Center For Environmental Farming Systems

The Center for Environmental Farming Systems has some great sessions coming up in 2010. A majority of the sessions will be held in Goldsboro, NC. There is something for everyone and the registration fees associated are quite reasonable with most being "free" or up to $20. April 21-Small Ruminant Integrated Gastrointestinal Parasite Control, Smart Drenching and FAMACHA May 8-CEFS Spring Farm Festival May 23-Farm to Fork Picnic May TBA-Organic No-till Corn and Soybean Production May 25-Conservation Practices in Outdoor Hog Production June TBA-Organic No-till Corn and Soybean Production June 5-Food System Assessments Part I: Community-based Assessments July 13-Food System Assessments Part II: Local, Regional and State Food Assessments July 14-Farmscaping for Pest and Wildlife Management July 27-Alternative Management Strategies for Dairy Grazing Systems with Potential Application for Both Organic and Conventional Pasture-based Systems August 25 WEBINAR–High Tunnel Enhancements: Using Inner Covers to Increase Production August 26-Organic Certification October 13-Fall Tomato Production October 21-Use of Riparian Buffers to Mitigate Nutrient Runoff November 16-Managing Nutrients & Pests in Pasture-based Livestock Production Below is detailed information regarding each session: Small Ruminant Integrated Gastrointestinal Parasite Control, Smart Drenching and FAMACHA© Wednesday, April 21, 2010 8:45 a.m. – noon CEFS, Goldsboro, NC Registration Fee: $10 (includes lunch; can be reimbursed – contact Niki Whitley at ncwhitle@ncat.edu or 336-334-7956 for details) Coordinator: J-M. Luginbuhl Instructors: J-M. Luginbuhl, Niki Whitley, Eileen Coite Controlling gastrointestinal nematodes in their animals represents the biggest challenge facing small-ruminant producers worldwide. Participants will learn about the biology of the gastrointestinal nematodes, where we are and why, a quick review of dewormers, and how to integrate smart drenching, FAMACHA© and pasture management for more effective control. New alternatives being researched will also be discussed. An optional (brief) hands-on session will be held after lunch to teach participants how to use the FAMACHA© card as an effective tool. CEFS Spring Farm Festival Saturday, May 8, 2010 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. CEFS Small Farm Unit, Goldsboro, NC FREE EVENT!!! A great FAMILY EVENT with lots of kid-friendly activities. Please join us at the CEFS Small Farm Unit as we celebrate sustainable agriculture and local food and farming in North Carolina. The Festival will include educational booths and activities, workshops, tours, kids' activities, a farmers market, local food and live music all day. Exhibits: Learn about organic and sustainable farming, home gardening, small farm equipment, healthy eating, and more through exhibits hosted by extension offices, university faculty and staff, nonprofit organizations, and other agricultural organizations in North Carolina. Kids' Activities: Children of all ages will enjoy hands-on agricultural activities including games, crafts, and much more! Workshops: Local experts will offer demonstrations on topics of interest to farmers and home gardeners. Live Music: Enjoy live music while you visit the educational booths, or simply enjoy a walking tour of the farm. Farmers Market: Purchase farm-fresh products from local farms at the Festival Farmers Market. Farm Tours: Tours of the CEFS farm will be offered throughout the day. Tour stops include the pasture-based dairy and beef facilities, swine hoop houses, and cropping system research areas. Farm to Fork Picnic NEW DATE: Sunday, May 23, 2010 NEW TIME: 4 – 7 p.m. Location: Breeze Farm, Hillsborough, NC Ticket Cost: TBA Advanced ticket purchase required. Join Piedmont cooks and farmers for an evening of food, live music and fun activities for the entire family! In a unique collaboration, the regions most acclaimed cooks will pair with Piedmont farmers to prepare a picnic-style feast that celebrates our local foods and the people who grow and make them. Organic No-till Corn and Soybean Production May 2010, Date TBA 5 – 7 p.m. Location and Registration Fee TBA Coordinator: Molly Hamilton Instructors: Dr. Chris Reberg-Horton, Dr. Julie Grossman, Mary Parr, George Place One of two on-farm workshops that will demonstrate no-till/roll-kill practices that can be used in organic corn and soybean production. The technique for planting corn and soybeans into roll-killed cover crops will be discussed, and potential follow-up weed control methods will be demonstrated. Crop yields, fertility and crop management will also be discussed, as well as research results from the previous year. Conservation Practices in Outdoor Hog Production Tuesday, May 25, 2010 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. CEFS, Goldsboro, NC Registration Fee: $20 (includes lunch) Coordinators: Silvana Pietrosemoli, Lee Menius Instructors: Silvana Pietrosemoli, Lee Menius This workshop will give agents and producers training on the environmental