SSAWGnewsletteroct05




SOUTHERN SAWG E-NEWSLETTER, VOL. 1, #3 OCTOBER 2005

Dear Friends,

It has been encouraging to hear of offers in many forms coming in from all over the country to help those in the farming community who are now dealing with the rebuilding after the hurricanes. Many have donated money, services, supplies, and time. We wish to thank all the folks who have supported the relief efforts so far. There is still much work to be done and we encourage your continued support so that the recovery efforts can continue and expand.

The details our upcoming conference are now available, but we'd love to hear from you before then, so please drop us a line at SSAWG@aol.com.
Many thanks,
--Your friends at Southern SAWG

Highlights of This Issue:

Annual Conference Details Now Available

Deadline for Matching Gifts Approaches

New Enterprise Development Video

Ongoing Relief Efforts Still Need Support

Making the Most of Matching Gifts

There is still time to help Southern SAWG take advantage of a most generous matching gift offer from an anonymous donor. The deadline for contributions is October 15, 2005. Send a little. Send a lot! Every dollar counts, and counts double!

Please consider donating today through the Southern SAWG web site by clicking on the Donate Now button on the Support Us web page: http://www.ssawg.org/support-us.html

Relief Efforts Still Need Your Help

Following a one-two punch from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, farmers and rural communities along the Gulf Coast are still assessing damage and planning the rebuilding efforts. In addition to financial contributions, some organizations like Southern Mutual Help Association are able to coordinate volunteers and distribute donations of equipment and supplies.

Please visit the Southern SAWG Hurricane Relief web page for additional details:
http://www.ssawg.org/disasterrelief.html

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.

ANNUAL CONFERENCE ANNOUNCED

Southern SAWG is proud to announce details of our annual Practical Tools and Solutions for Sustaining Family Farms Conference, to be held January 19-22, 2006. Due to the devastating effects of Hurricane Katrina, we have relocated to Louisville, Kentucky. Louisville is a new hot spot for culture in the South, and the conference site is right in the middle of the action.

The conference will once again offer an impressive list of field trips, educational sessions, trade show participants, and special events. Plus we have added some intensive Enterprise Development Short-Courses this year. All detailed information is available on our web site, http://www.ssawg.org/conference-.html or by clicking on the graphic below.

NEW CUT FLOWERS VIDEO AVAILABLE

Southern SAWG has released its latest enterprise video that focuses on growing and marketing specialty cut flowers. Produced as part of the Natural Farming Systems in the South series, "Cut Flowers" takes viewers on a 20-minute virtual tour of one of the most successful flower farms in the South, Dripping Springs Garden at Huntsville, AR, that is operated by farmers Mark Cain and Michael Crane. All videos in the series are $15, plus $7.50 shipping and handling.

This new video provides information and insight into organic cut flower production and marketing from start to finish - beginning with sowing seeds in the greenhouse all the way to making the sale. All steps of production, record keeping, harvesting, and marketing are addressed in this exciting virtual farm tour. The video is highly informative and beautifully filmed.

"Cut Flowers" is the fifth video produced by Southern SAWG staff during the past two years through an ongoing partnership with the USDA Risk Management Agency. Other videos in the series are two "Organic Horticulture Production" editions, plus "Management Intensive Grazing" and "Pastured Turkeys."

Video clips of all five videos, plus video teaching guides, farmer profiles, ordering forms and enterprise manuals for the first four videos are available from the Southern SAWG web site. Informational materials and ordering forms for the Cut Flowers video are now available on the web site. For a preview, visit http://www.ssawg.org/virtualfarm.html

Visit Southern SAWG
online at:

http://www.ssawg.org

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.