WATCH: AgriSolar Partnerships Bloom in Minnesota

Minnesota energy companies, solar developers, farmers, and chefs are partnering in innovative ways to grow food, renewable energy, and pollinator habitat all within the same piece of land. The National Center for Appropriate Technology’s (NCAT) AgriSolar Clearinghouse today released its short film “Dive into the Prairie,” which takes viewers on a short tour of Minnesota’s agrivoltaic success stories.

AgriSolar or agrivoltaic partnerships are growing across solar-appropriate farmland in the U.S., providing a new revenue source for farmers, clean energy for surrounding communities, and myriad benefits to crops, livestock, and pollinators.

Chef Mateo Mackbee uses solar-grown foods at his St. Joseph, Minn., restaurant. Everything from salad greens grown under or around solar panels, to the honey that sweetens his salad dressing.

“Agrivoltaics is a big thing for me to see what can be grown, grazed, or raised in and around solar arrays,” said Chef Mackbee. “AgriSolar is the future, for sure.”

Mackbee sources solar-grown honey from Bare Honey, which partners with energy companies and solar developers to place his commercial beekeeping boxes on the same land as the solar panels and pollinator habitat.

“Pollination is a huge part of what commercial beekeeping is,” said Bare Honey founder Dustin Vanasse. “We have our co-located honeybees and those, combined with the native pollinators on these sites, will provide pollination to the farms that are around the site.”

NCAT’s AgriSolar Clearinghouse is connecting businesses, land managers, and researchers with trusted resources to support the growth of co-located solar and sustainable agriculture.

“The partnerships blossoming in Minnesota show a real-world example of how it can work for several industries that share common goals,” said NCAT Energy Director Stacie Peterson, PhD. “Land is finite, and AgriSolar partnerships mean we can maximize our resources for the benefit of communities, the environment, and businesses.”

VIDEO: How A Shepherd and Solar Developer Are Joining Forces to Grow Sheep, Clean Energy

The National Center for Appropriate Technology’s (NCAT) AgriSolar Clearinghouse today premiered its short film “The Solar Shepherd” during the 2023 Solar Farm Summit in Chicago.

The film showcases a family-owned farm in central Massachusetts that’s raising sheep and solar energy on the same piece of land. AgriSolar or agrivoltaic partnerships are growing across solar-appropriate farmland in the U.S., providing a new revenue source for farmers, clean energy for surrounding communities, and myriad benefits to crops, livestock, and pollinators.

“It’s been a wonderful friendship between the two businesses,” says Solar Shepherd LLC founder Dan Finnegan. “We can’t access enough land to keep our farm sustainable, without this partnership with solar, we wouldn’t have a successful farm, we simply don’t have enough acres to graze.”

Finnegan partnered with SWEB Development Inc. on the 15-acre solar array which provides enough clean energy to power 1,100 homes and has so-far raised 45 lambs to maturity.

“You can have this partnership in a one-acre field, a 15-acre field up to a couple hundred acres,” says Joe Mendelsohn, project developer with SWEB Development Inc.

NCAT’s AgriSolar Clearinghouse is connecting businesses, land managers, and researchers with trusted resources to support the growth of co-located solar and sustainable agriculture.

“Tremendous potential exists in partnerships between farmers and solar developers,” says NCAT Energy Director Stacie Peterson, PhD. “As the demand for solar energy grows, it’s up to us to be good stewards of the finite land resources we have and maximize the benefit to farmers, communities, and the environment.”

New ATTRA Publications, Videos Showcase Urban Agroforestry 

Agroforestry integrates agriculture and forestry to get the most out of a single piece of land. The National Center for Appropriate Technology’s ATTRA Sustainable Agriculture program has released new resources that detail how by adding trees to crop and livestock operations, farmers and ranchers can “over-yield,” that is, produce multiple products from the same piece of land.

Agroforesty also benefits the farm and the greater ecosystem by creating wildlife habitat, sequestering carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, increasing beneficial insect populations, improving soil water-holding capacity, controlling soil erosion, reducing leaching and runoff, and improving soil fertility.

ATTRA has long been a trusted source for practical information about designing and maintaining agroforestry systems.

Four new publications and five videos make that connection even stronger by showcasing the use of agroforestry in urban settings and offering practical tools to growers who would like to begin urban agroforesty operations.

