Historic, Archive Document Do not assume content reflects current scientific knowledge, policies, or practices. SH3Q Small-Scale Pa Ae . Agriculture Today ly Office for Small-Scale Agriculture FALL 1994 U.S. Department of Agriculture - Cooperative State Research Service - Agricultural Research For A Better Tomorrow procedures, please let OSSA know by February 15221995. AT ISSUE ... FOOD STAMPSTO "EBT" Please remember to put the following line in our address : "ATIN: EBT", and send to the address listed below under Farmers selling directly to the public can be authorized--like "Need Your Help!". oYtohue r nreeetadi letros -a-ptpo lya ccteo ptt heF oFoodo dS taanmdp NPurtorgirtiaomn (SFeSrPv)i cceo u(pFonNsS.) FMocrM ililnafnor mawtiitohn thoen Mtahre ylMaanrdy laDnedp aretxmpeenrti meonft Agprhiocnuelt urPea,t wrhesipcohn siibsl ep arfto r ofth et heF SPU.. S. FNDSep afritemled nto ffiocfe s Agrreivciuelwt urreet aialnedr 4Je1f0f- 8C4o1h-e5n7 70w.i th Fotrh e morUe.S .d eDtaeiplaerdt miennftor moaft iAognr iocnu ltEuBrTe, pFhNoSn,e~ applications, give licenses, and explain program rules. Except 703-305-2517. for Delaware, Idaho, Alaska, and Nevada, there’s at least one NEED YOUR HELP! field office in each State. The easiest way to find them is to ask your local grocery store since most accept food stamp coupons and were authorized by an FNS field office. This is your periodic reminder to help us with the mailing list. Please let us know if you are receiving multiple newsletters or Applying costs nothing. Retailer handling is simple--they if you ora friend are no longer farming and prefer not to receive only redeem coupons for food (no problem for farmers) and the newsletter. Also contact us if you are aware of someone deposit the coupons at your local bank with special deposit slips who is not receiving the newsletter, but should be. Your supplied by FNS. Coupons come in denominations of $1, $5, assistance with this challenging and very important task is and $10. Like all government benefits, coupons will disappear much appreciated. OSSA continues to welcome your topics of as we change to electronic benefits. Its already happening! interest, technologies and calendar of events. Contact: Bud Kerr, USDA-OSSA, AG BOX 2244, Washington, D.C: Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) systems are delivering food 20250-2244; telephone 202-401-1805, Fax 202-401-1804. stamp and other benefits in seven locations. Maryland delivers ALL food stamp and welfare benefits by EBT now. Recipients get plastic cards that look like credit or bank debit cards. and TOPICS AND TECHNOLOGY pay for food by a swipe of the card through a Point of Sale (POS) terminal at the cash register. Recipients can get their welfare benefits as cash through an Automatic Teller Machine. New Fast Food - "If the test market is any indication of things EBT gives better accounting, faster payment to retailers, more to come, more and more Americans may be stopping at a security for recipients, and extensive audit trails. More than nearby 7-Eleven for fresh fruit and vegetables. Americans are half the States are planning EBT food stamps. increasing overall produce consumption from an average of 3.5 servings per day to five servings per day. 7-Eleven will roll Sounds great ... but ... (there’s always a"but") for farmers and the program out region by region, with all 5,700 stores in the some retailers that accept coupons there is a problem with EBT. United States and Canada offering fresh produce by the end of There must be electric and phone lines available for POS 1998." (The Produce News, March 19, 1994, p. 4) terminals. So what happens when your State goes to EBT if you don’t have required lines? The usual alternative is a paper Livestock Census - "Taking Stock: The North American voucher completed at time of purchase and called in later for Livestock Census" is a new book available for $16.95 from the approval. However, this process slows down the purchase and American Livestock Breeds Conservancy (ALBC). It presents carries a risk of providing insufficient benefits. Maryland is an inventory of North American breeds and describes