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The Kansas Rural Center publishes a newsletter, Rural Papers, eight to ten times a year. Contributors to KRC receive the newsletter at no cost. Subscriptions are available for $25/year. The newsletter offers practical information on sustainable agricultural practices and profiles of Kansas farmers. It includes timely coverage of farm policy and environmental issues from a state and a national perspective. The newsletter also offers analysis and commentary on developments in industrial agriculture, such as biotechnology and genetic engineering, corporate concentration, and factory livestock production. The editor is Mary Fund. Contact the KRC office for a complimentary copy or a subscription by email at ksrc@rainbowtel.net or call 785/873-3431. The Rural Papers became
available online in pdf format beginning Fall 2006. Back issues may be found here. March-April 2009
Rural Papers Highlights
1) Focus on the Fourth “F”:
Feed, Fuel, Fertilizer... and Forages
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“F”: Feed, Fuel, Fertilizer... and Forages Eureka, Kansas- From cash cow to no-cash cow, the rules have changed for the cattlemen around the country. After several years of reasonable profits, stockmen are facing hard times for the foreseeable future, with little or no cash left after the bills are paid. Cow-calf producers are faced with soaring prices for inputs (feed, fuel, and fertilizer) while markets for their calves are slipping well below the average of recent years. Even though crop farmers are faced with record input costs, they can look forward to strong prices for commodities. The same is not necessarily true for the cattle producer. Cattlemen are scrambling to find ways to substitute forages for grain to grow their livestock. Numerous ramifications emerge from this scenario. Many feedlots in Western Kansas and adjacent states are operating well below capacity and some are being closed. This comes after numerous feedlot expansions over the past two decades. Cattle are being grown for longer periods on grass and entering feedlots heavier. This has created a higher demand for pastures for stocker cattle. Prices paid to rent pastures in the Flint Hills, a major area for growing stocker cattle enroute to feedlots, have risen sharply. Because of high prices for corn and other grains, costs per pound of gain are generally lower on pasture. Stocker cattle are being grazed longer through the summer with fewer stocker owners using the intensive early stocking program in which cattle are generally taken off pasture in mid to late July. Many more stocker cattle were maintained on grass throughout the 2008 growing season than in previous years. Because stocker operators are willing to pay higher prices for pastures, cow-calf operators are forced to ante up to have forage for their cowherds. Unfortunately, some cattlemen feel pressured to graze pastures more closely, leaving less cover at the end of the season, when times are hard and cash is short. This can damage the vigor of the grasses and other forage plants and expose the topsoil to erosion. Excessive grazing in one year results in weakened plants and less forage the following season, compounding the erosion problem. Abundant rainfall during the spring and summer of 2008 were kind to stockmen in many parts of Kansas and masked the potential long term overuse of pastures. Pastures in some areas, especially where smooth brome and tall fescue are major forages, are being converted to commodity crops by farmers looking to cash in on $3.50 and higher corn and $8.50 or more for soybeans. This not only reduces overall forage supplies but also impacts water quality in that runoff from crop fields has a record of carrying greater concentrations of silt and nutrients, even when no-till cropping practices used. While not directly related, the nation’s forage base is being further reduced through conversion of grasslands to housing developments and non-grazed recreational uses. Introduced forages such as tall fescue, smooth brome and Bermuda grass need significant additions of nitrogen and phosphorus to produce well. At current fertilizer prices, many producers are cutting or omitting these nutrient applications. The outcome is less forage and plant cover to protect the soil resource, and thus greater runoff and erosion unless stocking rates are reduced to match forage production. Several producers in southeast Kansas have opted to use poultry wastes from Missouri and Oklahoma to replace commercial fertilizers. However, special storage and application techniques are needed to prevent nutrient runoff and water quality problems in streams and lakes below, a problem that led to a major lawsuit over water quality between the two states. Interseeding of legumes into tame pastures is an option to offset nitrogen application. However, much of the nitrogen fixed by the bacteria on the roots are actually