Farmers, ranchers, rural business owners, grant writers and public agency staff braved the first major storm of the fall to attend the mid-November "Clean Energy Funding Opportunities for Rural Montana" workshops held at MSU Northern in Havre, MT. The Clean Energy Funding workshops, hosted by NCAT, provided information and specific advice on how to obtain grants, loans and rebates for energy efficiency upgrades and renewable energy technologies.

The state of Montana, USDA-Rural Development (RD) and power companies offer this funding support to farms, ranches and rural businesses.

"The purpose of these Clean Energy funding workshops was to show what funding was available and to remove some of the mystery and difficulty associated with applying for loans, grants and rebates," said Al Kurki, NCAT program specialist and workshop coordinator. "We also wanted to expand the support network of people who could help applicants find their way through all the paperwork and succeed." As a result of the workshops, the Havre Food and Agriculture Center has made a commitment to assist farmers, ranchers and businesses within the Center's service area apply for REAP funds. The Center is located at the Bear Paw Development Corporation in Havre; contact Pam Lemer at 406-265-9266.

In addition, six individuals indicated they would help Montana folks apply for the USDA-Rural Development Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) funds. A list of those people is available through NCAT. Contact Al Kurki at 406-449-0104 or akurki@ncat.org for more information.

The Havre workshops were organized by NCAT and Harvesting Clean Energy with additional support from Opportunity Link, MSU-Northern, the Montana Food and Agriculture Development Centers, Montana Farmers Union, AERO, Northwestern Energy, and the Montana Department of Agriculture in partnership with USDA Rural Development of Montana.

NCAT, the Joliet Food and Ag Center and other co-sponsors will host another Clean Energy Funding workshop in Billings on February 17, 2011. For more information, contact Al Kurki at 406-449-0104 or akurki@ncat.org.

Midwest Office Update

Our Iowa office has also just moved to new quarters in order to accommodate the recent additions to staff. Address for the new space is Suite 1101, 206 6th Avenue, Des Moines, IA 50309. Regional director Hannah Lewis and all the staff are enjoying their new place, and look forward to having visitors.

In addition to providing NCAT an anchor in the heart of the Farm Belt for its sustainable agriculture work, the Midwest Office is deeply involved in local food system development in its region.

NCAT's new home in downtown San Antonio, Texas

Expanding to the Southwest

To better serve people and businesses in the Southwest, NCAT has opened a new regional office in downtown San Antonio. "We are very pleased that we can respond to the increased demand for our programs and service in this region by locating an office in Texas," said Kathy Hadley, Executive Director of NCAT. "We are now better able to provide the hands-on technical assistance and expertise for which we are nationally recognized to people in the Southwest."

NCAT Energy Specialist Mike Morris will head the regional office. Morris has been with NCAT since 1999 and holds a Ph.D. in Philosophy from the University of Pittsburgh. His work at NCAT has focused on helping people and communities develop more sustainable ways of using energy and water, including projects on energy and water conservation, solar energy, small-scale biofuels, and local food.

Contact Morris at the new office:
118 Broadway, Suite 524
San Antonio, TX 78205
mikem@ncat.org
210-265-3905

NCAT Presents An Evening with Maria Rodale

Maria Rodale, CEO and Chairman of Rodale Inc., the world’s leading multimedia company with a focus on health, wellness, and the environment, will speak about organic production and health at the National Center for Appropriate Technology headquarters in Butte, Mont., beginning at 7 p.m. on Thursday, November 4, 2010. Ms. Rodale will talk about her latest book, Organic Manifesto: How Organic Farming Can Heal Our Planet, Feed the World, and Keep Us Safe, and share her vision for an organic food system that can build a sustainable food supply.

Ms. Rodale is founding editor of the company’s newest online venture, Rodale.com, which features the latest news and information about healthy living on a healthy planet, as well as her blog, Maria's Farm Country Kitchen. She is the granddaughter of J. I. Rodale, considered one of the founders of the organic farming and food movement in the United States.

Rodale Inc. is the largest independent book publisher in the United States. It reaches 70 million people worldwide through brands such as Prevention and Men’s Health and through books such as The South Beach Diet and Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth.

