Veteran Resources How Can NCAT Help You? Farmers and ranchers are looking for reliable information on sustainable and organic agriculture, on how to get started in farming, on how to qualify for government programs that reward land stewardship and resource conservation, and on how to pursue such profitable niche markets as organic meats and grains or agriculture tourism. The answers to these and many other similar questions are available free from an NCAT program called ATTRA - Sustainable Agriculture. Publications ATTRA publications cover a wide range of topics, including: Horticultural crops Field crops Soils and composts Pest management Irrigation, water conservation, and water quality issues Livestock production Grass farming Marketing and business strategies Market gardening Risk management Agricultural energy Organic certification, production, and marketing Visit attra.ncat.org to view a complete list of our publications. Most are available to download in PDF format. Tutorials ATTRA offers free, online self-instruction courses to help beginning farmers and producers who want to diversify their operations or expand their markets. The courses include a variety of educational tools such as worksheets, narrated PowerPoint presentations, videos, and tip sheets. Beginning Farmer Business Planning, Marketing, and Sheep, Goat & Poultry Resources Getting Started in Farming: An Introduction to Farm Business Planning Technical Assistance ATTRAs friendly staff members are knowledgeable about livestock, horticulture, agronomy, organic farming, marketing, farm energy, and many other sustainable agriculture topics, and are available to provide free assistance. ATTRA offers several ways producers can contact an agriculture specialist, who will research questions and send the client a report, including sources of more information. Call ATTRA at 1-800-346-9140 (English) or 1-800-411-3222 (Spanish) Use our online Ask A Sustainable Agriculture Expert form. Text your questions to [email protected] Website In addition to over 300 publications, ATTRAs website contains webinars, videos, searchable databases, and the Farmer Knows Best forum, plus tools to keep you up-to-date on whats happening in sustainable agriculture: Calendar of events Funding opportunities Weekly Harvest e-news Current Opportunities Veteran Scholarships Available for Sustainable Ag Conference Annual Southern SAWG conference focuses on practical advice for farmers Limited scholarships are available for military veterans who would like to attend Southern Sustainable Agriculture Working Groups (SAWG) annual Practical Tools and Solutions for Sustaining Family Farms Conference. The popular conference, which is being held January 14 through January 17 in Mobile, Alabama, focuses on practical tools and solutions to build the necessary bridges between farmers, marketers, ag professionals, and local-food system advocates. The University of Arkansas and the National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT) are partnering to offer the veteran scholarships, which cover general registration for the conference. The deadline to apply for the scholarships is December 12. Download the PDF application, or fill it out online. For more information on the scholarships, contact Margo Hale at [email protected]. To learn more about the conference, visit ssawg.org/january-2015-conference/. What participants say about Armed to Farm training: This was one of the best workshops, if not the best, in any field I have been involved in. It was a great mix of hands-on and classroom instruction. The instructors were very experienced and knowledgeable. As a Wounded Warrior Project Alumni, two-time Irag veteran, and beginning farmer I can, without hesitation, recommend the Armed to Farm program to any veteran seeking knowledge in a wide variety of agricultural topics. Thank you! I feel that this program has changed the way we will farm in the future. Participants in the Armed to Farm training held in Jackson, Miss., Sept. 22-26, 2014. What is Armed to Farm? Armed to Farm is Sustainable Agriculture Training for Military Veterans. NCAT has been involved in targeted veteran outreach and assistance since 2010. NCAT agriculture specialists have hosted and been involved in at least 17 veteran focused trainings, reaching over 800 veterans across the US. NCAT has partnered with the USDA Agricultural Research Service, Farmer Veteran Coalition, University of Arkansas, Growing Warriors, and other sustainable agriculture organizations to train veterans interested in sustainable agriculture careers. The goals of Armed to Farm are: To train veterans and their partners to operate sustainable crop and livestock enterprises To create a network of veterans and their families who are starting careers in sustainable agriculture To provide technical assistance to participants as they start and improve their farming operations Trainings range in length from conference presentations, two-day workshops, and week-long training events. The multi-day programs include a mix of educational classes— covering topics such as risk management, business planning, and marketing—and hands-on activities at successful livestock, crop, and agritourism operations. NCAT Sustainable Agriculture specialists will teach the training sessions. Additional contributors will include staff from the University of Arkansas, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and experienced crop and livestock producers. Contact Margo Hale at 479-442-9824 or [email protected] for more information about Armed to Farm Please check back for upcoming Armed to Farm training dates. Funding for Armed to Farm has come from NCATs ATTRA - Sustainable Agriculture program, USDA Rural Business Cooperative Services, USDA Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program, USDA Risk Management Agency and Swords to Plowshares.
Posted on: Wed, 03 Dec 2014 03:37:07 +0000
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