“Agroforestry practices can help ease issues that urban and suburban farmers often face,” says Katherine Favor, the NCAT Agriculture Specialist who penned the new publications. “Urban areas often face issues like water contamination from mismanaged stormwater runoff, heavy metal buildup in the soil, pollution, lack of privacy, and lack of habitat for wildlife, among others. Trees that are integrated properly into urban landscapes can address those problems and can produce food for families and communities.”

The new publications can be downloaded at no cost from the ATTRA website. Plus, learn even more about the benefits of agroforestry Tuesday, March 7 during NCAT’s annual conference, Growing Hope: Practical Tools for Our Changing Climate.

  • Urban Agroforestry Tipsheet: Food Forests and Beyond 
    Urban agroforestry, sometimes called community agroforestry, is the intentional integration of perennial trees and shrubs into farms and communities in urban and suburban areas to provide benefits to the community and to improve sustainability and resilience.
  • Urban Agroforestry Case Study:  A Food Forest on Public Park Land
    The Festival Beach Food Forest is located on three-quarters of an acre of public park land in Austin, Texas. Open day and night to the public, it provides a source of food for the community to forage and a place to connect with nature and each other.
  • Urban Agroforestry Case Study: Utilizing Agroforestry in Floodplain Restoration Projects
    To prevent the loss of property and life, the City of Austin decided to purchase homes in dangerous floodplain areas, relocate residents to safer areas, and restore the floodplain buyout area in an ecological way.

Urban Agroforesty Tipsheet Food Forests and Beyond also is available in a Spanish translation.

  • Hoja de Datos La Agroforestería Urbana: Bosques Comestibles y Más
    La agroforestería urbana, a veces llamada agroforestería comunitaria, es la integración intencional de árboles y arbustos perennes en granjas y comunidades en áreas urbanas y suburbanas, para proporcionar beneficios a la comunidad y mejorar la sostenibilidad y la resiliencia. 


Agroforestry videos also are available on the ATTRA website. 

  • Multiple Levels of a South Texas Food Forest
    In this video, we take you on a tour of the food forest at Keepers of the Garden, an urban agroforestry farm in Corpus Christi, Texas. This urban agroforestry farm is located in the Southern Subhumid Gulf Coastal Prairies ecoregion, in hardiness zone 9b, and it            serves not only as a production farm, but also as an educational center for schools, a refuge for local wildlife, and a community hub.  
  • Managing and Maintaining a Coffee System in California
    In this video, organic farmer Scott Murray discusses how to manage and maintain a coffee system in warm areas such as Southern California. Scott talks about pruning, pest management, harvest, quality control, processing, marketing, selecting varieties for Southern California, and interplanting with trees to create a beneficial microclimate. 
  • Managing Water and Nutrients in a Coffee and Avocado Alley Cropping System
    In this video, we head to Jason Mraz’s family farm in San Diego, California, where he is growing both specialty coffee and avocados in a single integrated alley cropping system. This video explores the specifics of the below-ground considerations to think about when managing a coffee and avocado alley cropping system, including how to meet both crops’ water and nutrient needs.
  • Designing a Coffee and Alley Cropping System
    This video case study takes us on a tour of Jason Mraz’s family farm in San Diego, California, where he is growing both specialty coffee and avocados in a single integrated alley cropping system. 
  • Planning and Establishing a Coffee System in Southern California
    In this video, organic farmer Scott Murray discusses everything you need to know about    how to plan and establish a coffee plantation in warm areas like Southern California. Scott discusses growing coffee seedlings in the nursery, transplanting, hardening off, and interplanting with trees to create a beneficial microclimate. 

ATTRA Sustainable Agriculture Specialist Katherine Favor also has shared her expertise on agroforestry in several recent ATTRA blogs posts. ATTRA’s agroforestry resources can plant the seed of new ideas for new products and ecosystem benefits on your operation. Check them out, along with ATTRA’s other trusted and practical resources at attra.ncat.org/topics/agroforestry/.

 

Free Organic Farmer Training Coming to Fargo 

The National Center for Appropriate Technology, along with nationally recognized organic leaders, will offer an Organic Academy Roadshow session in Fargo, North Dakota, on January 26-27, 2023. Beginning farmers and ranchers in the northern Great Plains will have the opportunity to explore regenerative, certified organic production systems for grains, oilseeds, and pulses.

