From the Office of the Acting Administrator, Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, DC 20250. William D. Carlson, Acting Administrator ....................................wcarlson@morrill.esusda.gov Editorial Staff: Jodi Horigan .......................................jhorigan@esusda.gov Fennie Tolver .....................................ftolver@morrill.esusda.gov Judy Rude .......................................jrude@esusda.gov ***************************************************************** UPDATE ON SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE Western Sustainable Ag Training Program Underway ================================================ The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program in the Western U.S. recently awarded nearly a half million dollars in educational grants to several universities and non-profit organizations. The grants announcment introduces a federally-legislated "train the trainers" effort to instruct Cooperative Extension Service and Natural Resource Conservation Service (formerly the Soil Conservation Service) personnel and others in sustainable agriculture concepts and practices. The mission of the SARE program, authorized by Congress in the 1990 Farm Bill, is to expand knowledge and adoption of food production, farming and ranching practices that are environmentally sound, economically viable and socially acceptable. The Western region SARE program is coordinated by soil scientist V. PHILIP RASMUSSEN and hosted by Utah State University. "One goal of this grants program is to train Extension advisors and other professionals, but the end users are really farmers and ranchers," says A.J. DYE, CSREES program leader for this $2.96 million national effort. The competitive research grants portion of SARE, known as Chapter 1, has been funded since 1988. The new educational training effort, most often called Chapter 3, received funding for the first time in the 1994 federal fiscal year. Both grants programs are administered by USDA's newly combined Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (formerly the separate Cooperative State Research Service and the Extension Service). In addition to awarded grants, every State Cooperative Extension Service now receives financial support to create educational strategies for training personnel in sustainable agriculture. For a listing of grant awards and selection, request document "SARE" from jhorigan@esusda.gov. Auburn Named to SARE Training Post ================================== SARE Coordinator V. PHILIP RASMUSSEN announced recently that JILL AUBURN, Ph.D., University of California, will act as coordinator for SARE training. Auburn will organize the annual educational grants cycle and link training projects with similar state, federal and private outreach efforts. Auburn was a founding member of the Sustainable Agriculture Network (SAN), a national information-gathering and electronic networking initiative of the national SARE program and has been involved and interested in sustainable agriculture for fifteen years. Auburn completed her doctorate at the University of California, Davis. In addition to her new appointment, Auburn will continue to act as associate director of the University of California's Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (UC SAREP). New Calls for Proposals Released ================================ In one of her first duties as training coordinator, JILL AUBURN initiated the Chapter 3 grants cycle for the current federal fiscal year. A Call for Proposals for educational and professional development training projects was released this month; proposals are due by 5:00 p.m. PST on January 10, 1995. For information or a grant application, contact Auburn at (916) 757-3278 or -7556. A Call for Proposals for research and education grants through the Chapter 1 program was also released. The SARE host institution office at Utah State University should be contacted for questions or an application at (801) 797-2230. Proposals for Chapter 1 grants are due by 5:00 p.m. MST on November 29, 1994. State-by-State Strategic Planning ================================= In addition to the starting this year's training grants cycle, state-by-state educational strategic planning is also continuing. All interested groups, organizations and persons interested in participating in the process are encouraged to contact their State Extension Sustainable Agriculture Leader. For a listing of these leaders, request "SARE LIST" from jhorigan@esusda.gov. UPDATE ON TECHNOLOGY Alternative Pest Control Facility Named For Pioneer Pathologist =============================================================== A $5-million controlled environment plant growth facility and laboratory complex under construction at the University of Arkansas will be named for HARRY R. ROSEN, a pioneer plant pathologist and breeder of disease-resistant plants. The Harry R. Rosen Center for Alternative Pest Control will be used for plant sciences teaching and research by the College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences and the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station. Rosen, UA faculty member from 1918 to 1958, was named "Arkansas Man of the Year in Agriculture" in 1953 by the Progressive Farmer magazine for his research on wheat and oats, which included developing disease-resistant and winter-hardy varieties. His pioneering research was instrumental in establishing the breeding of disease-resistant crop varieties as the most economical and environmentally sound plant disease control measure. Groundbreaking Ceremony Held for the Oklahoma Food and Agricultural Products Processing Center ======================================================== Groundbreaking for the new Oklahoma Food and Agricultural Products Processing Center for Research and Technology was held November 12, 1994. The new facility will provide support for and stimulate the expansion of Oklahoma's value-added processing industry. It has been estimated that a 50 percent increase in Oklahoma's food-processing industry could create almost 25,000 new jobs in food processing and allied industries. The Center will contain offices, laboratories, and a pilot plant area. The pilot plant will be one of the Center's largest components. This area will have the flexibility to address needs relating to any commodity produced in Oklahoma, or any commodity that has the potential for in-state production. Estimated completion of the Center is December 1996. --- * Origin: [via Psychotronic BBS = Durham, NC = 919-286-4542]Extensi (1:3641/1) @PATH: 3641/1 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- (112) Mon 5 Dec 94 18:00 By: Ilana Wilner To: All Re: Re: ACTION ALERT: 1995 FARM BILL ---------------------------------------------------------------------- @MSGID: 1:3641/223 0006ae54 @PID GIGO+ sn 175 at psybbs vsn 0.99 pl1 From: iwilner@calumet.yorku.ca (Ilana Wilner) @Subject: Re: ACTION ALERT: 1995 FARM BILL @Message-Id: @Sender: news@newshub.ccs.yorku.ca (USENET News System) Date: Mon, 5 Dec 1994 18:00:17 GMT In article Allen Dick wrote: > Anyone who is growing hemp here (Canada) isn't growing it for fibre :-) > There *may* be some research plots somewhere, but I'm sure there are no > commercial growers here. Actually, Allen, there is one commercial grower in Canada. Joe Strobel farms hemp near Tillsonberg, Ontario. After much preparation and government permission (and intervention), Joe got his first crop off this summer. According to what I have heard, it was quite successful. Hopefully this case is not an isolated incident and other farmers will seriously consider this 'new' crop. --- * Origin: [via Psychotronic BBS = Durham, NC = 919-286-4542]Faculty (1:3641/1) @PATH: 3641/1 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- (113) Mon 5 Dec 94 20:29 By: Beth Holtzman To: All Re: Re: kenaf ---------------------------------------------------------------------- @MSGID: 1:3641/223 0006ae5f @PID GIGO+ sn 175 at psybbs vsn 0.99 pl1 From: bholtzma@moose.uvm.edu (Beth Holtzman) @Subject: Re: kenaf Date: 5 Dec 1994 20:29:51 -0000 @Sender: daemon@bigblue.oit.unc.edu @Message-Id: <9412051700.AA173933@moose.uvm.edu> @Mime-Version: 1.0 @Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" There is a project at the University of Delaware that is working on the integration of kenaf into broiler and beef production. They should have some production and marketing information. Try contacting Thomas H. Williams, Extension Specialist Department of Ag. Engineering University of Delaware 058 Townsend Hall Newark, DE 19717-1303 Phone: 302-831-2468 FAX: 302-831-3651 email: thomas.williams@mvs.udel.edu Good luck! At 2:42 PM 12/1/94 -0500, dg26 wrote: >Where would I find information for the production and marketing of kenaf? > >I would appreciate hearing from anyone on this. My email address is >dg26@umd.edu and my snail mail address is David Greene, 700 Agriculture >Center, Westminster, MD 21157. Phone (410) 848-4611 > >Thanks for your help, >David ************************************ Beth Holtzman Northeast Region SARE/ACE Programs Phone: 802-656-0554 Fax: 802-656-4656 e-mail: bholtzma@moose.uvm.edu ************************************