ORGANIC FARMING FORUM SET FOR NOVEMBER 13

ORGANIC FARMING FORUM SET FOR NOVEMBER 13 IN SALINA, KS.


Resources, information and networking opportunities for existing and beginning organic farmers, and conservation professionals, as well as anyone interested in learning more about organic farming, will be the focus of a day-long forum on organic agriculture on Tuesday, November 13, 2012. The “Organic Farming Forum: Resources, Research and Marketing Opportunities for Organic Agriculture in Kansas”, hosted by the Kansas Rural Center, will be held at the Quality Inn, Conference Room, 2110 West Crawford, Salina, Kansas from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.


“Demand for organic grains surpasses the available supply nationwide,” states Mary Fund, workshop coordinator for the Kansas Rural Center, “which means there is opportunity for growers. Organic farming offers a way to reduce production costs, adopt a cropping system that offers multiple conservation benefits, and provides a premium in the market place. Like all agriculture, it is not without challenges, and the forum provides a chance to discuss those. The day will also provide an opportunity for conservation district personnel and others who work with organic farmers to learn more about organic agriculture.”


Keynote speaker will be Dr. Michel Cavigelli, lead scientist for USDA’s Farming Systems Research Project at Beltsville, MD. The major focus of the long-term field cropping systems study is to evaluate the sustainability of no-till, conventional till, and organic cropping systems by evaluating the agronomic performance, nutrient dynamics, and soil biological activity, and predicting long-term sustainability of cropping systems. Dr. Cavigelli has Kansas ties as in the 1980’s he was an intern at the Land Institute and also worked as an intern at the Kansas Rural Center where he completed case studies of five Kansas organic farms before going on to complete his graduate and PhD work.

Workshops sessions will focus on the challenges and opportunities for organic farming including organic system plans and crop rotation basics, organic certification, USDA NRCS and other resources available for organic farmers, and marketing options. The day will conclude with a roundtable of organic farmers, researchers and others on the challenges and needs facing organic farmers including drought adaptation or management, production issues, and research needs.

“The forum also provides organic farmers and beginning or want-to-be organic farmers an important net-working opportunity to learn from each other,” stated Fund. “The final roundtable of the day will provide time to discuss production problems or issues, certification questions, and list research needs – all helpful in planning future workshops, farm tours, or research projects, or answering a particular question for your farm.”

Forum registration cost is $15 per person, which covers lunch, snacks and hand-out materials. The deadline for RSVP for the meal and registration is Wednesday November 7. To register  CLICK HERE  or go to KRC’s website at www.kansasruralcenter.org for more information, or contact KRC at 785-873-3431, or ksrc@rainbowtel.net.

The Kansas Organic Producers Association is also holding its annual meeting the following day at the same facility, so the Quality Inn is providing a conference rate for those interested in lodging. See the registration information at KRC’s website for more.

Organic Forum co-sponsors are the Kansas Rural Center, Kansas Center for Sustainable Agriculture and Alternative Crops (KCSAAC), and Kansas Organic Producers Association. (KOP) .

AGRICULTURE AND HEALTH SUMMIT

 AGRICULTURE AND HEALTH SUMMIT PLANNED FOR NOVEMBER 16

The influence of agriculture on Kansans’ health will be the topic of an all-day “Healthy Farms, Healthy People: Agriculture and Health Care Summit” in Topeka on November 16, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Washburn University’s Bradbury Alumni Center. The event is coordinated by the Kansas Rural Center, in partnership with the Kansas Health Institute, Kansas Department of Health and Environment, Kansas Farmers Union and others, with funding support from the Center for Disease Control through its National Network of Public Health Institutes.

Registration for the summit is open to those interested in learning more about the intersection of the Kansas health, agriculture and food environments, including dietitians, nurses, doctors, worksite wellness coordinators, agency officials, public health practitioners, community development officers, farmers, ranchers, grocers, restaurateurs.

The daylong event will explore Kansas perspectives on the connections between farms, food systems, and health, with a goal of learning more about the challenges and specific to Kansas communities.

Morning sessions and presentations will explore healthy eating behaviors and influences, farming and food systems in Kansas, the role of food and farm policy, and the challenges in producing healthy food.

Speakers will include Barb LaClair, M.H.A., of the Kansas Health Institute; Anthony Randles MPH, Ph.D, of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment; Rhonda Janke, Ph.D, of Kansas State University; Paul Johnson, public policy contributor to the Kansas Rural Center, and Donn Teske, president of the Kansas Farmers Union.

