Organic Farmers Assoc. seeks Policy Committee nominees

 

KUTZTOWN, Pa. — The Organic Farmers Assoc. (OFA), a new national voice for certified organic farmers, seeks candidates for its first elected Policy Committee. The OFA is a member-based organization sponsored by Rodale Institute and provides a strong and unified national voice for domestic certified organic producers.

“The OFA policy committee will oversee our grassroots process of identifying organic farmers’ policy priorities and positions,” said Theresa Podoll, Vice Chair of OFA’s Steering Committee and certified organic farmer from North Dakota. “We hope organic farmers and organic farm organization staff across the country sign up to serve their fellow farmers in this new important role.”

Candidates interested in serving on the first OFA Policy Committee must submit their candidacy online by July 17 at RodaleInstitute.org/OFAPolicy The first elected OFA Policy Committee will be made up of 12 voting certified organic farmer members and six advisory organizational members. Committee members must be regionally diverse as well as reflect the national diversity of organic farms. The Policy Committee will be in place by September.

National Children’s Center offering ag safety grants

MARSHFIELD, Wis. — Proposals are now being accepted for mini-grants up to $20,000 to support small-scale projects and pilot studies that address prevention of childhood agricultural disease and injury. The National Children’s Center for Rural and Agricultural Health and Safety plans to award three grants. Application deadline is August 16.

Since 2002, 55 projects have been funded though the National Children’s Center. Highest priority will be given to projects that:

•address persistent patterns of childhood injury in agriculture (e.g., extra riders, children and skid steers).

•address issues pertaining to barriers, motivators and interventions for keeping young children out of the farm worksite. •address vulnerable populations, such as immigrant workers’ children, Anabaptists, African Americans and Native Americans.

For information on eligibility, how to improve your chances of being funded, submitting a proposal, and frequently asked questions, visit www.marshfieldresearch.org/nccrahs/minigrants or contact Marsha Salzwedel at  salzwedel.marsha@marshfieldresearch.org or at 715-389-5226; or 1-800-662-6900 option 8.

New chapters formed under Indiana Farmers Union

MORRISTOWN, Ind. — Two new chapters have formed under the Indiana Farmers Union (INFU) to promote Indiana family farms, healthy food access, and industrial hemp production, with other chapter formations in the works.

About 10 Indiana Farmers Union members formed a chapter based out of Morgan County to focus on issues related to the legalization of industrial hemp production throughout Indiana. According to the Hemp Business Journal, Colorado grew 5,922 acres of industrial hemp and Kentucky grew 2,525 in 2016, while Indiana recorded a mere two acres. The Kentucky Department of Agriculture has approved more than 200 applications for 2017, for a total of 12,800 acres. Indiana, on the other hand, has less than 20 acres.

It is time for Indiana to join the movement and allow farmers to grow industrial hemp as a third rotation crop option.

About 12 Indiana Farmers Union members have formed a healthy food access chapter to work within Shelby County to promote Indiana family farms, while creating sustainable programs that bring fresh, locally grown foods to county residents living in areas in need of such foods, typically referred to as low food access areas and food deserts. In a recent study, Shelby County reported 32 percent of its adult population as obese with 7.2 percent on a 0-10 scale of its population as low income with either no access to a grocery store and those without reliable access to food during the past year. The healthy food access chapter includes local farmers, members of Healthy Shelby County and its Healthy Eating Action Team, and the Shelby County health department.

Other Indiana Farmers Union chapters are in formation, including a chapter focused on organic farming and a chapter  that will promote the use of locally grown herbs for healing purposes. Indiana Farmers Union (INFU) is encouraging local farmers and food advocates to join the union, form chapters, and obtain assistance from the state organization to kick off programs, projects, and cooperative businesses in support of local food systems, farmers markets, and the state’s many family farmers.

USDA awards rural electric infrastructure loans

WASHINGTON, D.C. — USDA’s Rural Development program is providing more than a $250 million in loans for rural electric infrastructure improvements.

The loans are being provided through the Electric Program of the Rural Utilities Service. They will support the construction or improvement of 1,369 miles of transmission and distribution line. They include $22.4 million for smart grid technologies to increase system efficiency and reliability. Recipients in the Farm World region are:

•Indiana’s Whitewater Valley Rural Electric Membership Corp. will use a $10 million loan to upgrade 111 miles of line and make system improvements. The loan includes $125,000 in smart grid technologies.

•Michigan’s Great Lakes Energy Cooperative is receiving a $47.7 million loan to build or improve 709 miles of line for 3,000 new consumers. The loan includes $4.6 million for smart grid technologies.

•Ohio’s Logan County Cooperative Power and Light Association will use a $4.3 million loan to build 40 miles of line and invest more than $428,000 in smart grid technologies. Also in Ohio, Lorain-Medina Rural Electric Cooperative will use a $9.4 million loan to build nearly 50 miles of line and invest $947,000 in smart grid technologies.

For more information, visit www.rd.usda.gov

 

KUTZTOWN, Pa. — The Organic Farmers Assoc. (OFA), a new national voice for certified organic farmers, seeks candidates for its first elected Policy Committee.

The OFA is a member-based organization sponsored by Rodale Institute and provides a strong and unified national voice for domestic certified organic producers.

“The OFA policy committee will oversee our grassroots process of identifying organic farmers’ policy priorities and positions,” said Theresa Podoll, Vice Chair of OFA’s Steering Committee and certified organic farmer from North Dakota. “We hope organic farmers and organic farm organization staff across the country sign up to serve their fellow farmers in this new important role.”

Candidates interested in serving on the first OFA Policy Committee must submit their candidacy online by July 17 at RodaleInstitute.org/OFAPolicy The first elected OFA Policy Committee will be made up of 12 voting certified organic farmer members and six advisory organizational members. Committee  members must be regionally diverse as well as reflect the national diversity of organic farms. The Policy Committee will be in place by September.

 

Livestock diseases remain a threat to achieving food security and are a source of economic losses for people who depend on livestock for their livelihood. Beatrice Wanjiku, a smallholder poultry farmer in Thika, Kenya, realizes the challenges of disease prevalence, noting, “My main challenge has been mycoplasma (infection), where the birds would develop the condition at three months (old). This would eventually lead to a drop in production.”