For more information about Ms. Rodale’s appearance, contact program specialist Jeff Schahczenski at (406) 494-4572 or jeffs@ncat.org.

NCAT Becomes Building Performance Institute Affiliate

The National Center for Appropriate Technology is now recognized as a training affiliate of Building Performance Institute, Inc. (BPI), a New York-based not-for-profit organization working to improve residential energy efficiencies. BPI is a leading developer of technical standards for home performance and weatherization retrofit work. Based on these standards, BPI has developed training programs, professional credentialing for individuals and company accreditations – including quality assurance programs – that help raise the bar in home performance contracting. The affiliate designation means we can develop curriculum, provide training and administer certification exams for residential contractors that help improve the comfort, health, safety, durability and energy efficiency of America's existing houses. Sustainable Energy Services Manager Dale Horton is already BPI-certified while Energy Services team members Buzz Alexander and Todd Hunkler are working towards certification.

NCAT plans to offer training and certifications for Building Analysts, Building Envelope, and Heating before the end of the year.

This affiliation complements the Home Energy Rater Training that we already offer.

For more information, contact Dale Horton, daleh@ncat.org, or Buzz Alexander at buzza@ncat.org.

Mother Earth News Fair
Seven Springs Mountain Resort
Seven Springs, PA
Sept. 25-26, 2010

NCAT to be an Official Sponsor of the Mother Earth News Fair

(8/23/2010) NCAT is proud to be an official sponsor of the Mother Earth News Fair. This 2-day event will be filled with speakers and workshop presenters, including NCAT Agriculture Specialists, Margo Hale, Linda Coffey, and Andy Pressman. Hale and Coffey will be leading workshops on sheep and goat production.

"Getting Started with Sheep and Goats" will be the topic of their presentation and hands-on demonstration. Hale and Coffey will cover the basics of small ruminant production, including selection, feeding, and marketing. Pressman will be conducting workshops on Saturday and Sunday on SPIN-Farming. SPIN stands for S-mall P-lot In-tensive Farming and is a non-technical, organic-based, commercial farming system that makes it possible to earn significant income from land bases that are under one acre in size. Hale, Coffey, and Pressman will also be available to provide technical expertise on sustainable agriculture and will have resources available at the ATTRA exhibit booth.

For more information on the Mother Earth News Fair, visit their official web site.

Mother Earth News Fair, launched in 2010, is a family-oriented sustainable-lifestyle event, featuring more than 200 practical, hands-on demonstrations and workshops from the leading authorities on renewable energy, small-scale agriculture, organic gardening, green building, green transportation, natural health and more. The Fair also includes an eco-friendly marketplace, organic local food and beverages, children's activities, musical entertainment, and outdoor equipment and livestock demonstrations.

NCAT Awarded Grant to Develop Organic and Sustainable Agriculture Practice Standards and Training for Federal Agency

(8/18/2010) NCAT has been awarded over $500,000 to help integrate sustainable and organic agriculture approaches into the programs and practice standards of a leading federal agriculture service.

NCAT and partner organic and sustainable agriculture organizations were awarded the funding through USDA's National Conservation Innovation Grant Program. The award will be matched by more than an additional half million dollars from project partners.

Kathleen Hadley, Executive Director of NCAT, said, "funding will support a three-year project to work with the National Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to better integrate sustainable and organic agriculture production systems into NRCS programs and procedures."

Jeff Schahczenski, NCAT's Project Director for the grant, added that "NCAT and its partners will update conservation practice standards used in NRCS programs, allowing the federal agency to give more credit to sustainable and organic farmers and ranchers in program applications." In addition, project partners will provide critical training to NRCS staff and others who provide technical services to organic and sustainable farmers and ranchers.

Some of the training provided to NRCS will emphasize adoption of agriculture production systems that enhance biodiversity, improve soil quality, water quality, air quality, carbon sequestration, energy efficiency and wildlife habitat. Training sessions in these sustainable agriculture techniques will be held across the nation for hundreds of NRCS staff, organic and sustainable farmers and other technical service providers.

The project is an outgrowth of 2008 federal legislation that led to specific provisions for organic and sustainable practices in the federal Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP) and the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP).

