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Saturday February 12, 2012 - Kaw Valley Seeds Project Fair
10 a.m.to 3 p.m. at Lawrence
For more info, see below.

Monday, February 13, 2012 - Grazing Management Telecall
Beginning at 7:30 PM Central Time
For more info, see below.

Saturday, February 25, 2012 - North Central KS Commercial Enterprises Workshop
8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., in Washington KS
For more info, see below.

Wednesday, April 25, 2012 - Resourceful Kansas Seminar
In Manhattan KS
For more info, see below.

Wednesday, July 25, 2012 - Resourceful Kansas Seminar
In Manhattan KS
For more info, see below.

Wednesday, October 24, 2012 - Resourceful Kansas Seminar
In Manhattan KS
For more info, see below.


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Grazing Management Teleconference Conversations

Join other grazers from across the state of Kansas in a telephone conversation with Kansas State University’s Gary Kilgore and Keith Harmoney at 7:30 pm on the second Monday of the month. Hosted by the Kansas Rural Center, these informal discussions will cover all aspects of grazing management.

Who should participate?
Farmers, ranchers and educators. Anyone who is interested in grazing!

What’s the benefit to me?
This is an opportunity to learn how you can use complementary forages to extend your grazing season, gain management tips and explore ideas to improve profitability while you responsibly manage your natural resources.

How do I participate in the call?
Our conference call will be hosted by Copper Conferencing.

Anyone can join in the call by simply dialing in 1-888-387-8686. You will then be prompted to dial in a Conference Room Number. Please dial in 4699043 and follow it with the # sign. This will be a toll free call. You are welcome to leave or join the call at anytime between 7:30 and 9 pm.

For more information please contact Jason Schmidt at 316-461-3243.
To receive an email reminder of the call, send a request to Jason at jason_schmidt20@hotmail.com

Support for this networking opportunity comes from a partnership with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.

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KRC Legislative and Policy Watch Project;
Sign Up for Weekly E-ALERts

Starting January 2012, the Kansas Rural Center will sponsor year two of its Legislative and Policy Watch Project.  With this project, KRC will offer Weekly E-Alerts during the State of Kansas Legislative Session, and updates and alerts on the development of the 2012 federal farm bill throughout the year. Paul Johnson, Perry, Ks., farmer and former lobbyist for a consortium of church groups, will be staffing this effort. With state budget woes continuing and Governor Brownback and his cabinet team in their second year, KRC will monitor the state legislature for decisions affecting a diversified agriculture, the environment, our natural resource base, and consumers, as well as to promote a local and regional food system.

To sign up for this service, please download this form and return it to Kansas Rural Center.

The project is possible due to a bequest from Jan Garton, Manhattan, who died in 2009, and left KRC a generous gift. These project services include:

  • Weekly E-Alerts, January-May 2012. Registered as a lobbyist for KRC, Johnson will produce weekly E-Reports, and track and testify on bills and issues related to farm and food policy. He will also be monitoring state budget issues, including Kansas State University programs, Kansas Department of Agriculture activities, and programs impacting water conservation and quality, small meat processors promotion and regulation, farmers markets promotions, and state food policy goals.  Other issues may include rBGH milk labeling, defining sustainable agriculture in law, and existing property tax exemptions for commercial wind and 'tar sands' pipelines.

  • Teleconference Call Updates. In addition to the weekly E-Alerts during the session, Paul and KRC staff will hold on an as-needed basis teleconference calls to alert those who sign up for the weekly Updates on critical or time-sensitive issues.

  • Updates on Federal Farm Programs and the 2012 Farm Bill (Jan.-Dec.) The Weekly E-Alerts also include updates or notices on developments in the next federal farm bill during the session, and special alerts the rest of the year as needed.