Thirty travel scholarships for beginning farmers and ranchers are available for up to $200 each to defray costs of attending. The academy is free to attend, but registration is required by January 20, 2023. Online registration is available at ATTRA.NCAT.ORG/EVENTS.

“This series of educational opportunities is not just another farming training,” said Doug Crabtree and Anna Jones-Crabtree of Vilicus Farms in Montana. “It is about leveraging training to further build the network of beginning organic producers who are farming and ranching at a scale that will have a tremendous impact on land stewardship across the Northern Great Plains.”   

The Organic Academy will include intensive training sessions and one-on-one technical assistance for beginning farmers and ranchers. Topics will cover transitioning to organic production, an introduction to organic system planning, organic grass-finished ruminant production, and more. Session leaders will include experienced organic farmers and ranchers. The event schedule and speaker list can be found here.

In addition, attendees will be able to interact with civic leaders, county Extension agents, and staff from USDA’s Farm Service Agency and Natural Resources Conservation Service during a public event on January 26 from 7-9 p.m.

The trainings are part of the three-year federal Beginning Farmers and Rancher Development Program, Preparing a Resilient Future, in partnership with the Northern Plains Sustainable Agriculture Society, Center for Rural Affairs, the Intertribal Agriculture Council, Nebraska Sustainable Agriculture Society, International Organic Inspectors Association, North Dakota State, and University of Wyoming.

The project targets medium to large-scale field crop and livestock operations, unlike most programs focused on beginning farmers and ranchers. This project was selected in a national competition under the Beginning Farmers and Ranchers Development Program funded through the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

The Northern Plains Sustainable Agriculture Society (NPSAS) is hosting this event in collaboration with NCAT. NPSAS will hold its annual Food and Farming Conference at the same location. Registration for the NPSAS conference is here.

 

 

Explore ‘Industrial Hemp Production’ with a New, Practical ATTRA Publication 

A new publication from the National Center for Appropriate Technology’s sustainable agriculture program, ATTRA, offers a practical primer for farmers who want to try their hand at growing industrial hemp.

Absent from U.S. Agriculture since the 1930s, hemp was reintroduced as part of the 2018 Farm Bill. The bill defined hemp as essentially a cannabis plant with 0.3 % or less of THC. That led hemp crops to be subject to complex regulations and testing.

Industrial Hemp Production details those considerations as well as production information for hemp grown to produce fiber, seeds, and CBD cannabis products.

“For some farmers, hemp could make a lot of sense,” said Mike Lewis, a Kentucky farmer and sustainable agriculture specialist with NCAT and one of the authors of the publication. “But it’s a complicated crop to grow and can carry some unusual risks, such as THC levels and required harvesting periods. This publication gives farmers practical tools to understand if it’s the right crop for them.”

Jody McGinness, director of the Hemp Industries Association, co-authored the publication with Lewis, who serves as the association’s president.

Industrial Hemp Production connects farmers with a variety of information:

  • Regulatory considerations, including state and tribal licensing; local ordinances, seed genetics, and required harvesting windows.
  • Marketing challenges that arise from hemp being a young and volatile market sometimes subject to a variety of regulations depending on where it is being grown.
  • Products that can be produced from hemp and the characteristics of the varieties used for fiber, seeds, and flowers.
  • Practical production tips such as spacing, harvesting, and processing, as well as information on how the tough, resinous hemp plants can affect equipment.

Industrial Hemp Production is available to download free on the ATTRA website at ATTRA.NCAT.ORG. It was produced by NCAT through the ATTRA Sustainable Agriculture program, under a cooperative agreement with USDA Rural Development.

Producers and Researchers Agree, Scale Up of a Sustainable Biochar Industry is Critical to Meet Climate Targets, and Build Agricultural Resilience and Soil Health

Today, on World Soil Day, the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR), the National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT) and American Farmland Trust (AFT) released Scaling Sustainable Biochar Research & Commercialization for Agriculture & Conservation: A Summary from a Stakeholder Convening that summarizes how sustainably produced and applied biochar will reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to mitigate climate change and build healthy high functioning soils. Additionally, the paper outlines research needs and gaps to scale up implementation and establish a pyrolysis biochar bioenergy industry.