Organizations partnering with NCAT include the Center for Rural Affairs, Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service, Organic Farming Research Foundation, Virginia Association for Biological Farming, Florida Organic Growers, Kansas Rural Center,Wild Farm Alliance, Land Stewardship Project and Practical Farmers of Iowa.

NCAT Releases Whole Farm Insurance Assessment Tool - Seeks Farmer Evaluators

(8/10/2010) Kathleen Hadley, Executive Director of the National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT), announced the release of a new tool for farmers to assess the usefulness of a federally subsidized whole farm insurance product called Adjusted Gross Revenue Lite (AGR-Lite). The user-friendly software tool simplifies access to this relatively new kind of insurance that protects the revenue of the farm rather than the specific commodities produced. In addition NCAT is seeking farmers who will formally evaluate the new tool.

NCAT Seeks Farmer Evaluators
Interested in helping us evaluate the tool? Selected farmer evaluators will be paid for up to $280 for no more than six hours of work in evaluating the tool. Please contact Jeff Schahczenski at 406-494-4572 or jeffs@ncat.org to see how you can help.

The tool is the culmination of a three-year project supported by the United States Department of Agriculture's Risk Management Agency (RMA). Selected farmer evaluators will be paid for up to $280 for no more than six hours of work in evaluating the tool.

"What is exciting about this project is that NCAT partnered with the Computer Science Department of Montana Tech of the University of Montana to assist in the project development," said Jeff Schahczenski, the NCAT project leader. This tool was designed and tested by farmers using an advanced software development process and is very farm friendly. The tool will assist farmers to assess whether this insurance product is a valuable way to buffer their farm revenue from the impacts of weather and the price volatility of their products.

"One of the difficulties that prevents more farmers from using AGR-Lite is that it is a more complicated application process than standard crop insurance products. Many of the farmers who could use the farm insurance product are often those with smaller or highly diversified farms who do not produce only standard commodity products for which other insurance is readily available," Schahczenski said. " This new whole farm revenue insurance will especially serve the needs of beginning, socially-disadvantaged, specialty, organic and direct market farmers and ranchers. These are the farmers and ranchers NCAT has served for over 30 years."

This tool is available in CD format from NCAT by calling 1-800-346-9140.

Because not all farmers have access to high-speed Internet connections, the tool is currently available in CD format. Beginning early next year, it will also be accessible in a web-based format. Besides seeking farmer evaluators, NCAT may be able to provide workshops demonstrating the tool. Further information on being an evaluator of the tool and hosting possible workshops centered on the opportunities for risk management based on AGR-Lite can be obtained by calling Schahczenski at 406-494-4572 or jeffs@ncat.org.

Farmers interested in helping us evaluate the tool can contact Jeff Schahczenski at 406-494-4572 or jeffs@ncat.org.

NCAT Staff Recognized For Excellence

Cindy Datig (left), Chair of the National Low-Income Energy Consortium, presents the consortium's annual achievement award to Kay Joslin and Sherry Vogel (right) of the National Center for Appropriate Technology.

(7/22/2010) National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT) staff members Kay Joslin and Sherry Vogel received the National Low Income Energy Consortium's Annual Achievement Award at the annual National Energy and Utility Affordability Conference held last month in San Antonio, Texas.

The Achievement Award is given annually to an individual or organization that has demonstrated consistent leadership in championing low-income energy issues. Joslin and Vogel were recognized for their leadership of the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) Clearinghouse, an NCAT project. The Clearinghouse assists in collecting, developing, organizing, and disseminating low-income energy issue information for low-income energy providers and low-income energy issue groups. The Clearinghouse's clients include state, tribal, and LIHEAP grantees, community action agencies and local government offices, low-income energy service organizations, fuel funds and utilities and utility regulatory commissions.

In presenting the award, Consortium Chair Cindy Datig said, "For many years the LIHEAP Clearinghouse has collected and provided energy assistance information to policy makers, program operators and people seeking assistance. Kay and Sherry have developed their organization into one of the critical sources of timely, accurate information in the country. Their unwavering support of LIHEAP and NLIEC are overdue for recognition. Kay and Sherry, through their countless hours of service, represent the highest example of professionalism in public service."

