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FMNP FARMER CERTIFICATION MEETINGS, March 9 and March 24

All fruit, vegetable, and honey producers selling at Certified Connecticut Grown Farmers’ Markets must be certified with the Connecticut Department of Agriculture’s Farmers Market Nutrition Program (FMNP). To be certified, producers must attend a certification meeting.

The certification allows farms to accept the FMNP checks for fresh fruits, vegetables, and honey from WIC clients and income-eligible seniors over the age of 60. Join us to get your certification, learn more about available grant funding for your farm, and accepting SNAP to expand your sales.
Additional meeting dates have been added. Below is the current list of meeting dates which will all be held virtually via Microsoft Teams.  

• Wednesday, March 9, 2021 from 8 a.m. – 10 a.m.
• Wednesday, March 24, 2021 from 3 p.m. – 5 p.m.

Registration is now open at http://bit.ly/3qK3cjV.

Questions can be directed to Erin Windham at Erin.Windham@ct.gov or 860-519-6083 or Haley Rowland at Haley.Rowland@ct.gov or 860-895-3095.

FREE FARM SUCCESSION PLANNING WEBINAR Land For Good is offering three free webinars on Farm Succession Planning

Land For Good is offering a FREE webinar series for farmers and farm families to learn the basics of farm succession planning, how to get started, where to find resources, ask questions of succession planning experts, and get support on this challenging process. Farmers from across New England of all farm sizes and enterprises are welcome. 

March 16: Getting Started With Your Farm Succession Planning
March 23: Financial Considerations for Farm Succession Planning
March 30: Legal Considerations for Farm Succession Planning

Register now! Registration gives participants access to all of the webinars in this series, plus class worksheets and resources, as well as access to recordings of webinars. Click here for more information.

FARM BUSINESS PLANNING & BUDGETING WEBINAR, March 11, 2021, 4 to 5 p.m. for Session 2: Budgeting & Financial Planning – FREE

URI Cooperative Extension, the RI Small Business Development Center (RISBDC), and UMass and UConn Cooperative Extension invite you to these 1 hour webinars – to get you thinking more about your farm-based business, whether you are well-established or new.

Join us Thursday, March 11 from 4 to 5 p.m. for Session 2: Budgeting & Financial Planning. In this free session, we’ll work through a budgeting/one-page financial planning tool to help farm business owners get a handle on their historical revenue and costs (by revenue stream) and plan for the year(s) to come.

Presenters: Josh Daly, RISBDC & Andy Radin, URI Ag Extension

Register at this link: https://www.risbdc.org/workshop.aspx?ekey=70410024

February 17, 22 and 25: Virtual FMNP Farmer Certification Meetings

The Connecticut Department of Agriculture is hosting virtual certification meetings for producers to participate in the Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program (FMNP) at Certified Connecticut Grown Farmers’ Markets during the 2021-2023 seasons.

All fruit, vegetable, cut herb, and honey producers selling at Certified Connecticut Grown Farmers’ Markets must attend a certification meeting to meet eligibility requirements to participate in the FMNP program. 

The certification allows farms to accept the FMNP checks as payment for fresh fruits, vegetables, cut herbs, and honey from Women, Infants and Children (WIC) clients and income-eligible seniors over the age of 60. Join us to get your certification, learn more about available grant funding for your farm, and accepting Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to expand your sales.

Below is the  list of remaining meeting dates which will all be held virtually via Microsoft Teams.  

• Wednesday, February 17, 2021, from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m.
• Monday, February 22, 2021, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.
• Thursday, February 25, 2021, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Registration is now open at http://bit.ly/3qK3cjV. Questions can be directed to Erin Windham at Erin.Windham@ct.gov or 860-519-6083 or Haley Rowland at 860-895-3095.

March 18-19, CT DEEP 1st Annual Connecticut Youth Climate Summit.

Connecticut DEEP is hosting a summit for climate change action and engagement for high school students.  This event allows students to learn the science and impacts of climate change, as well as ways to engage youth in action planning for civic and community involvement.  Details and information on how to take part in this event can be accessed using the links provided or contacting susan.quincy@ct.gov. 

Click here for more information.

April 7, 14, and 21st at noon. CT NOFA Healthy Soil Under the Microscope with Monique Bosch, a lunch time series

Join CT NOFA at noon on Wednesdays in April, as we zoom in on ‘Microbes Having Lunch’, under the microscope.

Week 1 (April 7): Learn about the diversity of organisms that make up the ‘soil food web’. From the tiniest one-celled bacteria, algae, fungi, and protozoa, to the more complex nematodes and micro-arthropods.

Week 2 (April 14): Learn how to keep microbes in your soil ‘alive and well’. In return, these soil organisms will provide nutrients for the plants, build organic matter, aggregate soil particles together, and help plants resist ‘stress’.

Week 3 (April 21): Learn how to make healthy, living compost, compost tea, and extractions, then how to use a microscope to identify the microbes, and quality.

Healthy Living Soil Grows Healthy Nutritious Food.

Learn more and to register, click here.

February 27th, March 3rd, March 10th 12:00 pm – 1:30 pm CT NOFA Workshop: Road to Organic Certification

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.