NCAT News
Bringing Farmers and Military Veterans Together
NCAT Specialist Attends Harvesting Clean Energy Conference
Goat Management Tool Developed By NCAT Specialists
NCAT Helps Plant the Future of Organic Farming in California
Volunteers Roll Up Their Sleeves to Install Solar Lamps
in Community Parks and Weatherize Homes
NCAT to Co-Sponsor Small Ruminant Parasite Management Workshop
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Bringing Farmers and Military Veterans Together
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| Shooting Star CSA is a 10 acre, CCOF-certified organic farm located in the Suisun Valley, in Fairfield, California. |
(3/08/10) The Northern California Food and Farming Veteran Career Fair took place in Santa Rosa on March 5. NCAT agriculture specialist Marisa Alcorta was at the fair, providing publications and other information about sustainable farming to aspiring producers. The event was organized by the Farmer Veteran Coalition, a group that helps returning Iraq and Afghanistan veterans find employment, training and places to heal on America's farms.
The Career Fair was designed to help some of these young men and women meet the country's critical need for more good, hard-working people in the field of agriculture. Organizers of the Farmer Veteran Coalition believe that the country's family farms and the growing local food movement could be well-served by people already accustomed to hard work, discipline and dedication.
Inspired by returning veterans determined to farm, the coalition works to find farm employment and training for veterans. Matt McCue, for example, joined the U.S. Army after 9/11. He spent a year of combat in Iraq and a year in Korea. McCue discovered farming while serving as an infantryman in Iraq.
"I witnessed many unforgettable things there," he said. "But the aspect that changed my life more than any other was the way the farmers kept working and selling their produce through the chaos of a regime change."
When he returned home, McCue studied vegetable production at the Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems at the University of California, Santa Cruz. He found work at a fruit and vegetable farm in Sonoma County. Then last year he and his partner started Shooting Star CSA, a community-supported agriculture farm, www.shootingstarcsa.com.
"We went into the military because it was hard," McCue said. "Farming challenges everything I have everyday. That's a good thing."
Returning veterans who want to farm are likely to find tremendous support from neighboring farmers. McCue and others have been astonished at the amount of help and encouragement extended to them by those who might otherwise have seen them as competitors. In actuality, experienced farmers and their families are welcoming the returning vets with generosity and tips on how to succeed.
The organizers of the Farmer Veteran Coalition maintain a national clearinghouse of farm and food-industry jobs and educational opportunities. They also locate resources to help veterans finance education and farm-related businesses. To learn more about the coalition or to offer work to returning veterans, call (530) 756-1395 or see www.farmvetco.org.
NCAT Specialist Attends Harvesting Clean Energy Conference
(2/16/10) NCAT program specialist Jeff Schahczenski and energy engineer Dave Ryan recently attended the 10th annual Harvesting Clean Energy Conference in Kennewick, Wash.
The Harvesting Clean Energy Conference is one of the Northwest's largest gatherings for agriculture and energy interests working to advance new opportunities for rural economic development through clean energy production. NCAT was a sponsor of this year's conference, and has been an active supporter of the conference for many years.
More than 550 people attended this year's conference, including farmers, ranchers and other rural land owners; food processors; agricultural organizations; public and private utilities; rural economic development leaders; local, state, federal and tribal officials; clean energy firms, consultants and supporters; and the next generation of rural workers and leaders.
Schahczenski staffed an ATTRA booth, which was well attended. He also distributed more than 100 copies of the new ATTRA publication Biochar and Sustainable Agriculture and participated in a workshop about the potential use of biochar to generate energy, enhance soil productivity and sequester carbon. Ryan participated in two discussions featuring ways to power up rural economic development using clean energy policy and clean energy for good rural jobs.
"There was lots of excitement around the topic of biochar," Schahczenski said.
The conference featured several workshops about biomass energy production, as well as discussion about the sustainability of harvesting biomass, particularly in the context of climate change.