Featured Keynote speakers will include Dr. Elizabeth Ablah, PhD, MPH, Associate Professor in the Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health at the University of Kansas School of Medicine–Wichita and Bob Martin, Senior Policy Advisor for John Hopkins School of Public Health in Baltimore, Maryland.

Afternoon roundtables will provide participants with an interactive opportunity to generate potential solutions of interest to their own communities and work. Roundtable topics may include beginning farmer programs, farm to school, farm-raised food distribution infrastructure problems, access to healthy food, incentive programs such as SNAP, and workplace wellness. The organizers seek to bring together stakeholders from health and agriculture to create the dialogue that is needed to create an understanding of challenges, opportunities, and actions for change around identified food, farming and health issues in Kansas.

Cost to attend is $35, which includes beverages, snacks, and a locally sourced lunch. For more information or to register, visit www.kansasruralcenter.org.



KRC has partnered with the Kansas Health Institute, Kansas Department of Health and Environment, Kansas Health Consumer Coalition, Kansas Farmers Union, and Bon Appétite Management Company to coordinate this event.



The summit is a part of the Healthy Farms, Healthy People (HFHP) State Meetings Learning Community. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has supported the learning community through its cooperative agreement with the National Network of Public Health Institutes (NNPHI). NNPHI has provided funding to selected state meetings and contracted with the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP) to provide technical assistance to meeting organizers. The views expressed during this meeting do not necessarily represent the views of NNPHI, IATP, CDC, or the Healthy Farms, Healthy People Coalition. ##

LOCAL FOOD NEWS: Strategic Marketing Workshop Focuses on Livestock

STRATEGIC MARKETING WORKSHOP DRAWS ENTHUSIASTIC CROWD
by Tracey Graham 

Forty-two people attended the September 21 “Strategic Marketing for Livestock Producers Workshop and Tour” focusing on direct and niche marketing “how-to’s” in Concordia, Ks. Speakers ranged from livestock producers who are successfully using direct or niche marketing to increase revenue and manage risk to Kansas Department of Agriculture and Kansas State University and other experts on business development, marketing and regulations.

Lisa Roberts of the Kansas Small Business Development Center at Wichita State University challenged participants to evaluate the costs and values associated with their farm enterprises, while discussing the multivariate factors that must be considered when setting pries for farm products.

Direct costs, indirect costs, opportunity costs, and values--tangible and intangible, quantifiable and emotional-- must all be part of the equation. Roberts who comes from a farm background, said, “Everything I know about business I learned on my family’s farm and I learned it from my grandfather!”

Panelist Norm Oeding of Janzen Farms (grass-fed beef and whole grains, Harvey County), Rosanna Bauman of Bauman’s Cedar Valley Farms and Anco USDA Poultry Processing Plant (Pasture-raised eggs, chicken, turkey, and ducks, and 100% grass-fed beef ; Anderson County), Noah Goddard of Goddard Farms (Goats, Grade A Dairy; Douglas County) and Laura Fortmeyer of Jubilee Farm (sheep and lamb products; Brown County) shared their experiences with pricing issues and the importance of record-keeping. Speakers answered questions related to marketing, pricing, processing, added value, shipping, diversification, cooperative marketing, “coopetition” and collaboration with other producers, and working with interns.

Julie Mettenburg, KRC Executive Director, covered the Basics of Marketing, Sales and Branding,
through a marketing mix of 7 key decision points: Place, Price, Pro-motion, People, Process, Physical Environment, and Product. Each of these areas overlap, and provide an avenue for niche marketers to tell their unique story, thereby increasing the value of the products offered.

Panelists Andi Dale of Dale Family Farms (grass-finished beef, pastured pork and poultry; Comanche County), Cherie Schenker of Schenker Family Farms (all-natural beef, lamb, pork and poultry; Crawford County), and Tonia Rupe of Lucky Star Farms, (grass-fed Angus beef; Greenwood County) shared their marketing and sales experiences and fielded a wide range of questions.

Transitioning from traditional commodity crops to niche marketing of specialized products (and becoming debt-free as a result), obtaining and maintaining Naturally Grown and Animal Welfare certifications, and determining the optimum mix of direct market retail and wholesale sales, were topics of interest.