Biochar is a charcoal-like substance made from pyrolyzing organic materials, such as agricultural and forest waste, often co-produced with renewable energy. Pyrolysis, the most common technology employed to produce biochar, converts organic materials under low-oxygen and high-temperature conditions (400 – 600ºC) into highly stable carbon compounds that remain in soils for hundreds to thousands of years. Biochar’s highly stabilized carbon-rich composition enables it to boost the benefits of other soil health practices, and to build productive, high functioning, resilient soils. Furthermore, biochar sequesters carbon in the long-term and reduces GHG emissions.

The paper is a summary of a March 2022 virtual convening event on biochar research and commercialization, hosted by FFAR, NCAT and AFT.

“This white paper demonstrates a clear need for coordinated efforts in both the public and private sectors and the creation of innovative partnerships to resolve the research and innovation gaps that have limited the widespread application of biochar to agricultural soils,” said LaKisha Odom, Ph.D., FFAR soil health scientific program director. “I am especially excited about the research roadmap and collaboration opportunities that are possible.”

“Biochar, together with its biofuel coproduct, has great potential to build healthy soils, strengthen rural economies and remove carbon from the atmosphere,” said Steve Thompson, NCAT executive director. “But that potential will be realized only with concerted action to close knowledge gaps, develop markets and implement supportive policy. The convening and this report point the way.”

“A coordinated effort is needed to resolve the research, development and policy gaps that have limited the widespread adoption of sustainable, fit-for-purpose biochar amendments for diverse agricultural soils,” said Rachel Seman-Varner Ph.D., AFT senior soil health and biochar scientist of AFT’s Climate Initiative. “The convening event and this white paper brought together scientific, industry and policy experts to identify gaps that need to be addressed to move this practice forward as a synergistic tool in the soil health and climate-smart toolbox.”

The paper also supports the use of sustainably sourced organic waste products and outlines the potential to include bioenergy crops to simultaneously generate biofuels and biochar for application to farm, ranch, and forest lands. Recordings of the convening event and the paper are also available on the Farmland Information Center page, Convening on Biochar Research and Commercialization. A companion paper that summarizes research, stakeholder action, and policy recommendations for a coordinated strategy to support a pyrolysis biochar bioenergy industry will be released by AFT and NCAT in early 2023.

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About the American Farmland Trust (AFT)  

American Farmland Trust is the only national organization that takes a holistic approach to agriculture, focusing on the land itself, the agricultural practices used on that land, and the farmers and ranchers who do the work. AFT launched the conservation agriculture movement and continues to raise public awareness through our No Farms, No Food message. Since our founding in 1980, AFT has helped permanently protect over 6.8 million acres of agricultural lands, advanced environmentally-sound farming practices on millions of additional acres and supported thousands of farm families.     

CONTACT: Lori Sallet, E: lsallet@farmland.org ● P: (410) 708-5940

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About the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR)  

FFAR builds public-private partnerships to multiply the U.S.’s public research investment and accelerate actionable solutions to urgent food and agriculture challenges. FFAR’s Soil Health Challenge Area has interest in biochar due to the importance of carbon drawdown, the imminence of time and the need to address knowledge gaps, as well as the need for implementation and scale in the biochar space. FFAR is interested in developing coordinated funding opportunities to support near-term technology development for biochar.  

CONTACT:  Michelle Olgers, E: molgers@foundationfar.org ● P: (804) 304-4200

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About the National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT)  

The National Center for Appropriate Technology has been helping people build resilient communities through local and sustainable solutions that reduce poverty, strengthen self-reliance, and protect natural resources since 1976. Headquartered in Butte, Montana, NCAT has field offices in Arkansas, California, Colorado, Idaho, Kentucky, Mississippi, Montana, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, and Texas. Learn more and become a friend of NCAT at NCAT.ORG. 

CONTACT: Emilie Ritter, Director of Communications and Development, emilier@ncat.org

Scholarships Available for Beginning Farmers and Ranchers to Attend Organic Field Crop Training

The National Center for Appropriate Technology, along with nationally recognized organic leaders, will offer an Organic Academy Road Show (OARS) session in Billings, Montana, on December 6 and 7, 2022. Beginning farmers and ranchers in the northern Great Plains will have the opportunity to explore regenerative, certified organic production systems for grains, oilseeds, and pulses.

Thirty scholarships for beginning farmers and ranchers are available for up $200 each to defray costs of attending. There is no registration fee, but registration is required by November 21, 2022. Online registration is available at ATTRA.NCAT.ORG/EVENTS.