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Regional Farmers Market Workshop Scheduled in Allen County

With the current economic situation, producers and consumers alike are looking for local, sustainable food sources. Come catch a vision of how Farmers’ Markets can be an increasingly viable venue for fresh, locally grown food. A free Farmers’ Market Workshop is scheduled for Saturday, December 3, 2011, at the Townhouse West Assembly Room, 217 N. Washington, Iola, KS, from 9:00 to 4:00 for all who are interested in vending, managing or anything in between. A soup lunch will be provided. Pre-registration is requested in order to provide all attendees with take-home materials and plenty of lunch.

Workshops include “Production Techniques to the Lengthen the Garden Season” and “Consider Marketing at Farmers Markets a Business, Not a Hobby” with David Coltrain, K-State Research & Extension Agent, River Valley District, Horticulture and Community Development. Katherine Kelly, Executive Director and Co-Founder of Cultivate KC, will present “Market Customers Eat With Their Eyes”. Laura Christensen, will talk about “Post Harvest Handling” and Eileen Nichols will share “Confessions of a Small Town Market Manager – working with vendors, volunteers and the community”. Tracey Graham, Chapter Coordinator of the Our Local Food-Twin Rivers, will discuss “Electronic Bank Transfer at the Market” and “Rapid Market Assessment”.

Workshop partners include Allen County Farm Bureau, the Kansas Rural Center and the Our Local Food program with funding assistance from Kansas Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture, Kansas Center for Sustainable Agriculture and Alternative Crops, and the USDA Specialty Crop Grant Program, through a sub-grant from the Kansas Department of Agriculture.

Sponsored by: KRC Our Local Food Program, Allen County Farm Bureau.

For more information, go to: www.ksfarmersmarkets.org

To register online, click here.

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Delaware WRAPS BMP Cost-Share Program Open House December 14

Crop and livestock producers in the targeted areas of the Delaware River watershed have the opportunity to receive cost-share for crop and livestock conservation practices through a new program sponsored by the Delaware River WRAPS and K-State Research and Extension. This program, known as a Best Management Practices Auction can provide producers with up to $5,000 on select practices within targeted areas.

Click here for the map  Click the icon for a map of the targeted areas

Cropland practices eligible for cost-share include: establishing vegetative buffers, no-till farming, building water retention structures or sediment basins, establishing or repairing grassed waterways, converting cropland to permanent vegetation, subsurface fertilizer application, and planting cover crops.

Livestock practices eligible for cost-share include: relocating feeding pens away from stream or water source, establishing vegetative filter strips around feeding pens, relocate pasture feeding site away from stream or water source, rotational grazing systems, and installing alternate water sources from a pond or stream.

Two open houses are scheduled where producers can learn more about the auction and receive help completing an application for cost share. Producers can come and go at their convenience during the scheduled open houses.

  • December 14th, 9:00am-11:00am, Atchison County NRCS Building in Atchison

  • December 14th, 1:00pm-3:00pm, Fairview Community Building in Fairview

For additional information, please contact Marlene Bosworth, Delaware WRAPS Coordinator at 785-284-3422 or mkbosworth@northwindts.com

Applications can be picked up any time at the County Extension Office or the Glacial Hills RC&D office in Wetmore, Ks.

Application deadline is January 31, 2012. Applications will be evaluated based on water quality improvements per dollar spent. The most efficient practices in targeted areas will be funded first.

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Kaw Valley Seeds Project Fair

The Kaw Valley Seeds Project is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to create a Local Living Seed Reserve by fostering a network of people committed to growing and eating, sharing and bartering, buying and selling, primary seed varieties of the Kansas River valley.

In addition our goal is to educate the general public about the pleasures of growing their own food by teaching them how to save, store, and plant seeds from their own garden, and where to obtain organic or local seed lines.

In order to further our mission, we invite you to join us for our third annual Kaw Valley Seeds Project Fair on Saturday, February 11, 2012, in Building 21 at the Douglas County Fairgrounds, 2110 Harper Street, Lawrence, KS, from 10am to 3pm, by securing a booth for your organization. The event is being sponsored this year by the Douglas County Extension Master Gardeners and Kansas Area Watershed Council. We will have tables for the public to share and exchange seeds, educational exhibits, local producers including food vendors, demonstrations, and a children’s activity center.