Previous achievement award winners include U.S. Rep. Pat Williams, U.S. Senators Arlen Specter and Paul Wellstone, and organizations such as AARP, National Consumer Law Center and Community Action Partnership. The energy conference is the largest single U.S. gathering to address the need for affordable home energy and other utilities for people with low income.

Since 1976, NCAT has been helping people by championing small-scale, local and sustainable solutions to reduce poverty, promote healthy communities and protect natural resources. In partnership with businesses, organizations, individuals and agricultural producers, NCAT is working to advance solutions that will ensure the next generation inherits a world that has clean air and water, energy production that is efficient and renewable, and healthy foods grown with sustainable techniques. With headquarters in Butte, Mont., NCAT has regional offices in Arkansas, California, Iowa, Louisiana and Pennsylvania. More information on NCAT's sustainable agriculture and energy programs is available at www.ncat.org or by calling 1-800-ASK-NCAT.

NCAT's Electronics Recycling Event a Success

(7/7/2010) Area residents and businesses dropped off approximately 37,000 pounds of electronic waste to NCAT's fifth electronic waste recycling day. The waste ran the gamut from computer monitors to televisions and from vacuum cleaners to microwaves. The waste will be trucked to Billings where dangerous materials such as lead and cadmium will be extracted and salvageable materials will be recycled. Last year, NCAT collected about the same amount of waste. NCAT plans to continue the program next summer. Courtesy of the Montana Standard.

NCAT to Restore and Replace Windows

(5/12/10) NCAT was recently awarded a $50,000 grant to restore and replace existing windows in the 108-year-old NCAT headquarters, originally the Silver Bow County Poor Farm Hospital. This project will increase energy efficiency and increase staff comfort. House Bill 645 Historic Preservation Grant Program supported proposals that would stimulate local economies and restore historic infrastructure across the state. NCAT's original proposal requested funds to restore and replace all windows in the building, but NCAT was granted only a partial award. Executive director Kathy Hadley and chief operating officer Marcia Brown made the decision to contribute $20,000 to the project this year to replace more windows and NCAT intends to budget money to replace windows each year until all windows are replaced. The windows most in need of restoration because of location or condition will be replaced first.

Download the Environmental Narrative

Download the Environmental Checklist

NCAT Specialists Host Soil Nutrition Workshop

(4/19/10) Have you ever stopped to ask what it is that soil microbes and plants really want? If you are in the Pennsylvania area May 6-7, check out the two-day workshop Soil Nutrition from a Plant's Eye Point of View, hosted by the National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT) and the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (PASA). NCAT program specialists Lee Rinehart and Andy Pressman organized and will facilitate the event.

Soil Nutrition from a Plant's Eye Point of View will explore soil and plant health through an understanding of soil microbes and their relationships with plants. This workshop is designed for beginning and experienced crop and livestock farmers. It will be held at the Chester County Economic Development Council and Honey Brook Farm in Chester County, Pa.

The first day of the workshop will take place indoors, where presenter Mark Fulford, an internationally known farm consultant and educator whose range of expertise includes transitioning from conventional to organic and biological agriculture; soil, crop and forage nutrition; and preparing agriculture for peak oil, climate change and economic drift; will discuss the interactive life cycles that take place above ground and the complex functions of living soil systems below our feet. Participants will learn techniques for observing soil, seed and plant quality through plant indicators and animal responses. There will also be demonstrations on soil chemistry and plant sap testing as well as practice making dry and liquid mineral blends.

Day two of the workshop will take place in the field, where participants will have the opportunity to implement techniques for determining soil and plant health and methods for increasing crop productivity. Participants will learn how to identify plants as soil health indicators; make and apply dry, liquid and foliar mineral applications; and the proper use of equipment for small-scale agriculture.

Special thanks to Lancaster Agriculture Products for their donation of minerals for this workshop. Representatives from Lancaster Agriculture Products will be on-site during this workshop to provide assistance and information on soil nutrients and mineral blends.

Click here for more information or to register. The cost is $110 for PASA members and $125 for others; lunch will be provided.

