Mrill Ingram and Karl Hakanson of UW-Madison created a website, "A Farmer's Guide to Sustainability," to share the results of their NCR-SARE Research and Education grant project comparing the sustainability of several farm environmental programs.

This research project studied six dairy farms managed under six different environmental programs. The main objective was to learn from successful farmers what the necessary conditions for bringing about a more sustainable agriculture might be.

On their website, you can watch a video about their project, view a PowerPoint presentation they...

A new Direct Marketing of Specialty Food Products Curriculum has been designed by a team from University Nebraska Lincoln Extension to provide business owners with strategies and tools to help sell directly to consumers. This online curriculum can be utilized by business owners 24/7 by logging in at http://go.unl.edu/directmarketingfood.

The self-directed program allows business owners to:

• Evaluate the role of technology in the business
• Examine how to weigh the costs and benefits of technology
• Understand online marketing tools
• Learn how to build an online presence
• Understand how online...

The Administrative Council of the North Central Region Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (NCR-SARE) will meet from 8am on Tuesday, July 24^th until 2:30pm on Thursday, July 26^th.

The meeting is open to the public and will be held at Madison Concourse Hotel and Governor's Club.

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

CONTACT: Marie Flanagan, 612-625-7027

Dr. Beth Nelson has been named the Regional Coordinator and Director of Research and Education Programs for the North Central Region of the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program (NCR-SARE). Her appointment is effective Monday, July 16, 2012, when she replaced Interim Regional Coordinator Dr. Vance Morey, who was filling in for Dr. Bill Wilcke, retired in November 2011.

Housed at the University of Minnesota, Saint...

Source: Lisa Kivirist, Inn Serendipity Farm and B&B, Midwest Organic & Sustainable Education Service (MOSES), Rural Women’s Project, Email: lisa@innserendipity.com

Celebrate local agriculture on August 5 by visiting small family farms as part of a tour led by Wisconsin women committed to a healthy, fresh future for our children. From eggplants to emus, sheep to solar energy, bed & breakfasts to beef – these seven farms on the tour offer a unique diversity of farm experiences showcasing the summer’s bounty in one afternoon. This event is supported, in part,...

On July 17, 2012, USDA is proudly unveiling the 2.0 version of the  Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food Compass, a digital resource detailing USDA's involvement in local and regional food. Please help us spread the word!
 
You are invited to participate in an exciting launch event on Tuesday, July 17, at 2pm CST. The USDA and the White House will host a Google+ Hangout with USDA Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan, White House Director of Office of Public Engagement Jon Carson and six women leaders - producers, small business owners and others - to explore local foods through the voices...

Celebrate the 20^th anniversary the largest annual small farm trade show in the United States with dozens of SARE grant recipients plus staff from the SARE program at the National Small Farm Trade Show & Conference(tm). This year, the Conference takes place on Thursday, November 1st through Saturday, November 3rd, 2012, in Columbia, Missouri, at the Central Missouri Event Center (former Boone County Fairgrounds).

Do you want to farm or ranch while protecting the environment, making a profit, and benefiting your community? More than 25 Farmers Forum talks featuring grants recipients from each...

You are invited to join Jay and Krista Reiser as they show the results of their NCR-SARE Farmer Rancher grant on July 30, 2012, 1pm-4pm. The goal of the Reiser's project was to mob graze cattle on cool season grasslands to promote soil health and native grass growth for ecological and economical benefits.

Tour Topics include:

• Fencing Equipment, Tools & Techniques
• Training Cattle for Mob Grazing System
• Livestock Monitoring & Daily Forage Allocation
• Advantages & Disadvantages of Mob Grazing on Native Rangeland
• View Mob & Mob Grazing Sites
• Combining Mob Grazing, Bale Grazing and...

Thomas Sauer, Research Soil Scientist, USDA-ARS, National Laboratory for Agriculture and the Environment, Ames, IA, was awarded a 2012 NCR-SARE Research and Education grant to evaluate bioenergy feedstock and carbon sequestration as potential long-term revenue streams. The same team of researchers is also investigating the potential of woody biomass as a biofuel feedstock in Iowa at Iowa State University. Read more about their work in the Leopold Center story below.

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Source:  Leopold Center, by Melissa Lamberton

Iowa landowners can supply emerging markets...

The public is invited to a day of learning and celebration at Hilltop Community Farm, a small, diversified, community-supported agriculture farm and orchard near LaValle, from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. July 14. This event features Erin's Schneider's NCR-SARE Farmer Rancher Grant project, which assessed the sustainability of growing non-traditional fruit tree crops on Hilltop Community Farm, a community supported agriculture operation, on the eastern edge of Wisconsin's Driftless region.

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Source: Reedsburg Times-Press,

On July 14, visitors to Hilltop Community Farm will be able to celebrate fruit...