“Pay attention to detail. Be so conscientious people think you’re anal,” advised Cherie Schenker. “Give stuff away” and “Be prepared to fail,” added Andi Dale. “Show you’re committed to the lifestyle and find ways to preserve this way of life,” offered Tonia Rupe.

Rosanna Bauman, known as the youngest HACCP writer in the state of Kansas, moderated the session on Processing, Rules and Regulations. KDA Dairy Inspection Program director George Blush, KDA Meat and Poultry Inspection Program director Julie Ehler, and Dr. Liz Boyle of Kansas State University Animal Sciences, shared challenges and opportunities livestock producers face in processing and selling their products.

They encouraged livestock producers to not be afraid to contact specialists at KSU and KDA for answers to specific questions concerning processing, labeling, liability insurance, inspection programs.

According to the panelists, it is widely recognized that the majority of food safety regulations were written with large producers in mind, and that many regulations do not apply well to smaller niche marketers. Most state regulators will work with producers to see to it that the intent of the regulations are addressed, and are not looking to overregulate small producers beyond their abilities. Efforts are being made at KDA and at USDA to streamline and clarify processing and handling regulations and procedures.

The workshop concluded with a tour of an example of a successful direct/niche marketing farm: the Lazy S Farm near Glasco where Larry and Madonna Sorrell raise heritage pigs (Red Wattle, Gloucester-shire Old Spot, and Mule Foot), turkeys (Standard Bronze), cattle (Scottish Highland), and sheep (Katahdin and Jacob). They also operate Rustic Remembrances Bed and Breakfast on the farm.

The majority of their livestock is purchased, processed, and marketed by Heritage Foods USA. Their meats are popular with world-famous chefs on the west and east coasts, including Mario Batali, Jason Denton and others.

Heritage Foods offers farm to fork traceability for their meats. This level of attention to heritage breeds and knowing specifically where each cut of meat comes from commands high dollar prices in top restaurants in Los Angeles, the Bay Area, Chicago, Washington D.C., New York City and Las Vegas. The Sorrell farm has been featured in a number of magazines including Time and Sunflower Living, and newspaper articles, including the Salina Journal and Kansas City Star in recent years.

Workshop participants will receive a copy of KRC’s soon-to-be published Finding Your Niche: A Direct Marketing Guide for Kansas Farmers. The 150+ page guide, due out later this fall in both paper and online versions, will be full of information similiar to that offered at the workshop, guaranteed to help farmers and ranchers get successfully established in direct marketing.

The workshop was co-sponsored by the Kansas Center for Sustainable Agriculture and Alternative Crops and the Kansas Farmers Union, and funded in part by a grant from teh USDA Risk Management Agency.

LOCAL FOOD NEWS: Community FEAST Event

Community Organizes Around Healthy Food: Brown County Hosts FEAST Event 

Participants in the Brown County FEAST shared
information about local food issues.

by Chhaya Kolavilli & Cole Cottin 

On Monday, September 24, 2012, over 70 people gathered at Highland Community College’s historic Klinefelter Barn to engage in Kansas’ first ever “Community FEAST.” FEAST (Food, Education, Agriculture Solutions Together) is a model for community organizing created by the Oregon Food Bank to help involve people in addressing regional food systems issues.

According to the Brown County Healthy Foods Coalition (BCHFC), the primary goal of Brown County Community FEAST was to unite a broad range of community members under one roof to discuss challenges to and opportunities for responding to regional health issues and food access needs.

FEAST participants included: local farmers, school workers, food business owners, tribal representatives, government employees, and food bank staff members.

With one of the highest food insecurity rates in Kansas and a health status ranking of 89 out of 100 Kansas counties, the Brown County Healthy Food Coalition identified FEAST as a tool to generate greater community involvement in improving the availability of and access to healthy foods. It was supported by a grant from the Kansas Health Foundation to the Community Foundation of Northeast Kansas.

FEASTs held elsewhere in the nation have resulted in increased nutrition education efforts, farm-to-school partnerships, local food hubs, new farmers markets, food producer networking groups, community gardens, food policy councils, and more.

After attending a FEAST Facilitator’s Training, held at Kansas State University (K-State) in June, BCHFC partnered with the Kansas Rural Center, K-State’s Center for Engagement and Community Development (CECD), Kansas Farm Bureau, and Glacial Hills Resource and Conservation Development (RC&D) to make this event happen.