incorporated into the legume plants and unavailable to the grasses until the legumes die and decompose. Soil tests and building the level of phosphorus in the soil prior to seeding is critical as legumes are heavy users of the nutrient. However, most of the phosphorus is recycled into the soil under grazing situations and additional applications may not be needed. Supplemental feeds, especially hay, often account for about two-thirds of the cost of maintaining the cow herd. More stockmen are looking for ways to extend the grazing season and reduce supplemental feeding. Stockpiling forages, allowing forage to accumulate during late summer and early fall, has several advantages. Winter grazing of forages with less supplemental feeding saves labor and costs as well as reducing manure concentrations at feeding sites. This works especially well with tall fescue in the eastern portion of the state where it holds forage quality (10-12 percent crude protein) well into the winter months. Research has shown that cattle will graze through several inches of snow to obtain forage. Dormant native grasses like bluestem and Indian grass are also valuable sources of energy for dry cows when supplemental protein is provided to maintain diet quality. Other options include crop aftermath, winter cereals, turnips, and standing or windrowed forage sorghums. Grazing distribution within pastures is always a challenge for livestock producers. Forage use by animals is influenced by water supplies, shade, soil types and fertility, plant species, wind directions and previous grazing. Management practices to achieve more uniform grazing use throughout pastures will increase harvest efficiency and production per acre. Relocation of salt-mineral feeders, dusters, back rubs, supplemental feeding sites, and waterers can often improve grazing patterns as well as water quality. Rotational grazing systems have also proven to improve harvest efficiency and can often be implemented using existing pastures or a minimum of cross fencing. The other side of the harvest efficiency equation is the livestock doing the grazing. After about three decades of selection for larger, faster-growing stock, cattlemen have started to look seriously at feed efficiency as a selection criterion. Research has shown that some cattle can achieve the same growth on 20 percent less feed than their herdmates. The next step is identification of those genetic lines with this inherent ability and incorporation of those into cow herds around the county. Recent advances in DNA technology include the identification of gene markers for feed efficiency. The cost of the three F’s (feed, fuel, and fertilizer) has been a common subject at meetings and coffee shops where livestock producers gather. During current times when energy and those goods and services that are energy dependent are costing more, the management of grazing lands where the endless supply of solar energy is captured and converted to usable forages for livestock production deserves greater consideration. Efficient production and harvest of the fourth F (forages) will by necessity gain greater attention by stockmen planning to sustain their operations. The Kansas Rural Center offers grazing consultations free of charge to producers wishing to improve their forage management. For more information, contact KRC at 785-873-3431 or via email at ksrc@rainbowtel.net 2) Small Farmer
Commentary: The panic has subsided. But for several days my e-mail was inundated with dire warnings and alerts that Congress was going to take away our backyard gardens, ban organic farming, make farmers’ markets and direct marketing impossible, implement a mandatory animal ID system, and basically sign the death warrant for all small farms. What is going on? demanded other e-mails as people tried to decipher fact from fiction. The cause of the near panic was a piece of food safety legislation. H.R. 875, the Food Modernization Act of 2009 introduced by Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) created the internet stir. H.R. 875 would establish a new Food Safety Administration, separate from the Food and Drug Administration. Rumors and misinterpretations of the details ran hot and heavy across the internet. For the most part, the panic was unfounded. DeLauro has assured those who contacted her that she has no intention of damaging small farms, organic farming, or taking away backyard gardens and farmers’ markets. The bill does not include language regarding any of these. As one analyst put it, there are no guarantees that the bill will even survive in its current form or at all. While caution is always advised (where there is smoke there is fire goes the old adage) we can take a deep breath and look at what is being debated. Here are the facts as I have found them. Yes, food safety issues are front burner issues for both Congress and the new administration. We can thank the recent peanut butter, spinach and tomato salmonella