AgEBB-MU CAFNR Extension
Green Horizons
Volume 24, Number 3
Fall 2020
Calendar of Events
Understanding Access to Federal Assistance for Conservation on Working Lands
September 17, 24, & October 8, 2020 | 12:30-1:30pm CST | NCAT | free webinar series
This three part series is supported by the Natural Resources Conservation Service and the National Center for Appropriate Technology. The webinars are intended to give farmers and ranchers a basic understanding and familiarity with the Conservation Assessment Ranking Tool (CART), including how CART can be used to evaluate working lands for conservation assistance and funding consideration, and how landowners can request and assessment. Registration and more information is available at https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/711289874181944590
Women Caring for the Land Learning Circle
September 21, 2020 | 1:00-3:00pm CST | Women Food and Ag Network | free virtual discussion
Women landowners are invited to join a virtual learning circle discussion about ways you can make changes to improve the long-term value of your farm while maintaining short-term profitability. A panel of Iowa women landowners will tell their stories and answer questions about how they have transitioned to using cover crops and no-till pollinator plantings, Prairie Strips, CRP and more. Learn more and register at https://wfan.org/events/2020/9/21/women-caring-for-the-land-learning-circle?amp%3Bqid=.
Scaling Up Pastured Livestock Production
September 23, 2020 | 12:00-1:00pm CST | FACT | free webinar
Join FACT to learn about what it takes to scale up pastured meat production. Presenter Franklin Egan, PhD, Director of Education with Pasa Sustainable Agriculture will share the results of a new study called on the subject, which was produced in partnership with 10 pastured livestock farms in Pennsylvania and explores how much land and feed it takes to produce grass-finished beef, pastured pork or chicken. Lessons learned will help farmers improve their yields and bottom line. More information and registration at https://www.anymeeting.com/AccountManager/RegEv.aspx?PIID=EF52DB8887483C.
Establishing a Pecan Orchard
September 24, 2020 | 6:30-8:30pm CST | Noble Research Institute | free webinar
This course will cover all of the necessary details to prepare landowners/managers to start a pecan orchard. Participants will learn: how to properly select the orchard location, how to design an appropriate orchard layout for management goals, the importance of variety selection, and other considerations such as soil, irrigation, and pollination. More information and registration at https://www.noble.org/events/establishing-a-pecan-orchard/.
Future of Farming and Food Town Hall: Climate and Energy
September 24, 2020 | 7:00-8:30pm CST | Kansas Rural Center | virtual meeting
This town hall will offer opportunities to share information and community dialogue on the unique challenges of opportunities communities face in response to this topic, within the context of an election year and the new realities of responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. The focus for this session is climate and energy. More information at https://fair.mofga.org/.
Online Common Ground Country Fair
September 25-27, 2020 | MOFGA | online event
This year, MOFGA's country fair features three days of live programming online, with workshops, talks, and demonstrations. There will also be educational offerings, a content library and a marketplace for vendors. Keynote speakers are Leah Penniman, Barbara Damrosch, and Winona LaDuke. More information at https://fair.mofga.org/.
Elderberry Processing and Market Opportunities
September 29, 2020 | 12:00pm CST | Savanna Institute | free webinar
Terry Durham of River Hills Harvest and Chris Patton of the Midwest Elderberry Cooperative will discuss elderberry processing for commercial and small scale use, food safety compliance with GAP and FSMA, retail direct marketing opportunities for new and existing growers, wholesale/contracted berry and flower sales opportunities. Details and registration for this and other Savanna Institute events at: http://www.savannainstitute.org/events.html.
Entangled Life: How Fungi Shape Our World
September 27, 2020 | 1:00-2:15pm CST | Banyen Books | free webinar
Join Merlin Sheldrake, author of Entangled Life, for a mind bending journey into the hidden universe of fungi. This will be a live conversation with opportunities to ask questions. More information about the book and author, and registration for the webinar can be found at https://www.banyen.com/events/sheldrake.
Designing Silvopasture Plantings
October 26, 2020 | 3:00-4:00pm CST | FACT | Free Silvoculture Webinar Series
This is part one of a three part silvoculture webinar series. Join Steve Gabriel, an agroforestry extension specialist for the Cornell Small Farm Program, to learn about approaches to planning for woodland conversion and trees into pasture. Topics include tools and methods, mapping, tree spacing and patterning, and more. For additional webinars and registration, visit: https://foodanimalconcernstrust.org/webinars
Society of American Foresters National Convention
October 29-31, 2020 | SAF | virtual conference
For the first time, the SAF Convention is entirely virtual. A full schedule of presentations and posters can be viewed at https://www.eforester.org/Safconvention/Schedule/Schedule_at_a_Glance/safconvention2020/Program/Program.aspx?hkey=538527f5-0a0c-4f52-a4cf-b106e37985b5. Keynote speaker Lisa Brooks is an Abenaki writer and scholar who has been awarded for outstanding scholarship in the ecology of culture. More information and registration at https://www.eforester.org/Safconvention/Home/safconvention2020/Home.aspx?hkey=6cbcb159-807e-4ea8-b86e-a9b5302925ca.
Cultivating (Bio)diversity: Seeding Our Stories, Growing Our Power
November 6-7, 2020 | WFAN | virtual conference
The WFAN 2020 Annual Conference will take place on the web platform Whova. Participants will gather in a space designed to foster connection and community. The event will include workshops, affinity groups, a movie night, yoga sessions, creative expression rooms, and more. Join us in this time of reflection and action planning together. Keynote speaker Christine Nobiss will share her wisdom about seed sovereignty and decolonization. More information at https://wfan.org/2018-wfan-annual-conference-1.