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Agriculture / Commerce

Diversify Grazing and Practice Conservation With Native Warm Season Grasses

Alternative Farming Systems Information Center - Tue, 02/26/2013 - 9:47am

MSU study determining the economics of growing native warm season grasses over bermudagrass.

Categories: Agriculture / Commerce

USDA Releases Report on the Growing Importance of Food Hubs in Rural America

Alternative Farming Systems Information Center - Tue, 02/26/2013 - 9:33am
A new report from USDA, The Role of Food Hubs in Local Food Marketing, provides a comprehensive look at the economic role, challenges and opportunities for food hubs in the nation's growing local food movement. The report finds that the success of food h…
Categories: Agriculture / Commerce

National Organic Standards Board Announces Spring 2013 Meeting; Invites Public Comments

Alternative Farming Systems Information Center - Tue, 02/26/2013 - 9:29am
The National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) is collecting public comment at www.ams.usda.gov/nosbmeetings in advance of its spring meeting in Portland, Oregon, April 9-11. During the meeting, the board will address several petitions pertaining to changes…
Categories: Agriculture / Commerce

National Cantaloupe Guidance Document Now Available

Alternative Farming Systems Information Center - Tue, 02/26/2013 - 9:22am
The "National Commodity Specific Food Safety Guidelines for Cantaloupes and Netted Melons," developed by a broad coalition of industry and academic experts as well as government scientists and regulators, is now available for use by the cantaloupe indust…
Categories: Agriculture / Commerce

Organic Quinoa Production in the Pacific Northwest Webinar

Alternative Farming Systems Information Center - Tue, 02/26/2013 - 7:33am

Join eOrganic for a webinar on Organic Quinoa Production in the Pacific Northwest by Kevin Murphy of Washington State University on Tuesday, February 26 at 2PM Eastern Time (1PM Central, 12PM Mountain, 11AM Pacific Time).
Register now at:
https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/958574705

About the Webinar

This webinar will cover on-going research on quinoa breeding, varietal selection and agronomy at Washington State University. The intended audience are researchers, farmers and anyone interested in growing quinoa.

Handout of the slides for this webinar

About the Presenter

Kevin Murphy is the barley and alternative crop breeder at Washington State University. His crops of interest include spring barley, quinoa, buckwheat, spelt, proso millet and hops.

Find all upcoming and archived eOrganic webinars at http://www.extension.org/pages/25242

System Requirements

PC-based attendees
Required: Windows® 7, Vista, XP or 2003 Server
Macintosh®-based attendees
Required: Mac OS® X 10.5 or newer

Java needs to be installed and working on your computer to join the webinar. If you have concerns, please test your Java at http://java.com/en/download/testjava.jsp prior to joining the webinar. If you are running Mac OS X 10.5 with Safari, please be sure to test your Java. If it isn't working, please try Firefox (http://www.mozilla.com) or Chrome (http://www.google.com/chrome).

This is an eOrganic article and was reviewed for compliance with National Organic Program regulations by members of the eOrganic community. Always check with your organic certification agency before adopting new practices or using new materials. For more information, refer to eOrganic's articles on organic certification.

eOrganic 8601

Categories: Agriculture / Commerce

Notice of Public Meeting

Alternative Farming Systems Information Center - Tue, 02/26/2013 - 4:54am

The Administrative Council of the North Central Region Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (NCR-SARE) will meet from 1:30pm on Wednesday, Feb. 27 until noon on Friday, March 2nd.

The meeting is open to the public and will be held at the Ramada Inn in Bloomington, MN.

Written comments can be sent to NCR-SARE at 1390 Eckles Avenue, Suite 120, St Paul, MN 55108.

