60 concerned citizens rewrite the definition of an Urban Farm in Austin By Dustin East Side Compost Pedallers 05/09/2013 Excerpt: In order for a property to be recognized by the city as an urban farm, it needs to meet the criteria set by the urban farm code. That makes sense. But what is so great about getting a certificate of occupancy as urban farm anyway? Couldn’t you just start growing food and forget about the title? It turns out that there are a number of benefits that come along with being recognized by the city as an urban farm. First, urban farm certification does away with some of the restrictions that home growers are usually submitted to under the home occupation ordinance. It also allows for employees. While it is not allowed for other residentially zoned properties to employ on-site workers, certified Urban Farms are allowed up to 1 on-site employee for each full acre that the farm occupies plus one additional employee for any partial acreage. Another notable advantage of the urban farm title is that it grants growers the green light to put up a sign outside and advertise their farm as a business. Read the complete article here.

Jeremy Andrews, CEO Of Sprout Urban Farms with Employees Rebecca Spicer, Left, and Devon Gibson, Right, inside their Greenhouse in Battle Creek, Michigan. Photo by Erik Holladay. “The average farmer today is 60 years old,” says Spicer. “We need to open up farming as an option for kids to consider when choosing a career.” By Zinta Aistars SouthWest Michigan April 25, 2013 Excerpt: Sprout Urban Farms grew quickly, and soon included all of these things. Bright Star Farm became the one community garden. Compost Happens became the community compost project with a focus on youth engagement and environmental stewardship. Fresh on Wheels is the mobile market partnership between Sprout Urban Farms and the Battle Creek Community Foundation. The GreenFist Project is a gardening youth internship made up of youth, ages 16 to 23, from many of the school districts surrounding Battle Creek. More initiatives keep popping up, almost like weeds. Each new project brings more nourishment to the community. “Community food grows relationships, I always say,” Andrews says with a nod. Read the complete article here.

A study in peri-urban areas of Nepal’s Bhaktapur district showed the lack of technical know-how among farmers regarding preparation and use of farm yard manure and balanced application of chemical fertilizers. By Sushil Thapa and Juni Maharjan ag.sushilthapa@gmail.com May 11, 2013 Nepal is endowed with diverse climatic conditions and agro-biodiversity which offer bundles of opportunity to grow rice and wheat. Though, in recent years especially in urban centers, farmers are motivated towards commercial vegetable production for getting better yield and economic return, rice-wheat based cropping system (RWCS) is still a major part of Nepalese agriculture. Increasing resource constraints, changes in farming system and decreasing availability of manpower has significant effect in transformations of soil fertility management practices in Nepal. Chemical fertilizers are becoming popular among the farmers and occupy a key position in plant nutrient supply. Since Nepal does not produce chemical fertilizers and is fully dependent on imports, the rate and timing of application is chiefly determined on the basis of how much fertilizer is available rather than how much actually a plant needs. This inappropriate and/or inadequate practice of nutrient management is one of the major production hurdles. Climatic abnormalities, lack of irrigation infrastructure, inadequate access to improved seeds and small farm size holding are other constraints in RWCS. In many areas of Nepal, yields of both rice and wheat have stagnated at below potential level. A study conducted by the authors in 2012 in peri-urban areas of Bhaktapur district showed the lack of technical know-how among farmers regarding preparation and use of farm yard manure and balanced application of chemical fertilizers. Urea was the major and only one fertilizer that is being used by more than 82 per cent farmers interviewed. Adoption of soil test and measures to improve soil pH was rarely done. Abiotic stresses such as erratic rainfall, drought, drying of water resources and biotic stresses from disease and pest were also recorded as a vital risk in RWCS, which has crooked to harsher in recent years. Zinc deficiency in rice and loose smut and yellow rust in wheat was quite common. Low level of soil organic matter, loss of fertile top soil and environmental pollution in the areas of brick kilns was rampant. Farmers were facing production/yield as well as marketing/price risk in both rice and wheat and were found reluctant to continue RWCS. Cereals are the staple food crops of Nepal. Rice alone accounts 55 per cent of the total national cereal production and supplies up to 40 per cent calorie intake per head. Since RWCS has significant contribution in production of food grains, farmers should be trained on improving manure quality and integrated nutrient management practices in RWCS. Exploring alternative sources of irrigation and increasing water-use efficiency in dry land areas is imperative. Incorporation of soil organic matter and legumes in crop rotations should be promoted. Finally, it is suggested to endorse System of Rice Intensification (SRI) and Wheat Intensification (SWI) which has shown positive results in reducing quantity of seed, water, and pesticides while enhancing crop productivity.

The Soybean Patent Controversy In the case of Bowman v. Monsanto Company, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Monday May 13 that Vernon Hugh Bowman, an Indiana farmer, had violated patent law after buying seeds from a grain elevator filled with a mix of seeds, planting them out, spraying them with glyphosate, and hoping some [...]

Job: Internship with American Micro-Dairies American Micro-Dairies (AMD) is seeking an intern for 10 weeks (mid-June through end of August) to help expand daily operations. The intern position would focus on both building our website and making connections in northern New England with both small farmers and local non-profits. We have several projects this summer [...]

House Farm Bill Markup The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) reports that late on Wednesday May 15, 2013, the House Agriculture Committee voted a new five-year farm bill out of committee; it now heads to the floor of the House for further debate. The House bill restores funding for the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development [...]

Comments on Senate Farm Bill Markup On May 14, 2013, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) released comments on the farm bill, as revised by the Senate Agriculture Committee. The committee voted the bill out of committee by a vote of 15-5; the revised bill now heads to the floor of the Senate for further [...]

Agriculture Secretary Vilsack Announces Organic Crop Insurance and Other Measures If you’re a beginning farmer currently involved with or interested in organic production, the following announcement from U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack will be of interest. Vilsack spoke to the Organic Trade Association on May 14, 2013, during which he announced changes [...]

USDA Announces Conservation Reserve Program Sign-Up Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced today that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will conduct a Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) general sign-up beginning May 20 and ending June 14. In addition to general sign-up, the Secretary also announced the restart of sign-up for continuous CRP, including the Conservation [...]

Online Sustainable Food and Farming Classes Start May 20, 2013. The University of Massachusetts Division of Continuing and Professional Education offers sustainable food and farming classes for this summer. Session One starts May 20th. Click on the links to the classes you are interested in (below) for more information about course content and registration. Online [...]