Michael Fields Agricultural Institute » Fields Report

Value-Added

2012-02-22T02:56:29Z

Article written by Michael Pursell, Public Policy Intern
Michael Fields Agricultural Institute

American farmers have always been among the nation’s innovators, and USDA began offering Value-Added Producer Grants (VAPG’s) about ten years ago to help them keep innovating. This grant program is a crucial economic driver in rural America, helping farmers explore new options, expand their businesses, boost profits, and employ new workers.

That’s why it was disappointing when no VAPG grants were awarded in 2011, at a time when the nation was still sorely in need of an economic boost. But early this month, USDA gave us that boost when it announced two years’ worth of long-awaited awards for the Value-Added Producer Grant program: about $40.2 million in grant monies were awarded to some 298 projects across the country.

Edward Knapton of Berry Hill Farm/America’s Best Flowers in Cottage Grove, Wisconsin was a VAPG grant recipient to the tune of $300,000 in 2010, and he testifies to the value of the program. VAPG, he says, “put us on a path where we can grow significantly in the future and employ a lot of people.” The growth, in his case, has been enormous. Among other boons, his grant has helped him expand sustainable greenhouse production of culinary and medicinal herbs; explore and develop use of organic fertility, pest and weed control for flowers, herbs, and vegetables; and expand their marketing into social media and beyond. He has also hired three new people in the process, without whom he wouldn’t have been able to make the transition to reduced chemical use.

Michael Fields Agricultural Institute has worked hard to make sure that innovative Wisconsin farmers across the state can enjoy the same opportunities that the Knaptons have, and we’re thrilled to announce that in this latest cycle, our state has been awarded 28 Value-Added Producer Grants, more than any other state for the fifth year in a row. This is tremendous news for Wisconsin’s farmers, economy, and rural communities, and promises to ensure our place at the cutting edge of agriculture going forward.

Unfortunately, the future of the program itself is not so certain. VAPG is up for renewal in the 2012 Farm Bill, and budget cutters have their blades sharpened. The renewal and full funding of VAPG is imperative if American farmers are going to continue to enjoy the opportunities to innovate and increase profits that helps them and builds economic prosperity in their communities.

Make an Impact on the Future of Organic Agriculture

2012-02-22T19:30:46Z

DATCP NEWS RELEASE

Contact: Ashley Huibregtse, 608-224-5002, ashley.huibregtse@wisconsin.gov
Jim Dick, Communications Director, 608-224-5020, jim.dick@wi.gov

MADISON – Are you interested in the future of organic agriculture in Wisconsin and are willing to do your part to help it grow? If so, the nomination period is now open for four seats on the Wisconsin Organic Advisory Council. Nominations must be submitted to the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) by Monday, March 19, 2012.

The Wisconsin Organic Advisory Council meets quarterly to guide the development of organic education and marketing opportunities as well as provide input on state and federal policy that affects organic agriculture. The Council consists of twelve people who represent organic production, processing, marketing and purchasing opportunities in Wisconsin.

“I encourage those interested in serving the organic agriculture industry to nominate themselves or another qualified individual to serve on the Wisconsin Organic Advisory Council,” said Mike Powers, Administrator of the Agricultural Development Division. “DATCP is seeking nominations for an organic farmer, an organic business, an organic certifier and an ‘at-large’ representative.”

Nominees will be evaluated by a nominating committee and approved by the DATCP Secretary and Board. Selected representatives will begin serving at the July 2012 meeting of the Wisconsin Organic Advisory Council. Each member serves a three-year term. Members may serve more than one term.

“Wisconsin ranks second in the nation in the number of organic farms and ranks first in the nation in the number of organic dairy farms,” added Laura Paine, DATCP’s Organic and Grazing Agriculture Specialist. “The Wisconsin Organic Advisory Council works on behalf of this rapidly growing portion of Wisconsin’s agricultural economy.”

Application materials are available. For more information, contact Paine at 608-224-5120 or laura.paine@wi.gov . You can also connect with DATCP on Twitter at twitter.com/widatcp or Facebook at facebook.com/widatcp.