California Small Farm Conference Draws Large Crowd

(4/12/10) For three days in March, farmers gathered in San Diego to discuss small-scale production techniques. Held in a different region of California every year, the conference is organized by local planning committees and a statewide board that includes NCAT specialist Rex Dufour. This year's meeting featured many sessions on organic farming. More than 300 San Diego County farms are certified organic, a larger number than in any other county in the nation.

For the conference Dufour organized a one-day short course and tour of local organic farms. The day began with a classroom discussion of organic production and certification. Then in the afternoon Dufour led visits to three very different operations, where farmers discussed their marketing strategies, why they transitioned to organics, and the challenges of acquiring and maintaining organic certification. La Milpa Organica is a community-based farm that raises vegetables, flowers and herbs for restaurants and farmers' markets. The farmers host monthly community potlucks where they bake pizza in their wood-fired outdoor oven and show an open-air movie.

The second stop on the tour, Morning Star Ranch, is a Christian community that raises organic avocados, grapefruit, persimmons, and other produce on 60 acres. Their management strategy is to allow the soils in the orchards to recycle leaves and branches, especially on the steep hillsides. This makes for healthy and vigorous trees and a noticeable difference between their avocado trees and those on conventionally managed neighboring farms.

The last farm on the tour was Stehly Farms Organics. They grow, pack and distribute avocados, citrus, chilies, blackberries, blueberries, and raspberries nationwide. Third-generation farmers, the Stehly brothers operate a 300-acre ranch that has been farmed by their family for the past 45 years. In addition they harvest thousands of acres across northern San Diego County. Noel Stehly is a champion at recycling machinery and finding uses for it in his production and processing system.

The conference also offered tours with short courses on value-added products, agritourism, water conservation, and greenhouse production. Other workshops fell into several tracks: resource conservation, small farm production, strategies for successful farmers' markets, and marketing and business. Dufour moderated resource conservation workshops on irrigation techniques, reducing water runoff, assessing water quality, building healthy soils, and saving energy. He also presented a session on biodiverse approaches to pest management.

NCAT specialist Marisa Alcorta assisted with logistics for the organic short course, coordinated the delivery of relevant ATTRA publications to the workshops, and ran the busy NCAT display. She reported that "the crowd was hungry for information and the publications flew off the tables."

The conference planning committee and board of directors represent NCAT as well as USDA agencies, Community Alliance with Family Farmers, California Department of Food and Agriculture, University of California Extension and Small Farm programs, farmers' markets associations, resource conservation districts, Slow Food groups, and local farms and businesses. Next year's conference will be held in San Jose. For more information, contact Rex Dufour, rexd@ncat.org, 530-792-7338.

NCAT's Susan Tallman Earns CCA Certification

(4/07/10) Agronomist Susan Tallman of the National Center for Appropriate Technology was recently certified by the American Society of Agronomy as a Certified Crop Adviser (CCA). To attain this certification, Tallman passed both an International CCA Exam and the Rocky Mountain region CCA Exam, worked for two years as a crop adviser and provided documentation of professional competence. She also holds a Bachelor's degree in agronomy and international development from Cornell University.

As a Certified Crop Adviser, Tallman has signed and agreed to uphold the CCA Code of Ethics. This means she will always focus on grower profitability while optimizing and protecting natural resources.

To maintain her/his CCA Certification Tallman must earn 40 hours of approved continuing education units (CEUs) every two years. CEUs must be divided between nutrient management, soil and water management, integrated pest management, crop management, and professional development. Research scientists at land grant universities provide much of this cutting edge training.

The Certified Crop Adviser Program is administered by the American Society of Agronomy in Madison, Wisconsin. Since 1993, only 13,500 men and women in the United States and Canada have earned and maintain their CCA designation.

CCAs are recognized by the by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service (USDA-NRCS) as eligible to register as Technical Service Providers (TSPs). They will provide assistance to farmers in protecting resources through conservation planning in soil and water, nutrient, crop, and pest management. CCAs are also recognized as Agricultural Experts by the USDA Risk Management Agency which administers the Federal crop insurance programs.

