News and Updates

October is BQA month! In 2014 the New York Beef Quality Assurance Committee offered 13 BQA trainings across the state resulting in 71 producers completing Level I certification and 69 completing Level II Certification. This year we hope to improve on this success. To do that we need locations across NY to reach as wide…

USDA Agricultural Research Service scientists at the Northern Great Plains Research Laboratory have recently updated their interactive, downloadable Cover Crop Chart to include 58 species. The chart gives growers a broad spectrum of potential options that could benefit their operations. It includes information on crop species that may be planted individually or in mixtures and gives specifics…

Individual landowners and land users now have the secure ability to request conservation technical and financial assistance from the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). Through the USDA’s Conservation Client Gateway, you can now request help solving a natural resource issue or request a conservation plan on your property, apply for financial assistance, and track documents and payments…

Join Steve & Elizabeth Gabriel and Jake Delisle at Wellspring Forest Farm to learn about active soil building! Learn a whole systems permaculture approach to seeing and working with soils on mid to large sized land, with emphasis on techniques done with simple tools and techniques. See integrated and functional systems in practice on a working…

The region is lacking a lot of needed moisture going into the growing season. Due to these conditions we need to start looking at potential alternatives for forage production. Forage sorghum and grain sorghum (milo) are forage crops that can be grown in place of corn in dry conditions. Not only do these crops require…

Student Loan Debt Is an Obstacle For Many Americans, But Often an Insurmountable One for Young Farmers America needs 100,000 young farmers!  Bringing young people back to the farm or ranch is a national priority. The average age of the American farmer is increasing, and farmers over the age of 65 outnumber farmers under the…

The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition has released an updated version of its Farmers’ Guide to Value-Added Producer Grant Funding. The guide includes changes to the program from the 2014 Farm Bill. The guide also provides clear information on the program’s application requirements, including a step-by-step description of the application and ranking processes.

Southern SAWG is making available a new Food Hub Starter Kit for agricultural or business professionals, farmers, or community members who are exploring the development of a food hub. The kit contains a short, annotated list of resources gathered from food hub projects around the country. Presentations and webinars from Southern SAWG’s food hub learning…

Tilth Producers of Washington has introduced Wiki for Farmers, an online resource dedicated to organic and sustainable agriculture. Farmers, agricultural experts, researchers, and farm advocates are invited to author articles, which may be edited and discussed by other users. Instructions for joining and for submitting articles are online.