incidents. Yes, there are regulatory concerns for small as well as larger producers and businesses. But nothing is likely to pass quickly. Several other bills have been introduced, and as is usually the case with major issues facing Congress, the end result will be a blend of several of them. According to the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, the House Energy and Commerce Committee plans to introduce a food safety bill later this spring, hold hearings, and have action before mid-summer - an ambitious agenda considering all the other priorities. What will emerge in the coming weeks is a better idea of what might be included in a committee bill. They may mostly work from H.R. 759, the FDA Globalization Act of 2009, which would update and expand FDA’s authority on a wide range of food and drug issues, including more record requirements, processing and production standards, and traceability. There are very real concerns for providing more food safety oversight. And there are very real issues for food producers and budding enterprises in our local and regional food system. We hope the new food safety framework recognizes that the issues are different for someone who produces for the local farmers market and for the 1000 acre vegetable producer who sells wholesale. The solutions must work for all sizes of farmers and processors and not overburden the budding local and regional food processors and enterprises. If the amount of e-mail that accompanied the introduction of Rep. DeLauro's bill is any indication, the farmers’ market associations, organic farming groups and small food businesses across the country are clearly paying attention. Hearings will be held. More vetting of the proposed law will be heard. We hope that based on the hue and cry that went up from small farm and food interests that Congress will pay closer attention to how their actions impact those most involved in the emerging local or regional food system development. 3) Battle Over rBGH Awaits Governor’s Decision; But Questions Will Remain As this goes to press, Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius has yet to decide* yea or nay on a bill passed by the Kansas Legislature requiring a disclaimer on milk and other dairy products with labels stating they were produced with milk from cows not treated with the artificial hormone rBGH, (recombinant bovine growth hormone) also known as rBST. Some argue that regardless of her decision, the issue will not likely be put to rest, as this is a bigger issue than just Kansas. The disclaimer which would be required on any non-rBGH labeled product, states that the “Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has determined that no significant difference has been shown between milk derived from rBST-supplemented and non-rBST supplemented cows.” In the past, labels simply stated “non-rBGH” or “Made without rBGH”. The artificial growth hormone is used to increase milk production from individual cows. Opponents of the bill argue that if the new label requirements become law, the disclaimer itself will mislead Kansans. According to Rick North of the Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility, “A specific statement on a label has the responsibility to ensure that the statement is accurate.” North points to the lack of consensus among groups that all milk is the same and that rBGH is safe. These include the American Nurses Association, European Union, Consumers Union, and the United Nation’s main food safety body. Arguing that the approval of rBGH is now 15 years old and was controversial from the beginning, opponents question the FDA statement. Health, consumer and agricultural groups argue that new scientific research and the positions of a number of credible organizations present questions whether the disclaimer is true. Over two dozen groups from across the country as well as Kansas consumers have urged the Governor to veto the bill. The milk labeling bill was introduced over a year ago by the Kansas Dairy Association with apparent urging from the drug’s manufacturer Monsanto. The bill’s language was inserted into another bill that addresses state swine feeding permits and pesticide and fertilizer law. State legislators then passed the bill on to the Governor for her signature. State legislators were bombarded with e-mails from people -- many from out of state-- objecting to the labeling law. Many legislators appear to have interpreted this as interference in state business, voting, some argue, against the broader consumer interests and concerns. The labeling issue is part of a nationwide push in a number of states by some in the dairy industry and from the manufacturer of rBGH who insist consumers re being duped into believing the rBGH products are unsafe. Others claim it is a campaign to combat falling sales of the artificial hormone. Consumer preference for milk and dairy products from cows not treated with the artificial growth hormone