CONTACT: Marie Flanagan, 612-625-7027

Categories: Agriculture / Commerce

Weed Management in Organic Systems

Alternative Farming Systems Information Center - Mon, 02/25/2013 - 12:44pm

This is an eOrganic article and was reviewed for compliance with National Organic Program regulations by members of the eOrganic community. Always check with your organic certification agency before adopting new practices or using new materials. For more information, refer to eOrganic's articles on organic certification.

eOrganic T877

Categories: Agriculture / Commerce

Organic Vegetable Production Systems, Soil and Fertility Management in Organic Farming Systems

Alternative Farming Systems Information Center - Mon, 02/25/2013 - 12:44pm

This is an eOrganic article and was reviewed for compliance with National Organic Program regulations by members of the eOrganic community. Always check with your organic certification agency before adopting new practices or using new materials. For more information, refer to eOrganic's articles on organic certification.

eOrganic T879,867

Categories: Agriculture / Commerce

Organic Vegetable Production Systems, Rotations in Organic Farming Systems

Alternative Farming Systems Information Center - Mon, 02/25/2013 - 12:44pm

This is an eOrganic article and was reviewed for compliance with National Organic Program regulations by members of the eOrganic community. Always check with your organic certification agency before adopting new practices or using new materials. For more information, refer to eOrganic's articles on organic certification.

eOrganic T879,894

Categories: Agriculture / Commerce

Organic Vegetable Production Systems, Cover Cropping in Organic Farming Systems

Alternative Farming Systems Information Center - Mon, 02/25/2013 - 12:44pm

This is an eOrganic article and was reviewed for compliance with National Organic Program regulations by members of the eOrganic community. Always check with your organic certification agency before adopting new practices or using new materials. For more information, refer to eOrganic's articles on organic certification.

eOrganic T879,872

Categories: Agriculture / Commerce

Organic Vegetable Production Systems, Weed Management in Organic Systems

Alternative Farming Systems Information Center - Mon, 02/25/2013 - 12:44pm

This is an eOrganic article and was reviewed for compliance with National Organic Program regulations by members of the eOrganic community. Always check with your organic certification agency before adopting new practices or using new materials. For more information, refer to eOrganic's articles on organic certification.

eOrganic T879,877

Categories: Agriculture / Commerce

Cover Cropping in Organic Farming Systems

Alternative Farming Systems Information Center - Mon, 02/25/2013 - 12:44pm

This is an eOrganic article and was reviewed for compliance with National Organic Program regulations by members of the eOrganic community. Always check with your organic certification agency before adopting new practices or using new materials. For more information, refer to eOrganic's articles on organic certification.

eOrganic T872

Categories: Agriculture / Commerce

Soil and Fertility Management in Organic Farming Systems

Alternative Farming Systems Information Center - Mon, 02/25/2013 - 12:44pm

This is an eOrganic article and was reviewed for compliance with National Organic Program regulations by members of the eOrganic community. Always check with your organic certification agency before adopting new practices or using new materials. For more information, refer to eOrganic's articles on organic certification.

eOrganic T867

Categories: Agriculture / Commerce

Customer Manuals for Small Meat Processors

Alternative Farming Systems Information Center - Mon, 02/25/2013 - 12:09pm

This page was created by the Niche Meat Processor Assistance Network. Click on the link for more useful meat processing resources.

What's on this page:
  1. Why write a customer manual?
  2. How to get started
  3. Manual outline and sample
  4. Next steps and the last word
Why write a customer manual?

If you're a meat processor who provides processing services for farmers and ranchers, how do you communicate with your customers about your business?

Have you ever had a miscommunication about scheduling, services you offer, products you make, what you charge, or pick-up times? 

Do you spend a lot of time on the phone or in person explaining how you operate?

A short, simple customer manual can really help. Even a couple of pages is enough to communicate the basics.

You can watch a short webinar (from Feb. 2013) about customer manuals and the experiences of two real processors: click here for the recording and pdfs of the slide presentations.

How to get started

Most processors will want to give their customers similar kinds of information. Below, we offer an outline based on a real manual used by a real plant, Wells, Jenkins, Wells Fresh Meats. We also show you what Wells Jenkins wrote in each section.

You can cut and paste from this webpage to start writing your own manual, but make sure all the information in YOUR manual is about YOUR plant. Add, subtract, or change the section titles to meet your needs.