This event will host intensive training sessions and one-on-one technical assistance for beginning farmers and ranchers. Topics will include transitioning to organic production, an introduction to organic system planning, soil health, and more. Session leaders will include NCAT Sustainable Agriculture specialists and experienced Montana organic farmers and ranchers. The event schedule and speaker list can be found here.

In addition, attendees will be able to interact with civic leaders, county Extension agents, and staff from USDA’s Farm Service Agency and Natural Resources Conservation Service during a public event on Dec. 6 from 7-9 p.m. The Montana Organic Association will host its annual conference at the same location following the OARS session. Registration is separate for that event at MOA Conference.

“This series of educational opportunities is not just another farming training,” said Doug Crabtree and Anna Jones-Crabtree of Vilicus Farms in Montana. “It is about leveraging training to further build the network of beginning organic producers who are farming and ranching at a scale that will have a tremendous impact on land stewardship across the Northern Great Plains.” 

The December event will be the first of 10 OARS sessions in the northern Great Plains states of Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Wyoming over the next two years.

The OARS sessions are part of the three-year federal Beginning Farmers and Rancher Development Program, Preparing a Resilient Future, in partnership with the Montana Organic Association, Northern Plains Sustainable Agriculture Society, Center for Rural Affairs, the Intertribal Agriculture Council, Nebraska Sustainable Agriculture Society, International Organic Inspectors Association, North Dakota State, and University of Wyoming.

The new project targets medium to large-scale field crop and livestock operations, unlike most programs focused on beginning farmers and ranchers. This project was selected in a national competition under the Beginning Farmers and Ranchers Development Program funded through the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

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THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR APPROPRIATE TECHNOLOGY has been helping people build resilient communities through local and sustainable solutions that reduce poverty, strengthen self-reliance, and protect natural resources since 1976. Headquartered in Butte, Montana, NCAT has six regional offices in Arkansas, California, New Hampshire, Mississippi, Montana, and Texas. Learn more and become a friend of NCAT at NCAT.ORG.

 

 

National Sustainable Agriculture Program Launches New Interactive Website for Farmers

The National Center for Appropriate Technology has launched a new, interactive website for its ATTRA Sustainable Agriculture program which provides trusted and practical tools for farmers. Since 1987, ATTRA has been a key resource for sustainable and organic farmers and ranchers. The new website is at ATTRA.NCAT.ORG.

“For 35 years, ATTRA has been helping sustainable farmers grow healthy foods, expand their market opportunities, and diversify their farm businesses through our trusted knowledge base of practical information,” NCAT Executive Director Steve Thompson said. “With the launch of our new website, farmers and ranchers will have even more access to the ATTRA tools they’ve come to rely on.”

The new ATTRA website features nearly 400 practical digital publications on everything from growing organic tomatoes to becoming an agrotourism destination. Each publication is free, and most now include the ability to listen to a publication in a variety of languages. The site makes available archived episodes of ATTRA’s weekly podcast series, Voices from the Field, and hundreds of how-to videos.

“Not only is ATTRA known for providing no-nonsense sustainable agriculture information, we’re also a powerful connector,” said ATTRA Director Margo Hale. “We’re proud to launch a peer-to-peer forum on the new website where producers can share best practices and learn from each other, in addition to having access to real-time one-on-one support from our team of sustainable agriculture specialists.”

The new website improves one of ATTRA’s most-used tools, its internship hub. Farmers can post internship opportunities for free, and those seeking internships can browse a nationwide database of opportunities.

In addition to a digital publication library, multimedia hub, and interactive forum, the new ATTRA website includes a topic index to search for specific sustainable agriculture information. Users can connect with our team of sustainable agriculture experts, sign up for ATTRA’s Weekly Harvest newsletter, and bookmark our events calendar filled with free learning opportunities.

ATTRA Sustainable Agriculture is a program of the National Center for Appropriate Technology and is funded through a cooperative agreement with USDA Rural Development.

 

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THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR APPROPRIATE TECHNOLOGY has been helping people build resilient communities through local and sustainable solutions that reduce poverty, strengthen self-reliance, and protect natural resources since 1976. Headquartered in Butte, Montana, NCAT has six regional offices in Arkansas, California, New Hampshire, Mississippi, Montana, and Texas. Learn more and become a friend of NCAT at NCAT.ORG.