The evening featured presentations from local and state agencies, plus small group discussions. Karla Harter, of the Brown County Health Department, kicked off the evening with a presentation on the challenges to community health in the area.

Just four grocery stores serve all of Brown County’s predominantly rural population. Harter asked participants: “What do you do when you can’t even afford to get to the grocery store? Then, if you do get there, the only food you can afford is highly processed, high sodium, calorie dense, and nutritionally poor.” In order for healthy food to become a regular part of residents’ lives, Harter says it must be available, reachable, affordable, and prepare-able. “The days of grandma in the kitchen teaching you how to prepare wholesome foods are gone, folks,” she emphasized – pointing to the need to educate people about healthy foods identification and use.

Next up, from the Kansas Department of Education, Cheryl Johnson and Barb Depew shared information on the many programs public schools can choose to offer to respond to issues of access and education. Often, they said, healthy eating “starts with the kids.” Just getting kids excited about different types of healthy foods can have a great impact on how families eat.

“October is national Farm-to-School Month,” they pointed out, “We hope Brown County will be a shining example for the state!” In fact, later that evening, connections were made between farmers and school food service directors interested in purchasing healthy, local food for their schools.

Other speakers included: Matt Young, Brown County Extension Agent, who encouraged participants to use his office as a resource for increasing the local food supply. Brown County farmers, Mark Ward and Jake Johannes, emphasized the economic potential of marketing farm products locally and regionally.

Annarose Hart, Agribusiness Development and Farmers Market Specialist for the Kansas Department of Agriculture, spoke about creative models for improving food access in communities. Hart pointed out that programs like Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT), which facilitates vision card (food stamp) and credit card sales at farmers markets, have doubled the income of some farmers markets: “It’s a huge way to be able to capture the food dollar, to help make sure that farmers can keep farming and that people can have access to healthy foods.”

After the presentations, participants enjoyed a locally-sourced meal followed by small group discussions on a variety of topics, which included access, education, production, and distribution of healthy foods in Brown County. Driven by the premise that sustainable solutions to community challenges must be community-based, the groups submitted their ideas to the Brown County Healthy Food Coalition with a list of allies and resources that might be useful for addressing different areas of concern.

Some of these ideas included “mobile food trucks” as a solution to the challenge of physical access to food. “Brown County has limited grocery stores and only one farmers market,” they said, “but a mobile food truck operation, perhaps run through a local grocery store and in collaboration with area farmers, could deliver food to outlying communities.” Others suggested that a virtual food store, in which customers order food online and receive a delivery to their door, could increase food accessibility.

In his closing speech BCHFC Chair, Steve Smith, addressed the FEAST participants: “The things we are discussing tonight are not easy fixes. They are total societal changes. We have a lot in front of us.” His sentiments echoed Harter’s opening statement, “We can change history. We can change the course of Brown County.”

For photos and story about the Brown County FEAST, visit here for more.

If interested in organizing community around food and agriculture, or learning more about hosting a FEAST-like event, you can download a “FEAST Planning Guide” from the Oregon Food Bank’s website at: http://oregonfoodbank.org/Our-Work/Building-Food-Security/Community-Programs/. 

Also, keep an eye out for KRC’s soon-to-be posted “FEAST Toolkit,” full of resources from the planning of Brown County Community FEAST, at: http://www.kansasruralcenter.org/publications.html         

SUSTAINABLE FARMING NEWS: Grazing School Covers Managed Gralzing Benefits

Participants at the Eastern Ks. Grazing School had some outside
 class time estimating available forages.

EASTERN KANSAS GRAZING SCHOOL COVERS MIG BENEFITS TO LIVESTOCK, PLANT AND SOIL HEALTH AND BOTTOMLINE 

by Jason Schmidt 

With increasing feed and input costs, cattle producers are interested in increased forage utilization by their grazing animals through better grazing management. This interest brought together 55 individuals from over 30 farms to the Lyon County Fairgrounds in Emporia to spend two full days learning about management intensive rotational grazing on September 12 and 13.

This third annual Eastern Kansas Grazing School brought together Kansas and Missouri grazing experts to educate farmers and ranchers on how to become better grazing managers. The school combines hands-on learning experiences in the field with classroom education on subjects including plant and soil management, livestock nutrition, fencing and watering options for designing a rotational grazing system, and the economics of grazing.