If you would like a fillable Word doc version, please email us. You can download the original Wells Jenkins manual here, to see how it looks.

Wells, Jenkins, Wells Fresh Meats is a small, USDA-inspected slaughter and processing plant in North Carolina. They had help writing their manual from NC Choices, a Center for Environmental Farming Systems' initiative that promotes the advancement of local, niche and pasture-based meat supply chains. Learn more about Wells Jenkins here and on their Facebook page.

MORE INFO: To learn more about customer manuals and hear from real processors, watch this NMPAN webinar

Manual Outline and Sample Title/plant name/contact info  Guide to Working with (your plant name) Address Phone Email address Website address Introduction/Mission

Wells, Jenkins, Wells Fresh Meats is committed to working with small-scale, local meat producers who direct market meats. We work with over 45 small, independent farmers who produce and market natural, local and niche meats. At Wells Jenkins, we understand the importance of attention to detail when it comes to handling your product. We believe that through effective communication and mutual trust, we can serve the needs of your growing meat business.

Who Should Use This Form 

Farmers, registered Meat Handlers, and wholesale buyers should use this document for reference concerning USDA inspected slaughter, processing and cut and wrap, labeling for resale items and wholesale orders of our own line of fresh and further processed meat products.

Services Offered

Wells Jenkins offers USDA inspected slaughter, fabrication, and custom cutting and packaging for beef, pork, lamb, goat and bison. Currently, further processing services include: fresh sausages; sliced (uncooked) deli style meats such as fresh pork belly, deli ham and beef philly steak; and smoked, cooked, and ready-to-eat products such as bacon, ribs, bbq, and the like.

Communicating with Us

To schedule processing and submit cutting orders, call (Name of Scheduler) at (phone number) or by email: (email address). The best times to call are (suggest times of day).

Payment

Payment for services is expected at pickup. Payment options include cash, personal or business check (with prior approval), Visa, Mastercard or Discover cards. For your convenience, we are able to take credit card payments over the telephone. Customers with returned checks will be charged $45. When your product is finished we will call you and let you know. Your finished product must be picked up within 2 business days of notification that it is ready. Please understand that our facility has limited cold storage which is very expensive to run. Product left in our facility past two business days after notification may incur a storage fee.

Scheduling

Please do not bring animals for slaughter without prior scheduling. To schedule processing, please call Jody Thompson at 828-245-5544 at least 14 days in advance of when you need the animal slaughtered. Please keep in mind:

  1. Beef needs to dry age at least 10 days. Our maximum beef dry aging time is 14 days. After 14 days, dry aging of beef costs $5 per day. Please include your aging request with your initial cutting instructions.
  2. Pork does not need to age, however, please plan on 2-5 days from slaughter to finished product.
  3. Lamb and goat will be ready between 2-5 days from slaughter to finished product.
  4. We prefer animals to be dropped off before 9am on the day of slaughter (see schedule below). If needed, animals may be dropped off from 9-5 on Monday or Wednesday for the next day’s slaughter.
Cutting Instructions

We have standardized cut sheets for each species, which you can download from our website. You can also pick up hard copies in the shop.

Selling Quarters, Halves, or Whole Animals?

We cannot take cutting instructions from a farmer’s multiple customers. Please communicate with your customers and gather their cut lists prior to our pulling your beef onto the cut floor. Please use the cut sheets provided.

Our Weekly Schedule:

Refer to the schedule below for our weekly work flow to determine slaughter days and when your work may be done. This schedule is subject to change. Customer pick-up happens every day of the week.

  • Monday: Cut and wrap beef
  • Tuesday: Slaughter beef and pork (pork skinned only)
  • Wednesday: Cut and wrap beef
  • Thursday: Slaughter beef and pork (pork scalded, skin on), cut and wrap pork
  • Friday: Cut and wrap pork
Rush Orders

We understand that, at certain times, you may require a rush order and we are willing to work with you under these circumstances. We will consider rush orders on an individual basis and in accordance with our scheduled work load. At our discretion, rush orders may incur additional charges. Proper planning and communication will usually avoid rush orders and resulting additional charges.

