January 12, 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.

Mini Seed School

Brought to you by Golden Hills RC&D and The Center for Rural Affairs

Workshop One - Tuesday, January 18th 6-8pm

Workshop Two - Tuesday, February 8th 6-8pm

Location: Virtual via Zoom

Mini Seed School is for farmers and gardeners wanting to learn the basics of seed saving and seed stewardship in a lightning format. This is a condensed version of a weekend long Seed School facilitated by Alex O’Hanlon and Cait Caughey. Topics will include seed history, importance, planning for seed saving, isolation techniques, seed processing and storage. We will also share information on on-going community projects such as a seed cooperative, seed shares, and more.

Registration is required for each workshop and you are welcome to attend one or both.

Details & registration at goldenhillsrcd.org/seedschool.

Golden Hills is partnering with Dan Fillius, Field Specialist, Commercial Vegetables and Specialty Crops with Iowa State University Extension & Outreach, on two virtual programs in January. Registration required. $5 fee. Registered participants will receive Zoom information on the day of the event.

Tools for Growing Vegetables on 140 Acres

Monday, January 24

7:00pm-8:30pm

​Virtual program

Ever wonder what it would take to grow vegetables on a large scale? Learn about the tools and practices that Dan Fillius used while farming 140 acres of vegetables at Featherstone Farm in Southeastern MN. Tools and techniques covered include harvest conveyors, cultivation techniques, seeders, coolers and people management tools.

Click here to register!

Facebook event.

Cool-season Crops, and Growing Crops in the Cold

Monday, January 31

7:00pm-8:30pm

​Virtual program

From leafy greens to root crops and herbs, growing cool season crops can stretch harvest to well past the first frost. Best practices for growing cool-season crops will be covered. Learn also about the 48-week CSA season that Dan Fillius utilized while at the Michigan State University Organic Farm, which promised members 3 fresh crops every week throughout the winter.

Click here to register!

Facebook event.

Plant Identification Virtual Classes

Golden Hills is working with Dr. Tom Rosburg on a series of plant identification & conservation virtual classes for winter-spring 2022. The weeds & invasive species class is probably of greatest interest to most producers. All will be on Thursday evenings from 7:00-8:00pm. Each class has a $10 registration fee and pre-registration is required.

• February 3 - Plant Family Identification

• February 10 - Common Fabaceae (Pea family) Identification

• February 24 - Plant Evolution & Diversity

• March 3 - Salix (Willow) Identification

• March 10 - Designing Native Seed Mixes

• March 24 - Common Rosaceae (Rose) Identification

• March 31 - Cirsium (Thistle) Identification

• April 7 - Common Weeds & Invasive Species of Iowa

Details and registration.

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. 

• Register now for Lambing, Kidding, and Calving on Pasture Webinar tomorrow, January 13. In this free webinar from Food Animal Concerns Trust (FACT), a panel of experienced sheep, goat, and cattle producers from NCAT will discuss how they handle lambing, kidding, and calving.

• One Farm is hosting a Community Sounding Board Session on January 31 at 1pm in Logan to get insight and a spectrum of perspectives from a few customers, community members or general One Farm Market observers.

• PFI's Beginning Farmer Summit is an opportunity to reconnect with friends and peers and make new acquaintances. The event is free, and farmers from all enterprises are encouraged to attend. Registration is required and open online until Feb. 2. Tracks include Aspiring Farmers, Beginning Farmers, Intermediate Farmers, and Farmers & Landowners.

• Practical Farmers’ Farminars are free, 90-minute online seminars produced to help farmers learn about business and production issues. Farminars are held weekly each Tuesday during the winter months, and run from 7–8:30 p.m.

• Iowa Western is hosting food safety classes this spring. The Food Safety course gives a food handler essential knowledge and understanding of the fundamental food safety practices needed for their work. Individuals working in restaurants, assisted living, long-term care, school food service programs. Covers: Foodborne illness and contamination; Receiving and storing food; Preparing and serving food; Personal hygiene, cleaning and sanitation; Pest prevention; & HACCP & inspections. Registration is required. $145 fee.
• February 7 - 8am-7:30pm in Council Bluffs
• March 31 - 8am-7:30pm in Harlan
• May 23 - 8am-7:30pm in Council Bluffs

• Sustainable Farming Association is hosting a Virtual Livestock Production Series starting January 13. Sessions include hogs, goats, bison, sheep, & chickens.

• Iowa Organic Association Winter Webinar Series:

•Jan 18–Weed Management in an Organic Operation with Matt Miller

•Jan 25–Economics of Soil Health Systems with Dr. Elizabeth Rieke

•Feb 1–Organic Grass Milk Dairy Farming with Joe Langmeier

•Feb 8–Tending to the microbial life of your soil with Chris Trump

•Feb 15–Rodale Institute Farming Systems Trials Research Overview with Dr. Yichao Rui

Job Opportunity

Long Walk Farm, just east of Council Bluffs, is growing and looking to bring on a full time farmer this year. If you or someone you know is passionate about farming, food, and being part of a committed team, please contact Matt at longwalkfarmcb@gmail.com for the job description and application.

The National Grazing Lands Coalition released the 2022 Mini-Grant application today! The purpose of these mini-grants is to facilitate the establishment, education, and improvement of conservation across the country through different projects. The application portal will be open until February 7th at 5:00 pm CST. Click here to learn more and apply.

• Finding and retaining good labor is one of the biggest challenges that beginning farmers face. This series of six online workshops is designed to help farmers build practical labor management knowledge and skills. Each two-part workshop in the series is $35, and scholarships and discounts are available.

• This fact sheet, Local Meat in Schools: Increasing Opportunities for Small and Mid-Sized Livestock Ranchers and Fishermen, provides an overview of how to incorporate local meat in schools to increase opportunities for those livestock ranchers and fishers.

• Organic Fruit Growers Association (OFGA) is looking for input from fruit growers, specifically those interested in organic growing practices. Fill out their survey here.

• The ISU Produce Safety Video Team received funding from the North Central Region Center for FSMA Training, Extension, and Technical Assistance to perform a focus group about the recent videos the team has developed. The purpose of these focus groups is to collect feedback from agricultural employers, mainly fruit and vegetable growers, about their utilization of educational materials about food safety produced by ISU Extension. If you are interested in taking part, please reach out to Shannon Coleman at scoleman@iastate.edu

• The Meat Goat Production and Management Home Study Course is for goat producers interested in improving their production practices and ultimately the profitability of their operation. This is a home study course with an additional offering of three optional supplemental webinars to review materials.

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