Comment here

Here are some suggested talking point from the Organic Farming Research Foundation:

• Organic farming is one of the fastest growing segments of U.S. agricultural production and organic food is one of the fastest growing sectors of the U.S. food retail market.
• Organic farming systems have the potential to conserve water, improve air quality, and build soil quality while providing high quality food and fiber for consumers here and abroad.
• If we want to see the U.S. organic sector continue to grow and thrive, we need to invest in programs that support organic farmers, including:

Research and Extension Programs that expand the breadth of knowledge about organic farming systems and provide that knowledge to organic farmers.
Conservation Programs that reward organic farmers for the conservation benefits of organic farming systems and provide technical support for organic farmers who want to improve on-farm conservation.
Transition Programs that provide technical support to farmers who want to transition to organic farming practices but don’t know how.
Crop Insurance Programs that work for organic farmers and reimburse them for any losses based on the organic market value of the crop, not average conventional prices.

Please include any other points you think are relevant.

I hope your summer is going well.  Haven’t these rains been wonderful!    The TOFGA Board continues to work hard to build a solid foundation on which TOFGA can grow and prosper and it’s so very important that you are involved in this process.

We’d like to hear from you!   What do you think the direction of TOFGA should be?  What member services would best support you? We would also like to hear from our non-members who support us and our mission. Here is a link to the summer 2010 Survey.  Please take 15 minutes or so thinking about the future of TOFGA and complete the online survey.   You are the voice of TOFGA! Take the Online Survey.

Foliar Late Blight

Late Blight Management on Organic Farms: 2010 3 hour Webinar now available online

Ana Sofia Joanes, maker of the movie Fresh, will deliver the TCOOPS 2011 Keynote.

We have exciting news about TOFGA’s annual Conference On Organic Production Systems (TCOOPS) 2011 which is in Killeen January 28-30, 2011. Our Keynote speaker is the nationally known Ana Sofia Joanes, maker of the movie Fresh! The movie FRESH celebrates the farmers, thinkers and business people across America who support our food system. During TCOOPS we will show this engaging film which features Joel Salatin, Will Allen and other movers and shakers in sustainable agriculture.

We are delighted that Ms. Joanes will join us at TCOOPS 2011. Mark your calendars today and we’ll see you there!

Watch the preview:

Researchers Show That Organic Farming Enhances Biodiversity and Natural Pest Control

WASHINGTON, July 1, 2010 – A team of researchers from Washington State University and the University of Georgia have found that organic farming increases biodiversity among beneficial, pest-killing predators and pathogens. In potato crops, this led to fewer insect pests and larger potato plants.

Read the research report.

The USDA is holding a series of public meetings on its new framework, and has announced one in Salt Lake City, Utah and one in Ft Worth, Texas.  USDA has stated that there will be additional meetings, but has not yet posted the locations or dates.

YOUR ACTION NEEDED: Come to the meeting and make your voice heard!
Thursday, July 1
Holiday Inn DFW Airport South
14320 Center Station Drive
Ft. Worth, TX  76155

Get complete information from FARFA about this important meeting.

Michael Grady

Hello TOFGA Members:

I hope you all are doing well and that your year is going great. TOFGA is moving forward into 2010 and working hard to serve you better. In the coming months you will be hearing more about our progress! Today I am writing to announce that we have a new TOFGA Statewide Coordinator!

On behalf of the TOFGA Board of Directors I am thrilled to introduce Michael Grady Robertson as our new Statewide Coordinator. Michael brings experience in public relations, program development, fundraising, event planning and community outreach to TOFGA. After receiving a degree in Philosophy at Boston University, Michael worked in the technology sector in Austin. In 2003, he realized he needed a major change in his life and joined David Pitre’s farm crew at Tecolote Farm in Manor, Texas. Michael describes his first year of farming as “Challenging yet wonderful. It opened my eyes to an undiscovered community and a new way of life.”

Since that first farm season, he has volunteered on organic farms (through WWOOF) in Spain, served as an apprentice at a biodynamic dairy, and even taught in a public school in New York City. For the past two years, Michael has been the farmer and Agricultural Director of the Queens County Farm Museum, a 47-acre historical working farm in New York City. During his time as director, he transformed the organization from a show farm and petting zoo to a key player in the local food system. He developed a farm-based education program, a farm apprentice network and a series of fundraising events all while managing a two-acre vegetable garden, three hundred laying hens, a dozen heritage breed pigs and a small flock of Cotswold sheep.