Sausage Recipes

Our sausage recipes are pre-mixed and provided by A.C. Legg Seasoning and contain no MSG, BHT, or BHA as preservatives or flavor enhancers, unless otherwise noted. If you have specific ingredient questions you may refer to their website at www.aclegg.com, where you will find complete ingredient information. There is a 25# minimum order, per recipe, for each of these items. USDA inspected deboned or ground poultry may be received and blended with a few of our sausages. Note: While we make every effort to provide our customers with a diverse line of quality seasoned products, we cannot make “custom” recipes for your sausages. Each recipe we use has to have a label approved by the USDA, a lengthy and time consuming process.

Recipes:

  1. Italian Sausage- available in bulk or link for pork, beef, goat or lamb
  2. Bratwurst- available in bulk or link for pork, beef, goat or lamb
  3. Chorizo- available in bulk or link for pork, beef, goat or lamb
  4. Breakfast Sausage- Wells Jenkins proprietary blend, locally famous, bulk, patties or links
  5. Polish Kielbasa- currently contains MSG, we are looking at adopting a MSG free blend
FEES Kill, Dressing, and Disposal
  • Goat, Sheep, Lamb: $80 per head, includes cut, wrap and vacuum packing with USDA seal.
  • Hog: $50/head.
  • Beef: $50/head.
  • Bison: please contact us for quotes.
Cut and Wrap
  • Prices based on hot carcass weight.
  • $0.50/lb for labeled “not for sale,” wrapped in white butcher paper.
  • $0.55/lb for USDA seal, apply custom label, wrapped in white butcher paper.
  • $0.65/lb for USDA seal, apply custom label, vacuum wrapped in clear packaging.
Further Processed Items
  • Bulk Sausages packed in 1#, 5#, or 10# bags: no extra charge.
  • Link Sausages, packed 4 to bag (approx 1#): $0.50/lb.
  • Sausage Patties: $0.80/lb for 2oz., $0.50/lb for 3oz.
Boxes

We offer packaging in large heavy cardboard boxes for $2/box to cover the cost of the boxes. If you do not choose to use our boxes, please bring your own containers, coolers or freezers at pick-up.

LABELS Plant Generic

Use of our in-house plant generic label is included with your packaging. The label will read “Wells Jenkins Meat Processing” at the top and show the plant’s address.

Logo Branded

Most Farmer Meat Handlers prefer to use their logo/ farm name on our generic label to help differentiate their branded product in the marketplace and provide the consumer with contact information. This option must be set-up by a paid outside technician who must come to the plant to do this work. There is a one-time fee of $125 to set up your logo and contact information on our label. This labeling option is available in black and white only. This option does not require you to purchase the labels and keep them in inventory since the labeling machine prints them on demand.

Custom Color

Some farmers prefer a custom designed, full color label. These labels have to be designed, printed and ordered from a separate company with relatively high minimum orders, at expense of the farmer. This option is considerably more expensive for the farmer and requires additional time because of the design process. A special labeling application must to be sent to the USDA FSIS Labeling Division for approval. Estimated costs are between $1,000 and $1,800 dollars and 6-12 weeks for design, USDA approval, plating, manufacturing and delivery.

Special Labeling Claims

Some farmers wish to use “Special Labeling Claims” such as “grass-fed”, “pasture-raised”, “no added hormones or antibiotics”, etc. These claims must be approved by USDA/FSIS. Wells Jenkins offers this application service at a charge of $200 per application (up to 2 different labels per application). This process also takes time so please let us know well in advance.

 

Delivery Options:

Leading Green Distributing picks up at our plant and delivers in all directions in NC. Please contact (name) for information at (phone).

This Manual was last revised on: type in date. Next steps Try it out!

Once you have a draft, ask one or two of your current processing customers to read it to make sure it makes sense to them, too. Make changes as needed.