created a growing market and opportunity for those not using the artificial hormone. Monsanto, who developed rBGH amidst great controversy and revolving doors between the FDA and the giant agribusiness company, shepherded rBGH to approval in 1993 Monsanto sold the product division to Eli Lilli in 2008. Some claim it was the decline in sales that led to Monsanto dumping the non-profitable product. In Kansas it is estimated that only a small minority of dairies use rBGH. The Kansas Department of Agriculture, which supports the new law, claims that the new label will provide more information for the consumer not less. Many dairy product manufacturers are concerned that if passed, Kansas will have different labeling regulations than surrounding states, making product distribution difficult. In the meantime, the list of dairy food processors who will not buy milk from cows treated with the artificial hormone continues to grow. How they will label their products -- or if they will label their products as non-rBGH in the future --is up in the air, especially in Kansas. For a list of the top 100 Dairy
manufacturers who do not use rBGH, go to the KRC website: * Note: Governor Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas vetoed HB 2121 which contained the rBGH language on April 23. 4) Overbrook Grazing
Workshop Encourages Optimizing Grazing Systems Overbrook, Kansas - On March 5th, 60 farmers and ranchers gathered at Grace Community Church in Over-brook to learn about improving their grazing systems. Topics for the evening included extending the grazing season, cool season grass management, rotational grazing systems, funding sources, and feeding and water sites. Gary Kilgore, retired K-State forage professor, introduced a number of alternative forages in his speech, “The Four Seasons of Grazing.” Kilgore said, “The commodity we are producing is not beef, it’s forages.” He went on to challenge the audience to consider the benefits of grazing versus feeding hay. In selecting forages, Kilgore said species must be “adapted to your soil, climate, and management practices.” Also, Kilgore stressed the importance of matching forages to the animal’s nutritional needs. Kilgore spoke about different types of forages used for extending the grazing season, including warm season and cool season grasses. Looking ahead to the coming summer months, one warm season annual grass Kilgore highlighted was crabgrass, particularly the new forage variety Quick N Big. This new variety is fast growing, high yielding, and high in forage quality when planted in April or May and with appropriate soil amendments. Another positive trait about crabgrass is that despite being an annual, it reseeds itself for following years. Kilgore also spoke on cool season grass management, stressing the importance of soil testing, appropriate fertilizer rates and timing, and optimal harvest time. David Kraft, NRCS State Rangeland Specialist, introduced the concept of rest in rotational grazing systems. During the growing season, giving grazing plants rest will improve the health and vigor of the plant. Kraft stressed that without rest, as in a continuous grazing system, root reserves of forage plants will be diminished, which will weaken root systems and shift plant communities to less desirable forages. Other benefits of rotational grazing, Kraft suggested, include erosion control by preventing heavy traffic to water sites and along fences, benefits for animal handling, and increased harvest efficiency. Challenges include fencing, water sites, more frequent management presence, and increased management skills. Another topic of the evening included services available for farmers and ranchers. Jason Schmidt (Kansas Rural Center) presented the Clean Water Farms-River Friendly Farms Project, which helps producers with an environmental assessment and whole farm planning. Paul Ingle (Flint Hills RC&D Melvern Water Quality Project) shared other funding sources for best management practices. Ingle described how some funding is now being funneled through WRAPS (Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategy) watersheds. To be eligible for funding from these groups, landowners must be located within a watershed that has developed a WRAPS program. You can find a map and more information at the WRAPS website at www.kswraps.org Other funding sources Ingle mentioned included the USDA NRCS EQIP program, the State Conservation Commission, and the USDA-SARE (Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education) program producer grant program. Herschel George and Will Boyer, Kansas State University Watershed Specialists, concluded the workshop with a tag-team presentation on alternative watering and winter feeding sites to protect water quality. Boyer challenged producers to consider that the best option for winter feeding is to extend the grazing season or feed hay on pasture. George stressed the importance of establishing appropriate winter feeding sites that have no extraneous drainage, are conveniently located, and have good buffers between riparian areas. The grazing workshop was sponsored by Osage County Extension, Melvern WRAPS Watershed, Flint Hills RC&D, and the Kansas Rural Center. 5) CWFP Profile: Love of
