Ben Robel’s goats are in demand. Owner of Vegetation Solutions, the 28-year-old rents his goats to Wisconsin landowners to munch on brush and chew away invasive plants like buckthorn, sumac and prickly ash. The hungry animals eliminate the need to spray herbicides and their manure helps fertilize the land. Read more (LaCrosseTribune.com).
A piglet virus that has never been seen before in North America has hit almost 200 farm sites in 13 states. Known as Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus, or PEDV, it causes diarrhea, vomiting and dehydration in piglets. Older pigs can be affected, but their survival rates are higher. Iowa, Oklahoma, Minnesota and Indiana have the most reported cases, but there are cases in other states including Arkansas, Kansas, Ohio and Pennsylvania. The virus is almost identical to PEDV found in China in 2010 that killed more than 1 million piglets. The virus does not pose a risk to humans or other animals and the meat from PEDV-infected pigs is safe for human consumption. Read more (Reuters).
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is piloting a new federal crop insurance plan that uses a rainfall index to provide coverage for annual forage crops. The Rainfall Index Annual Forage Insurance Plan is being tested in six states and covers crops planed annually and are used for livestock feed or fodder. All counties in Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota and North Dakota are eligible to participate. The plan does not use actual crop production, but a rainfall index to insure against a decline based on long-term, historical precipitation value for a specific area for the same time period. Producers interested can decide whether the plan is right for them by using a decision support tool on the USDA Risk Management website. Crop insurance is sold and delivered through private crop insurance agents. Contact a local crop insurance agent for more information. Learn more or use the decision support tool.
Connecticut farmers who suffered unrecoverable losses in production and property damage in 2013 due to severe weather events are eligible for grants to help recover and rebuild. Sponsored by the Connecticut Department of Agriculture and the Department of Economic and Community Development, a total of $5 million has been designated for the grants, with individual awards given based on the number of qualifying applications received by the July 15, 2013, deadline. “Over the last two years, our state’s farm sector endured a series of severe weather-related blows that have put many of their businesses in peril,” said Governor Dannel P. Malloy, who announced the awards this week. “I am committed to helping these hard-working families recover their losses and to seeing Connecticut’s small farms succeed and thrive.” Learn more.
Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime. This Chinese proverb is the idea behind the Little People’s Garden in Montevideo, Minn.
“Children need to know where their food comes from,” said Liz Ludwig, Farm Service Agency county executive director “It’s not made in a factory; it’s grown in the soil, raised by farmers and ranchers, and cared for by people we call farmers.”
Initiated by Ludwig, the Little People’s Garden — now in its fourth year — was planted at Kinder Kare learning center in Montevideo, providing preschoolers a hands-on opportunity to learn where their food comes from and how to make healthy food choices. Continue reading
David Tonui (2nd from left), visits with North Carolina State Office staff members (pictured l to r): Victor Youngblood, Alisha Bridges and Tim Jones.
By North Carolina Farm Service Agency Office
Kenyan school leader David Tonui visited the North Carolina Farm Service Agency as part of a visit to the United States to research how farm communities function.
“Tonui was amazed at the programs FSA has in place to supports agriculture in the United States,” said Eddie Woodhouse, FSA public affairs specialist in North Carolina. He was especially surprised about the conservation programs, disaster assistance, and backing for beginning farmers. “My country (Kenya) does not have the level of support for farming you [FSA] provide to your producers,” said Tonui. “Unpredictability deters farmers from expanding. A disaster often eliminates a farmer’s setup. In America, a weather crisis suspends, but does not end, a farmer’s operation.” Continue reading
The nomination period for the 2013 county committee elections opens on Monday, June 17. The nomination period — which runs through Aug. 1 — allows farmers and ranchers to select themselves or others as candidates to sit on the local county committee and help make important agricultural decisions. Members of the committee deliver FSA farm programs at the local level and make decisions needed to administer the programs in their counties. Learn more about the county committee elections, download an online application in English or Spanish.
USDA is seeking applications from cooperatives to provide technical assistance to small and socially disadvantage agricultural producers in rural areas. Grants up to $200,000 will be awarded by the USDA Rural Development’s Small, Socially Disadvantaged Producer Grant program to jump start small business hiring and help producers get the tools needed to succeed. The deadline to apply is July 10 for electronic applications and July 15 for paper applications. Learn more.
Larry Lipson found a way to get back at the mountain pine beetles that descended on his ranch and killed 10,000 trees. He made them accessories. The mountain pine beetle can attack a tree like a pack of dogs attacking an elk, according to the U.S. Forest Service. Lipson wasn’t going to let them destroy his 37,000 acres of land. After isolating and controlling the beetles, he decided not to burn the wood. Instead, he sent the wood to a mill for processing. What came back was a blue-stained wood that Lipson uses to create tech accessories for Apple products. Lipson hopes his sustainable practices will raise awareness about the pine beetle infestation. Read more (New York Times).