David Kraft, State Rangeland Management Specialist with the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) kicked off the school with an introduction to Management Intensive Grazing (MIG). Kraft said that MIG is a new idea to many.

The basic concept of rotational grazing is to encourage the grazing animal “to remove as much forage as possible in a short amount of time,” then move the animals to let the plants rest and allow the roots and leaves recover. The more paddocks or cells that are in a rotational grazing system, the higher are the rates of forage utilization.

The class observed a rotational grazing system with a field trip to Fuller Farms near Emporia. Gail Fuller has incorporated a form of rotational grazing called mob grazing into his no-till cropping system to utilize cover crops.

At Fuller Farms on day one, the class was given the assignment to partition off an area big enough to give Fuller’s beef herd enough forage for one day plus ensure half the standing forage in the area was left at the end of one day of grazing. Doug Spencer, NRCS Rangeland Specialist from Marion, explained that it is important to leave half of the growing leaves to ensure rapid recovery of the roots below the ground.

The exercise taught the class how to estimate the amount of forage available in a pasture, calculate the amount of forage consumed by a beef herd, and ultimately determine an appropriate stocking rate. On the second day the class returned to the farm to observe whether they had given Fuller’s cattle herd enough forage for one day.

Along with learning how to estimate how much forage is available and how much forage cattle consume, the class learned about forage species common to eastern Kansas.

David Hallauer, Jefferson County Extension Agent, gave an overview of the growth patterns of different forages and the soil fertility needs to maintain healthy pastures. Hallauer stressed the importance of adequate soil phosphorus levels for healthy plants.

With this year’s grazing school located in Flint Hills, KC Olson, Kansas State University (KSU) livestock specialist, gave an appropriate talk on managing the KSU beef herd year-around on native prairie. Olson told the story of how he has increased the profitability of the beef herd through maximizing grazing utilization of rangeland.

Olson says the number one factor for determining profitability is to “maximize the percent of nutritional cost that can be absorbed by the grazable forage.” This is accomplished by making livestock fit their nutritional environment. For Olson, this meant adjusting the calving season to coincide with the peak forage quality of the prairie in April. Also, to match the harsh environment of the range, Olson is reducing the size of the cows to reduce the maintenance cost of the animals. He said there is a 40% increase in maintenance cost for a 1400 lb cow compared to a 1000 lb cow.

Included among the harsh conditions challenging producers is the historic drought experienced this summer. Olson challenged every livestock producer to have a drought management plan. He outlined how KSU has implemented their drought management plan this summer.

Mark Green, Missouri NRCS, instructed the class on the nuts and bolts of designing and installing a rotational grazing system. Green brought his van packed with fencing and watering tools for hands on demonstrations. Green preached for the need to build flexibility into a rotational grazing system. This means minimizing permanent fences and permanent frost- free waterers, and maximizing the use of electric fences and unburied waterlines.

Wesley Tucker, University of Missouri Extension, drove home the importance of managed grazing. By far the most important variable in determining profitability is feed cost, Tucker said. Feed cost can vary drastically between cow-calf producers ranging from $200-$900 per cow per year. Tucker challenged the school that the cattle industry is undergoing a major shift. The cattle industry was built on “cheap land, cheap feed, cheap fuel, and cheap fertilizer.” Between 2007 and 2008 we saw the disappearance of all these.

Tucker encouraged the class to re-think how we manage our animals to adjust to this change. During the grazing season this means maximizing pasture utilization through grazing management. Over time we can increase the grazing utilization of our cattle from 30% in a continuous grazing situation, to approximately 70% utilization with 24 paddocks, or moving cattle to a new paddock every one or two days. This increase will not happen overnight, but essentially with management we can double our forage base without buying more land. Tucker encouraged participants not to get overwhelmed by the thought of moving cattle every day, but to “move as much as your lifestyle allows.”

During the winter, Tucker said we must stretch grazing as far into the dormant season as possible. Feed and hay drives cost, while grazing drives profitability. Wesley says the Tucker Farm philosophy is that “cows, sheep, goats, and horses can all harvest forages cheaper than you can.” And, with managing our pastures, the only ingredient that we can affect for growing grass is soil nutrients. So, make sure we evenly distribute manure with rotational grazing, and feed hay back on the pastures. Every 1000 lb round bale has approximately $20 worth of nutrients.

Tucker left the school with a final challenging quote from Jim Gerrish, “The more metal and fuel you put between solar energy and a cow’s belly, the less profitable you will be.”