problems associated with outdoor hog production and conservation practices needed to address these issues. The group will tour and discuss the outdoor swine research sites at CEFS and nearby farms. Organic No-till Corn and Soybean Production June 2010, Date TBA 5 – 7 p.m. Location and Registration Fee TBA Coordinator: Molly Hamilton Instructors: Dr. Chris Reberg-Horton, Dr. Julie Grossman, Mary Parr, George Place One of two on-farm workshops that will demonstrate no-till/roll-kill practices that can be used in organic corn and soybean production. The technique for planting corn and soybeans into roll-killed cover crops will be discussed, and potential follow-up weed control methods will be demonstrated. Crop yields, fertility and crop management will also be discussed, as well as research results from the previous year. Food System Assessments Part I: Community-based Assessments Saturday, June 5, 2010 10 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. CEFS, Goldsboro, NC Registration Fee: $10 Coordinator: Tes Thraves Instructor: Sidney Cruze Community-based food assessments identify food access, availability and demand questions, but also provide an engaged mode of community outreach and education about the importance of healthy food and local economics, as well as community development possibilities based in good food projects. This workshop will help you understand the basics of community-driven food assessments, will let you hear from youth and community members doing successful projects in North Carolina, and will give you some tools for beginning or expanding your own local assessments. In Part I, we'll cover different types of community-based assessments, examine ways that they help with outreach and education, and introduce youth-driven community food assessment activities. If you want an introduction to community-based food assessments or want to jump into exploring the baseline of your own area, we'll offer the information and materials to get started! Community-based food assessments can create the foundation for a comprehensive food system assessment. See the workshop titled "Food System Assessments Part II: Local, Regional and State Food Assessments" (below, July 13) for ways to leverage your community-based assessment. Food System Assessments Part II: Local, Regional and State Food Assessments Tuesday, July 13, 2010 9 a.m. – noon CEFS, Goldsboro, NC Registration Fee: $10 Coordinator: Tes Thraves Instructor: Sidney Cruze This workshop offers an overview of food system assessments and outlines key steps for developing local and regional assessments. Comprehensive food system assessments often combine secondary data gathered from health departments, ag extension and the USDA Census of Agriculture with primary data gathered by professionals from community members. We will look at a variety of professional food assessment models—the data collected, plus how they are conducted and used—as well as examples of some done in North Carolina. We'll cover one in detail as a case study and discuss concrete steps to getting a comprehensive county-wide or regional assessment in your area. If you want an introduction to food assessments or you want to explore the baseline data for your own food system, and we'll offer the information and materials to get started! Comprehensive food system assessments can create the foundation for a community-based food assessment. See the workshop titled "Food System Assessments Part I: Community-based Assessments" (above, June 5) for ways to leverage your food system assessment. Farmscaping for Pest and Wildlife Management Wednesday, July 14, 2010 9 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. CEFS, Goldsboro, NC Registration Fee: $20 (includes lunch) Coordinator: Dr. David Orr This workshop will provide an overview of practices designed to enhance beneficial insects (predators, parasites, pollinators) as well as farmland wildlife. Field demonstrations will focus on establishment and maintenance of habitats to provide all the life-cycle needs of these organisms. Alternative Management Strategies for Dairy Grazing Systems with Potential Application for Both Organic and Conventional Pasture-based Systems Tuesday, July 27, 2010 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. CEFS, Goldsboro, NC Registration Fee: $20 (includes lunch) Waste Management Credits and Pesticide Credits are available. Coordinator: Dr. Steve Washburn Instructors: Dr. Sue Ellen Johnson, Dr. Kevin Anderson, Dr. Mark Alley, Dr. Wes Watson, Dr. Steve Washburn, Eileen Balz, Keena Mullen This workshop will include observations on research using alfalfa-grass pasture mixtures being managed either organically or conventionally as well as other pasture-management topics. The workshop will include preliminary observations from alternative approaches in managing reproduction, udder health, and general herd health in pasture-based and organic dairy cows. We will also observe the use of a vacuum system to physically remove horn flies from lactating cows as well as other novel strategies for