Start Farming Fact Sheets - Penn State Extension

Penn State Extension has released a series of 10 fact sheets to help farmers enhance their knowledge about organic vegetable production, ecological plant disease management, and soil basics. These fact sheets aim to support beginning farmers, home gardeners, and farmers new to organic growing practices.

Some topics include the following: seed and seedling biology, potting media and plant propagation, planning a crop rotation, plant disease basics, diagnosing a plant problem, ecological disease management, creating a weed-management plan, selecting the right seeding and transplanting strategies, soil quality and managing soils.

Click here for SOIL FACT SHEETS!


Click here for VEGETABLE FACT SHEETS!

Farmer Meeting with JCPS - Nov 2

Jefferson County Public School (JCPS) representatives will be holding a meeting with farmers and distributors interested in selling local food to JCPS. JCPS will explain how farmers can participate in the School Lunch Program and the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program. They will also be explaining how their bidding process works and what food items they are seeking.

Click here to REGISTER NOW!

What:   JCPS Farmer Meeting
When:  Nov 2, 2012 (2PM - 4 PM)
Where: 360 Farmington Ave.
             Louisville, KY 40209

Food Day 2012

Food Day will take place on October 24th at Western Kentucky University's Ag Expo Center. Food Day is a celebration that offers educational workshops, a local food expo, farm tours, a special Farm Elegant Dinner, and activities for kids. This is a free event open to all, and it will start at 9 AM and conclude at 4 PM (CST).

Registration and fees are required for certain activities. Please follow the link below to learn more about Food Day 2012!



Food Day Conference 2012 website

Jackson County Public Schools Seeking More Farmers for School Lunches

Jefferson County Public Schools, serving 90,000 meals per day and more than 17,000 fresh produce snacks three days per week, would like to increase its purchases of local food during the growing season 2013. Food service directors from counties contiguous to Jefferson have been invited.

JCPS would like to invite all farmers and other stakeholders interested in the future of local food purchases by JCPS to attend a meeting on Nov 2.

Farmer Meeting
2 to 4 p.m.
Friday, Nov 2, 2012
360 Farmington Ave.
Louisville, KY 40209

JCPS representatives will explain how to participate with both the School Lunch Program and the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable program. Farmers, distributors and extension agents can learn more about the bid process and the produce items that will be put up for bid. Contracts typically guarantee a price for the farm product, but do not require a farmer to supply product if weather impedes the crop.

In addition, representatives from the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable snack program will be at this meeting, with a list of local products they can use.

At the end of the meeting we'll spend some time going over bid sheets to help folks understand them a little better. Distributors will also be invited, as they are in some (not all) cases necessary to get food to the schools.
 

If you plan to come, please register at http://jcpsfarmermeeting.eventbrite.com so we'll have enough materials on hand and enough chairs for everyone.

Pawpaw: The "Poor Mans Banana"

Never heard of a pawpaw tree? Pawpaw fruit is a delicious treat that grows wild throughout Kentucky, but many consumers are not familiar with the pawpaw. Pawpaws are rich in nutrition and flavor, and could very well be the next "superfood", but are not heavily commercialized. Commercialization of the pawpaw fruit is underway thanks to efforts through KSU, Purdue, Ohio State, and other entities. If you are interested in learning more, click on the link below to read an article about pawpaw harvesting, handling, marketing, and more!

NCAT: Pawpaw-A “Tropical” Fruit for Temperate Climates 

2012 Healthy Foods Local Farms Conference "No Water; No Food"

The 2012 Healthy Foods Local Farms Conference will be held on Saturday October, 13 from 9 am to 5:30 pm; it costs $40 to attend the conference. The conference will be held at Kentucky Country Day School (4100 Springdale Rd. Louisville, KY 40241). Featured speakers will include Dennis Dimick (National Geographic), Wendell Berry, Matthew Sleeth, and more! Click the link below for more information and to register for the conference!

2012 Healthy Foods Local Farms Conference