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Time to Apply for the NRCS Seasonal High Tunnel Initiative
Towards the end of 2011, the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service announced the opportunity for farmers to apply for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) Seasonal High Tunnel Initiative. February 3rd marked the end of the first application period for the application. While applications can be submitted continually, there are two more evaluations coming up…
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Apply now for a Raising Organic Family Farms Grant/Scholarship
Raising Organic Family Farms recently announced a second round of grants and scholarships for organic farmers and agriculture students. The application period began on January 16th and will run until March 16th. In total, ROFF will be giving away an additional $25,000 this winter in small grants and scholarships to selected organic farmers and students. The goal…
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Proposed farm-to-WIC program to enable greater access to fresh produce
Changes in the federal Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) are allowing new partnerships between local farmers and WIC outlets. WIC aims to increase fruit and vegetable consumption by distributing cash vouchers to low-income women with children to buy produce. The University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) recently conducted a survey of…
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NOFA Announces Journeyperson Programs for Farmers in the Northeast
Attention beginning farmers in the Northeast: Four more state Northeast Organic Farming Association (NOFA) organizations have announced that they will be accepting applications for a new two-year beginning farmer support program known as the Journeyperson Program. NOFA organizations in New York, New Jersey, New Hampshire, and Connecticut are kicking these programs off, based on the…
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New FSA Program to Help Young Farmers Buy Land
As of early 2012, beginning farmers looking to purchase land from retiring farmers have another tool at their disposal: the Beginning and Socially Disadvantaged Farmer and Rancher Land Contract Guarantee Program, now available nationwide. As Juli Obudzinski, policy associate with the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC), says, “the Land Contract Guarantee Program offers a good option…
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CSA Model Continues to Grow
The model of community-supported agriculture (CSA)–where members pay farmers a certain amount up front in order to get a share of the farm’s produce for the year–has been growing in California’s Central Valley, according to a new study published in the University of California’s California Agriculture journal. Between 1990 and 2010, CSA membership in this…
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The Sole Proprietorship: Starting a Farm in the Fast Lane
A sole proprietorship is a good choice for the farmer who wants to establish a business without much paperwork, but that convenience comes at a cost. What’s the situation? Nell has just decided to become Farmer Nell. She’s looking at land, she’s circling things in her chicken catalog, and she’s filling out farmers’ market applications.…
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Restaurants Offer Local Farmers a Growing Market
There is welcome news for those of us entering the field of farming–a new study by the National Restaurant Association shows that local and sustainably-grown ingredients will be some of the most popular food served in restaurants this year. Locally-raised meats and seafood ranked number one on the list of the hottest menu trends, followed…
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Cloud 9 Rooftop Farm. Philadelphia, PA.
We’re wandering through a dark maze of a warehouse, down corridors and up flights of stairs, and it would be eerie if not for my jubilant companions. We emerge onto the rooftop, and it’s quite a scene–the light patter of rain, a vast, dark expanse, lights and traffic noise below, and puddles accumulating where the…
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An Update on GIPSA
The USDA has published the Final Rule implementing the 2008 Farm Bill provisions in order to help protect livestock and poultry producers under the Grain Inspection, Packers, and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA), according to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. These provisions were required under the 2008 Farm Bill and have been modified from the rule proposed on…