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Training, resources, and practical advice to help you grow. |
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January 2021 Organic Link |
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More than 500 people have already registered for the Growing Stronger Collaborative Conference on Organic & Sustainable Farming—the virtual conference that's bringing together the organic and sustainable farming community to share ideas for stronger farms and food systems. This 5-in-1 event Feb. 22-27 combines the MOSES Organic Farming Conference, GrassWorks Grazing Conference, OGRAIN Organic Grain Conference, Midwest Organic Pork Conference, and Organic Vegetable Production Conference. Admission is $125; scholarships for farmers are available now through Jan. 20. Help farmers attend the conference! This has been a challenging year for many farmers. To help farmers-in-need participate in the Growing Stronger Conference, please consider adding a donation to the Scholarship Fund when you register for the conference or donate directly to the fund here. Show off your farm or share a farming tip through a Farmer Speed Presentation during the Growing Stronger Conference. These 5-minute videos can be as simple as a virtual farm tour or a demonstration—video or a series of photos—of an innovative growing practice or farm hack. Be among the first 25 farmers to submit videos and get a box of swag from the event partners! |
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Peer-Led Mental Health Group for Farmers The farmer-led group, Growing Wellness, meets monthly to provide a safe place to discuss mental health issues. The next meeting is Tuesday, Jan. 26 at 5 p.m. CT. Mary O'Herin will discuss mindfulness and lead the group in simple stretches. This meeting will not be recorded. Register here. Learn more about Growing Wellness and how to join the listserv focused on farmer mental health. |
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MOSES Instagram Farmer Takeover Farmers can take over the MOSES Instagram account on weekends to share growing tips, cool hacks, time-savers, or other ideas with the MOSES community. These takeover posts could be the seeds of a farmer speed presentation at the Growing Stronger Conference, too. Sign up for a weekend! |
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Wisconsin Women Farmers, Landowners Women landowners and farmers can learn about conservation as well as Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) programs through Wisconsin Women Championing Conservation, a new program led by Michael Fields Agricultural Institute in partnership with MOSES, Renewing the Countryside, Wisconsin Farmers Union, and E Resources Group LLC. Registration opens soon for the MOSES Wisconsin Women Championing Conservation online workshops March 2 and April 6, 2021. For more information, contact Jennifer@mosesorganic.org or fill out this form. |
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Organic Grain Production Discussions OGRAIN hosts weekly discussions on organic grain production topics every Friday through March from noon to 1:30 p.m. CT. Participation is free, but registration is required for each session. This Friday's topic is growing corn on 60” rows with Sandy Syburg of Purple Cow Organics and White Oak Farm Organics. Also, check out the OGRAIN track of workshops for the Growing Stronger Conference. (Select "Partner Track: OGRAIN.") |
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Iowa Organic Workshops The Iowa Organic Association (IOA) and regional partners will deliver a series of free, virtual “Growing Organic Expertise in Iowa” workshops this winter for farmers and agriculture service providers and consultants to learn about organic transition, diversification, and production. The workshops, which run from noon to 3 p.m., will focus on participants from specific regions to foster community networking.
- Tuesday, Jan. 26 – Sioux City
- Tuesday, Feb. 2 – Seymour
- Tuesday, Feb. 9 – Hazleton
- Tuesday, Feb. 16 – Kalona
Find registration links on the IOA calendar page. |
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Grazing Webinars GrassWorks, Inc., is offering two free webinars in the coming weeks on grazing topics. On Jan. 14 at 7 p.m., Marielle Hewitt from Northstar Bison and Paul Dietmann from Compeer will present Is my Farm a Sound Business? On Feb. 11 at 7 p.m., Curt Pate presents Low-Stress Animal Handling. Participation is free, but registration is required for each session. Also, check out the GrassWorks Grazing Conference track at the Growing Stronger Conference. (Select "Partner Track: GrassWorks.") |
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Small Farm Webinars The University of Illinois Extension presents free weekly webinars from noon to 1 p.m. Thursdays to give small farm producers a look at production, management, and marketing practices that enable operations to improve profitability and sustainability. See the list of topics and registration information here. |
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Farm Business Webinars SCORE Twin Cities is offering free webinars to help beginning farmers develop their agricultural business enterprises. Sessions run from 10 a.m. to noon over the next 5 Mondays. See details here. |
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Webinar on Conservation Support
Renewing the Countryside and the Sustainable Farming Association will offer an informational webinar for beginning and underserved farmers to learn about the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) funding opportunities such as the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), and soil health resources. While the general information is applicable nationally, case studies and questions will focus on these two states:
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Market Farm Workshops
McHenry County College Center for Agrarian Learning and Family Farmed present two-part workshops on recordkeeping systems and crop planning with Atina Diffley. The cost is $5/topic.
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Silvopasture Webinar
Michael Fields Agricultural Institute presents a webinar Wednesday, Jan. 27 at noon CT on the fundamentals of silvopasture, with insights from landowners and professionals on their experiences in implementing silvopasture as a land management practice. Participants also will learn how to use a soil health kit and about soil health training programs available to farmers and agricultural professionals in key Wisconsin watersheds.
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NCR-SARE Council Openings The North Central Region Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (NCR-SARE) is seeking applications for two vacancies on its Administrative Council. The open seats are for a farmer or rancher from one of the 12 states in the North Central SARE region and a Land Grant University Agriculture Experiment Station representative. Terms are three years. Applications are due by Jan. 15, 2021. |
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MN Tax Credit for Beginning Farmers The Minnesota Department of Agriculture is accepting applications from beginning farmers to receive a tax credit for the purchase or lease of land, equipment, machinery, and livestock in Minnesota. To qualify, the applicant must be a Minnesota resident with the desire to start farming or who began farming in Minnesota within the past 10 years, provide positive projected earnings statements, have a net worth less than $851,000, and enroll in, or have completed an approved financial management program. |
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Minnesota Organic Conference as 4 Webinars The Minnesota Department of Agriculture is offering four webinars on Thursdays at 3 p.m. CT as its annual organic conference. Cost is $10/session or $30 for all four sessions. See topics and register here. |
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Crop Insurance Update USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) is extending crop insurance flexibilities for producers amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Producers with insured organic crops may report acreage as certified organic, or as acreage in transition to organic, when the policyholder certifies that they have requested a written certification or other written documentation from a certifying agent on or before the Acreage Reporting Deadline of June 30, 2021. Policyholders must continue to use generally recognized organic practices in accordance with their policy. This relief also applies to the Whole-Farm Revenue Protection policy. |
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Conservation Reserve Program USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) has opened the application period for the popular Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) now through Feb. 12, 2021. The competitive program provides annual rental payments for land devoted to conservation purposes. The CRP Grasslands signup runs March 15, 2021, through April 23, 2021. |
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Survey on Soil Health Valuation The University of Minnesota Department of Applied Economics is asking farmers to complete a survey in exchange for a $20 gift card. The 15-minute survey of farmers who have grown and sold crops in the last three years will help researchers place a value on various soil health practices. |
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Bugs Below Zero Researchers at the University of Minnesota have a citizen science opportunity for outdoor enthusiasts and farmers. Participants simply spot midges on the snow and submit photographs. Learn more and sign up here. |
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Farming Music Videos The Land Stewardship Project (LSP) has released a pair of music videos highlighting key themes of the growing farmer interest in building soil health. The two songs-of-the-soil, “Got Cover Crops” and “Back to Soil,” were commissioned from Austin, Minn., native and singer-songwriter Bret Hesla and performed with the band Six Feet Deep. The music videos are available for public use at no charge. |
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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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