Happy Monday after the 4th; Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday!
The office is buzzing with all the response from the RFP for the MFFC (Acronym translation: Request for Proposals for the Michigan Family Farms Conference). The MFFC is a forum for beginning, small-scale, and culturally diverse farmers to network, learn, and build sustainable family farms. The
RFP
is for both speakers and workshops so if you have an idea for a workshop or would like to nominate a keynote speaker, act fast!
The deadline for proposals is NEXT FRIDAY, July 19th!
This year the planning team has chosen the theme "Nurturing Resilient Farms - 2020 & Beyond." Even though the conference is quite a few months away, it takes an enormous amount of planning and it will be here before you know it! If you do not have a presentation of your own, we would like to hear your ideas for workshops or keynote speakers. Click on the same
RFP
to send us your thoughts.
We are excited to announce that we will be hosting a design competition for a new MFFC logo this year! Click
here
for more information about the dimensions, file type and how to submit. The chosen logo creator will receive a
$50 gift card
and five free tickets to the conference as well as recognition across our social platforms and at the conference! We look forward to many new ideas for the 17th annual conference.
Submissions are due NEXT FRIDAY, July 19!
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If there are any questions about the items here or any MIFFS programs, please contact us via email or phone listed below. When we are not out in the field, we are in the office 9am-5pm Monday through Friday. Thank you for your support!
Sincerely,
The MIFFS Team
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The Michigan Family Farms Conference RFP for keynote and workshops is open! Follow the link
here
to submit your proposal or nomination. They deadline for proposals is Friday, July 19th. For the logo design competition, click
here
. The conference will be held on February 8 at KVCC.
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Excessive moisture and flooding in 2019 have prevented or delayed planting on many farms across most of the country. Many producers are unable to plant crops by a final planting date or have experienced significant delays in planting. As of July 1, 2019, USDA has paid roughly $146 million in claims for prevented planting because of floods and excess moisture. USDA knows producers are facing tough times and is working to assist produc
ers with making decisions. Click
here
for more info and available opportunities.
USDA reminds farmers that
cover crops can be planted
on fields where they were prevented from planting a cash crop.
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Armed to Urban
Farm in Cleveland, OH:
In partnership with the
United States Botanic Garden
(USBG) and
Holden Forests & Gardens
, NCAT is bringing the week-long Armed to Farm (ATF) veterans training to Cleveland, Ohio, for a special event focused on urban farming. Armed to Urban Farm will give military veterans an opportunity to see sustainable, profitable small-scale farming enterprises and learn about urban farming as a career. Veterans can visit
www.ncat.org/atf_OH
to complete an application by July 26, 2019. The program is available to military veterans who are interested in starting an urban farm or who are beginning urban farmers (less than 10 years). All veterans are welcome to apply, but those from Northern Ohio will receive priority. Spouses and farming partners are also invited to apply. NCAT will notify selected participants by August 2.
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Join MIFMA on August 27 (10am-12pm) at
Ham Family Farm
in Allendale, MI for a farm tour and a discussion on farm labor, and specialty crop production! Ham Family Farm is owned and operated by Charlie Ham, whose family has worked on the farm and contributed to their success at farmers markets.
Register Here
!
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The
Stone Barns Regenerative Farming Fellowship
(RFF) provides medium-scale farmers who are planning or have begun a transition to regenerative practices with education, a supportive peer network, and the inspiration, leadership and advocacy skills they need to bring about structural change. The farmers who will benefit most from this program produce grains, oilseed, pulses, hay and/or grasses, vegetables, fruits, or livestock, and most likely live in the country’s midsection. More details on the program and eligible farmers are available
here
.
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Are you a farmer who needs seasonal or temporary workers for planting, cultivating, or harvesting crops? The H-2A temporary agricultural workers program–often called the H-2A Visa Program–helps American farmers who anticipate a lack of available domestic workers fill employment gaps by hiring workers from other countries. With the new Checklist Tool, participating in the Program is now easier than ever. Discover the checklist tool at farmers.gov or click
here
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The Community of Food, Society & Justice Conference
will engage students, faculty, staff, farmers, and the community in rigorous dialogue around these challenges. The conference will be structured around a foundation of interdisciplinary scholarship that agrees that recognizing structural relations of power are necessary in order to confront race, class, and gender privileges on these issues and others. Please click
here
to access the conference schedule, registration, and the call for posters
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Michael Fields Agricultural Institute
If you are a farmer or rural entrepreneur in the Midwest, you are invited to use a free Grants Advising service of the Michael Fields Agricultural Institute.
Our Grants Advisers help you decide whether a grant would be the best way to achieve your goals. For more info click
here
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The
National Young Farmers Coalition (Young Farmers)
represents, mobilizes, and engages young farmers to ensure their success.
Young Farmers seeks an experienced and strategic Federal Policy Director who can lead and grow policy initiatives in Washington, DC. They are looking for a candidate who feels comfortable representing the voice of young farmers—someone who can connect with diverse farmer members, hear their concerns, and fight for their priorities. The ideal candidate feels equally comfortable lobbying a Representative, visiting a farm, leading a Coalition call, and briefing funders. More info
here.
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FoodCorps
is a nationwide team of AmeriCorps leaders that connects kids to real food and helps them grow up healthy. We do that by placing motivated leaders in limited-resource communities for a year of public service.
FoodCorps is looking for one more Service Member to serve with the Detroit Public Schools Community District for the upcoming program year. More information
here
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NSAC
The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) is seeking a passionate, experienced, strategic and collaborative policy leader who will build upon the Coalition’s accomplishments over the past 30 years and help lead the charge to even bigger victories in the future. The Policy Director must be deeply committed to serving the sustainable agriculture movement and its federal policy work and to becoming an integral part of our high-performing, passionate, and diverse team. The Policy Director is a full-time, salaried position and is based in Washington, DC. More info here
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Physical Address: 2438 Woodlake Circle, Okemos, MI 48864
Mailing Address: 480 Wilson Road, Room 172, East Lansing, MI 48824
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