 

 

NCAT’s Free Farmer-Veteran Training is Headed to Alabama

The National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT) is partnering with Alabama A&M University’s Small Farm Center and the Rural South Institute to bring the free Armed to Farm training to Alabama for the first time. Armed to Farm will take place October 31-November 4 in Huntsville. Farmer-veterans will attend classroom sessions and travel to local farms for hands-on learning experiences.

Armed to Farm trainings include an engaging blend of farm tours, hands-on activities, and interactive classroom instruction. NCAT Sustainable Agriculture specialists will lead the training sessions, along with staff from USDA agencies. Experienced crop and livestock producers will provide additional instruction.

“We’re eager to bring Armed to Farm to Alabama,” said Rockiell Woods, NCAT Gulf States Regional Director. “Armed to Farm has served more than 900 veterans in all corners of the country as they start or grow their own sustainable farm business, giving those farmers practical tools to continue serving their communities.”  

Armed to Farm is a sustainable agriculture training program for military veterans. NCAT, a national nonprofit organization based in Butte, Montana, developed Armed to Farm in 2013 through a cooperative agreement with USDA-Rural Development. Farmer veterans learn how to make a business plan and market their products, how to access USDA programs, set business goals, and develop mentorships with seasoned farmers.

“Alabama A&M University’s Small Farms Research Center is ecstatic to partner with NCAT again, and also welcome farmer veterans to ‘the Hill,’ said E’licia L. Chaverest, Assistant Director of Alabama A&M University’s Small Farms Research Center. “AAMU Small Farms Research Center has over 25 years of experience working with farmers, educating and empowering them in becoming more sustainable and profitable with their farm operations. We look forward to a successful program and interacting with farmer veterans and engaging with other great farmers in North Alabama.”

Armed to Farm’s Alabama training is supported by USDA’s Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement. Successful applicants may also receive a travel stipend thanks to our partnership with California-based Ranchin’ Vets.

Learn more about NCAT’s Armed to Farm and additional training series at ARMEDTOFARM.ORG.

 

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THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR APPROPRIATE TECHNOLOGY has been helping people build resilient communities through local and sustainable solutions that reduce poverty, strengthen self-reliance, and protect natural resources since 1976. Headquartered in Butte, Montana, NCAT has field offices in Arkansas, California, Colorado, Idaho, Kentucky, Mississippi, Montana, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, and Texas. Learn more and become a friend of NCAT at NCAT.ORG

Registration Now Open for NCAT’s 8th Annual Latino Farmer Conference

The National Center for Appropriate Technology and Natural Resources Conservation Service will partner to host the eighth annual Latino Farmer Conference, a Spanish-language sustainable agriculture conference for Latino farmers.

The Latino Farmer Conference is a yearly event that seeks to build networks and provide learning opportunities for farmers on a range of technical and social issues relating to sustainable agriculture. The conference aims to provide trusted, practical, and culturally relevant information. Each session is created based on farmer feedback, and all content is presented in Spanish.

“There are over 14,000 registered Hispanic farmers and ranchers in California, and according to the USDA, many of these farmers are historically underserved,” said NCAT Sustainable Agriculture Specialist Omar Rodriguez. “At NCAT we strive to support a farming future that is equitable and just for all of California’s farmers, and this conference is a great way to do that.”

After two years of hosting this conference online, NCAT and NRCS are happy to bring people together in person again. This year’s conference will be hosted in Escondido, California, on November 17 and 18. Activities on November 17 will consist of farm tours in the San Diego area, and will include visits to local farms, farmer cooperatives, and CSA operations. On November 18 attendees will gather at the California Center for the Arts in Escondido for a day of networking opportunities, exhibits, and presentations on topics relating to conservation, regenerative agricultural production, and business management.

The Latino Farmer Conference is hosted by the National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT) in collaboration with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and would not be possible without the generous donations made by partners and friends working in regenerative agriculture.

Register for the conference at: NCAT.ORG/LATINOFARMERCONFERENCE.ORG.

 

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THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR APPROPRIATE TECHNOLOGY has been helping people build resilient communities through local and sustainable solutions that reduce poverty, strengthen self-reliance, and protect natural resources since 1976. Headquartered in Butte, Montana, NCAT has field offices in Arkansas, California, Colorado, Idaho, Kentucky, Mississippi, Montana, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, and Texas. Learn more and become a friend of NCAT at NCAT.ORG.