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02.07.12NominationsforOrganicAdvisoryCouncil.pdf

Does your school want to become a Farm to School site?

2012-02-22T19:31:55Z

Apply to Wisconsin’s AmeriCorps Farm to School Program!

Wisconsin’s AmeriCorps Farm to School Program has created active and engaged Farm to School programs at schools around the state, and they are currently accepting new applicants.

Each partner-site would receive two half-time AmeriCorps members: a community outreach member who would serve as the main liaison between the schools and community and a half-time nutrition education member who would focus on building relationships with teachers, school administrators, and students.

Sites must provide a portion of the funding, but this can include in-kind donations and donations to Farm to School fundraisers.

Click here for more information.

Are you a farmer? Do you practice conservation? Want to get paid for it?

2012-01-13T15:40:43Z

The deadline just got pushed back, so you have until January 27 to fill out an application form and get in the Conservation Stewardship Program this year!

The Conservation Stewardship Program rewards farmers for the conservation they are already doing and provides the means to do more. As Chippewa County farmer Bob Bernier says, “You’re saving your soil, your costs are cheaper, and you’re going to make more money in the end. You’re a fool not to be in this program.”

Through this program, farmers receive an average of $20 per acre for cropland, $18 per acre for pasture, and $5 per acre for woodland, up to $200,000 over the life of the five-year contract. Farms of all types and sizes are enrolled, and payments are based on level of conservation.

If you are interested, contact your local Natural Resources Conservation Service office and fill out the initial application form by January 27th. You can find your local office here.

To read more about the Conservation Stewardship Program and to see profiles of farmers enrolled, go here.

Building Food Systems, One Business At A Time

2011-12-22T07:24:25Z

There are lots of federal programs to help build food systems (Really! For information about all of them, check out our Building Sustainable Places Guide). But how do we make it easier for farmers to access these programs?

One of the many things we do here at MFAI is provide a unique service called “Grants Advising.” This is a free service that helps farmers and any rural entrepreneurs in ag-related businesses to use federal and state grant and loan programs. For example, one of our successes was that Brittany Wheeler in Illinois was able to get a Value-Added Producer Planning Grant that paid half the costs for a feasibility study and business plan that they used to help save their 7th generation Jersey dairy farm. Rather than send their high-value, all grass-fed, high butterfat, milk off-farm, they are making it into cheeses on their farm. They have created four new jobs in barely a year and a half, and expect to create more as their business keeps expanding, including the number of cows they graze.

Brittany was also successful in getting a Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Farmer-Rancher grant to help them buy cheese molds to make diverse, cave-aged cheeses and to inform the public about the value of their grass-fed cows and cheeses. They host individuals and groups to tour their farm and creamery.

This is exactly what we continue to do with our Grants Advising. Brittany wrote the Value-Added Producer Planning Grant proposal with planning and writing assistance from MFAI. By accessing federal programs she now has a growing business. And Michael Fields Agricultural Institute is helping better the food system, one business at a time.

Are you a farmer? Do you practice conservation? Want to get paid for it?

2011-12-20T18:28:42Z

Through this program farmers receive an average of $20 per acre for cropland, $18 per acre for pasture and $5 per acre for woodland, up to $200,000 over the life of the five-year contract. Farms of all types and sizes are enrolled, and payments are based on level of conservation.

If you are interested, contact your local Natural Resources Conservation Service office and fill out the initial application form by January 13^th. You can find your local office here.

To read more about the Conservation Stewardship Program and to see profiles of farmers enrolled, go here.

MFAI Director’s Blog – December 2011

2011-12-12T15:50:02Z

In recent months, I have come across articles that imply the whole world is growing genetically modified (GM) crops. In a recent Ag College newsletter from my alma mater, an article stated that, if given a choice, the consumer would choose a GM product at the grocery store. However, I took time to look at the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications’ recent report (ISAAA-2011), and figures do not show this to be the case.