the status experimenting with cellular phone POS terminals driven by of livestock genetic diversity. Contact: Carolyn Christman, battery -- no lines necessary. USDA is seeking other ideas for ALBC, P. O. Box 477, Pittsboro, NC 27312; telephone handling the problem because EBT is coming and paper is 919-542-5704. going. If you have any ideas or comments on improving these IPM - A special chapter in the University of California manual, Video - Send a $75 check to G. H. Short Course for the h"ldiaIontnmeet e ed garsrg aaawtpreioddsnes ginsb ,Ple sest.ttr a abwlEMebnseac,rnl roayasg need p mraeof idn$gut3uc0r te iscof,hno e.rt c hkeS F tipilranlayefwdaob brewlmrieart tihiet soo" npU hoCitas o dRagdserr gaeupesphns set,stso fMMCiioSvsue sr-is3tsea9s,p0i e5p 9ph;ive ilddSet toea ltieenop fh UoMntnahieerv ecr46hst0 ih1t -y1A8,9n9 92n4P-u.. 3a 7lO3 .1 C,GoB rnoetFxeaa ncxth 2:o36 u10,s1 e-C 8Rr9.yT2-so-tGm2a.0al 5 t6oS.S p nrySidhneogrsr,,t aPunbdl icoartdieorn st,h e Dbeopotk. bNyR .,n umUbCe,r O(a3k35l1a)n d,a nd CAti tle 94f6r0o8m- 1A23N9R; Osepetdiso nwsh ic- hD iadr e yloaur gek,n owwhi teth,a ta nhdu,b bpraorcde sssoqrusa shsa yi,s spwreizeetd? fAofr teitrs telephone 510-642-2431. cleaning, sorting, drying, salting, and packaging, some become Free Brochure - Need information about shade structures for snack food. light-sensitive crops like vegetables, herbs, and ginseng? Going Up - "The Herbal Green Pages" is part of the CAovnetnaucet,: WRaeubseacuc,a WIZ un5k4e4r0,1 ; Ptreolgeepnhioxn e C1o-r8p0.,0 -213031-33 35N6.. T hird mGermobweirnsgh iapn d pMaacrkkaegte in(g$4 5N/eyteawro;r k$ 60or acfatner b1e2 /p31u/r9c4h)a sien dT hfeo rH e$r2b0 Squirming? - For only $4.50 a year, readers receive Worm ($25 after 12/31/94). Contact: Maureen Rogers, The Herbal Digest, a new quarterly that uses the statement "worms Connection, P.O.Box 245, Silver Spring, PA 17575; telephone deepening our connection to food and soil" on the masthead. 717-393-3295. Contact: Stephen White, Worm Digest, Box 544, Eugene, OR One More - "Specialty Mushrooms" is the latest factsheet in 97440; telephone 503-896-3467. the series, "A: Small-Scale Agriculture Alternative" from Noteworthy Trees - For information on living history you can USDA’s Office for Small-Scale Agriculture. Free, the "leaf through the past" by Contacting: Famous and Historic publication contains interesting facts and information sources. Trees, 8555 Plummers Road, Jacksonville, FL 32219; Contact: Bud Kerr, USDA-OSSA, AG BOX 2244, telephone 1-800-320-TREES. Washington, D.C. 20250-2244, telephone 202-401-1805, Fax 202-401-1804. Tip - Cottonseed meal is considered a slow-release fertilizer so applying it to tender seedlings will not be as risky as using Just Released - "Chicken Tractor: The Gardener’s Guide to chemical fertilizer like urea or ammonium nitrate. Happy Hens and Healthy Soil" is for families who want to raise their own chickens--for food, for fun, and for profit. Order Information - The 1993 Fruit Statistical Yearbook provides 20 copies of the 240-page softback book at $19.95 per copy. years’ worth of data on seven different fruits: peaches, apples, Contact: Patricia Foreman, Good Earth Publication, P.O. Box plums, apricots, grapes, nectarines, and strawberries. Prepaid 898, Shelburne, VT 05482; telephone and Fax 802-425-3201. single copy price is $22.50 within the United States; international price is $25. Contact: Charles Walker, National And Another - "The Chicken Health Handbook" is a handy Peach Council, P. O. Box 11280, Columbia, SC 29211; telephone reference for disease prevention and management information 803-788-7101. for the poultry fancier and backyard poultry farmer. The 344-page paperback book is available postpaid for $21.20. Pest Control- Grape growers canuse lure-baited traps in early Contact: Storey Communications, P. O. Box 445, Pownal, VT spring to determine if skeletonizer pests pose a threat to 05261; telephone 1-800-441-5700. vineyards. Contact: Edwin L. Soderstrom, USDA-ARS, Horticultural Crops Research Laboratory, 2021 Smith Peach Gift - The 1995 calendar, "365 Ways - Your Daily Guide to Avenue, Fresno, CA 93727; telephone 