SSAWGnewsletterdec05




SOUTHERN SAWG E-NEWSLETTER, VOL. 1, #5 DECEMBER 2005

Dear Friends,

In this special Conference Issue of Southern SAWG's newsletter, we encourage folks involved in agriculture from all over the South to take part in this valuable learning and sharing opportunity. Below are highlights of various elements of the conference, and we invite you to browse the annual conference web page to get all the details. Many other resources and plenty of valuable information can also be found on our website, http://www.SSAWG.org. At this time of year, we'd like to wish everyone a safe, peaceful, and bountiful holiday season. And, as always, we'd like to hear from you, so drop us a line at SSAWG@aol.com.

Many thanks,
--Your friends at Southern SAWG

Highlights of This Issue:

Special Conference Issue, Plus...

Employment Opportunity with SSAWG

End of the Year Gifts

Employment Opportunity

SSAWG Seeks Executive Director

Southern SAWG is seeking a highly qualified individual to fill the position of Executive Director. The successful candidate will have a deep passion for our mission and the energy and experience to lead and manage a prominent and highly respected organization. This Executive Directorship will start as a 3⁄4 time position, with the high priority goal of expanding the position to full time as soon as funding allows.

The application deadline is December 31, 2005. Position start date is March 1, 2006 (or earlier).

For the full position announcement and description of the position and its responsibilities, please visit: http://www.ssawg.org/jobs-volunteers.html.

End-of-Year Donations

Matching Gifts Still Count Twice

Through End of Year

As you consider making contributions at the end of 2005, keep in mind the valuable work that Southern SAWG undertakes all year long. And, please recall that all donations made to Southern SAWG through the end of the year will be matched by a generous anonymous donor.

Donations can be accepted online by visiting our Support Us web page:
http://www.ssawg.org/support-us.html. Donations can also be included in payments for the upcoming conference by adding the amount to your registration form.

Taste of Kentucky Banquet to Follow Reading by Wendell Berry

Wendell Berry, Kentucky farmer and nationally known writer and philosopher, will honor us with a reading as we prepare to share together the foods of local producers. The reading will begin at 6:00 PM on Saturday, January 21. Mr. Berry's writings give eloquent voice to the idea of "good farming" that protects the land and rural communities. Foods produced by sustainable farmers in Kentucky will be featured at the plated dinner following the reading. One meal ticket is included in each conference registration, and limited additional tickets are available.

Archives, Subscribe and Unsubscribe

Southern SAWG E-Newsletters are archived at http://www.ssawg.org/newsletter.html. Please visit this site if you received the text version and would like to see the complete layout or to browse through past issues. Also, use this link to subscribe to receive the monthly newsletter by email.

This E-Newsletter was made possible in part through a partnership with USDA Risk Management Agency.

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.

Practical Tools and Solutions
for Sustaining Family Farms
Fifteenth Annual Conference

Conference Sessions and Registration

The 2006 Southern SAWG Conference is set for January 19 - 22 in Louisville, Kentucky and an impressive list of sessions have been planned. The conference includes an array of presentations for professional farmers - from farm planning to production and marketing, from vegetables and flowers to animals and livestock, from tools to techniques, and nearly everything in between. Many of the sessions are led by farmers themselves with years of practical experience. The conference also includes sessions for community organizers and other agriculture professionals working in direct or alternative marketing, ag policy, and community food systems. For a complete list of sessions, visit the conference web page, http://www.ssawg.org/conference-program.html.

In order to take advantage of early registration discounts, registration should be received before December 20, 2005. Please follow the simple instructions here, http://www.ssawg.org/conference-reg.html.

If you intend to stay at the host hotel, Hyatt Regency, you must make your reservation before January 4, 2006 to be guaranteed the excellent rate of $69 per night that we have secured for the conference. Making reservations earlier is recommended if you want to be sure of availability. For more information on lodging, visit http://www.ssawg.org/conference-lodging.html.

2006 Conference Intensive Short Courses and Field Trips

Pre-conference events include optional Intensive Short Courses on Thursday, January 19 and a selection of Field Trips on Friday, January 20.

Each six-hour Short Course is designed to provide in-depth information on sustainable farming enterprises with take-home materials that will include Enterprise Development Manuals, videos, and other valuable resources. The courses being offered are Management Intensive Grazing of Beef, Pastured Turkey Production and Marketing, Organic Vegetable Production and Marketing, and Cut Flower Production and Marketing. Learn more about these exceptional learning opportunities here, http://www.ssawg.org/conference-pre.html.

Five optional Field Trips are also being offered before the conference sessions begin. Among the tours are Au Naturel Farm's diversified sustainable farm operation, Louisville Community Food Systems projects, Sustainable Agriculture Research and Demonstration at Kentucky State University, Pastured Poultry at KSU's Research and Demonstration Farm, and Meat Goats, also at the KSU Research Farm. Complete descriptions of the Field Trips are available here, http://www.ssawg.org/conference-field.html.

Currently spaces in each of the four Short Courses and the five different Field Trips are still available. With limited space, though, we highly recommend you register for these immediately to secure your place. Find out more at http://www.ssawg.org/conference-reg.html.

Silent Auction

Exhibitors and Advertisers

Donations are still being accepted for silent auction items. Suggested donations include tools and implements, seeds or bulbs, fertilizers and pest controls, nonperishable foods and handcrafted goodies, labor or services, B&B weekends, and gift certificates.

The silent auction always inspires fun and excitement and provides funds for our year round work. Everyone who donates items for the silent auction by January 1 will be listed as a contributor in conference materials.

For more info on donating to the silent auction, visit http://www.ssawg.org/conference
-auction.html.

Those providing sustainable agriculture products, services, or information should take advantage of two different exhibit options. Exhibitors may choose space in the centrally located Trade Show room, which will be secured after hours. We also offer tables in the lobby for educational materials and catalogs.

Program advertisements are also available for those offering goods or services. The program is referenced by attendees as a resource directory long after the event.

For more information on exhibits and advertising, visit http://www.ssawg.org/conference
-exhibits.html

Visit Southern SAWG
online at:

http://www.ssawg.org