Workshop on Farmer’s Tool Box for Top Yields at the Trestle Stop Restaurant
New Enrollment Open for Conservation Stewardship Program
News release from USDA NRCS Applications for Conservation Stewardship Program due Jan. 17 Popular Farm Bill conservation program seeks producer participation WASHINGTON, Dec. 2, 2013 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is opening the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) for new enrollments for federal fiscal year 2014. Starting today through Jan. […]
Does BIG Farming have to mean BAD Farming?
In high summer, fields of wildflowers bloom at Tony Thompson’s Minnesota farm: gray-headed coneflowers, phlox and white prairie clover. Those plants are designed to do more than just beautify. They prevent water runoff and block nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus, from spilling into and polluting the Mississippi River. It’s just the kind of farming […]
Farm Aid and the Dead Zone in the Gulf of Mexico
We have all heard about the Dead Zone in the Gulf of Mexico, but many farmers and citizens want to know what we can do to prevent more of them and cure the ones we already have. This article under “Ask Farm Aid” on the Farm Aid website explains in simple terms what dead zones […]
Successful Meeting on Farm Bill Programs, Tillage, and Cover Crops
Farmers and resource managers met at the Salem Township Hall on February 12th to discuss farming practices and programs. A variety of speakers were present to share information and discuss Farm Bill cost-share programs, Michigan Agricultural Environmental Assurance Program (MAEAP), Farm Service Agency programs, Cover Crops, Soil Organic Matter, Managing Crop Residue, and the future […]
USDA Announces General Sign-Up for 2013 CRP
On February 16th Tom Vilsack of the USDA announced a general sign-up for the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) to run from May 20th to June 14th, 2013. According to the USDA, “Producers that are accepted in the sign-up can receive cost-share assistance to plant long-term, resource-conserving covers and receive an annual rental payment for the […]
Farm Bill Extension
USA Today – Last-minute action by Congress to extend the expiring farm bill provides farmers and ranchers with a lifeline for this year, but it does little to suppress growing uncertainty in the agricultural community bracing for significant cuts to support programs. The bare-bones extension passed late Tuesday by Congress as part of the package […]
Dirty Water Is Not Only an Eyesore
Have you ever looked down in a stream and thought, “Wow, that’s dirty.”? All that mud you see in the river is not just from the river bottom. Most of the soil that makes up the muddy look of a stream comes from overland flow that has washed away topsoil or from eroding streambanks. Often […]
Keep Livestock Where You Want Them
Anyone who owns livestock, at one time or another has found themselves rounding them up or chasing an escapee. For those of us that maintain grazing animals on pasture, we all understand fencing. Animal fencing can and should be used to exclude livestock from more than just roads and crops. Sensitive areas such as streambanks, […]
NRCS Program Rollout
The Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) had a program rollout for 2013, including specifics on EQIP funding. It included a focused conversation on what the Farm Bill and NRCS programs looks like now. It is still possible that a new Farm Bill will be created in the near future but for now, we are working […]