The Grazing School was sponsored by Kansas NRCS, KSU Research and Extension, and the KRC and was funded in-part by a grant from the USDA Risk Management Agency.

EVENTS

LOCAL FOOD CONNECTIONS WORKSHOP IN WICHITA

NOVEMBER 10


Our Local Food – South Central Kansas will host a Local Food Connections Workshop Saturday, November 10, 2012, from 9am -4:00pm at the Sedgwick County Extension Center in Wichita. Local food connections can be the most challenging step for food businesses and producers interested in making local food an option for consumers.

For consumers it can sometimes be challenging to find local food, especially year round. Busy schedules can add yet another tier to the challenge. Local producers, grocers, restauranteurs, institutional food buyers, other food businesses, and locavores (supporters of local food) are invited to attend this daylong event that will focus on networking, and building marketing skills and business relationships to simplify these challenges.

Featured morning workshop sessions will cover the following topics: Planning Crops for Consistent Yields, Regulations of Selling & Buying Animal Products, Post-Harvest Handling, Liability Insurance for Market Farms, Niche Marketing, Livestock Products, Nose-to-Tail Meat Use, Local Food as a Marketing Tool, Love Local Food, Eating by the Calendar, and Preserving the Harvest. A full schedule can be found at www.ourlocalfoodks.org or the pdf link below.

In the afternoon a panel of local food buyers and growers will provide opportunity for questions about buying and selling local food. Diana Endicott of Good Natured Family Farms in Kansas will be the featured Keynote afternoon speaker.

Cost to attend is $25 for members of the Our Local Food program and $35 for non-members, which includes a local food lunch. The registration deadline is November 7, 2012.

Register online HERE. For questions about the event or membership status, contact Natalie Fullerton, Our Local Food – South Central Coordinator, at 402-310-0177 or southcentral@ourlocalfoodks.org



KANSAS ENVIRONMENTAL FORUM SET FOR NOVEMBER 10 

Join the Kansas Natural Resource Council, Kansas Interfaith Power and Light, and partners at the “Making Connections, Growing the Grassroots” Environmental Forum Saturday November 10 from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Fiedler Auditorium, KSU Engi-neering Complex, 17th St. and College Heights Road, Manhattan, Kansas.

Presentation and discussion topics include: Kansas Environmentalism – Where we’ve been and where we’re going; Crafting an effective advocacy campaign; and How to build an effective education message. Breakout sessions on Clean Energy, Sustainable Agriculture, Water Quality/Quantity, and Wildlife and Land Conservation

Registration is free. To register, send an email to ksenviroforum@gmail. com. For more information about registration contact: Moti Rieber with KS IPL at 913-232-2336, rebmoti@kansasipl.org, or Kim Bellemere with KNRC at 785-840-8104, kim@knrc.ws, or go the KNRC website: www.knrc.ws.

ORGANIC FARMING FORUM IN SALINA NOVEMBER 13 

An Organic Farming Forum is set for Tuesday, November 13, 2012 at the Quality Inn, 2110 W. Crawford, Salina, Ks. from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

Resources, information and networking opportunities for existing and beginning organic farmers, and conservation professionals, as well as anyone interested in learning more about organic farming, will be the focus of the day-long forum.



Keynote speaker will be Dr. Michel Cavigelli, lead scientist for USDA’s Farming Systems Research Project at Beltsville, MD. The major focus of the long-term field cropping systems study is to evaluate the sustainability of no-till, conventional till, and organic cropping systems by evaluating the agronomic performance, nutrient dynamics, and soil biological activity, and predicting long-term sustainability of cropping systems. Dr. Cavigelli has Kansas ties as in the 1980’s he was an intern at the Land Institute and also worked as an intern at the Kansas Rural Center where he completed case studies of five Kansas organic farms before going on to complete his graduate and PhD work.



Workshops sessions will focus on the challenges and opportunities for organic farming including organic cropping system plans and crop rotation basics, organic certification, USDA NRCS and other resources available for organic farmers, and marketing options. The day will conclude with a roundtable of organic farmers, researchers and others on the challenges and needs facing organic farmers including drought adaptation or management, production issues, and research needs.



Forum registration cost is $15 per person, which covers lunch, snacks and hand-out materials. The deadline for RSVP for the meal and registration is Wednesday November 7.