parasite control. WEBINAR – High Tunnel Enhancements: Using Inner Covers to Increase Production Wednesday, August 25, 2010 Noon – 1 p.m. Location: WEBINAR – DELTA Registration Fee: FREE Coordinator: Steve Moore in conjunction with DELTA NCSU Instructor: Steve Moore Are you getting the most out of your high tunnels? This short webinar will focus on the use of low-cost inner tunnels in cool weather to increase microclimate temperatures. These microclimate enhancements have provided significant increases in plant growth and production capacity. There will be a significant portion of time for high tunnel questions. Please register online at https://justgrow.wufoo.com/forms/webinar-registration-high-tunnel-enhancement/. Organic Certification Thursday, August 26, 2010 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. CEFS, Goldsboro, NC Registration Fee: $50 Coordinator: Lisa Forehand Instructor: Tony Kleese This workshop will help you understand what you need to know and do to get your farm certified under the USDA's National Organic Program (NOP). Find out what the standards are, how to get certified, how to fill out an organic certification application, and how to find and choose a certifier. You'll receive an extensive notebook with record-keeping templates, mock applications, resources, approved materials lists and more. If you are thinking about getting certified organic, this is the place to start! Fall Tomato Production Wednesday, October 13, 2010 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. CEFS, Goldsboro, NC Registration Fee: $20 (includes lunch) Coordinator: Dr. Keith Baldwin Instructors: Dr. Keith Baldwin, Rickie Holness In North Carolina, the traditional "direct marketing season" for small-scale vegetable producers is from April to October. Successful North Carolina growers who sell primarily at tailgate markets attempt to have quality produce for sale every week during that period. Getting the best price for product brought to market involves production planning. As often as possible, smart growers will want to bring product to market when supply is low so that they can charge high prices. One such production strategy is referred to as "season extension." Season extension provides producers with a competitive advantage, because it enables them to produce, harvest and sell crops when they are not typically available to consumers. For example, growers can make "early" spring specialty lettuces or "late" fall tomatoes available to consumers when demand is high at market and supply is low. Having produce available for sale at market when other growers do not can boost farm income and establish customer loyalty. A common season extension strategy employed by growers is to plant a crop at a nontraditional time. For example, tomatoes are normally planted as soon as the danger of spring frost is past. However, tomatoes can be planted much later in the growing season for market sales beginning in September and ending with the first fall frost. Having tomatoes for sale in the fall, when spring-planted tomatoes have "played out" and supply in the marketplace is limited, is a recipe for increasing sales and making money. This Extension workshop will focus on the production of high-quality tomatoes that can be sold at market from September until the first fall frost. Use of Riparian Buffers to Mitigate Nutrient Runoff Thursday, October 21, 2010 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. CEFS, Goldsboro, NC Registration Fee: $20 Organizer: Josh Idassi Riparian buffers are a technology in sustainable agriculture used to reduce excess amount of sediment, organic materials, nutrients and pesticides in surface runoff. Riparian buffers consist of grass, shrubs and/or trees grown alongside water sources (streams, rivers, ditches, etc.). This workshop will describe the design and maintenance of riparian buffers and the potential additional benefits of creating them, including the use of specialty crops within the buffer such as fruit shrubs or trees, nut trees and herbs. The workshop will include a classroom section with pictures and educational materials followed by a tour of CEFS areas with riparian buffers. Managing Nutrients and Pests in Pasture-based Livestock Production Systems Tuesday, November 16, 2010 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. CEFS, Goldsboro, NC Registration Fee: $20 (includes lunch) Coordinator: Dr. Steve Washburn Instructors: Dr. Steve Washburn, Dr. Matt Poore, Dr. Jean-Marie Luginbuhl, Dr. Wes Watson This workshop will improve participants' understanding of how nutrients cycle in pasture-based systems. Participants will be introduced to the nitrogen and phosphorus cycles in a pasture ecosystem, and will improve their understanding of how to manage excreted nutrients. Use of composted poultry litter and dry bedded swine waste on forage crops, and optimal control of insect and plant pests in conventional and organic systems, will also be discussed. Continuing education credits for animal waste system operators and pesticide applicators will be offered.