To learn more about Certified Crop Advisers, contact Tallman at (406) 494-4572 or susant@ncat.org. You may also find more information about the CCA program and a CCA Directory at www.certifiedcropadviser.org.

NCAT Posts 2009 Annual Report

(4/02/10) The NCAT Annual Report highlights the accomplishments NCAT has made during the last 12 months, and we hope you share our pride in the successes achieved by our dedicated staff, board and the individuals and communities with whom we work.

We are also very proud of the partnerships we have forged over the years, and are committed to maintaining and expanding this hallmark of our work. Download the report. [PDF/1.0MB]

Bringing Farmers and Military Veterans Together

Shooting Star CSA is a 10 acre, CCOF-certified organic farm located in the Suisun Valley, in Fairfield, California.

(3/08/10) The Northern California Food and Farming Veteran Career Fair took place in Santa Rosa on March 5. NCAT agriculture specialist Marisa Alcorta was at the fair, providing publications and other information about sustainable farming to aspiring producers. The event was organized by the Farmer Veteran Coalition, a group that helps returning Iraq and Afghanistan veterans find employment, training and places to heal on America's farms.

The Career Fair was designed to help some of these young men and women meet the country's critical need for more good, hard-working people in the field of agriculture. Organizers of the Farmer Veteran Coalition believe that the country's family farms and the growing local food movement could be well-served by people already accustomed to hard work, discipline and dedication.

Inspired by returning veterans determined to farm, the coalition works to find farm employment and training for veterans. Matt McCue, for example, joined the U.S. Army after 9/11. He spent a year of combat in Iraq and a year in Korea. McCue discovered farming while serving as an infantryman in Iraq. "I witnessed many unforgettable things there," he said. "But the aspect that changed my life more than any other was the way the farmers kept working and selling their produce through the chaos of a regime change."

When he returned home, McCue studied vegetable production at the Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems at the University of California, Santa Cruz. He found work at a fruit and vegetable farm in Sonoma County. Then last year he and his partner started Shooting Star CSA, a community-supported agriculture farm, www.shootingstarcsa.com.

"We went into the military because it was hard," McCue said. "Farming challenges everything I have everyday. That's a good thing." Returning veterans who want to farm are likely to find tremendous support from neighboring farmers. McCue and others have been astonished at the amount of help and encouragement extended to them by those who might otherwise have seen them as competitors. In actuality, experienced farmers and their families are welcoming the returning vets with generosity and tips on how to succeed.

The organizers of the Farmer Veteran Coalition maintain a national clearinghouse of farm and food-industry jobs and educational opportunities. They also locate resources to help veterans finance education and farm-related businesses. To learn more about the coalition or to offer work to returning veterans, call (530) 756-1395 or see www.farmvetco.org.

NCAT Specialist Attends Harvesting Clean Energy Conference

(2/16/10) NCAT program specialist Jeff Schahczenski and energy engineer Dave Ryan recently attended the 10th annual Harvesting Clean Energy Conference in Kennewick, Wash.

The Harvesting Clean Energy Conference is one of the Northwest's largest gatherings for agriculture and energy interests working to advance new opportunities for rural economic development through clean energy production. NCAT was a sponsor of this year's conference, and has been an active supporter of the conference for many years.

More than 550 people attended this year's conference, including farmers, ranchers and other rural land owners; food processors; agricultural organizations; public and private utilities; rural economic development leaders; local, state, federal and tribal officials; clean energy firms, consultants and supporters; and the next generation of rural workers and leaders.

Schahczenski staffed an ATTRA booth, which was well attended. He also distributed more than 100 copies of the new ATTRA publication Biochar and Sustainable Agriculture and participated in a workshop about the potential use of biochar to generate energy, enhance soil productivity and sequester carbon. Ryan participated in two discussions featuring ways to power up rural economic development using clean energy policy and clean energy for good rural jobs.

"There was lots of excitement around the topic of biochar," Schahczenski said. The conference featured several workshops about biomass energy production, as well as discussion about the sustainability of harvesting biomass, particularly in the context of climate change.