Other sessions focused on the practical steps to successful sustainable energy project development, from economic and feasibility assessments to accessing technical support and securing financing amidst tough finance markets. Attendees learned about wind power, biofuels and biopower, solar and geothermal resources, microhydro and new approaches for irrigation, energy innovators in the food processing sector and efficiency technologies to reduce energy costs and enhance profitability.
For more information about the conference, visit the Harvesting Clean Energy website at: www.harvestcleanenergy.org.
Goat Management Tool Developed By NCAT Specialists
(2/9/10) Goat producers now have a new management tool thanks to a team of small ruminant educators, including NCAT specialists Linda Coffey and Margo Hale. The team adapted the Pipestone Sheep Management Wheel to make it useful for goat producers, resulting in the Meat Goat Management Wheel. While the wheel states it is for meat goats, it is also applicable to dairy goats as well.
The Meat Goat Management Wheel makes meat goat management and production decisions simple and easy. The wheel is an interactive management calendar. To use it, set the date you kid, and the wheel indicates the dates for all the doe, buck and kid management tasks for the entire year. The wheel contains lots of general management information that can be adjusted for individual operations and different management styles. If you have questions about any of these management or production recommendations, consult with an expert or professional in your area.
The team that developed the Meat Goat Management Wheel includes Dr. Charlotte Clifford-Rathert, a small ruminant extension specialist with Lincoln University in Missouri; Jim Humphrey and Bruce Lane, regional livestock specialists with University of Missouri Extension; Dr. Beth Walker, an assistant professor in the Agriculture Department at Missouri State University; and Coffey and Hale, NCAT specialists.
The Meat Goat Management Wheel can be ordered from University of Missouri Extension Publications for $9 plus shipping and handling.
For more information about the Meat Goat Management Wheel contact Linda Coffey (lindac@ncat.org) or Margo Hale (margoh@ncat.org).
NCAT Helps Plant the Future of Organic Farming in California
(2/2/10) Organic farmers and food activists gathered last week for the 30th anniversary Ecological Farming Conference in Pacific Grove, Calif. NCAT agricultural specialists helped organize the conference, which this year focused on the future. Many of the workshops and sessions featured young farmers and marketing trailblazers.
The world has changed considerably since the first Eco-Farm Conference. In 1980 there were just a few organic farmers in the state. Very little information existed about the best ways to raise food without synthetic inputs. Growers came to the conference to share their experiences and to brainstorm answers to production problems. The farmers were intensely interested, but no journalists or laypeople attended, as they do now. The organic certification system was undeveloped, off the radar of government agencies.
Today an ever-increasing number of conventional farmers want to learn about organic practices. These producers are responding to the huge public demand for organic and local food, a market fueled by consumer concerns about food safety and environmental protection. The education programs of the Ecological Farming Association (EFA), the conference sponsor, have reached 100,000 people. This year's conference attracted more than 1,500 attendees. Sold out several weeks in advance, the event has now outgrown the Asilomar conference grounds where it has been held for many years.
The original pioneers of organic farming are now gray-haired and EFA has launched a project to recruit and educate young farmers. In 2010 the EcoFarm GenNext Network will sponsor regional meetings and field days with experienced farmers who will mentor beginning farmers on production, marketing and management techniques.
Many of the workshops at this year's Eco-Farm Conference were aimed at beginning farmers, including sessions on basic pest management, small farm finance, sharp-pencil farming and food safety for small-scale farmers and wholesalers. There also was much to be learned from the Successful Farmers plenary session, which featured Capay Fruits and Vegetables (a second-generation farm in Capay, Calif., that offers customized CSA boxes), Wooley Farms in Gridley, Calif.,(a family farm that wholesales organic produce, walnuts and prunes), and Massa Organics in Hamilton City, Calif., (fourth-generation rice growers).
Also among the more than 65 workshops offered at this year's Eco-Farm Conference were some for seasoned farmers, such as a double session on advanced organic soil fertility and another two-part workshop on CSAs: The Healing Force of Money and What's Next. Other sessions were meant for educators, researchers, agricultural activists, and produce marketers and handlers. On Thursday the conference featured many workshops in Spanish.
