First Ever
Organic Peanut Field Day at Walker Farms
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Participants
of the Field Day on Walker Farm - Photo By M. Boudreau
Hebert Green Agroecology was proud to sponsor
and participate in the first organic peanut field day at Walker Farms in
Screven Co., Georgia on Thursday, July 24. Farmer Relinda Walker and her
family hosted a gathering of over twenty-five growers, extension agents,
organic inspectors, and other parties wanting to learn how she does it�how
she is successfully growing that most desirable but elusive commodity,
organic peanuts. Relinda is a devoted cooperator in our Southern SARE-funded project to develop organic peanut production in
the Southeast. She wears several hats as a commercial organic farmer and
program coordinator with Georgia Organics.
Talks by Relinda on raising her 'Georganic'
runner peanuts, Mark Boudreau of Hebert Green Agroecology on the overall
SARE project, Emily Cantonwine of Valdosta State University on disease
control, and Carroll Johnson of the Agricultural Research Service in
Tifton on weed control, were followed by a demonstration of the flex-tine
cultivator used so effectively by Walker Farms this year. Managing weeds
remains the biggest obstacle to commercial organic peanuts.
After a fantastic poolside lunch catered by
Relinda's sister and featuring a "peanut cake" for dessert, issues of
marketing and processing organic peanuts were discussed with Nathan Smith,
economist at Tifton, and Dr. Frank McGill, one of the pre-eminent peanut
scientists in the world and whom we were very grateful to have with
us.
Growing organic peanuts
in this part of the country is a major challenge, and we are just
beginning to overcome the hurdles thanks to people like Relinda, our other
cooperator at Koinonia Partners in Americus, Georgia, and Shirley Daughtry
and Chad Heard, both of whom have experimented with organic peanuts
elsewhere in Georgia. Chad, who is growing 75 acres of peanuts in
Southwest Georgia (ready for organic certification next year), will be the
supplier of untreated 'Georganic' seed for 2008 as well--contact us if you'd like to get some.
This is the third and final season of Hebert
Green Agroecology's current SARE peanut grant, but we have just learned
that a preproposal for three more years of funding, submitted to Southern
SARE in June, has been accepted. A full proposal is now due in November,
and if it is successful Relinda and a team of other farmers and
researchers will continue the noble task of making organic peanuts a major
output of the Southeast, their rightful home!
View More Photos from the Field Day...
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News & Publications
of Interest
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Discovering How the Maya Fed the Multitude
An enduring question about the Maya
civilization in its heyday in the first millennium A.D. has been: How did
they feed so many people?
Do
higher corn prices mean less adherence to ecological principles?
Expectations of higher corn prices are leading some farmers to neglect
or ignore integrated pest management strategies, and their behavior could
undermine the very technologies that sustain them, University of Illinois
researchers reported at the American Chemical Society meeting in
Boston.
USDA Awards $5.5 Million for Risk and Prevention Research of E. Coli in
Fresh Produce
WASHINGTON, Aug. 21, 2007 - Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns
announced today that USDA is furthering its research on the safety of
fresh produce. Nearly $5.5 million will support collaborative research to
identify risk factors and preventive measures for E. coli O157:H7
contamination in fresh produce.
ECOLOGY OF WEEDS AND
INVASIVE PLANTS, 3RD EDITION
The Third Edition of the authoritative reference gives readers an
in-depth understanding of how weeds and invasive plants develop and
interact in the environment so they can manage and control them more
effectively. The guide includes an introduction to weeds and invasive
plants in various environments and an overview of their ecology and
evolution.
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Mark Boudreau to
present Seminar at the University of
Tennessee--Knoxville
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Hebert Green
Agroecology president and owner Mark Boudreau will be giving a seminar at
the University of Tennessee--Knoxville describing the on-line course we've been developing with other specialists through
Clemson University and CECP, the Cooperative Extension Curriculum Project.
The seminar will be at 10 AM Friday, September 14 in 160 Plant
Biotechnology Building (but check the Entomology & Plant Pathology Dept. website for updates). The
title is "An Interactive Web-based Course in Organic Integrated Pest
Management."
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Funding
Opportunities
New York Food and Agriculture Industry Development Program
The New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets invites
proposals for implementing innovative and low risk approaches to the
research, development, production, processing, and distribution of
agricultural products and foods that capitalize on the State's unique
resources and strategic location near significant markets. Public and
private agencies and organizations, business and industry, educational
institutions, local governments and individuals are eligible to submit
proposals. Proposals are due August 28, 2007.
Southern SARE Sustainable Community Innovation Grant
The Southern SARE Program and the Southern Rural Development Center
are interested in investing in Sustainable Community Innovation Grants�
projects that work to strengthen both agriculture and Southern communities
by building explicit linkages between sustainable agriculture and rural
community development. Any individuals, non-profit organizations,
for-profit organizations, governmental organizations and/or educational
organizations in Southern states may apply for a Sustainable Community
Innovation Grant of up to $10,000.
*Proposals are due October 1, 2007.
Western SARE Farmer
& Rancher Grant
Farmer/Rancher Grants (FRG) are conducted by agricultural producers,
with support and guidance from a technical advisor. Individual farmers may
apply for up to $15,000 and a group of three or more farmers may apply for
up to $30,000. Producers use their grants to conduct on-site experiments
that can be shared with other producers. Projects may also focus on
marketing and organic production. Due date: December 7, 2007
Specialty Crop Block
Grant Program
The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) announces the availability of
approximately $6,895,000 in block grant funds to enhance the
competitiveness of specialty crops. State departments of agriculture
interested in obtaining grant program funds are invited to submit
applications to USDA. State departments of agriculture, meaning agencies,
commissions, or departments of a State government responsible for
agriculture within the 50 States, the District of Columbia, and the
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, are eligible to apply. State
departments of agriculture are encouraged to involve industry groups,
academia, and community-based organizations in the development of
applications and the
administration of projects. Due date: April 11, 2008
Annie's Sustainable Agriculture Scholarship
Annie's Homegrown has established a
scholarship program to assist undergraduate and graduate students who are
pursuing studies in Sustainable and Organic Agriculture. The Sustainable
Agriculture Scholarship Program will award 3 students with $10,000
scholarships each, and 8 students with $2,500 in scholarship assistance.
The program is open to full time undergraduate and graduate students
beginning or returning to an accredited 2 or 4 year technical or college
program or graduate school in the U.S. Proposals are due September 30,
2007.
Coming
Events
Food for Thought Festival 2007
*September 15, 2007 - Madison, Wisconsin
REAP's Ninth Annual Food for Thought Festival is a fun, festive forum
that explores and celebrates our many opportunities to eat more
pleasurably, healthfully and sustainably. This year's theme is
"Rediscovering our Regional Food Traditions."
Common Ground Country Fair
September 21-23, 2007 Unity, Maine
MOFGA celebrates its 31st Common Ground Country Fair, an event that
allows fairgoers to make connections with a rapidly expanding base of
organic farms in the state of Maine. Hundreds of vendors, exhibitors and
demonstrators, more than 1,000 volunteers, and roughly 50,000 fairgoers
will gather to: share knowledge about sustainable living; eat delicious,
organic, Maine-grown food; buy and sell beautiful Maine crafts and useful
agricultural products; compete in various activities; dance; sing and have
a great time.
More Events
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