Place Drives Landowner’s Conservation Work Holton, Kansas- Cheri Karns overlooks her Jackson County farm and says “How can you not love it?” It is this love for her farm that has driven Karns and her partner, Luke Emmert, to make changes to protect the farm from erosion and improve water quality. Karns said she has seen changes on the farm since purchasing it in the mid-1970s. According to Cheri erosion has changed the way the farm looks in many places. “There are culverts that have washed out and places we used to drive across that are no longer there.” According to Karns, she works hard to have something to give her children. “I want to preserve what is here,” she said. She said her two daughters understand that. “It doesn’t stop with me,” she said. A hand-painted journal records her day-to-day experiences on her farm—including her efforts to improve its water quality. Emmert tells her that the journal details her legacy to her children and grandchildren. She said the journal will show her daughters what it takes to preserve a place like theirs. A look around the farm and Karns’ tenacity in fighting erosion and protecting water quality is evident. “If something doesn’t work…come up with another plan,” she said. And she wants to pass that knowledge and dedication on to her children. “We’ve made changes and I’ve let the kids know what worked and what didn’t work,” she said. As a landowner, Karns wanted to develop a pasture that allows the tenant the ability to manage the land and his cattle as sustainably as possible. Karns said implementing the process was well thought out and planned. “We didn’t jump,” she said. According to Karns, Emmert urged her to complete the River Friendly Farm Project environmental assessment tool through the Kansas Rural Center. Working with Clean Water Farms Project (CWFP) Field Organizer Ed Reznicek, Karns completed the RFFP notebook. Karns said the self-assessment made her think about where the water goes after leaving her farm. “I didn’t really think about what watershed we’re in,” she said. “Now I think about the water—and sediment—leaving here, going down Elk Creek to the Delaware (River) and eventually ending up in Perry (Reservoir). “ Priority areas the RFFP highlighted for Karns included restricting cattle access to the pond and creek; developing alternative water sources for the cattle in the pasture, and moving the fuel barrel further away from the well. Karns said prior to completing the RFFP, the couple didn’t think about the fuel barrel’s proximity to the household well. They had, in fact, just relocated it to another location within the perimeter of the well. “You don’t think about all those things,” she said. Since completing the RFFP, she said they moved the fuel barrel again—this time away from the well. Overall, she said the notebook raises awareness for a landowner and farmer alike. “I’m a firm believer in the whole program,” she said. To implement a plan for the remaining two priority areas, Karns applied for and received cost-share to run a waterline for an alternative watering system. Karns updated an existing well at the top of the hill, allowing the water to gravity feed to the three watering points in the pasture. Working with Jackson County Conservation District, Cheri also received non-point source (NPS) funding through the State Conservation Commission to assist in purchasing two automatic waterers. Karns also installed a third watering point—a hydrant and water tank combination using her own funds. Installing these watering points allowed Karns and Emmert to fence the pasture into six different paddocks for a managed grazing system. Cheri works with her renter to develop a plan to utilize the forages—all while considering soil conservation and water quality on the farm. To protect the riparian and timber areas, Karns received Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP) funding through Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to fence the timber and riparian areas along the creek. The timber is flash grazed to control undergrowth and weeds—all while protecting the diversity of the area. Karns said the farm’s timber is a beautiful area with a variety of trees and wildlife. She said Emmert worked to clean it up following the region’s ice storm in December of 2007. “He is an avid woodsman,” she said, referring to his knowledge of forestry management and ability to properly identify trees. Karns said looking back at history is enough to motivate her to make these changes on her farm. She and Emmert both recently read “The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl” by Timothy Egan. She said the book makes you think about the Dust Bowl and “relate it to where we are now”. Karns feels managing the land is one way she can leave a legacy for her children and grandchildren. “We can’t control it but we can pick up and fix it. If we don’t—no one else will,” she said. 6) KS Farmers Market
