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Index Page Archive
SARE’s 20th Anniversary New American Farm Conference
Advancing the Frontier of Sustainable Agriculture
March 25-28
Westin Crown Center
Kansas City, Missouri

Now is the time for
advancing the frontier of sustainable agriculture. Until now, the
American public has never before cared about how or where their food
comes from.
Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) has
been funding research and education of sustainable agriculture for the
past 20 years. Whether farmer, researcher, consumer or advocate of
sustainability, all are welcome to join SARE for their 20th anniversary
and learn about the many diverse opportunities in the world of agriculture.
Learn the skills needed for marketing and production, tour local farms to see sustainable agriculture at work, talk with many top researches and innovators, build partnerships through networking, explore SARE grant opportunities for new ideas, and get a head start on the next 20 years of SARE success.
Registration is due March 1. Registrations made after March 1 require a
late fee and must be made online or by telephone. All registration
closes March 19.
For more information and
registration, visit the
website
Conferences,
Workshops and Meetings, Oh My!
There are many educational
opportunities within the next few months. Here are some that will be
offered:

February 21-23
Kansas Natural Resources Conservation Service Resources Conference
- Wichita, Kansas
March 25-27 2008 National SARE
Conference, Kansas City, MO
For more information,
registration or to view the complete list of upcoming events, visit the
calendar of events
Great Plains Vegetable Growers Conference
January 10-12, 2008
St. Joseph, Missouri
Thursday, January 10 - High Tunnels and CSA Mini-School
Friday-Saturday, January 11-12
- Great Plains Vegetable Growers Conference
Once again, the region’s premier growers’ conference is drawing near. This year’s program has multiple tracks including a CSA Mini-school, high tunnel workshop and sessions on small fruit, cut flowers, organic and conventional vegetable production, post harvest handling and food safety. There will also be sessions on marketing, finance and strengthening local food systems.
Many of the speakers will be producers who
are associated with the topics they are explaining. Professors from the
five state universities will also present topics. Registration for the
high-tunnel workshop is $50, or $60 after January 8. Registration for
the conference is $35 per day, or $40 after January 8.
More information and registration
With questions or comments, email Ted Carey or
email Christy Dipman
Cover Crops Book
Revised
Managing Cover Crops Profitably" explores how and why cover crops
work
and provides all the information needed to build cover crops into
any
farming operation.
Revised and updated in 2007, the 3rd edition
includes new chapters on brassicas and mustards, six new farm
profiles,
as well as a comprehensive chapter on the use of cover crops in
conservation tillage systems.
Updates throughout are based on more
than
100 new literature citations and consultations with cover crop
researchers and practitioners around the country. Appendices include
seed sources and a listing of cover crop experts.
The book costs $19 and is available from the
SARE publications
page.
Competitive Value Added Loans Available
Competitive loans are available through the Agricultural Value Added
Center for ag producers, entrepreneurs and existing companies with
business planning, product development, marketing and product sourcing.
.
The Agricultural Value Added Center provides technical and financial
support for the creation and expansion of producer-based alliances and
value-added businesses. The competitive loan program is available for
projects that utilize Kansas agricultural commodities.
Market Development funds are available for projects that explore a
market or facilitate entry into a market. Bridge funds are available for
equity drives or escrow financing for start-up funds. Commercialization
funds are provided for projects that involve actual processing,
equipment, physical structures, and gap financing. Loans are evaluated
throughout the year on business merit and benefit to Kansas agriculture.
The loans are interest free for two years. After the first two years, a
one percent interest is added annually. The annual amount available for
these loans is approximately $400,000, and there is no minimum award
amount. All funds are required to be matched.
For more information, visit the
Kansas Commerce
website under the Agriculture Marketing Division, or email
Corey Mohn,
Agribusiness Development Specialist for the Kansas Department of
Commerce.
New Resource Available: Marketing the
Market
“Marketing is the whole business, taken from the customer’s
point of view.” – Peter Drucker

The Kansas Rural Center has created
a
new publication with information
on promoting Farmers’ Markets.
The straight-forward publication
reviews effective marketing principles utilizing market newsletters and how to
partner with the community.
The article focuses on many main marketing issues within a market, such
as coming together, maximizing business and focusing on the market
experience. Important questions are answered, such as, “What factors
draw shoppers in and which can send them running?”
The authors are Jerry Jost and Mercedes Taylor-Puckett. The Kansas Rural
Center publication was created with financial support from USDA’s Risk
Management Agency.
Marketing the Market (pdf file)
Waterers and Watering Systems Resource
Carol
Blocksome and Morgan Powell of Kansas State University have created a
handbook for livestock producers and landowners. The purpose of this
handbook is to assist producers and landowners in choosing watering
systems that fit their budgets and needs.

Livestock tend to
concentrate around water sources. This activity can lead to reduced
vegetative cover and increased manure concentration in and around water
sources. Water quality can become polluted with sediment, nutrients, and
fecal coliform and streptococcus.
Livestock distribution can be altered by manipulating livestock
attractions. Water is the strongest attractant, both for drinking and
loafing. Existing water resources can be renovated or modified and new
sources of water can be added. This handbook covers various water and
power sources, pumps, pipelines, storage tanks, animal drink delivery
and livestock management practices.
Prescribed Burning Resources
The role of fire has come full circle in managing the grasslands of the
Great Plains. Wildfires occurred naturally before the settlers arrived.
As settlements grew and the rangeland was plowed and fenced, the
wildfires became smaller and less frequent. Prescribed burning is a
management tool used to restore and maintain native plant communities to
their former diversity and productivity as wildlife habitat and for
livestock production.
The benefits of fire also create the potential for
danger. Poorly managed burned or ignorance of safety measures can lead
to property damage and even injury or death. Safety should be the major
consideration in all situations.
Below are some resources to assist in planning safe prescribed burning:
Prescribed Burning: Safety
Prescribed Burning: Planning and Conducting
Prescribed Burning as a Management Practice
Prescribed Burning: Equipment
Prescribed Fire Associations
Sustainable Agriculture Network - Knowledge Made Simple

As the national outreach arm of the USDA Sustainable Agiculture Research and Education Program (SARE), SAN produces books,
bulletins and online resources highlighting SARE project results and other innovative research.
Find useful farmer handbooks, practical guides to cutting-edge topics and user-friendly e-resources in
SAN’s re-organized online catalog.
Know more! View SAN’s practical handbooks to improve farming and ranching systems.
Pinpoint your information needs, from dairy to direct-marketing, in SAN’s e-books and databases.
Download free bulletins that inspire and inform.
Check out information for consumers.
Consult information gleaned from SARE projects.
Windbreak Renovation Needed Around Kansas
Over 60 years ago, thousands of windbreak structures
were created in Kansas. Unfortunately, many of the 75,000 windbreaks
have been unmanaged for many years, and about half are in fair to poor
condition, according to the Natural Resource Conservation Service’s 1992
Natural Resource Inventory.
These trees require proper management to be effective. Because so many
windbreaks have been neglected, a great number must now be renovated.
Renovation practices include thinning, releasing, and pruning of trees,
controlling surrounding grasses, and planting additional trees and
shrubs to create a diverse area of plant life.
Windbreaks can be renovated while maintaining their functionality.
To show the process of windbreak renovation, K-State and KCSAAC with the
Kansas Farmer’s Union held an Agroforestry field day in June of 2006.
Charlie Barden, the K-State Extension Forestry Specialist reported, “We
had a great turnout, and now people know the importance of windbreak
management.” Around forty-five people were able to see the effects of
poor management of windbreaks.
Windbreak Renovation Case Study

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