Texas Organic Farmers & Gardeners Association April 2026 Newsletter |
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See You at the RGV Food Summit!
This month, TOFGA hits the road for the 4th Annual Rio Grande Valley Food Summit in Edinburg, April 22-23! TOFGA will host a seed swap and board member Susie Marshall will present on produce safety. Susie will share practical tips for on-farm food safety along with food safety giveaways for attendees - scrub brushes, waterproof notebooks, cleaning tools, and poop flags galore! We'll gather with producers, buyers, policymakers, and community leaders to continue building a competitive and resilient regional food system in South Texas. Excited to see you there!
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- Resource: TCLF Learning on the Land Digital Handbook
- Johnson Su Bioreactor Workshop -- April 12, Austin
- CCOF Future Organic Farmers Scholarship -- Due April 17
- TreeFolks Picnic and Seed Swap -- April 19, Del Valle
- Farm Number and EQIP Workshop -- April 23, Virtual
- Agriland Workshop -- April 30, Jourdanton
- Reading the Land to Optimize Grazing -- April 30 - May 1, Decatur
- Young Farmers Root & Bloom Fellowship -- Due May 6
- TAMU Agrilife Spring Field Day -- May 7, Uvalde
- Funding Opportunity: TDA AgPro Grant -- Due May 14
- Research Opportunity: Free Soil Health Report -- Apply by May 22
- Resource: Deep Dive on the 2026 Farm Bill
- Funding Opportunity: Texas Conservation and Sustainability Initiative
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Johnson Su Bioreactor Workshop
April 12, 11 am - 1 pm Austin
Join the Central Texas Mycological Society at Circle Acres Preserve for a free hands-on workshop building Johnson-Su bioreactors. |
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CCOF Future Organic Farmer Scholarship
Due April 17
Future Organic Farmer Grants support higher education and vocational students pursuing degrees or certificates in organic agriculture with a $5000 award to help cover tuition and educational expenses. |
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TreeFolks Annual Picnic and Seed Swap
April 19, 11 am - 4 pm Del Valle
Join TreeFolks and the Central Texas Seed Savers at Live Oak Brewing Company for a free celebration of the native trees of Central Texas. The picnic will include a makers-market, nature themed dog costume contest, other fun tree activities, great eats, and a seed swap! |
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Farm Number and EQIP Workshop
April 23, 6 - 7:30 pm Virtual
Texas Center for Local Food will host a free webinar covering the benefits of USDA farm numbers, the NRCS Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), and tips for success for the competitive application process. |
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Agri-Land Workshop
April 30, 11:30 am - 4 pm Jourdanton
Alamo Resource and Conservation Development Area will host a free workshop at the Jourdanton Community Library with topics including rainfall management, brush control, wildlife management, and New World Screw Worm. Pre-registration is required at the link. |
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Reading the Land to Optimize Grazing
April 30-May 1, 9 am - 4 pm Decatur, TX
Small Producers Initiative and Holistic Management International will host a 2-day workshop at the Dixon Water Foundation's 5000 acre Leo Ranch. This workshop aims to help land stewards achieve better results through observation and interpretation. $40 registration includes lunch. |
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Young Farmers Root & Bloom Fellowship
Due May 6, 3 pm ET
Young Farmers is accepting applications for Year 3 of their Root and Bloom Fellowship. This 9-month, paid (via stipend) fellowship is an advocacy and power-building opportunity for 25 farmers across the country to explore together how the challenges of young and BIPOC farmers are deeply rooted in federal agricultural policy so they can bloom into opportunities to make change at home. This year's virtual fellowship will run from September 2026 - June 2027. |
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TAMU Agrilife Spring Field Day
May 7, 8 am - 4 pm Uvalde
Texas A&M Agrilife invites you to their Research and Extension Center at Uvalde for their annual Spring Field Day. Researchers will share the latest updates on the crop and wildlife research projects there including work on tomato breeding and pest control, onion mechanical harvest, and guayule. |
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TDA AgPro Grant
Due May 14, 5 pm
This new Texas Department of Agriculture grant opportunity aims to help Texas agricultural producers make strategic investments in equipment, infrastructure and efficiency. TDA will hold 2 preapplication webinars on April 16, 10:30 am - 12 pm, and April 28, 1:30-3 pm, to go over the program details, matching requirements, and application process. Awards will range from $5000 to $500,000. |
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Research Opportunity - Free Soil Health Report
Enroll by May 22
Farmers and ranchers with 10+ acres are invited to participate in a project to help improve the national Soil Health Assessment Protocol and Evaluation (SHAPE) tool. Participating landowners will receive: compensation for their time (~ 1 hour) for helping, a personalized soil health report of their fields, and copy of a book called “Probing Our Country's Soil Health.” |
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Resource: Deep Dive on the 2026 Farm Bill Curious about what's going on with this year's Farm Bill? Check out this explainer from the policy team at American Farmland Trust for all the latest details on the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026 and where it stands on conservation agriculture issues. |
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Texas Conservation and Sustainability Initiative
This initative, funded by USDA NRCS and implemented by Texas A&M and partner organizations, provides financial incentives and technical support for participant farms to adopt practices on working lands that produce commodities. The goals of the TCSI include: 1) financial incentivization of adoption of practices, 2) quantification of the change in soil carbon and greenhouse gas emissions because of the adoption, and 3) the development of markets to support commodities. |
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1416 John West Rd. Dallas, TX 75228
Call or text us at: 512-656-2456 {tofga.org} // Email: admin@tofga.org |
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