Website to Launch in May Whiting, Ks. - Those interested in farmers’ markets will soon have a singular place on the internet to find comprehensive information. The website, www.ksfarmersmarkets.com will serve consumers, producers and market organizers. Potential shoppers will be able to search for farmers’ markets based on county, zip code or region as well as discover special events, read market farmer profiles, obtain recipes for seasonal produce and view a farmers market photo gallery. A section devoted to market participants will offer information on getting started with farmers markets, production techniques, marketing and trends and innovations in market farming. Market managers and organizers will be able to explore a resource library containing KRC and other publications as well as guidelines and bylaws from markets across the state. Marketing materials and recipes will also be available for download. The ksfarmersmarkets.com website will replace the static farmers market directory maintained by KSU Extension with a full-featured, dynamic website. Markets can submit information to be posted on the site such as media releases and calendar events. "It is KRC's hope, that by consolidating information for all of the markets in Kansas, markets can devote more of their limited resources towards special events and market enhancements," states Mercedes Taylor-Puckett, Kansas Rural Center’s Farmers’ Market Project Coordinator. While the website won't launch until May, www.ksfarmersmarkets.com currently hosts KRC's farmers’ market blog. The Kansas Farmers’ Market blog, short for web log, is a forum for farmers’ market information. Guest bloggers, including KRC Farmer Educators, food writers, chefs, market managers and professionals supporting markets, will regularly add posts. The website is funded by a Kansas Department of Agriculture Specialty Crop Block Grant and a USDA AMS Farmers Market Promotion Program Grant. -30- 7) Global Partners for Local Organic Foods Website is On-Line Lawrence, Ks. - Global Partners for Local Organic Foods is a project of the Kansas Rural Center (KRC) in cooperation with the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements - Japan (IFOAM - Japan). The partnership seeks to explore ways to further interest in small-scale, organic farming and establish personal relationships between food producers and consumers in areas of both countries where rural communities once thrived but are now in decline. Target areas for our cross-cultural dialogue are two agricultural heartlands — The Kansas River Valley, centered in Lawrence, Kansas, and Saitama Prefecture, Japan (northwest of Tokyo). Coming out of this experience we hope to develop innovative pilot projects that will incorporate promising cultural approaches to spread interest in organic, locally produced foods in our respective communities. Japanese consumers have strong interests in the provenance of the food they eat, and how it was grown. Even today, much of their food system maintains cultural relationships built on smaller stores and firmer ties with farmers. At the same time, they are experiencing the rise of fast food, and accompanying nutritional disease. The Project’s website is up and running with materials available in Japanese and English. You can visit it at: http://www.gplof.org A team of 10 farmers, retailers and extension professionals will be visiting Saitama in mid-May. They will be hosting a reciprocal visit from the Japanese team in late June. Public events during their visit include the Miles Awards Ceremony and Local Foods Tasting on June 25, a Japanese Foods Cooking Demonstration on June 27 and a Forum on Local Organic Foods in Japan on June 29. Please go to the website for updates. 8) KRC Announces 2009 Market Farmer Educators In order to grow farmers’ markets, markets need to grow new growers and enhance the skills of current producers. The Kansas Rural Center has selected Jill Elmers, Rosanna Bauman, Jozie Schimke and Brian Henry to serve as farmers market producer mentors and advisors in 2009. These sustainable farmer educators, master farmers who have acquired a specialized value-added expertise, will educate and coach other farmers by responding to inquiries, sharing experiences, suggesting available resources and making presentations at farmers’ market meetings, workshops and field days. "By promoting farmer-to-farmer learning opportunities, the Rural Center hopes to develop opportunities for market producers to enrich their knowledge base and gain inspiration. These four educators are representative of a new breed of farmers in that they are young and have adapted new techniques and innovative marketing strategies," says Mercedes