Other sessions focused on the practical steps to successful sustainable energy project development, from economic and feasibility assessments to accessing technical support and securing financing amidst tough finance markets. Attendees learned about wind power, biofuels and biopower, solar and geothermal resources, microhydro and new approaches for irrigation, energy innovators in the food processing sector and efficiency technologies to reduce energy costs and enhance profitability.

For more information about the conference, visit the Harvesting Clean Energy website at: www.harvestcleanenergy.org.

Goat Management Tool Developed By NCAT Specialists

(2/9/10) Goat producers now have a new management tool thanks to a team of small ruminant educators, including NCAT specialists Linda Coffey and Margo Hale. The team adapted the Pipestone Sheep Management Wheel to make it useful for goat producers, resulting in the Meat Goat Management Wheel. While the wheel states it is for meat goats, it is also applicable to dairy goats as well.

The Meat Goat Management Wheel makes meat goat management and production decisions simple and easy. The wheel is an interactive management calendar. To use it, set the date you kid, and the wheel indicates the dates for all the doe, buck and kid management tasks for the entire year. The wheel contains lots of general management information that can be adjusted for individual operations and different management styles. If you have questions about any of these management or production recommendations, consult with an expert or professional in your area.

The team that developed the Meat Goat Management Wheel includes Dr. Charlotte Clifford-Rathert, a small ruminant extension specialist with Lincoln University in Missouri; Jim Humphrey and Bruce Lane, regional livestock specialists with University of Missouri Extension; Dr. Beth Walker, an assistant professor in the Agriculture Department at Missouri State University; and Coffey and Hale, NCAT specialists.

The Meat Goat Management Wheel can be ordered from University of Missouri Extension Publications for $9 plus shipping and handling.

For more information about the Meat Goat Management Wheel contact Linda Coffey (lindac@ncat.org) or Margo Hale (margoh@ncat.org).

NCAT Helps Plant the Future of Organic Farming in California

(2/2/10) Organic farmers and food activists gathered last week for the 30th anniversary Ecological Farming Conference in Pacific Grove, Calif. NCAT agricultural specialists helped organize the conference, which this year focused on the future. Many of the workshops and sessions featured young farmers and marketing trailblazers.

The world has changed considerably since the first Eco-Farm Conference. In 1980 there were just a few organic farmers in the state. Very little information existed about the best ways to raise food without synthetic inputs. Growers came to the conference to share their experiences and to brainstorm answers to production problems. The farmers were intensely interested, but no journalists or laypeople attended, as they do now. The organic certification system was undeveloped, off the radar of government agencies.

Today an ever-increasing number of conventional farmers want to learn about organic practices. These producers are responding to the huge public demand for organic and local food, a market fueled by consumer concerns about food safety and environmental protection. The education programs of the Ecological Farming Association (EFA), the conference sponsor, have reached 100,000 people. This year's conference attracted more than 1,500 attendees. Sold out several weeks in advance, the event has now outgrown the Asilomar conference grounds where it has been held for many years.

The original pioneers of organic farming are now gray-haired and EFA has launched a project to recruit and educate young farmers. In 2010 the EcoFarm GenNext Network will sponsor regional meetings and field days with experienced farmers who will mentor beginning farmers on production, marketing and management techniques.

Many of the workshops at this year's Eco-Farm Conference were aimed at beginning farmers, including sessions on basic pest management, small farm finance, sharp-pencil farming and food safety for small-scale farmers and wholesalers. There also was much to be learned from the Successful Farmers plenary session, which featured Capay Fruits and Vegetables (a second-generation farm in Capay, Calif., that offers customized CSA boxes), Wooley Farms in Gridley, Calif.,(a family farm that wholesales organic produce, walnuts and prunes), and Massa Organics in Hamilton City, Calif., (fourth-generation rice growers).

Also among the more than 65 workshops offered at this year's Eco-Farm Conference were some for seasoned farmers, such as a double session on advanced organic soil fertility and another two-part workshop on CSAs: The Healing Force of Money and What's Next. Other sessions were meant for educators, researchers, agricultural activists, and produce marketers and handlers. On Thursday the conference featured many workshops in Spanish.