The area of land cultivated with GM crops does continue to show an increase in GM plantings in 2009 and 2010. However, nearly 80% of these plantings are in three countries (US, Brazil, and Argentina). In reality, when considering the four major crops grown worldwide (corn, soybeans, cotton, and wheat), the amounted planted to GM crops is tiny. The GM industry, some scientists, government advisors, and regrettably, some universities have made heroic (although, more accurately-unsupportable) claims about what GM crops can deliver. They have promised nitrogen fixing wheat, drought tolerance, enhanced nutritional values, and increased yield. What has been delivered is increased herbicide use. Of course, to make a crop tolerant to herbicides implies more herbicide use. The result, farmers are finding out, is getting on an ever-increasing treadmill of more and costly inputs to cope with a build-up of herbicide resistant weeds.

Michael Fields Agricultural Institute continues to increase its efforts to convince conventional farmers there are other ways to control weeds without the costly inputs and questionable health effects of applying large amounts of chemical herbicides. To take it a step further, long term research (ten to twenty years in length) is needed to compare conventional, organic, and biodynamic agricultural production methods to assess the economic viability of all three production systems. Stay tuned as Michael Fields Agricultural Institute explores how such field trials could be set up. The results should be dispersed to all farmers, not only in the US, but to other parts of the world where farmers also demand this kind of research.

Not-To-Miss Wisconsin Summits: Local Food Summit, Farm to School Summit

2011-12-09T14:48:36Z

The 6th Annual Wisconsin Local Food Summit is the place to be to learn about all that’s happening in Wisconsin around local food, how to find resources useful to your local foods work, and where we’re headed as a local foods statewide community.

What: Wisconsin Local Food Summit
When: January 26th and 27th, 2012
Where: Lake Lawn Resort in Delavan, WI
More information: http://wilocalfood.wordpress.com

The day before, at the same spot, Farm to School folks will gather – from those interested in how it works to the seasoned experts, inside and outside of schools.

What: Wisconsin Farm to School Summit
When: January 25th, 2012
Where: Lake Lawn Resort in Delavan, WI
More information: Visit http://healthinpractice.org/farm-to-school-summit

Michael Fields Agricultural Institute will be at both. Hope to see you there!

Producers First Technical Assistance Available

2011-12-02T05:16:30Z

For many farmers who sell to the local market, hiring an expert is something that other farmers do. Many farmers think that there aren’t any experts out there for what they need, or that the cost would be too much. But in Wisconsin, some farmers are hiring experts through the state’s Producers First program, and their businesses are better for it.

Kay Jensen of JenEhr Family Farm in Sun Prairie has been growing organic produce and raising pastured poultry with her husband Paul Ehrhardt for 13 seasons. When Jensen wanted to improve her use of QuickBooks to better manage their farming operation, she applied for technical assistance with Producers First.

“In a farming system like ours when you are growing multiple crops, there are dilemmas and opportunities, and I didn’t want to reinvent the wheel to try to bring all the information together in one place,” said Jensen. “By enhancing my knowledge of what QuickBooks could do for the farm with Producers First, I got the full picture of my farm. I was able to see the leaks and fix them to make the best management decisions I could.”

Producers First, run by the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, connects producers with an expert consultant to address the farm operation’s needs to increase capacity, efficiency, and sales. Applicants are able to identify a consultant of their choice who has the experience and expertise needed for the project.

Producers First supports one-on-one technical assistance and has a simple application process. Preference will be given to food producers selling a majority of their products through local markets. Examples of technical assistance provided by Producers First include: accounting and financial organization, business planning, food safety, grant writing assistance, legal services, market development, packaging and label development, and whole farm planning.

If you are interested in applying to the Producers First program, go here or contact Keefe Keeley at 608-306-0844 or datcpproducersfirst@wisconsin.gov .

