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Training, resources, and practical advice to help you grow. |
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MOSES Solidarity Statement MOSES stands in solidarity with all of the farmers, partner organizations, and community members who are working toward racial justice. From our position within agriculture and food system work, we recognize some of the ways in which racism and systemic oppression have impacted Black, Brown, and Indigenous members of our community. We pledge to deepen our understanding of the systemic issues that need to be addressed, work to grow our own cultural competency, and look for ways to improve how we serve our community. Read the full statement here. |
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MOSES Conference Plans The MOSES Conference has always been a community-driven event. Your votes help shape the workshop content and more. Please take a few minutes to complete this survey to let us know what you'd like to see at MOSES 2021. |
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MOSES Organic Field Days—Online We're pivoting from on-farm to virtual field days this summer. Each one will include related videos, podcasts, or other content posted in advance followed by a virtual field day via Zoom on the dates listed below. The 90-minute Zoom meetings will start with presentations from the farmers and other experts and include time for participants to ask questions and join in the discussion. Please register to participate in the Zoom virtual field days you'd like to attend: Do The Numbers: Organic Dairy
June 24 | Bossie Cow Farm | Random Lake, Wis. Do the Numbers: Organic Crop Transition
July 8 | Jovaag Family Farm | Austin, Minn. Kernza Trial Results
July 22 | A-Frame Farm | Madison, Minn. Medicinal Herb Production
August 1 | Four Elements Organic Herbals | North Freedom, Wis. MOSES events and our podcasts are sponsored by Gempler’s, the online farm and home store providing professional-grade tools, equipment, and supplies to make hard work easier. To support farmers in these challenging times, Gempler's has added free shipping on clothing & footwear orders over $50. |
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Organic Farming Podcast In the lead up to our June 24 virtual field day on organic dairy, we just posted an episode with Dr. Jon Winsten, ag economist with the Pasture Project. He outlines three key metrics to look at when considering a dairy farm’s financial viability: feed efficiency, labor efficiency, and capital efficiency. Search "MOSES Organic" and subscribe in your podcast app or click here to listen. |
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'In Her Boots' Podcast Our “Women Caring for the Land” series continues with Thelma Heidel-Baker of Bossie Cow Farm (our June 24 field day site). She talks to host Lisa Kivirist about how she detoured from an academic career in entomology—she’s actually a bug doctor with her Ph.D.—to return to her family farm to re-craft a livelihood for her young family. She offers practical advice on setting up conservation strategies on farmland. Subscribe in your podcast app, or listen here. |
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Women Caring for the Land Resources We’re taking our conservation training for women landowners online this season with a combination of new resources to support you in stewarding your land. Check out the "Conservation Conversations" with helpful Q&A from experts. And, sign up for a free webinar Thursday, June 18 at 1 p.m. We'll bring together a panel of women conservation experts to answer your questions. See the webpage here. |
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Annual Report Curious what we do when we're not planning the annual MOSES Organic Farming Conference? Take a look at our 2019 annual report to see the extent of our year-round work. Thank you so much to our wonderful supporters and funders who invest in organic farming through our work. Our farmers appreciate it, as Dayna Burtness of Nettle Valley Farm said: “MOSES field days and conferences and the mentorship program have all been big reasons why I’m still farming after 15 years, despite huge hurdles.” |
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Award Nominations Shine the spotlight on an outstanding organic farmer by nominating someone you admire for the MOSES Organic Farmer of the Year award. This prestigious award recognizes organic farmers for outstanding land stewardship, innovation, and outreach. You can also recommend an emerging leader or advocate to receive the new Changemaker award. This award honors those who are finding creative ways to build a more just, organic, sustainable, and diverse agriculture/food system for all. The 2021 award winners will be selected from nominations by the MOSES Board of Directors and announced in January 2021. |
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Online Scams We're seeing a rise in scam emails that look like they come from a MOSES team member or even outside partners that ask for a quick reply. It's clear they are fake when we look at the "from" email address. Just in case you get a questionable email, check the "from" address; legitimate emails from MOSES come from mosesorganic.org. In that same vein, if you receive an offer to buy a list of MOSES Conference participants, don't respond—the list is bogus. We never share or sell the personal contact information you provide when you register for our events. |
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Poultry Price-Fixing Charges The top two executives from both Pilgrim’s Pride and Claxton Poultry were indicted earlier this week on federal charges of conspiracy to fix prices for broiler chickens as part of a larger antitrust investigation of chicken-processing companies. Tyson Foods Inc. and Sanderson Farms Inc. have also received grand jury subpoenas in the investigation. See news story here. |
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Dicamba Pesticide Ruling Earlier this week, a U.S. Court of Appeals ruled in favor of farmers and conservationists in a dispute over Monsanto's dicamba pesticide, calling the Trump administration's 2018 registration of the pesticide unlawful. The court decision cited "enormous and unprecedented damage" caused by dicamba in the last few years that has "torn apart the social fabric of many farming communities." Read more from the Center for Food Safety. |
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FSA Loan Deferment The USDA recently announced changes to federal farm loan programs that may provide immediate, short-term relief to some farmers through its Disaster Set-Aside Program (DSA). The DSA allows farmers to skip an annual installment payment with a scheduled due date between March 1, 2020 and September 1, 2021 on any current direct FSA farm loan. |
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Free Training Program on Organic Production The Organic Farming Research Foundation is creating a self-directed course for beginning farmers, existing organic farmers, and farmers in transition to organic production. In total, the course will contain six learning modules: 1) soil health; 2) weed management; 3) irrigation and water management; 4) insect pest management; 5) disease management; 6) economics and marketing. The first two modules are online now and the foundation is asking for farmer feedback through a brief survey at the end of the first module. |
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Organic Transition Iowa State University Extension and Outreach just published the fact sheet "Evaluating Organic Transitions at the Field Level." The free, four-page publication outlines the need for a transition crop plan, the importance of individual crop budgets, and evaluating results. Farmers interested in transitioning to organic may also find answers to their questions in the 32-page Guidebook to Organic Certification, published by MOSES. |
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Interactive Guide to Careers in Agriculture The Greenhorns have released a choose-your-own-adventure-style playbook about getting into agriculture. It includes videos, websites, and links to find education, farm jobs, workshops, online course, films, and more. The guide explains that farming is risky, and "you’ll need tenacity, long-term planning, and an understanding of market forces" for long-term survival. |
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Carbon Cowboys A new 10-part documentary tells the stories of 10 cattle ranchers who work with nature to create healthier soils, ecosystems, animals, and food in the process. The series is free to watch on YouTube. |
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Midwest Organic & Sustainable Education Service (MOSES)
PO Box 339 | Spring Valley, Wisconsin 54767
1-888-90-MOSES | info@mosesorganic.org |
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