Start using it

Make some copies to hand out, post it on your website, and email it to all existing and new customers.

Keep it current

Don't forget to update your manual when prices, services, scheduling, and any other information changes. It's also helpful to review it a few times a year to make sure everything is accurate. 

Last word

When you're busy at the plant -- and when are you not busy? -- the last thing you want to do is spend a lot of time on the phone explaining the same things over and over. Investing a little time now to write a customer manual can save you a lot of time in the long run. It also helps your customers know what to expect -- an essential part of great customer service.

 

Categories: Agriculture / Commerce

Webinars by eOrganic

Alternative Farming Systems Information Center - Mon, 02/25/2013 - 11:09am
Live and archived webinars on organic farming and research.

Learn the latest in organic farming practices and research by attending or watching an eOrganic Webinar. Sign up for upcoming Webinars to watch slides, listen to the presenter, and type in questions during the live event. To receive notices about upcoming Webinars, and when we post the archived sessions, sign up for the eOrganic newsletter.

Learn how to earn CCA credits for eOrganic webinar recordings

Upcoming Webinars Link Presenters Date Organic Quinoa Production in the Pacific Northwest Register Kevin Murphy, Washington State University February 26, 2013 Performance of Organic Treatments in Long-Term Systems Trials: Organic Benefits and Challenges in the Face of Climate Change Register Erin Silva, University of Wisconsin March 5, 2013 NRCS Conservation Practices, Organic Management and Soil Health Register Michelle Wander and Carmen Ugarte, University of Illinois, Susan Andrews, NRCS March 11, 2013 National Organic Program Update Register Miles McEvoy, NOP March 13, 2013 Research Update on Non-antibiotic control of Fire Blight Register Ken Johnson, Rachel Elkins, Tim Smith March 19, 2013 CSA Farmer's Guide to Accepting SNAP/EBT Payments Webinar Register Bryan Allan, Friends of Zenger Farm March 21, 2013 Organic Farming Systems Research at the University of Nebraska Register Elizabeth Sarno, Charles Shapiro, Richard Little, Vicki Schlegel, James Brandle March 26, 2013 Researcher and Farmer Innovation to Increase Nitrogen Cycling on Organic Farms Register Louise Jackson and Tim Bowles, UC Davis April 12, 2013

 

 