Michael Fields Agricultural Institute Receives $40,000 Challenge Grant

2011-11-15T14:03:43Z

East Troy – Michael Fields Agricultural Institute recently received a $40,000 Challenge Grant from RSF Social Finance, San Francisco, for general operating support! The grant requires a two-to-one match up to the $40,000 cap which means MFAI needs to raise $80,000 to take full advantage of the grant funds. The challenge has been made, and the Institute’s Board of Directors are busy figuring out ways to reach the goal of 80K by the end of this fiscal year. “A fundraiser, held recently at the home of Board member Carol Moseley Braun has gotten us off to a good start,” stated Board President, Beth Bovis. “What we need now,” according to Executive Director, David Andrews, “is for those citizens who value the importance of locally grown, organic and biodynamic fruits and vegetables to step forward and help us reach our goal.” Michael Fields is not a newcomer to the Sustainable Agriculture movement. The Institute is one of only a handful of organizations doing research on organic corn varieties, along with educational workshops for beginning farmers, and policy work in Wisconsin and nationally.

To make a difference and help Michael Fields Agricultural Institute meet its goal, please “Donate” today. Thank you for supporting the sustainable mission!

The Wisconsin Forum on Rural and Urban Agriculture, Madison, November 11 – 12

2011-11-04T14:56:49Z

A coalition of forward-thinking farmers, economists, environmentalists, health professionals, sportsmen, rural citizens and others concerned with the quality and safety of food, water and air, will come together at the first annual Wisconsin Forum on Rural and Urban Agriculture to be held in Madison on November 11 and 12. The goal of the forum is to unite participants around shared goals through information, participation and action.

• What are the realities of Wisconsin farming today?
• How did we get to this point where policy supports an unsustainable model of agriculture?
• What are the public health implications of our agriculture and food systems in both urban and rural areas?
• How do we make our voices heard?

These questions and more will be discussed by an outstanding line up of experts. More information and registration is here.

Make Farm to School Happen!

2011-10-31T02:43:54Z

Farmers benefit. Students benefit. Communities benefit. Farm to School is such a no-brainer. We’re going to make it happen in Wisconsin, and we’re going to do it with red packets. (Watch the video…it will make sense.)

Michael Fields and a slew of partners just kicked off Make Farm to School Happen, a campaign to make Farm to School programs available to every school in Wisconsin.
If you’re passionate about Farm to School, here’s what you can do:

You can help by doing three things:

1. Sign-up for the listserv at http://makefarm2schoolhappen.org/

2. Sign-up others! (see the video!)

3. Share this message

The person who signs up the most people to the listserv before Dec 16 will win an iPad.

Excited? You should be!

The listserv will get everyone connected to show our power as a movement and give people two concrete ways to take action to support farm to school each month.

To help you sign people up we have created Make Farm to School Happen Kits. Check them out in this video and then email Christy for one. Info about how to win the iPad is in the kits.

We need your help to Make Farm to School Happen in Wisconsin!

Public Policy Internships for 2012

2011-10-04T21:38:29Z

Many of the movement’s longstanding organizers and policy leaders are approaching retirement, and the movement needs to cultivate new activists of diverse cultural backgrounds and skills. Michael Fields Agricultural Institute’s policy internship program helps prospective leaders gain a foothold in the movement’s varied advocacy positions. We offer two five-month policy internships every spring with a small stipend of $450 per month. The internships offer a comprehensive orientation program, work on our federal, state, and local policy initiatives, participation in major conferences in Wisconsin and elsewhere, and a two-week period of work interning with the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition in their offices in Washington, D.C.

MFAI will consider any candidate with a demonstrated interest in sustainable agriculture and/or agricultural policy. A priority is placed on candidates who see sustainable agricultural policy as a career direction. For further details and how top apply, click here. If you have any questions or would like more information, you may contact Margaret at mkrome@sbcglobal.net or (608) 238-1440.

GRANT WRITING WORKSHOPS – October 2011

2011-09-29T18:11:08Z

FEDERAL AND STATE GRANT PROGRAMS FOR FARMERS & FOOD ENTREPRENEURS

ARE YOU LOOKING FOR WAYS TO DEVELOP YOUR INNOVATIVE AGRICULTURAL BUSINESS?

