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March 5, 6 and 13 NOFA 2021 Connecticut and Rhode Island Winter Conference

February 22 and 23: Harvest New England Assoc. Farmers’ Market Managers Workshop

NEW ENGLAND FARMERS’ MARKET MANAGERS SEMINAR

Harvest New England Association is pleased to announce the New England Farmers’ Market Managers Seminar. Five virtual workshops, focused on issues related to managing farmers’ markets, will be held over two days on February 22 and 23. The seminar will precede the Harvest New England Agricultural Marketing Conference and Trade Show to be held February 24 and 25. Registration is now open! There is no cost to attend.
 
Seminar topics will include discussion on market planning and promotion, community engagement and partnerships, conflict resolution, creating welcoming and inclusive markets, and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and SNAP incentive programs. The seminar will kick-off with a workshop entitled, So Long 2020! It’s a New Year, a New Day, a New Marketplace in 2021, which will look at how farmers’ market managers can navigate the upcoming season given the uncertainties related to the Covid-19 pandemic. Workshops will include presentations and discussion with farmers market managers from across the New England region. The complete agenda, including workshop descriptions and speakers can be found here or at www.harvestnewengland.org.

Tri-State SAR Webinar Series – Improving Pasture Management for Sustainable Livestock Production

WEBINAR SERIES: IMPROVING PASTURE MANAGEMENT FOR SUSTAINABLE LIVESTOCK PRODUCTION

Tri-State SARE (Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education) Project is offering a webinar series on improving pasture management for sustainable livestock production, starting on Friday, February 19 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. This project is a professional development opportunity for agricultural service providers and farmers provided by the Northeast SARE state programs in Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

Webinars are open to service providers and farmers. By attending all webinars, participants will have a sound understanding of how to develop a personalized grazing plan. 

For more information, visit http://meatsystems.uconn.edu/ or contact Rachel Bespuda, Project Director, at rachel.bespuda@uconn.edu. 

To register, click here.

February 16, 2021, 6:30- 8:30 pm- Farmland Mixer

If you are a farmer in Connecticut looking for land to lease or buy, join the virtual Farmland Mixer on February 18, 2021 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. This is a great opportunity for you to talk to landowners and get other resources from service providers about how to prepare to lease or buy land. To make sure this event has the most impact possible, we are limiting the amount of attendees, so be sure to sign up early. Sign up here:  https://bit.ly/farmmixersignup

Some attendees will be asked to give a three minute pitch for the day of the mixer. Keep in mind that pitch slots are limited, so some attendees will only be permitted to listen. Service providers will also be present on the day of the mixer to answer questions that come up in conversations between farmers and landowners, and to direct you towards resources for taking the next steps. If you have any questions about the event, feel free to reach out to Will O’Meara at will@landforgood.org.

February 19, 2021 at 2:30 p.m

Join USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NCRS) and the Livestock and Poultry Environmental Learning Community (LPELC) for a webinar on PFAS and its potential effects on agricultural production on February 19, 2021 at 2:30 p.m. EST.

Even though we may not realize it, use of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a part of our everyday lives. These “forever” chemicals make up a family of over 4,000 human made compounds which have many beneficial properties such as repelling water, resisting heat and reducing friction. Since these chemicals are so persistent in the environment, they tend to accumulate over time. They can be found virtually everywhere from drinking water to plants and animals. The first PFAS webinar focused on its impacts on water and provided an overview of a few of the treatment options. This session will address PFAS in biosolids, soils, and manures. Biosolids have been land applied for decades and manures for centuries. Both have provided valuable nutrients for crop production and organics to help build soil tilth. Discussion will be centered around the potential impacts PFAS can have on agricultural production. For more information and to register, click here.

February 17, 2021 1:00- 4:30 pm: USDA Webinar: Building Resilience in Agriculture and Food Systems through Strategic Partnerships.

You’re invited to USDA’s forum Building Resilience in Agricultural & Food Systems through Innovative and Strategic Partnerships on Wednesday, February 17, 2021 from 1:00-4:30 p.m. EST. Presenters include leaders from USDA, ag industry and community organizations followed by open Q&A discussion. This forum discussion will highlight how innovative and strategic partnerships between federal, state, local and private partners support the building of resilience in agricultural and food systems, with a focus on food systems and disaster recovery. Held in conjunction with USDA’s Ag Outlook Forum, this Microsoft Teams Live Event is hosted by USDA’s Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement (OPPE) and Farm Production and Conservation (FPAC) Mission Area. The event takes place in conjunction with the Agricultural Outlook Forum, the USDA’s largest annual gathering, bringing together more than 1,500 sector leaders to connect and discuss current and key emerging issues in agriculture.

