March 10, 2022

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.

Please review your listing on the Southwest Iowa Local Food Guide and email me ASAP with any changes. In addition to farms and farmers markets, we have included food hubs and local food processors in the list and the interactive Google map. If you are not listed or know someone else who is not but should be, please fill out this form.

Recordings of our Tools for Growing Vegetables on 140 Acres and Cool-season Crops, and Growing Crops in the Cold with Dan Fillius are available, along with slides and other resources, on the SWIFFI website.

Recordings & resources from our Mini Seed School with Center for Rural Affairs are available at goldenhillsrcd.org/seedschool

Upcoming Golden Hills/SWIFFI Events

Join Practical Farmers of Iowa and Golden Hills at Ellen and Daniel Rosmann's farm for a free, public screening of Livestock on the Land! The film is a feature-length documentary that tells the story of regenerative grazing and its promise for the Iowa landscape. We'll have a social hour with snacks prior to showing the movie outdoors. Bring a chair or blanket and enjoy movie night on the farm!

Location:

Pin Oak Place at Rosmann Family Farms:

1240 Ironwood Rd.

Harlan, IA 51537

Saturday, May 21, 2022

7:30 - Social hour (PFI will provide snacks)

8:30 - Film begins (film is 1 hour & 15 min.)

Details will be available soon here.

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

• Organizers of the annual Iowa Forage and Grassland Council conference have scheduled a full day of information as it returns to an in-person offering in 2022. Set for March 30, this year’s event will take place at Iowa State University’s McNay Memorial Research and Demonstration Farm near Chariton.
• Organic Seed Alliance is hosting the Organic Seed Production Online Course, beginning in Spring of 2022. This interactive, cohort-based course is designed to supplement an on-farm organic seed production training experience. Apply by March 20.
• The Hudson Valley Farm Bulk Order Program will report on its successes in creating a low-cost, high-return cooperative purchasing program in this live webinar on March 24. Join us as Faith Gilbert shares organizing tools and lessons learned to support replication in other farm communities.

• On March 1, 2022, USDA Rural Development announced the availability of at least $19.75 million in total funding for Value Added Producer Grants. The application window to apply is open now. Online applications will be accepted until April 25, 2022 through grants.gov and paper applications must be postmarked by May 2, 2022. 
• Farmers who plant cover crops and have coverage under most crop insurance policies are eligible for a premium benefit from USDA called the Pandemic Cover Crop Program, (PCCP). All cover crops reportable to the Farm Service Agency (FSA) are eligible. The premium support is $5 per acre, but no more than the full premium amount owed.

• One Farm Market, a local foods store in Logan, Iowa, is continuously looking for new products and partnerships. All items in the store are produced/grown/made in Iowa or the Omaha metro area. If you have an added-value product, produce or handmade items related to produce/dining/cooking/entertaining that you would like to offer, contact Danelle Myer at onefarmer@one-farm.com.
• Brun Ko Farm and Rolling Acres Farm are collaborating on a series of Youtube videos covering a wide range of varieties of flowers and vegetables - some new and some old.
• The Meat Science Laboratory at Iowa State University to offer its second “Fresh Beef Short Course” in less than a year. The course, which is designed to offer a hands-on experience for participants who have an interest in expanding their knowledge of the beef processing industry, will be offered March 22-24 at the university’s meat lab.
• Sustainable Farming Associations's Youtube channel has several recent videos including Ecological Restoration with Livestock, goat, bison & sheep production, on-farm solar, and more.
• One Farm Market in Logan was recently featured on KETV news: 'Farmer's market on steroids': One Farm Market brings local food under a single roof
• Avian influenza has been found in southwest Iowa and is spreading across the country. Learn more about how to monitor for and reduce the spread of the disease on IDALS' website.

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