Join us for a workshop designed to help identify which grants might be right for you. This workshop will also discuss ways to plan your project and strengthen your application. Specific grant programs to be covered include:

USDA’s Value Added Producer Grant (VAPG) program provides planning and working capital funds to farmers and farmer-based enterprises to develop and implement value-added ventures.
DATCP’s Agricultural Development and Diversification (ADD) grant program funds initiatives that develop new value-added products, new markets, or new technologies in agriculture.
USDA’s Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) grant program funds research, marketing and demonstration projects.
USDA’s Specialty Crop Block Grant (SCBG) program funds endeavors that enhance the competitiveness of Wisconsin Specialty Crops
DATCP’s Buy Local, Buy Wisconsin (BLBW) grant program, which funds projects that will increase the demand for and supply of locally produced foods in Wisconsin.

Registration fee: $15 (covers the cost of lunch & materials)

For more details, locations and dates click here. Please register at least one week in advance.

Three Wisconsin Farmers Earn Stewardship Awards

2011-09-26T19:41:53Z

We tip our hats to three Wisconsin farmers who were recently recognized for their excellent conservation! Jody Ausen, James Pingel and Jerry Wahleitner received awards from Secretary of Agriculture Ben Brancel on September 7 for being the top-ranked farmers in Wisconsin’s Conservation Stewardship Program enrollment this year. The Conservation Stewardship Program is for farms of all types and sizes, and rewards farmers for the conservation they are already doing as well as providing them the means to do even more.

The awards were presented by Secretary Ben Brancel and Margaret Krome, board member for the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection. The awardees are:

Awardee Jody Ausen

Jody Ausen, Trempealeau County hay and grain farmer. After running the family farm for a few years, Ausen realized that agriculture was in his blood and returned to the farm full time. He recognizes that being a good steward may take more time and effort, but in the end it is the best business decision. By protecting his soil, he’s protecting the future of his business.

Awardee James Pingel

James Pingel, Chippewa County grain farmer. Pingel contends he is simply continuing the conservation his father started, such as the strip cropping his father put in in the 1950s. With the Conservation Stewardship Program he is implementing new conservation practices such as taking small, hard-to-get-to areas on his farm and creating wildlife areas by planting a wildlife mix with barley and oats.

Awardee Jerry Wahleitner

Jerry Wahleitner, Langlade County seed farmer for grains, small grains and hay. Wahleitner is a fifth generation farmer, and his goal is to pass the land and this wonderful way of life to the next generation. He was surprised to be receiving this honor, stating that he is simply doing what all farmers should be doing to protect their land.

The Conservation Stewardship Program is available to all producers regardless of size, location, or type of operation, including crop, pasture land or forestland. Overall, over 524,284 acres plus 86,330 acres of woodland (non-industrial private forestland) are enrolled in Wisconsin.

Participating farmers receive an average of $20 per acre for cropland, $18 per acre for pasture, and $5 per acre for woodland for each year of a five year contract. Interested farmers can apply now for 2012 funding. Contact your local NRCS office at the USDA Service Center for more information, or visit www.wi.nrcs.usda.gov.

Michael Fields Agricultural Institute » Fields Report

Value-Added

Article written by Michael Pursell, Public Policy Intern Michael Fields Agricultural Institute

Make an Impact on the Future of Organic Agriculture

Does your school want to become a Farm to School site?

Apply to Wisconsin’s AmeriCorps Farm to School Program!

Are you a farmer? Do you practice conservation? Want to get paid for it?

Building Food Systems, One Business At A Time

Are you a farmer? Do you practice conservation? Want to get paid for it?

MFAI Director’s Blog – December 2011

Not-To-Miss Wisconsin Summits: Local Food Summit, Farm to School Summit

Producers First Technical Assistance Available

Michael Fields Agricultural Institute Receives $40,000 Challenge Grant

The Wisconsin Forum on Rural and Urban Agriculture, Madison, November 11 – 12

Make Farm to School Happen!

Public Policy Internships for 2012

GRANT WRITING WORKSHOPS – October 2011

Three Wisconsin Farmers Earn Stewardship Awards

Article written by Michael Pursell, Public Policy Intern
Michael Fields Agricultural Institute