Click here to register. For more information, contact OPPE’s Alex Cordova at alex.cordova@usda.gov or FPAC’s Jessica Carlton at Jessica.carlton@usda.gov.
 

A three-part webinar series on plant growth regulators, pests, and diseases on ornamental plants in greenhouses. Presentations are for commercial greenhouse growers (wholesale and retail) producing ornamental spring bedding plants, specialty annuals and herbaceous perennials. One pesticide recertification credit has been approved for each one-hour webinar for all New England states. All webinars will take place from 12 to 1 PM EST.

Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2021, Effective Use of Plant Growth Regulators, George Grant, GGSPRO Technical Specialist

Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2021, Research Update on Managing Greenhouse Insect and Mite Pests, Dr. Raymond Cloyd, Kansas State University

Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2021, Diseases of Spring Annuals and Herbaceous Perennials, Margery Daughtrey, Cornell University

For more information and to register, click here.

2021 FSMA PRODUCE SAFETY ALLIANCE REMOTE GROWER TRAINING COURSE
Tuesday, January 12, 2021 at 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Wednesday, January 13, 2021 at 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

The Produce Safety Alliance (PSA) Grower Training Course has been designed to provide a foundation of Good Agricultural Practices knowledge that includes emphasis on co-management of food safety and environmental management goals, while outlining the requirements of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety Rule. The PSA Grower Training Course is one way to satisfy the FSMA Produce Safety Rule requirement outlined in § 112.22(c) that requires ‘At least one supervisor or responsible party for your farm must have successfully completed food safety training at least equivalent to that received under standardized curriculum recognized as adequate by the Food and Drug Administration.’ This course will be taught remotely on a Zoom platform as per the remote delivery guidelines established by PSA.

Course registration fee (includes all course materials and certificate): $50

Please register by December 28 by clicking here or by visiting http://cahnrconference.uconn.edu/.

For more information, please visit Produce Safety Grower Course_UConn or contact Indu Upadhyaya at 860-786-8191 or indu.upadhyaya@uconn.edu.

FREE WEBINAR: Navigating the PPP Loan Forgiveness Process, Jan 20 12-1:30 pm

For small business owners experiencing confusion with the PPP loan forgiveness process, SCORE is offering a free webinar on January 20, 2021, at 12:00-1:30 p.m. EST with small business consultant and SCORE Mentor Josette A. Hill. Topics will include deadlines, eligible expenses, independent contractors, application forms, covered period, calculating payroll cost, and much more.

Workshop presenter Josette A. Hill is the Founder of J.A.H. Financial Services, in Portland, CT. She is an accomplished Income Tax Professional, Coach, SCORE Mentor and highly sought-after Small Business Consultant. 

Pre-registration is required, sign up here. . 

February 24-25, 2021: Free Harvest New England Virtual Agricultural Marketing Conference and Trade Show

REGISTRATION NOW OPEN FOR HARVEST NEW ENGLAND

The 8th biennial Harvest New England Agricultural Marketing Conference and Trade Show which draws hundreds of farmers and farm industry members to idea-laden workshops and hear motivational speakers from across the region, will be held virtually for the first time. Mark your calendars now for February 24 and 25, 2021, and join your regional agriculturists for two half days of workshops!
 
This year’s conference theme is Diversifying for Agri-Businesses: Strategies for Weathering the Storms. Kicking off the educational workshops on Wednesday, February 24 at 8:45 a.m. is conference keynote speaker and seventh generation farmer and author, Forrest Pritchard from Berryville, Virginia. His talk, entitled Lessons from 2020, Opportunities for 2021, will examine what the past year taught us not only about our operations, our markets and marketing, but most importantly, ourselves, and how farmers can use these lessons to sustainably pivot into 2021 and beyond.
 
Five additional workshops will follow on Wednesday and Thursday. These workshops will include farmers and experts from across the region, with a focus on product and market diversification. Information about all of the workshop, including workshop descriptions and speaker biographies, can be found at www.harvestnewengland.org.
 
Harvest New England is also developing a New England Farmers’ Market Managers Seminar to be held in conjunction with the conference. More details will be announced soon.
 
Registration is now open, and in 2021, the conference will be offered at no cost to attendees. Harvest New England recognizes that this year has been unprecedented for producers in many ways, and feels strongly that now more than ever, it’s important to provide agricultural businesses throughout the Northeast with the tools to remain viable, cultivate innovators, and foster the next generation of farmers.