September 20, 2022

Golden Hills is hiring multiple positions, including a Local Foods Coordinator!

Learn more and apply at goldenhillsrcd.org/job-openings.

Upcoming Golden Hills/SWIFFI News & Events

Join us for our next Farmer Meetup on Friday, October 28 from 4:30-6:00pm in Audubon County!

Meet up with food producers and other local food system advocates for a free networking and information-sharing event! Bring some snacks or drinks to share if you'd like, and a lawn chair.

Location: Brun Ko Farm - Exira

RSVP by 10/25 by emailing lance@goldenhillsrcd.org

We are currently planning additional farmer meetups and field days for 2022 and 2023. If you are interested in hosting or have suggestions for topics, presenters, or locations, please complete this form. 

Golden Hills is partnering with Iowa Western on a series of sustainability classes this summer and fall, including food preservation classes in Council Bluffs. Please note the prices are lower than previously posted! Learn more at goldenhillsrcd.org/iwcc

If you have any events or news you'd like included in upcoming SWIFFI updates, please email me. You can also follow the SWIFFI Facebook page for updates.

• Iowa Local Food Day is September 28. Coordinated by Iowa Department of Agriculture & Land Stewardship, Local Food Day provides a strong support network for schools and farmers; Aids food service directors in local food procurement; Engages farmers in growing and selling to schools; Raises awareness of Farm to School across the state.
• Enjoy a Friday night of live music, drinks and inspring stories about generosity, hope and legacy at Honey Creek SILTFest! Door prizes, good food and friends new and old. Friday, Sept. 30th - 4 to 7 pm - 19339 Cougar Ave. Honey Creek. SILTFests are free gatherings of like-minded locals, with live music, snacks and stories designed for Iowans interested in actively supporting SILT's mission to circle our cities with permanent table food farms.
• Barreras Family Farm is hosting a series of virtual and in-person workshops about direct-to-consumer marketing for farmers.
• FEAST! Local Foods Marketplace, the region's largest local food festival, is back on Saturday, Nov 5, 2022 at the Mayo Civic Center in Rochester, MN. To add your craft food or beverage products to this great convergence of local foods from Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa that attracts 1500 people to sip, sample and shop.

• Mad Agriculture’s Regenerative Stewardship Curriculum is designed to help all who are interested in regeneration to gain a better understanding of how one’s land and business can commit and contribute to regenerative agriculture. Whether you are a steward, planner, or part of a brand or non-profit organization, this curriculum can help all stakeholders in the movement get to a common starting point. 
• North Central SARE has an online video series for producers who want to learn more about composting manure.
• Do you want to start a pastured poultry operation but don't know where to begin? FACT's Beginning Pastured Poultry course is designed for the beginning poultry farmer, as well as for anyone looking to be more efficient and effective with the way they raise their birds.
• Cornell Small Farms' Goat Production: Dairy, Meat, and Fiber for Profit

course is formatted to guide beginning farmers through the production and marketing of goats. Goats can function as a profitable stand-alone enterprise or can be integrated into your existing farm structure to provide a variety of products and make use of marginal lands that would otherwise go unused.

• Whether you’re new to raising poultry, looking to expand an existing flock, or switching from a conventional setup to a pasture-based system, our Beginning Pastured Poultry Short Course will help you achieve your goals. You will learn: How to choose the right breed for your purposes; What type of fencing to use; The best brooder management practices; Feeder and waterer options; Types of mobile housing structure; What you need in your bird health kit; How to market your pasture raised birds; and much more!
• The Cover Crop Chart (v. 3.0) is designed to assist producers with decisions on the use of cover crops in crop and forage production systems. The chart, patterned after the periodic table of elements, includes information on 66 crop species that may be planted individually or in cocktail mixtures. Information on growth cycle, relative water use, plant architecture, seeding depth, forage quality, pollination characteristics, and nutrient cycling are included for most crop species.
• To better understand how the COVID-19 pandemic has altered the future of food systems, Colorado State University conducted a national survey of more than 5,000 households in 2020 and a follow up survey in fall 2021.
• Two new reports from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) highlight the potential for successfully and synergistically combining agriculture and solar photovoltaics (PV) technologies on the same land, a practice known as agrivoltaics. 
• Practical Farmers of Iowa's Farm Business Coaching program is ideal for those with 5+ years of farming experience who are looking to grow their farm business. Applications are open until October 9, 2022.
• The Iowa Local Foods Purchasing Assistance (LFPA) Program will buy local food from Iowa's producers for distribution to Iowans in under-resourced communities. FOR LOCAL PRODUCERS: Are you a producer in Iowa interested in selling your locally produced raw agricultural products or value-added products into the Iowa LFPA program? Submit this Producer Registration Form to receive more information on becoming an LFPA vendor. Products eligible for sale to the Iowa LFPA include: produce, grains, legumes, dairy, meat, mushrooms, eggs, honey, maple syrup, and value added products containing at least 51% locally produced raw product. Products must be produced within the state of Iowa or in the immediate bordering counties to be eligible for sale into LFPA.
• Sign up for the Iowa Beet Farm to School newsletter for all the latest news about Farm to School.
• Consistently ranked as the most dangerous industry in America, farmers and those involved with the agricultural sector are reminded of the many ways they can practice farm safety. National Farm Safety and Health Week is Sept. 18-24, with educational opportunities planned for people of all ages, including weekday webinars hosted by farm safety experts.

