't miss 7% from Seven Springs Farm Supply!

#organicfood #farming #localfood #VABF

Join us tomorrow for an exploration into building

Join us tomorrow for an exploration into building soil health through rotational grazing with Cedric Shannon of @weathertopfarm!

🍀🐄🌱🐖Soil Health from the Grazier's Perspective 🌿🐑☘️🐓
Thursday, April 8th · 12 noon - 1:30 pm · Webinar with live Q&A · Replay & slides will be shared after · $15 / $10 VABF Members
Register: https://bit.ly/Weathertopfarm
(Link to VABF Events Page in Bio)

We've partnered with @commongrainalliance to produ

We've partnered with @commongrainalliance to produce a series of free webinars about "Protecting Your Crops." The third and final webinar in the series will be April 13th with Charlie House of Earth and Sky Solutions about Flame Weeding! Charlie will discuss flame weeding for small and large scale operations, from gardens to market farms.
·
Next week, we will be hosting another webinar - Soil Health From The Grazier's Perspective with Cedric Shannon of Weathertop Farm. This webinar is one of our paid webinars that directly support VABF ($15/$10 for VABF Members).
·
Stay tuned to our newsletter and website for more webinars!
·
*Link to all VABF Events in Bio*

This Friday join us for the next VABF Webinar: Bui

This Friday join us for the next VABF Webinar: Building Soil Health to Sustain Virginia's Farms and Protect Water Quality: an Organic Approach with Mark Schonbeck.

$15 / $10 VABF Members
Register to join: https://bit.ly/VABF_Mark

In addition to his work with the Organic Farming Research Foundation, Mark serves as VABF policy liaison with National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition of which VABF is a member group, and writes the policy update column for the monthly VABF newsletter.

In the past, Mark has led or participated in several on-farm research projects conducted by Virginia Association for Biological Farming, and collaborated with VABF and National Center for Appropriate Technology to help USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service programs better serve organic producers.

We're looking forward to learning more from Mark and hope to see you there!

Re-Open Woodson's Mill! Sign the Petition: http://

Re-Open Woodson's Mill!
Sign the Petition: http://bit.ly/Petition_CGA

From Common Grain Alliance (@commongrainalliance)
"Deep Roots Milling is a founding CGA member business and operates the historic Woodson’s Mill, the last commercially run water-powered mill in the state of Virginia and a cornerstone of Nelson County. In November, VDACS ordered Deep Roots Milling to cease operations because the historic mill did not comply with a new food safety regulation.

We believe this new regulation does not take into account the needs of the milling industry, or the preservation of a historic building.

Deep Roots Milling is a large buyer of Virginia-grown grain; its closure is a major setback to the emergent grain economy in Virginia.

Join us in asking Secretary Ring to allow Deep Roots Milling to resume operation until the new regulations can be amended to protect the milling industry and historical milling infrastructure.

Originally built in the 1790s, Woodson's Mill has been in continual operation throughout most of its history. It remains an integral part of the regional grain economy in Virginia today. As the mill’s current stewards, Deep Roots Milling is the primary producer of Virginia-grown grain products in the region, if not the entire state.

We have so much to share these days! The best way

We have so much to share these days! The best way to stay up to date is to sign up for our newsletter (link in bio).
·
Today in the newsletter we sent out an #actionalert about the FDA's proposed traceability rule that could negatively affect small farms. Comments are needed from #farmers to urge the FDA to modify this rule and not place excessive traceability burdens on our small farms. The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition & Carolina Farm Stewardship Association have shared guidance on how to send in your comments.
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If you were thinking about joining us for Pam Dawling's webinar on Feeding the Soil you still have a chance! The new date is next Thursday, 2/25. Just from peeking at the handout Pam has sent over we can already say this webinar will be worth joining! Topics covered will include growing and maintaining
healthy soils, crop rotations, cover crops, compost making, & organic mulches.
·
We also have more webinars to share, including Yoga for Farmers (with VBFRC) and Building Soil Health with Mark Schonbeck.
·
Go to VABF.org/events to register!

We invite you to join us next Thursday for the sec

We invite you to join us next Thursday for the second VABF-hosted webinar: Feeding the Soil with Pam Dawling, author of Sustainable Market Farming and The Year-Round Hoophouse.

In this workshop Pam will introduce ways to grow and maintain healthy soils, including:
·· how to develop a permanent crop rotation in 7 steps (and why your soil will benefit from this)
·· how to choose appropriate cover crops
·· how to make compost
·· how to benefit from using organic mulches

You can apply these principles from backyard to homestead and beyond.

Register today at VABF.org/events (link in bio) $15 / $10 VABF Members

With these webinars we hope to support VABF while highlighting some amazing teachers in the field of regenerative agriculture and biological farming.

This webinar will consist of Pam's presentation followed by a Live Q and A session. Audio recording with slides and notes will be emailed after the event to all who register.

Check out our story for some more great webinars and events we wish to share with you! #farmer #growfood #feedthesoil #VABF #soilhealth #biologicalfarming #farmingwebinar

Dan Kittredge, founder of the Bionutrient Food Ass

Dan Kittredge, founder of the Bionutrient Food Association, will be joining VABF tomorrow, February 2nd at 12 noon ET to teach us how to grow more nutrient dense food through practical applications and suggestions. There's still time to join, register on our website! https://bit.ly/VABF_DK
·
If you're interested in continuing to learn about creating healthy soil to produce food with higher nutritional content, the BFA's 10th Annual Soil & Nutrition Conference begins this Thursday, February 4th. The Conference this year will be weekly web-based sessions every Thursday from 3-4:30pm ET from February to September. At checkout be sure to use code VABF to send $25 to directly support us!
Check out their website for more on this great conference! https://soilandnutrition.org/

Ira Wallace shares with us her tips on garden plan

Ira Wallace shares with us her tips on garden planning, her favorite tools for weeding, and which plants you should be starting right now. (Share your tips in the comments!)

You can find Ira's January Gardening Tips featured on the front page VABF's website! Direct link: https://vabf.org/january-2021-gardening-tips/

Here's a quote:
"Every warm day in January I am itching to start sowing seeds, but I know how important it is not to rush the season. Overgrown seedlings can be more stressed by transplanting and ultimately won’t produce any earlier than seedlings sown at the appropriate time. Check out SESEs article on what to sow in January for some oft-forgotten crops that actually should be sown this month, like rhubarb, asparagus, and bulbing onions, as well as a huge variety of greens."

Ira Wallace is a worker/owner of the cooperatively managed Southern Exposure Seed Exchange. Her latest book is "Grow Great Vegetables in Virginia."
Find more great tips, information, planning tools, and beautiful seeds at www.southernexposure.com

@southernexposureseed #southernexposureseedexchange
#virginianativeplants #organicseeds #seedsavers #gardeningtips

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2022 Biological Farming Conference
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