Archived Webinars Link Presenters Date CCA
Credits Brown Marmorated Stink Bugs Watch Anne Nielsen, Rutgers University February 19, 2013   Management for High-Quality Organic Wheat and Ancient Grain Production in the Northeast Watch
 David Benscher, Cornell, Greg Roth, Penn State, Elizabeth Dyck, OGRIN February 12, 2013   Effects of Climate Change on Insect Communities in Organic Farming Systems Watch David Crowder, Washington State University February 4, 2013   Organic Methods for Control of Insect Pests and Diseases of Pecan and Peach Watch
 David Shapiro-Ilan, Clive Bock, USDA-ARS, Byron, GA January 29, 2013   Linking Cover Crops, Plant Pathogens, and Disease Control in Organic Tomatoes Watch Brian McSpadden Gardener, The Ohio State University January 21, 2013   How can Organic, non-GMO and GMO Crops Coexist? Live Broadcast Watch Lynn Clarkson, Clarkson Grain. Broadcast live from the 2013 Illinois Specialty Crops, Agritourism and Organic Conference Jan 10, 2013   The "Ancient" Grains Emmer, Einkorn and Spelt: What We Know and What We Need to Find Out Watch
 Frank Kutka, NPSAS, Steve Zwinger, NDSU, Julie Dawson, Cornell, June Russell, Greenmarket/GrowNYC Jan 8, 2013   Developing an Organic System Plan for Row Crops Watch
 Beth Rota Jan 7, 2013   Bovine Milk Fats: A Look at Organic Milk Watch Gillian Butler, Newcastle University, UK December 18, 2012   Barley Fodder Feeding for Organic Dairies Watch John Stoltzfus, Be-A-Blessing Organic Dairy, Fay Benson, Cornell University November 27, 2012   Using the eOrganic Organic Seed Production Tutorials Watch Jared Zystro, Organic Seed Alliance November 16, 2012   Can we talk? Improving Weed Management Communication between Organic Farmers and Extension Watch Sarah Zwickle, The Ohio State University; Marleen Riemens, Wageningen University and Research Center, Netherlands November 13, 2012   Sourcing Organic Seed Just Got Easier: An Introduction to Organic Seed Finder Watch Chet Boruff, AOSCA, Kristina Hubbard, Organic Seed Alliance August 21, 2012   Your Organic Dairy Herd Health Toolbox Watch Dr. Hubert Karreman, Penn Dutch Cow Care July 16, 2012   International Organic Fruit Symposium Watch
 various June 19 and 21, 2012   Breeding and Genetics: Considerations for Organic Dairy Farms Watch
 Brad Heins, University of Minnesota June 19, 2012   Organic Weed Management on Livestock Pastures Watch
 Sid Bosworth, University of Vermont 5/15/12   Live Broadcast from Fly Management on Your Organic Dairy Workshop Watch Roger Moon, University of Minnesota; J Keith Waldron, Cornell; Wes Watson, North Carolina State University 4/19/12   NRCS EQIP Technical and Financial Support for Conservation on Organic Farms Webinar Watch Sarah Brown, Oregon Tilth 3/29/12   Organic Seed Breeding for Nutrition Watch
 Philipp Simon, Walter Goldstein, Jim Myers, Micaela Colley 3/23/12   Cover Crops for Disease Suppression Watch
 Alex Stone, Oregon State University 3/20/12   Fire Blight Control in Organic Pome Fruit Systems Under the Proposed Non-antibiotic Standard Watch
 Ken Johnson, Oregon State University, Rachel Elkins, UC Cooperative Extension 3/13/12   The Role of Cover Crops in Organic Transition Strategies Watch Brian McSpadden Gardener, The Ohio State University 3/6/12   Optimizing the Benefits of Hairy Vetch in Organic Production Watch John Teasdale, USDA-ARS Sustainable Agricultural Systems Lab, Beltsville, MD 2/28/12   Stink Bug Management with Trap Crops Watch
 Russell Mizell, University of Florida 2/21/12   Veggie Compass: Whole Farm Profit Management
 Watch Erin Silva and Rebecca Claypool, University of Wisconsin-Madison 2/14/12   Cultivation and Seedbank Management for Improved Weed Control Watch Eric Gallandt, University of Maine 2/7/12   Participatory On-farm Research: Beyond the Randomized Complete Block Design Watch Sieglinde Snapp, Michigan State University 1/31/12   The OrganicA Project: Current Research on Organic Production of Ginger Gold, Honeycrisp, Zestar!, Macoun, and Liberty Apples Watch Lorraine Berkett, University of Vermont 1/24/12   The Organic Seed Grower's Conference, Port Townsend Washington: Selected Live Broadcasts Watch various 1/20/12 and 1/21/12   Ecological Farm Design for Pest Management In Organic Vegetable Production: Successes and Challenges on Two Farms Watch Helen Atthowe, Doug O'Brien 1/18/12   Carolina Organic Commodities and Livestock Conference: Selected Live Broadcasts Watch various 1/12/12 and 1/13/12   Why Eat Organic: Live Broadcast from the Illinois Specialty Crops, Agritourism and Organic Conference Watch Jim Riddle, University of Minnesota 1/12/12   Reduced Tillage in Organic Vegetable Production: Successes, Challenges, and New Directions Watch Helen Atthowe, Biodesign Farm, Consultant 12/13/11   Microbial Food Safety Issues of Organic Foods Watch Francisco Diez-Gonzalez, University of Minnesota 12/6/11   Starting Up Small-Scale Organic Hops Production Watch Rob Sirrine, Michigan State University, Brian Tennis, Michigan Hop Alliance 11/15/11   Dryland Organic Agriculture Symposium from the Washington Tilth Conference 2011 Watch Various speakers, morning and afternoon sessions. 11/11/11   Tracking Your Produce--For Your Business and Health Watch Collen Collier Bess, Michigan Dept of Agriculture 11/8/11   Healthy Soils for a Healthy Organic Dairy Farm -- Broadcast from 2011 NOFA-NY Organic Dairy Conference Watch Heather Darby, University of Vermont, Cindy Daley, University of California, Chico 11/4/11   Root Media and Fertility Management for Organic Transplants Watch John Biernbaum, Michigan State University 11/1/11   Plan for Marketing Your Organic Products Watch Susan Smalley, Michigan State University 10/25/11   How to Breed for Organic Production Systems Watch Jim Myers, Oregon State University 10/18/11   Flooding and Organic Certification Watch Jim Riddle, University of Minnesota 10/13/11   Stockpiling Forages to Extend the Grazing Season on Your Organic Dairy Watch
 Laura Paine, Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Con
Categories: Agriculture / Commerce

