As the date of the Annual Southern SAWG Conference approaches there is a growing excitement around the trip to Louisville. Some folks are planning to reconnect with friends in the sustainable ag community that they only get to see once a year. Many farmers are strategically planning which field trips or sessions they'll attend. And, families are looking into a few tourist opportunities to take advantage of while in Kentucky. Speaking of The Blue Grass State, our partners in that part of the world are working hard to coordinate another spectacular banquet. All the energy associated with this hard work and planning will be concentrated in and around the Galt House in January, and we all look forward to sharing this energy with friends and family.
Until then, we'd love to hear from you, so drop a line to SSAWG@aol.com.
-Your friends at Southern SAWG
Inside
This Issue:Conference Dates to Remember |
Southern SAWG is proud to announce our
Mark Your Calendars Now!
January 25-28, 2007
The Galt House Hotel and Suites
Louisville, Kentucky
| Important
2007 Conference Dates |
December 22, 2006
Pre-registration at the lowest rate available
January 1, 2007
Deadline for Silent Auction contributors to be listed in conference materials
January 10, 2007
Deadline for booking a room at the Galt House at the conference rate
January 12, 2007
Last day to pre-register for conference (on-site registrations will be accepted)
For more conference dates and details, visit
http://www.ssawg.org/conference-.html
| New
Marketing Session Added to Conference Program |
Southern SAWG has added another session to the annual conference in January. Understanding and Planning for Markets: Wholesale, Retail and Institutional Markets for Fresh and Value-Added Foods will be held as part of our regular conference sessions on Friday, January 26, 2007 from 3:00 to 4:30 pm.
Participants in this workshop will be introduced to market analysis and planning tools designed to assist in the development of prioritized market strategies and work plans for diversified farm enterprises. Topics covered will include market assessment, analysis of trends and strategies related to each market type, and introduction to prioritized market strategy and work plan development tools. Workshop materials will include market analysis and planning tools from the The NxLeveL Training Program for Agricultural Entrepreneurs, Ideas-to-Enterprise farmer-entrepreneur trainings, and A PRIMER for Selecting New Enterprises for Your Farm. This session will be led by Dr. Timothy A. Woods, Associate Professor and Extension Marketing Specialist in the Department of Agricultural Economics at University of Kentucky.
It is not necessary to register separately for this session, as it is covered in the regular conference registration fee. For information about all 54 sessions being offered at our annual Conference, go to: http://www.ssawg.org/conference-program.html.
| Organic
Seed Sourcing Service Expanded and Relocated for 2007 |
The Save Our Seed project of the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association is addressing one of the most daunting problems among organic producers with a free Organic Seed Sourcing Service. By making readily available access to comprehensive seed dealer databases, Save Our Seed is able to provide lists of available organic seeds to growers with specific requests. They are now more accessible on the web at www.organicseedsourcing.com, and this year will be offering, when available, lists of equivalent cultivars in the case that the requested seed is not available organically. These lists will be provided by seed dealers if they feel they offer a seed comparable to one being sought by the grower.
This service is currently available for free and it will continue to be so throughout 2007. To use the service, growers seeking organic seed can send a list of the organic seeds they are seeking to Cricket Rakita at cricket@organicseedsourcing.com, or by going directly to their new web site at www.organicseedsourcing.com. Appropriate information to include when requesting a search is variety name, type, quantity sought, and/or maximum days to harvest, as well as the address to which the result should be e-mailed or mailed.
A Seed Saving Short Course led by Cricket Rakita will be offered as a pre-conference event at the upcoming conference. See www.ssawg.org/conference-short-courses.html#SeedSaving for a full description.
Southern Sustainable Agriculture Working Group, Inc. (Southern SAWG) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization founded in 1991 to promote sustainable agriculture in the Southern United States.
| Farmer-to-Farmer
Innovation |
Models of peer-to-peer training have become the standard for educational programs in many professional and community sectors. Agricultural training is no different, since farmers learn best from other farmers who can relate real life lessons and practical experience using personal knowledge and accurate terminology. There is a certain comfort level, too, associated with the conversational tone that accompanies a peer led information exchange.
In Southern SAWG's Farmer-to-Farmer Leadership Project, coordinators are working with several collaborating organizations around the Southern region to identify emerging farmer leaders and provide them with the tools and training to become even more adept at training other farmers. The collaborating organizations are Sustainable Food Center (Austin, Texas), University of Tennessee Center for Profitable Agriculture (Jackson, Tennessee), and the Alabama NRCS Outreach Program (based in Auburn, AL). Working in central Texas, west Tennessee, and the state of Alabama, these collaborators have already worked to identify the farmers who will participate and, with guidance from these farmers, the specific agricultural topics to focus on.
The next step, already underway, is for the participating farmers to review Southern SAWG's current enterprise development materials, which cover marketing and production of cut flowers, organic vegetables, grass-fed beef and meat goats as well as pastured turkeys and broilers. Among the current training materials developed by Southern SAWG are the Natural Farming Systems in the South video series, our Farm Stories series, enterprise development resource lists, and enterprise manuals that cover in-depth information on specific farm based businesses. Farmers will suggest changes to these materials that will make them more relevant training tools for their respective areas.
They will also have the opportunity, at meetings within their own regions and at the upcoming Southern SAWG conference, to develop additional skills necessary for developing, promoting, and leading effective training programs, including how to use their own experiences as a learning opportunity for other farmers.
The outcome of this materials review and revision process will be a set of educational materials that is specific to a farm enterprise within a particular region. And, the result of the collaborative work and leadership training will be a group of farmers who are familiar with the information and can effectively deliver it to other farmers.
Following the Southern SAWG conference, participating farmers will work with the collaborating organizations in their areas to coordinate several farmer led educational programs. These peer-to-peer trainings will provide broad access to regionally appropriate information and will help empower farmers to contribute even more to the expansion of sustainable farming knowledge in their areas.
Announcements of the training programs to be help in the Spring in the targeted areas will be listed on the Southern SAWG web site and through local outreach channels.
| Pre-Conference Courses and Field Trips Add Value to Southern SAWG Conference |
To give conference participants a greater value for their travel dollars, we've scheduled a whole host of intensive courses and field trips that will be held at the same location just before the start of the general conference. Our one-day Short Courses are ideal for the producer seeking practical and in-depth information on sustainable beef, broiler, turkey, goat, seed, cut flower or organic vegetable production and marketing. Southern SAWG has also planned a one-day Short Course on farm-business planning in which participants will be introduced to business plan concepts and will work through the entire planning process, including goal setting, budgeting, business strategy, marketing, and record keeping.
For those working on or planning Community Food Projects, Southern SAWG offers three half-day Mini Courses that will cover project planning and design, community organizing, and Community Food assessment.
And, Southern SAWG has organized six different field trips that will provide an opportunity to see first-hand some of the region's most successful farms and research facilities.
The presenters for the pre-conference courses and field trips are the recognized leaders in their field from right here in the South. Jean Mills, Conference Coordinator, says "Those serious about learning will want to come a day early to take advantage of these outstanding opportunities?"
Be sure to register early to guarantee your place in these pre-conference activities, as registration is limited to 30 for Short Courses and Mini Courses and 45 for Field Trips.
To learn more about the eight Short Courses, three Mini Courses and six Field Trips, click here: http://www.ssawg.org/conference-pre.html
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