Home What's New What's New Menu What's New -- Dec. '97 to May '98 Sustainable Farming Connection Where farmers find and share information. What's New -- Dec. '97 to May '98 A chronological list of additions to this site. Missouri Alternatives Center Link List [5/15/98] -- Extensive list of mostly university publications on everything from "Asparagus to Watermelons, and Aquaculture to Worms!" Alternative Ag News [5/8/98] -- Fatally-flawed organic standards, EPA/USDA pesticide cooperation?, gourmet growing, composting progress. Local contact: Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont [4/15/98] Action Alert: Final Push on Organic Rule Comments [4/15/98] -- Letters and callls urgently needed to Senators and Representatives to sign on to letters to Ag. Sec'y Glickman Inside The Beltway -- April '98 [4/12/98] -- Ag policy update from the Midwest Sustainable Agriculture Working Group. Conservation Farm Option, Research Title, Credit Bill, Fund for Rural America and more. Alternative Ag News [3/31/98] -- Rural fund cut, biotech interests pressure USDA on organic rules, EPA cracks down on large animal operations, court rejects county hog ordinances. Link to Farm Bill Network from our Farm Policy menu [3/31/98] -- Useful info on CRP, WRP, WHIP and other USDA conservation programs that benefit fish and wildlife, water quality, etc. Farm Beginnings [3/24/98] -- Minnesota program encouraging and educating new farmers. Organic Dairy Discussion Forum [3/23/98] -- Join in the discussion on everything from health care and feeds to certification and marketing. Mobile Calf-Grazing Module [3/23/98] -- Keeps calves healthy while helping them reap the benefits of pasture at an early age. Link to Pigs on Pasture from our Grazing Menu page [3/23/98]-- Take a virtual tour of the Gunthorp farm at American Farmland Trust's grassfarmer.com site. While you're there, stop by and see Tools for Graziers, innovative solutions including a windscreen, shade trailer, and more. Link to Ecological Agriculture Projects [3/23/98] -- Now free to the public, this Canadian site features a broad range of information, archived newletters and more. A quick visit turned up papers on the effect of ag chemicals on soil, earthworms, weeds as soil indicators, and tips to control internal parasites of ruminants. Worth exploring. Link to Forage Livestock Systems from our Grazing Links page [3/23/98] -- Great site from the Univ. of W. Va. features fact sheets, a forage ID tutorial, and grazing classics in Ye Olde Forage Library Card Catalogue. Link to 'Terminator Technology'[3/18/98] -- New patent aims to prevent farmers from saving seed according to the Rural Advancement Foundation International. Link to How to Grow Fresh-Market Tomatoes The Sustainable Way With Organic Mulches from our Cover Crop menu page [3/17/98] -- Brief summary of a publication by USDA's Dr. Aref Abdul-Baki. Describes no-till transplant system similar to that used by Steve Groff. Inside The Beltway -- March '98 [3/14/98] -- Ag policy update from the Midwest Sustainable Agriculture Working Group. CAFO's, WHIP, research bill, crop insurance, emergency credit, EQIP and more. Link to Organic Engineering [3/14/98] -- Memo shows USDA sacrificing organic standards to accommodate biotech interests, according to this Mother Jones report. Link to Association for Temperate Agroforestry from our Agroforestry Menu page [3/12/98] -- AFTA's newly updated site includes online articles, news, the tables of contents for their newsletter, publication ordering information, links and more. Worth exploring. Online Cover Crop Video [3/10/98] -- See innovator Steve Groff kill cover crops with a stalk chopper and no-till transplant tomatoes into thick residue (.avi or .wav). Read about his pioneering No-Till Transplanting into Cover Crops system. Link to The Campaign to Keep "Organic" Organic from our Organic Farming, Marketing, and Certification Resources page [3/9/98] -- This site makes it easy to respond to USDA proposed organic rules. Features good background info. Certifier to Uphold Higher Organic Standard [3/7/98] -- Farm