Michael returned to Texas this spring to be able to spend more time with his family in Conroe as well as to participate in the farm community where his love for the land was first born. Michael is excited to join our TOFGA team and is honored to help serve the organic and sustainable farmers of Texas at a critical time in the development of our regional food systems. He is eager to meet you and learn how TOFGA can best serve your interests and needs.

Michael’s primary work will be improving our services for members, raising funds for TOFGA and preparing for a most fabulous TCOOPS 2011. He is with us on a contractual basic until September 10, 2010.

Please join us in welcoming Michael Robertson to our TOFGA Team! His email is michael@tofga.org

You can read more about Michael’s achievements online:

New York Times Article 1

New York Times Article 2

Sincerely,

Susan Beckwith, President
Texas Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (TOFGA)

Specialty Crop Listening Session

When: Tuesday, May 25, 2010 (9:00 am – 2:30 pm)  Travis Room
Meeting Location: San Antonio Marriott Riverwalk, 889 East Market Street
San Antonio, Texas 78205, 1-210-224-4555

OBJECTIVE: To interact with industry and state representatives, national
organizations or institutions, local producers, researchers and educators
or other groups that are interested in the issues with which the Specialty
Crop Committee is charged.

9:00 a.m.         Introduction to the Specialty Crop Listening Session Dr. Walter Armbruster, Chair, Specialty Crop Committee, National Agricultural Research, Extension, Education,and Economics (NAREEE) Advisory Board

9:15 a.m.         Opening Comments by Specialty Crop Committee Members

*         James Lugg, President, TransFresh Corporation and EVP Fresh Express
*         Matt McInerney, Executive Vice President, Western Growers
Association
*         Jean-Mari Peltier, President, National Grape and Wine Initiative

9:40 a.m.        Panel Challenges Facing Specialty Crop Production
*         Ray Prewett, President, Citrus Mutual
*         Cindy Wise, Executive Director, Texas Pecan Growers Assocation
*         Roy Vannoy, President, Texas Fruit Growers Assocation
*         Dacota Haselwood, Chief Governmental Affairs Officer, Texas Wine
and Grape Growers Association

10:40 a.m.       BREAK

10: 55 a.m.      Panel Challenges Facing Specialty Crop Production
(continued)

*         Eddy D. Edmondson, President Texas Nursery & Landscape Association
*         John Cosper, Executive Director, Turfgrass Producers of Texas
*         Brad Stufflebeam, Home Sweet Farm
*         J. Carnes, Sales/Vice President, Winter Garden Produce

12:00 p.m.      LUNCH (Bowie Room)

12:45 p.m.      Public Comments from the Floor

Q&A

Additional Committee Discussion

2:30 p.m.        Listening Session Adjourned

Colette M. Wood
Acting Program Support Coordinator
NAREEE Advisory Board
USDA/Agricultural Research Service
5601 Sunnyside Avenue, Room 4-2294
Beltsville, MD 20705
Phone:  301-504-4657
Fax:  301-504-4624
Email:   colette.wood@ars.usda.gov or  colette.wood@ars.usda.gov

The program evaluates the environmental value and impact of already-established conservation practices AND helps producers, landowners, and forested land operators incorporate and add new solutions as well. Eligible participants receive incentive payments relative to benefits their conservation operations provide. However, the turn-around time for landowners and producers to get signed up for CSP this year is short—June 11, 2010.

It is critical that potential applicants make contact with local NRCS offices and get signed up for the program before the deadline. If you are a potential applicant for this program or you know someone who deserves to be recognized and compensated for a long-term commitment to conservation and natural resource protection, get in touch with NRCS today! To learn more, visithttp://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/new_csp/csp.html.

CSP is available on Tribal and private agricultural lands and non-industrial private forest land in all 50 States and the Caribbean and Pacific Islands Areas. The program provides equitable access to all producers, regardless of operation size, crops produced, or geographic location.

“This additional funding will enable even more landowners to protect environmentally and economically important agricultural land and preserve the resources that are so critical to the health and prosperity of our rural communities,” said Don Gohmert, NRCS state conservationist for Texas. “The funding will assist landowners in protecting Texas grassland and conserve a resource base on which we all depend.”

GRP helps landowners and operators protect working grasslands, including hay land, pastureland, native grasslands and certain other lands through rental contracts or conservation easements.  NRCS and USDA’s Farm Service Agency jointly administer the program.

For information on eligibility, contact your local USDA Service Center or visit NRCS online at http://www.tx.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/GRP.

Contact:
Mark Habiger, 254-742-9881, mark.habiger@tx.usda.gov
Lori Valadez, 254-742-9811, lori.valadez@tx.usda.gov