Last year’s event was very successful and fun, and we expect this year to be even bigger.

If you were a vendor with us last year, we are holding a space for you. Please complete and return your application with your booth fee donation by Friday, January 6, 2012 to confirm your participation.

If you are new to the Seeds Fair, please complete the application and return to us with your booth fee donation by Friday, January 6, 2012. Space is limited, and new vendors will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis.

Click here for the vendor app  Click the icon for the Vendor Application form.

Questions? Please call or email Jessi Asmussen, 785-856-0622, mellowfields@gmail.com

Full exhibit/vendor list and schedule will be posted on Facebook: www.facebook.com/kawvalleyseeds

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Commercial Enterprises Workshop for North Central Kansas:
Production, Marketing and Management

On Saturday February 25 there will be a day long workshop, "North Central KS Commercial Enterprises: Production, Marketing and Management Workshop" addressing production, management and marketing of vegetables and fruit on a commercial scale. The workshop will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Washington High School, 115 North D Street, Washington, KS.  Google map link

The workshop sessions include: moving your hobby into a business, direct marketing strategies, vineyard and grape production, growing raspberries and blueberries, no till vegetable production, High Tunnel production, marketing at a roadside stand, marketing to restaurants and other institutions, and more.

This workshop is sponsored by River Valley Extension, Kansas State University Extension and Washington County Farm Bureau.

Registration is $25 for the first registration, and $15 for partners ; students are $10. Registration meal deadline is Feb. 15. Add $10 to your registration after Feb. 15.

For more information contact David Coltrain at 785-325-2121, or coltrain@ksu.edu

Click here for the brochure  Help spread the word! Click the icon for the brochure, which includes a complete listing of the workshop sessions and the registration form.

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RESOURCEFUL KANSAS QUARTERLY SEMINARS

Resourceful Kansas, funded through the U.S. Department of Energy, is accepting applications from
eligible organizations to attend an energy efficiency seminar at the Riley County Public Works facility in
Manhattan, Kansas. The Resourceful Kansas program will occur in eight quarterly rounds beginning January 2011. The third seminar was held July 27. Applications for round 4 are now being accepted.  Applicants from southwest Kansas will be given additional priority.  The fourth seminar will occur on Wednesday, October 26.  Dates for future seminars are: January 25, 2012; April 25, 2012; July 25, 2012; and October 24, 2012.

Take a tour of the Riley County facility and observe first-hand the operations of renewable energy
sources—wind turbines, solar-powered LED lighting, solar hot water heating system for radiant floor heat,
geothermal (ground source) heat pumps, and more.

In addition to the hands-on tour, the seminars will provide information on the following topics:

  • Lighting

  • Wind/Solar Power

  • HVAC

  • Financing

  • Building Envelope

Select organizations will be eligible for a free, on-site energy assessment conducted by GBA Architects +
Engineers following the seminar. These assessments will address energy usage, renewable energy generation,
and transportation impacts, and will include customized cost/benefit reviews and development of
prioritized lists of energy-saving technologies and recommended modifications.

Who is eligible to apply?

  • City, County and State facilities (e.g., police, fire and emergency response; water and wastewater facilities)

  • Unified School Districts (district, groups of schools, or individual schools) and Private Schools

  • Public Colleges, Universities and Technical Schools

  • Agribusiness (e.g., confined hog operations, grain-drying facilities)

  • Non-Profit Organizations (e.g., museums, educational facilities, houses of worship, libraries, hospitals)

Seating is limited! For more information or to apply online, see: www.resourcefulkansas.org

Contact: David Carter, KSU Pollution Prevention Institute at 785-532-4998 or dcarter@k-state.edu

Click here for the flyer!  Help spread the word!  Click the icon for the flyer.

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