Verified Organic decides not to accept watered-down organic rules. Action Alerts [3/5/98]: Time running out for organic rule comments and Urgent Credit, Civil Rights Action Needed Alternative Ag News [3/2/98] -- Clean Water plan, USDA budget boosts for sust. ag, plans to save Bt, Monsanto pays cotton farmers. New listings from our Local Contacts menu: Lightstone Foundation, SW Tilth Farmers Market, OEFFA Western Pennsylvania Chapter, Sauk County Grazing Network, Parkway Partners, Finca Loma Linda, Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, Forest Service Employees for Environmental Ethics, Tennessee Valley Goat Associaton, Cattleman's Legal Fund, Maryland Certified Organic Growers Cooperative. Link to Composting Livestock Mortalities from our Compost and Manure menu page [2/23/98] -- Can't get anyone to come pick up dead stock? This Ontario Ministry of Agriculture fact sheet can help. Link to Sustaining Pennsylvania Agriculture from our University Sustainable Ag Programs page [2/23/98] -- New Penn State site includes research and demonstration summaries, commentary, news and events, more info and funding sources. Inside The Beltway -- Feb. '98 [2/11/98] -- Ag policy update from the Midwest Sustainable Agriculture Working Group. Small Farm Commission report, USDA budget, CRP, CFO and more. Comment Period Extended for Proposed Organic Rule [2/11/98] -- Make comments to USDA by April 30. Links to commentary on issues. Links from our Farm Policy page to news releases about and the full report from the USDA's National Commission on Small Farms, A Time to Act. More Weird Farm News [2/11/98] -- New items include EU ban on cukes that don't curve. Link to Stafix Electric Fence Manual from our Fence-Building References Online page [2/10/98] -- Basics, planning and layout, energizer installation, troubleshooting and more at the Kencove Farm Fence website. Link to Sustainable Agriculture Network Search from our Ag Search Engines and Indexes links page [2/10/98] -- Search the SAN website including archives of the sanet-mg email discussion group. Inside The Beltway -- Winter '98 [2/10/98] -- Ag policy update from the Midwest Sustainable Agriculture Working Group. Link to The Organic Webring from our Webring page. [2/9/98] Alternative Ag News [1/30/98] -- Small Farms Commission recommendations, manure major pollutant, fertilizer limits to fight Pfiesteria. Link to grassfarmer.com from our Grazing Links page [1/6/98] -- New American Farmland Trust site features their Cove Mt. grass dairy project and innovative parlors for dairy graziers. Alternative Ag News [1/2/98] -- Proposed organic standards, reasons to buy organic, beneficial wasps fight alfalfa pests, and more. Webrings [12/23/97] -- Sustainable Farming Connection is a proud member of these webrings Links to Reuters news releases [12/16/97] -- USDA rolls out standards for organic foods, U.S. rules for organic food ban pesticides, Key proposed U.S. rules for ``organic'' label, and USDA's organic rules sidestep biotechnology USDA Unveils Proposed Organic Rule [12/15/97] -- Read and comment online. Link to Center for Rural Affairs from our Farm Policy menu [12/3/97] -- Newly upgraded site from the Nebraska-based nonprofit features news and opinions from their monthly newsletter, program descriptions (policy, family farms, beginning farmer, marketing etc.), publications list, online excerpts from their report Emerging Markets for Family Farms and more. Alternative Ag News [12/2/97] -- Research funding blocked, organic takes root in Iowa, 'bird-friendly' coffee, new market for organic cotton. What's New Menu -- Previous additions. Top of Page Home What's New What's New Menu What's New -- Dec. '97 to May '98 ©1998 Committee for Sustainable Farm Publishing Please read about our usage permission policy and disclaimer. Send comments, suggestions and questions to the site author: Craig Cramer cdcramer@clarityconnect.com Coded using HoTMetaL Pro 3.0. Best viewed in Netscape 3.0 or later. Please see our credits page for more information. http://sunsite.unc.edu/farming-connection/whatsnew/97129805.htm