Organic Fruit Production Systems

Alternative Farming Systems Information Center - Mon, 02/25/2013 - 10:55am

This is an eOrganic article and was reviewed for compliance with National Organic Program regulations by members of the eOrganic community. Always check with your organic certification agency before adopting new practices or using new materials. For more information, refer to eOrganic's articles on organic certification.

eOrganic T1129

Categories: Agriculture / Commerce

Research Update on Non-Antibiotic Control of Fire Blight Webinar

Alternative Farming Systems Information Center - Mon, 02/25/2013 - 10:52am

Join eOrganic for a Research Update on Non-antibiotic Control of Fire Blight, by Ken Johnson of Oregon State University, Rachel Elkins of the University of  California, and Tim Smithh of Washington State University. The webinar takes place at 2PM Eastern Time (1PM Central, 12PM Mountain, 11AM Pacific Time). The webinar is free and open to the public and advance registration is required.

Register now at: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/815384601

About the Webinar

The National Organic Program has proposed a 2014 phase out of antibiotics from the approved materials list for control of fire blight of apple and pear. An update on fire blight control without antibiotics will be presented.

Ken Johnson is Professor of Plant Pathology at Oregon State University, Corvallis.
Rachel Elkins is a University of California Farm Advisor and is located in Lake County (Lakeport), CA.
Tim Smith is a Washington State University Area Agent and is located in Chelan County (Wenatchee), WA.

This group has been involved with fire blight management for over 20 years.

Find all upcoming and archived eOrganic webinars at http://www.extension.org/pages/25242

System Requirements

PC-based attendees
Required: Windows® 7, Vista, XP or 2003 Server
Macintosh®-based attendees
Required: Mac OS® X 10.5 or newer

Java needs to be installed and working on your computer to join the webinar. If you have concerns, please test your Java at http://java.com/en/download/testjava.jsp prior to joining the webinar. If you are running Mac OS X 10.5 with Safari, please be sure to test your Java. If it isn't working, please try Firefox (http://www.mozilla.com) or Chrome (http://www.google.com/chrome).
 

This is an eOrganic article and was reviewed for compliance with National Organic Program regulations by members of the eOrganic community. Always check with your organic certification agency before adopting new practices or using new materials. For more information, refer to eOrganic's articles on organic certification.

eOrganic 8679

Categories: Agriculture / Commerce

Organic Vegetable Production Systems

Alternative Farming Systems Information Center - Mon, 02/25/2013 - 10:39am
Categories: Agriculture / Commerce

CSA Farmer's Guide to Accepting SNAP/EBT Payments Webinar

Alternative Farming Systems Information Center - Mon, 02/25/2013 - 10:35am

Join eOrganic for a new webinar: CSA Farmer's Guide to Accepting SNAP/EBT Payments by Bryan Allan of Zenger Farm. The webinar takes place on March 21, 2013 at 2PM Eastern Time, 1PM Central, 12PM Mountain, 11AM Pacific Time. The webinar is free and open to the public, and advance registration is required.

