Building a Future with Farmers
Agroforestry for Food Production – 2017 ongoing research from the University of Illinois
USDA Announces Programs to Conserve Sensitive Land and Help Beginning Farmers–
A Farmer’s Guide to Working with Land Trusts – published by the National Young Farmers Coalition
USDA Provides Greater Protection for Fruit, Vegetable and Other Specialty Crop Growers– https://www.fsa.usda.gov/FSA/webapp?area=home&subject=diap&topic=nap
Agroforestry templates from Backyard Abundance in Iowa City provide great beginnings for perennial production for Iowa.
International efforts to maintain and build biodiversity start with the famous Svalbard Seed Vault. See the work of the Crop Trust that runs it.
From Grant Adviser Deirdre Birmingham at the Michael Fields Agricultural Institute: You can get on Deirdre’s email list by writing her at deirdreb4@gmail.com
From the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition:
Looking to transition to organic farming? Curious which cover crops will work in your region? Look no further than PubAg, the National Agricultural Library’s (NAL) newest search engine.
The Agricultural Research Service (ARS) – free search engine tool for USDA and peer reviewed agriculture-related research publications.
The Alternative Farming Systems Information Center (AFSIC) specializes in information pertaining to sustainable food systems including ecologic pest management, aquaculture, building soil, on-farm renewable energy, and much more. Founded in 1985, AFSIC is perfect for a farmer looking to move towards more sustainable practices with practical guides and tools. Stemming from the program that eventually became Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE), AFSIC was one of the first USDA programs to focus on sustainable and organic agriculture.
Organic Roots Collection. Originating from a time before pesticides and synthetic fertilizers, these documents are rich with information on conservation techniques and organic farming. Information about beekeeping, the importance of cover cropping and crop rotation, and early techniques for pest management are available in plenty. These resources are excellent for farmers interested in using century-old techniques to grow more nutritious and less fossil-fuel intensive foods while simultaneously building their soil to increase productivity for future harvests.
Start2Farm.gov includes a database of resources and programs for beginning farmers, including insights into finding financing and services.
Upcoming Farm Commons Webinars- https://farmcommons.org/webinars/upcoming , Archived- https://farmcommons.org/webinars, Resources- https://farmcommons.org/resources