Taylor-Puckett, Kansas Rural Center’s Farmers’ Market Project Coordinator. KRC Farmer Educators will also host field days on their own farms. The Bauman's Cedar Valley Farms tour will take place on Friday, May 15th in Garnett. Participants will have the opportunity to see their multi-species pasture stacking system in operation, brooder chicks and ducks, as well as beef, lamb, poultry, eggs, and waterfowl on grass. Schimke and Henry, of Earth Flowers, have set Saturday June 20th as the date for a farm tour and workshops at the Henrys’ Plant Farm in rural Douglas County. There general tour of the flower fields and hoop and greenhouses as well as two afternoon workshops focused on succulents and bouquet making. Additional information on the Farmer Educators, workshops and tours will be available on the ksfarmersmarkets.com website and the Kansas Farmers Market blog or by contacting Mercedes Taylor-Puckett, Kansas Rural Center’s Farmers Market Project Coordinator at 785.840.6202 or mercedes.taylorpuckett@gmail.com 9) Market Managers and Board Members Attend Training Workshops Making connections and creating a learning network for Kansas' farmers' markets is the goal for a series of three Market Manager/Board Workshops in 2009. The first workshop served a forum to get to know one another and our markets, share guidelines and bylaws, discuss how we promote our markets and make plans for future opportunities. Eight managers/board members traveled to Emporia on March 7th for this lively workshop complete with a local foods lunch. The second workshop, held on April 4th in Manhattan, focused on managing conflict, creating consensus, developing efficient and effective planning strategies, and vendor recruitment. Jerry Jost served as the featured presenter and shared a wealth of information he has gathered over his many years of work with markets across the state and the numerous markets and workshops he has attended across the nation. The final workshop in this series, scheduled for June 10th in Andover, will be devoted to learning how to conduct Rapid Market Assessments. Developed by Larry Lev, Linda Brewer and Gary Stephenson of Oregon State University, a Rapid Market Assessment is an easy, effective, and thorough means for gaining quality market research about a farmers' market. Workshop participants will discover how a Rapid Market Assessment can offer an intense one-time market-day snapshot of their market. A RMA "swat team" of "outside" market managers and others use simple, tested methods to: count market customers, survey customers with a dot survey, and compile market observations and recommendations. At this workshop, market organizers and support professionals will acquire the skills to participate in and conduct an RMA. By conducting an RMA, a market can learn consumer motivations for shopping at the market, how much consumers spend and are willing to spend at the market and surrounding businesses, as well as the total volume of market traffic. Organizers can also customize their assessment to fit the information needs of the market. January-February 2009
Rural Papers Highlights
1) Sustainable Grazing
Systems Benefit Environment and Producer Profits
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2008 Rural Papers Highlights:
1) KRC Sustainable
Agriculture Conference: Fundamental Shift from Industrial to
Ecological Economy Needed to Meet Future Challenges
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2008 Rural Papers Highlights:
1) KRC Sustainable
Agriculture Conference: Meeting Agriculture's Challenges in A
Rapidly Changing World
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July/August/September 2008 Rural Papers Highlights
1) Wind Energy Added to KRC
Website
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April/May/June 2008 Rural Papers Highlights 1) Local Food Future
Discussed
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2008 Rural Papers Highlights:
1) Energy Bills Drop
Renewable Pretenses: More Coal Plants
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1) Pharma Crops:
Agricultural Salvation or Pandora's Box?
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1) Passion for the Prairie
Drives Flint Hills Ranchers
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June/July 2007 Rural Papers Highlights
1) Farm Bill Draft Misses Opportunity
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March/April/May 2007 Rural Papers Highlights
1) Drugs in Rice Not Approved by FDA; Food
Contamination Likely
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Farm and Food Policy
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November/December 2006
Rural Papers Highlights
1) Coalition Calls for
Reform in 2007 Farm Bill
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*********************************** August-October 2006 Rural
Papers Highlights 1) Community Wind Energy
Spotlight of October 31 Workshop
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