I'd like to personally invite the Midwestern dwellers among us to the third
annual gathering of the Midwest Sustainable Agriculture Working Group. We
have quite a line-up of informative workshops and a live band for dancin'.
Two workshops I'm helping to organize (so I can give an extra plug) are a
discussion on the meaning and definition of PUBLIC INTEREST SCIENCE.
Elizabeth Bird and I, on behalf of the Consortium for Sustainable
Agriculture Research and Education, will share a white paper now being
drafted by a national committee of CSARE, MSAWG and the Center for Rural
Affairs on PUBLIC INTEREST SCIENCE.
The second workshop is a discussion of a new crop revenue insurance pilot
program of USDA. This whole farm insurance "product" insures for losses
resulting from both yield and price declines. The pilot areas now include
Florida, Michigan, and several New England states. At the MSAWG meeting we
will be joined by USDA technical experts on policy and new product
development. This is a fantastic opportunity to talk with USDA about
expanding whole farm revenue insurance to other areas and to include
livestock. Possible areas of interest might include the Red River Valley
region in North and South Dakota and Minnesota and Nebraska and Iowa.
To find out how to register for the meeting call Chris Rietz and the
Wisconsin Rural Development Center (608) 226-0300 ext. 206.
See you there! Kim Leval, Center for Rural Affairs and CSARE - National
ag research policy coordinator
Other workshops of interest to SANET subscribers:
* SARE MARKETING - Recipients of SARE marketing grants share
innovations.
* SELLING SUSTAINABLE - The European Experience - First Hand
experience in Europe with adding value in sustainable agriculture.
* COMMUNITY SUPPORTED AGRICULTURE - past, present and future of CSAs -
2 workshops based on experience in KS and WI
* FARMERS SUMMIT - Farmers discuss development & implementation of a
Farmers Summit to respond to the Farm Crisis.
* FIGHTING AND WINNING AGAINST FAMILY FARMS - What are the next steps
for farmers, environmentalists, and rural people to fight factory farming
and promote sound alternatives?
* A TIME TO ACT IS USDA WALKING IT'S TALK ON SMALL FARMS - Keynote
Speaker - IN Farmer Greg Gunthorp, member of the Small Farm Commission
* Conservation & Farming Opportunity / Risk Management Committees
discussions on what work priorities should be for the coming year
Ag Policy
* Conservation & Farming Opportunity / Risk Management Committees
discussions on what work priorities should be for the coming year
R&D
* PUBLIC INTEREST RESEARCH What agricultural research is in the public
interest, what is not?
* SUSTAINABLE FARMING SYSTEMS - 2 workshops farmers, researchers
governments and non-profits in partnership & Monitoring performance
* Research Committee discussion on what work priorities should be for
the coming year
Global Warming
* GLOBAL WARMING FACTS & Fiction
* Conservation Committee discussion on what work priorities should be
for the coming year
LANDLINK/Beginning Farmer
* Farming Opportunity and Risk Management Committee discussion on what
work priorities should be for the coming year
To Unsubscribe: Email majordomo@ces.ncsu.edu with the command
"unsubscribe sanet-mg".
To Subscribe to Digest: Email majordomo@ces.ncsu.edu with the command
"subscribe sanet-mg-digest".
All messages to sanet-mg are archived at:
http://www.sare.org/htdocs/hypermail