In addition to workshops and plenary sessions, the conference hosted separate full-day pre-conferences about ecological landscaping, applied biodynamics, and the business of sustainability. Tours were offered to local school gardens, to four Monterey Bay-area organic farms, and to organic farms and wineries in the Carmel Valley.
NCAT sustainable agriculture specialists took part in many aspects of the Eco-Farm Conference. Rex Dufour and Jeff Schahczenski provided sustainable farming solutions to climate change in a workshop on that topic. Ann Baier spoke in a Spanish-language workshop on Small Farm Finance and Seasonal Cash Flow. Karen Van Epen and Marisa Alcorta helped organize several workshops, including the Spanish sessions. For more information, contact Rex Dufour, rexd@ncat.org, 530-792-7343, or visit www.eco-farm.org
EnergyCorps member Tina Marie Beltz installing a solar lamp in a Community Park |
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Volunteers Roll Up Their Sleeves to Install Solar Lamps
in Community Parks and Weatherize Homes
(01/21/10) Community volunteers from across Montana gathered to celebrate the recent Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday by volunteering for sustainable energy projects. NCAT helped organize a day of service honoring Dr. King and furthering his dream by bringing Montana residents together to address a local need through service. Montana Energy Corps and Montana Conservation Corps AmeriCorps members collaborated with the non-profit organization, Opportunity Link and other community groups and volunteers in Havre, Fort Belknap and Rocky Boy to install solar powered lamp posts at community parks followed by a ceremony and dedication by tribal council members. Volunteers were transported to the service sites by the new North Central Montana Transit bus system and celebrated the bus' inaugural use of biodiesel produced and donated locally by MSU Northern.
Volunteers also handed out compact fluorescent light bulbs, energy-savings educational materials and signed up individuals that need weatherization assistance in their homes. Energy Corps and Conservation Corps members are performing weatherization installations this week for those that need assistance.
This project is one of thousands that took place across the nation as part of the 2010 Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service.
Initiated by Congress in 1994, the King Day of Service transforms the federal holiday into a national day of community service grounded in Dr. King's teachings of nonviolence and social justice. The King Day of Service is led by the Corporation for National and Community Service and the King Center in partnership with national nonprofit organizations, faith-based and community groups, government agencies, educational institutions, and businesses nationwide.
NCAT To Co-Sponsor Small Ruminant Parasite Management Workshop
(01/18/10) Managing internal parasites is one of the most difficult production challenges for sheep and goat producers. Heavy parasite burdens can cause decreased animal performance and even death. The parasites have become resistant to traditional deworming treatments, so producers must use new approaches to combat this serious issue.
NCAT specialists Linda Coffey and Margo Hale, along with the Washington County Cooperative Extension Service, will be hosting a parasite management workshop on Jan. 30 in Fayetteville, Ark. The workshop will cover a variety of management techniques producers can use to combat internal parasites in sheep and goats. Topics covered will include animal selection for parasite management, pasture management, selective treatment, new treatment options and FAMACHA©. FAMACHA© is a system for classifying animals into categories based upon level of anemia (a sign of parasitism). It was developed in South Africa and has been validated in the United States. This system identifies anemic animals on a 1 to 5 scale by examining the eyelids of sheep and goats. The system treats only animals that are anemic. This reduces the use of dewormers, slows the development of resistant worms and saves the producer money. Workshop attendees will get hands-on training with FAMACHA© and will be certified to use the system.
The workshop will feature up-to-date research and educational materials from the Southern Consortium for Small Ruminant Parasite Control (www.scsrpc.org), a group that Coffey and Hale are members of. Workshop attendees will also receive several ATTRA publications, including Managing Internal Parasites in Sheep and Goats.
For more information about the workshop or parasite management in sheep and goats contact Linda Coffey (lindac@ncat.org) or Margo Hale (margoh@ncat.org).
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