To register online (and for more info), click HERE. or contact KRC at 785-873-3431 or ksrc@rainbowtel.net.



The Kansas Organic Producers Association is also holding its annual meeting the following day at the same facility, so the Quality Inn is providing a conference rate for those interested in lodging. Contact the Quality Inn directly at 785-285-2111 to make your own reservations. Tell them you are with the Organic Farming Forum.



Forum co-sponsors are the Kansas Rural Center, Kansas Center for Sustainable Agriculture and Alternative Crops (KCSAAC), and Kansas Organic Producers Association.


HEALTHY FARMS, HEALTHY PEOPLE: AGRICULTURE AND HEALTH CARE SUMMIT NOVEMBER 16

The influence of agriculture on Kansans’ health will be the topic of an all-day “Healthy Farms, Healthy People: Agriculture and Health Care Summit” in Topeka on November 16, at Washburn University’s Bradbury Alumni Center. The event is being directed by the Kansas Rural Center, Whiting, in partnership with the Kansas Health Institute, Kansas Department of Health and Environment, Kansas Farmers Union and others, with funding support from the CDC through its National Network of Public Health Institutes.

Registration for the summit is open to those interested in learning more about the intersection of the Kansas health, agriculture and food environments, including dietitians, nurses, doctors, worksite wellness coordinators, agency officials, public health practitioners, community development officers, farmers, ranchers, grocers, restaurateurs.

The daylong event will explore Kansas perspectives on the connections between farms, food systems, and health, with a goal of learning more about the challenges and opportunities on these topics that are specific to Kansas communities.

Morning sessions and presentations will explore healthy eating behaviors and influences, farming and food systems in Kansas, the role of food and farm policy, and the challenges in producing healthy food. Speakers will include Barb LaClair, M.H.A., of the Kansas Health Institute; Anthony Randles MPH, Ph.D, of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment; Rhonda Janke, Ph.D, of Kansas State University; Paul Johnson, public policy contributor to the Kansas Rural Center, and Donn Teske, president of the Kansas Farmers Union. 
Afternoon roundtables will provide participants with an interactive opportunity to generate potential solutions of interest to their own communities and work. Roundtable topics may include beginning farmer programs, farm to school, farm-raised food distribution infrastructure problems, access to healthy food, incentive programs such as SNAP, and workplace wellness. The organizers seek to bring together stakeholders from health and agriculture to create the dialogue that is needed to create an understanding of challenges, opportunities, and actions for change around identified food, farming and health issues in Kansas.

Cost to attend is $35, which includes beverages, snacks, and a locally sourced lunch. 
Click HERE to register online.

The Kansas Rural Center has partnered with the Kansas Health Institute, Kansas Department of Health & Environment, Kansas Health Consumer Coalition, Kansas Farmers Union, and Bon Appétit Management Company to coordinate this event.

This summit is a part of the Healthy Farms, Healthy People (HFHP) State Meetings Learning Community. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has supported the learning community through its cooperative agreement with the National Network of Public Health Institutes (NNPHI). NNPHI has provided funding to selected state meetings and contracted with the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP) to provide technical assistance to meeting organizers. The views expressed during this meeting do not necessarily represent the views of NNPHI, IATP, CDC, or the Healthy Farms, Healthy People Coalition.

Rural Papers No. 244 June-July-August 2012

Table of Contents

1) Gerrish Grazing Workshops Set for Topeka and Hays

2) Small Farmer Commentary:Drought and Cultivating Resilience
         by Mary Fund

3) GMO Myths and Truths Report Released

4) Policy News:
House Ag Committee Passes Farm Bill; Waiting on Full House Action
      by Mary Fund

The Future of Kansas Budget: The Big Gamble Begins
      by Paul Johnson

5) Clean Water Farm News:
     Beware of Blue Green Algae Threat to Farm Ponds

    Clean Water Project Wraps Up; KRC to Explore Emerging Resource Issues

    Does Your Cover Fit? (Cover Crops Review)
        by Lyle Kohlmeier

6) Our Local Food News:
    Niche Marketing Guide and Workshop Due this Fall
          by Joanna Voight

    Savor the Season Helps Promote Specialty Crops
           by Tracey Graham

   Mobile Food Prep Unit Helps Garnett Farmers Market Promote Products
          by Tom King

  Glacial Hills RC& D Hosts Local Food Bus Tour In May

7) Resources

8) Events