Funding Opportunities

• North Central Region SARE administers several grant programs, each with specific priorities, audiences, and timelines. The Research and Education Grant for researchers and educators is due Oct. 13 at 4:00pm. The Partnership Grant is for cooperative projects between agriculture professionals and small groups of farmers and ranchers; due Oct. 20 at 4:00pm.

• Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) announced the availability of $25 million in funding to advance the adoption and evaluation of innovative conservation practices on agricultural lands. The funding is for on-farm trials, a subprogram of the Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) program. CIGs are designed to support collaboration between NRCS and partners to implement on-the-ground conservation activities and evaluate their impacts. Participating farmers and ranchers receive payments to offset the risk and investments for testing out new conservation approaches. Deadline is September 22.
• Get Schools Cooking (GSC) is an intensive 3-year assessment and strategic planning program that provides public k-12 schools with comprehensive support to transition from a heat and serve to scratch cook operational model. Their mission is to Provide comprehensive guidance that enables districts to strategically develop their school food operations and serve students healthy, scratch cooked meals. Applications due September 30.
• Practical Farmers of Iowa is accepting applications for two business development programs. The Savings Incentive Program is ideal for beginning farmers looking to build their farm business plan. Applications due October 9, 2022.
• The Community Food Projects Competitive Grants Program (CFPCGP) seeks to improve food and nutrition security in low-income communities through a food systems approach and Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) framework. The CFPCGP includes two types of projects: Community Food Projects (CFP) and Planning Projects (PP). These projects are designed to increase food security in communities by bringing sectors within the whole food system together to assess strengths, establish linkages, and create sustainable food systems that improve the self-reliance of community members over their food needs. Applications due Friday, October 7, 2022.
• Agricultural producers and handlers who are certified organic, along with producers and handlers who are transitioning to organic production, can now apply for the USDA Farm Service Agency’s Organic and Transitional Education and Certification Program (OTECP) and Organic Certification Cost Share Program (OCCSP), which help producers and handlers cover the cost of organic certification, along with other related expenses. Applications due  October 31, 2022
• Applications accepted until funds are exhausted The USDA RD Food Supply Chain Guaranteed Loan Program is authorized by the American Rescue Plan. This program guarantees loans of up to $40 million for qualified lenders to finance food systems projects, specifically for the start-up or expansion of activities in the middle of the food supply chain. The program will support new investments in infrastructure for food aggregation, processing, manufacturing, storage, transportation, wholesaling, and distribution.
• USDA is making up to $300,000,000 available for the Increasing Land, Capital, and Market Access Program through this funding opportunity. USDA is committed to funding projects that support a diverse set of farmers, ranchers, forest landowners, and operators (producers) on the edge of viability, moving them from surviving to thriving as they address core barriers to attain land, capital, and market access. USDA will achieve this goal by funding cooperative agreements or grants to organizations that will develop and run programs that are designed to align with and respond to land, capital, and market access needs of the target audience while concurrently providing wraparound technical assistance to ensure that program participants have the information, training, and customized support they require.
• The Urban, Indoor, and Emerging Agriculture (UIE) program supports research, education, and extension work by awarding grants to solve key problems of local, regional, and national importance that facilitate development of urban, indoor, and emerging agricultural systems. The program includes food value chain stages: production, harvesting, transportation, aggregation, packaging, distribution, and markets.

Contact: Lance Brisbois | Golden Hills RC&D | lance@goldenhillsrcd.org