In addition to workshops and plenary sessions, the conference hosted separate full-day pre-conferences about ecological landscaping, applied biodynamics, and the business of sustainability. Tours were offered to local school gardens, to four Monterey Bay-area organic farms, and to organic farms and wineries in the Carmel Valley.

NCAT sustainable agriculture specialists took part in many aspects of the Eco-Farm Conference. Rex Dufour and Jeff Schahczenski provided sustainable farming solutions to climate change in a workshop on that topic. Ann Baier spoke in a Spanish-language workshop on Small Farm Finance and Seasonal Cash Flow. Karen Van Epen and Marisa Alcorta helped organize several workshops, including the Spanish sessions. For more information, contact Rex Dufour, rexd@ncat.org, 530-792-7343, or visit www.eco-farm.org

EnergyCorps member Tina Marie Beltz installing a solar lamp in a Community Park

Volunteers Roll Up Their Sleeves to Install Solar Lamps
in Community Parks and Weatherize Homes

(01/21/10) Community volunteers from across Montana gathered to celebrate the recent Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday by volunteering for sustainable energy projects. NCAT helped organize a day of service honoring Dr. King and furthering his dream by bringing Montana residents together to address a local need through service. Montana Energy Corps and Montana Conservation Corps AmeriCorps members collaborated with the non-profit organization, Opportunity Link and other community groups and volunteers in Havre, Fort Belknap and Rocky Boy to install solar powered lamp posts at community parks followed by a ceremony and dedication by tribal council members. Volunteers were transported to the service sites by the new North Central Montana Transit bus system and celebrated the bus' inaugural use of biodiesel produced and donated locally by MSU Northern.

Volunteers also handed out compact fluorescent light bulbs, energy-savings educational materials and signed up individuals that need weatherization assistance in their homes. Energy Corps and Conservation Corps members are performing weatherization installations this week for those that need assistance.

This project is one of thousands that took place across the nation as part of the 2010 Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service. Initiated by Congress in 1994, the King Day of Service transforms the federal holiday into a national day of community service grounded in Dr. King's teachings of nonviolence and social justice. The King Day of Service is led by the Corporation for National and Community Service and the King Center in partnership with national nonprofit organizations, faith-based and community groups, government agencies, educational institutions, and businesses nationwide.

NCAT To Co-Sponsor Small Ruminant Parasite Management Workshop

(01/18/10) Managing internal parasites is one of the most difficult production challenges for sheep and goat producers. Heavy parasite burdens can cause decreased animal performance and even death. The parasites have become resistant to traditional deworming treatments, so producers must use new approaches to combat this serious issue.

NCAT specialists Linda Coffey and Margo Hale, along with the Washington County Cooperative Extension Service, will be hosting a parasite management workshop on Jan. 30 in Fayetteville, Ark. The workshop will cover a variety of management techniques producers can use to combat internal parasites in sheep and goats. Topics covered will include animal selection for parasite management, pasture management, selective treatment, new treatment options and FAMACHA^©. FAMACHA^© is a system for classifying animals into categories based upon level of anemia (a sign of parasitism). It was developed in South Africa and has been validated in the United States. This system identifies anemic animals on a 1 to 5 scale by examining the eyelids of sheep and goats. The system treats only animals that are anemic. This reduces the use of dewormers, slows the development of resistant worms and saves the producer money. Workshop attendees will get hands-on training with FAMACHA^© and will be certified to use the system.

The workshop will feature up-to-date research and educational materials from the Southern Consortium for Small Ruminant Parasite Control (www.scsrpc.org), a group that Coffey and Hale are members of. Workshop attendees will also receive several ATTRA publications, including Managing Internal Parasites in Sheep and Goats.

For more information about the workshop or parasite management in sheep and goats contact Linda Coffey (lindac@ncat.org) or Margo Hale (margoh@ncat.org).

View Earlier NCAT News

NCAT News Archive for 2010

THE NCAT MISSION Helping People by championing small-scale, local, and sustainable solutions to reduce poverty, promote healthy communities, and protect natural resources.

THE NCAT MISSION
Helping People by championing small-scale, local, and sustainable solutions to reduce poverty, promote healthy communities, and protect natural resources.