SSAWGnewslettersept05




SOUTHERN SAWG E-NEWSLETTER, VOL. 1, #2 SEPTEMBER 2005

Dear Friends,

We have all been touched in some way by the effects of Hurricane Katrina. This issue focuses on current opportunities for contributing resources to the relief effort for farmers in the region and provides information for those in need of assistance. The strength and dedication of the sustainable agriculture community in the Southern region has always been encouraging. We are now faced with yet another chance to give what we can, or to accept what we need. As more information for contributors and for sources of assistance becomes available, we will post it to the Southern SAWG web site. Please share opportunities with us via email at SSAWG@aol.com, and check with us often for updated info.

Many thanks,

--Your friends at Southern SAWG

Highlights of This Issue:

Katrina Disaster Relief Contributions

For Farmers Seeking Assistance

Conference Update

Employment Opportunities

Southern SAWG Conference
WILL BE HELD
January 19 - 22, 2006

Southern SAWG was planning to return to the Hilton New Orleans Airport Hotel in Kenner, LA for our upcoming Practical Tools and Solutions for Sustaining Family Farms annual conference.

Due to the devastating effects of Hurricane Katrina, we suspect we will have to relocate the conference. One way or the other, we WILL have the conference. We will post information about the conference location as soon as we talk with local hotel officials.

We wish to thank all the people in the New Orleans area for their hospitality during last year's conference. And, we encourage all our partners, friends, and family members to contribute whatever and however they can to the recovery and rebuilding efforts throughout the affected region.

TWO NEW POSITIONS OPEN
WITH SOUTHERN SAWG

Unique Tools and Education
Project Coordinator

Southern SAWG is seeking a part-time Project Coordinator to manage a 12-month project covering a five state area and involving production of unique educational tools, producer trainings using these tools, and outreach to constituents about the project.

This position will be approximately one quarter-time with a contract period of approximately October 1, 2005 through September 30, 2006. The Project Coordinator’s work will be conducted within the framework of an RMA Partnership Project entitled, “Unique Risk Management Tools and Education for Southern Livestock Producers.”

Please click here for the full position and project descriptions and application details.

Policy Coordinator/Organizer

Southern SAWG is seeking a part-time Policy Coordinator/Organizer to facilitate vital policy education and organizing activities for sustainable agriculture and family farms throughout the southern region.

The Policy Coordinator position will be approximately one quarter-time (until additional funding is secured), with an initial contract period of approximately October 1, 2005 through December 31, 2007. During this initial period, a major part of the Policy Coordinator’s work will be conducted within the framework of a nationwide Farm and Food Policy Project funded by the W. K. Kellogg Foundation.

Please click here for the full position and project descriptions and application details.

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.

DISASTER RELIEF AND ASSISTANCE

Organizations Accepting Contributions
click the links to find out more

Southern Mutual Help Association Rural Recovery Fund
SMHA, based in New Iberia, Louisiana, has a proven 36 year history of work with farmers and fishers in South Louisiana, including areas hardest hit by Hurricane Katrina. SMHA is currently assessing the situation of directly impacted rural communities and families, and are requesting much needed financial and volunteer support of their recovery and rebuilding efforts in these rural areas.

www.southernmutualhelp.org

The Federation of Southern Cooperatives

Katrina Relief and Recovery Fund
The Federation, through their partner - the Mississippi Association of Cooperatives - will be assisting farmers in the Southern half of Mississippi. They are asking donations to be sent directly to:
Mississippi Association of Cooperatives
Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund
233 E. Hamilton St.
Jackson, MS 39202
or through the Federation of Cooperatives web site at:
www.federationsoutherncoop.com

Farm Aid Disaster Fund
Farm Aid will channel emergency assistance to farm families devastated by Hurricane Katrina. Farm Aid activated the Family Farm Disaster Fund to encourage donations so that farm families can get the help they need to recover from the hurricane and continue farming.
www.farmaid.org

Heifer Project International
Heifer International has more than two dozen projects located in the Gulf region of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, where the hundreds of rural families who rely on Heifer animals and programs are now struggling to find clean water, food, shelter and other necessities. Heifer is moving quickly to provide whatever immediate assistance it can, and then begin to plan for short- and long-term assistance for project partners, volunteers and Heifer affiliates in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama impacted by the storm. Donations for this relief effort can be made by calling (800) 422-0474 or through the web sitehttp://www.heifer.org.

Additional information will be added as it becomes available. If you have info to share, please send an email to: ssawg@aol.com.

Resources for Farmers Seeking Assistance

These organizations can help farmers access available assistance resources. More information about the types of assistance available and processes for accessing it will be provided as it becomes available. Southern SAWG is also researching alternative marketing outlets for farmers in affected areas, which will be posted to our home page as soon as possible. Click the links below to go directly to their web sites.

Southern Mutual Help Association
3602 Old Jeanerette Road
New Iberia, LA 70563
337-367-3277
FAX: 337-367-3279
Email: smha@southernmutualhelp.org

Federation of Southern Cooperatives
Administrative Office:
2769 Church Street
East Point, GA 30344
(404) 765-0991
FAX (404) 765-9178
Email: fsc@mindspring.com

Mississippi Association of Cooperatives
233 E. Hamilton St.
Jackson, MS 39202
601-354-2750
Email: mscenter@mindsprind.com

Farm Aid
1-800-FARM AID (800-327-6243)
From 9am to 5pm eastern time
Email: farmhelp@farmaid.org

US Department of Agriculture
Emergency Relief Programs for Farmers and Ranchers

Visit Southern SAWG
online at:

http://www.ssawg.org

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