Register now at: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/155649888

About the Webinar

Trying to figure out how to accept SNAP/EBT payments (formerly food stamps) has been a challenge for trailblazing CSA farmers and their partner organizations because of a general lack of information on the topic. In this webinar, we will demystify the process by explaining how SNAP rules apply to CSA farms, showing you ways to easily integrate SNAP payments, providing tools to find and retain SNAP members, walking you through a hassle-free application to become SNAP-authorized, and describing how to get the technology to accept EBT cards.

About the Presenter

Bryan Allan is assistant farm manager at Zenger Farm, a nonprofit educational urban farm in Portland, OR. For the past two years, Zenger Farm has run a pilot SNAP CSA project to learn and now share the tips and tricks that will make the process easy for you!

Find all upcoming and archived eOrganic webinars at http://www.extension.org/pages/25242

System Requirements

PC-based attendees
Required: Windows® 7, Vista, XP or 2003 Server
Macintosh®-based attendees
Required: Mac OS® X 10.5 or newer

Java needs to be installed and working on your computer to join the webinar. If you have concerns, please test your Java at http://java.com/en/download/testjava.jsp prior to joining the webinar. If you are running Mac OS X 10.5 with Safari, please be sure to test your Java. If it isn't working, please try Firefox (http://www.mozilla.com) or Chrome (http://www.google.com/chrome).
 

This is an eOrganic article and was reviewed for compliance with National Organic Program regulations by members of the eOrganic community. Always check with your organic certification agency before adopting new practices or using new materials. For more information, refer to eOrganic's articles on organic certification.

eOrganic 8678

Categories: Agriculture / Commerce

Researcher and Farmer Innovation to Increase Nitrogen Cycling on Organic Farms Webinar

Alternative Farming Systems Information Center - Mon, 02/25/2013 - 10:31am

Join eOrganic for a webinar on Researcher and Farmer Innovation to Increase Nitrogen Cycling on Organic Farms by Louise Jackson and Tim Bowles of the University of California at Davis. The webinar takes place on April 23, 2013 at 2PM Eastern Time (1PM Central, 12PM Mountain, 11AM Pacific Time. The webinar is free and open to the public and advance registration is required.

Register now at https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/987503120

About the Webinar

The webinar will cover the design and results of an OREI project to assess the variation in how farmers manage nitrogen differently in organic processing tomato production in California, and to learn how their management affects N cycling, soil organic matter, microbial communities, plant root genes for nitrogen assimilation, and yield. We will put these results in the context of nitrogen cycling and availability in organic systems in general and some strategies to increase nitrogen cycling and yields without minimal nitrogen losses. The intended audience is researchers, extension workers and farmers.

Louise Jackson is Professor and Extension Specialist in the Department of Land, Air and Water Resources at University of California Davis. She has a long-term interest in participatory research to understand soil and root ecology. Tim Bowles is a PhD candidate in the same department, and has developed expertise in a diverse set of methods of assessing the heterogeneity amongst farms in plant-soil interactions..

Find all upcoming and archived eOrganic webinars at http://www.extension.org/pages/25242

System Requirements

PC-based attendees
Required: Windows® 7, Vista, XP or 2003 Server
Macintosh®-based attendees
Required: Mac OS® X 10.5 or newer

Java needs to be installed and working on your computer to join the webinar. If you have concerns, please test your Java at http://java.com/en/download/testjava.jsp prior to joining the webinar. If you are running Mac OS X 10.5 with Safari, please be sure to test your Java. If it isn't working, please try Firefox (http://www.mozilla.com) or Chrome (http://www.google.com/chrome).
 

This is an eOrganic article and was reviewed for compliance with National Organic Program regulations by members of the eOrganic community. Always check with your organic certification agency before adopting new practices or using new materials. For more information, refer to eOrganic's articles on organic certification.

eOrganic 8677

Categories: Agriculture / Commerce
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by Dr. Radut.