209-453-3029. Productive Retirement" is unique. Cost is $13.95. Contact: Resources for Living, P.O. Box 1223, McLean, VA 22101; New Pear Variety - ARS scientists have released a new telephone 1-800-436-5929. pear--Potomac--to plant breeders. The new variety should be on the market in about 2 years. This pear resists--fire blight-- WOW - "World population is growing at 1.6 percent annually. the oldest, most serious disease of pomaceous fruit trees. That is equivalent to adding the population of Mexico each year." (The Baltimore Sun, July 24, 1994, p. 6A) Imports - "U.S. imports of fresh cut flowers in 1993 were valued by the U.S. Customs Service at $370.9 million. Of that Subscription Farming - Proceedings of the December 1993 total, imports from Colombia accounted for $251.7 million, Davis, California workshop are available for an $8 check almost all of which landed at Miami International Airport." payable to "UC Regents." Contact: David Visher, UC Small (The Journal of Commerce, May 5, 1994, p. 1A) Farm Center, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, telephone 916-752-8136. Available - "Increasing Organic Agriculture at the Local Level" costs $18 and is a manual for consumers, growers, Christmas Trees - "Growing Christmas Trees: A Guide for farmers, and policymakers. Contact: Michael Colin, Gildea Minnesota and the North Central States" is a 28-page bulletin. Resource Center, 930 Miramonte Drive, Santa Barbara, CA Send a $5 check payable to the University of Minnesota to MES 93109; telephone 805-963-0583, Fax 805-962-9080. Distribution Center, University of Minnesota, 1420 Eckles Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55108-6069; telephone 612-625-8173. Deadline Il-I-94! - The Independent Organic Inspectors Gravely Overweight - "One in three American adults is now Service (IOIS) is now taking applications for the first annual seriously overweight, the highest number ever reported." (The Andrew Rutherford Scholarship Award, which will provide Washington Post, July 20, 1994, p. 7A) full tuition for one of several IOIS - sponsored 1995 inspection training courses. Contact: Joyce Ford, IOIS, Route 3, Box Living History - This quarterly journal of historical 162-C, Winona, MN 55987; telephone 507-454-8310. horticulture, material culture, foodways, lifeways, books, and people costs $15 for a one-year subscription. Contact: Peter A. Dried Vegetable Trade - "International trade in dehydrated Sinclair, Living History, P.O. Box 202, West Hurley, NY vegetables has increased to more than $1 billion annually and 12491; telephone 914-338-0257. is forecast to expand further. Dehydrated onions, tomatoes, mushrooms and truffles, garlic, carrots, sweet corn, and Fertilizer and Manure - Knowledge about application potatoes are the principal import items." (The Journal of equipment is an essential part of profitable and Commerce, May 26, 1994, p.3A) environmentally friendly farming. A 23-page guide, "Fertilizer and Manure Application Equipment" NRAES-57, Tip - To maintain Christmas and holiday plants longer, select costs $6. Contact: Northeast Regional Agricultural a cool spot in your home where the temperature is 65F degrees Engineering Service, 152 Riley-Robb Hall, Cooperative or less. Extension, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853-5701; telephone 607-255-7654. Hurry! - Registration closes October 10th for the October 22 - 23, 1994 Marine and Tilapia Culture Seminar at the University of Maryland -Eastern Shore’s new Conference Center, Princess FARM-WISE Anne, MD. For more information, contact: Tom Handwerker, Small Farm Institute, UMES, Princess Anne, MD 21853; "One of the greatest compensations of farm life is the closeness telephone 410-651-6625; Fax 410-651-6207. of parents and children. Kids grow up working beside their fathers and mothers, learning skills without being aware they Special Gift - Restored vintage tractors from 10 different States are being taught. Pint-sized boys handle big tractors as easily and Saskatchewan, Canada are shown in the 1995 "Classic as they ride bicycles. They learn some veterinary skills and a Farm Tractor Calendar" -- the sixth such calendar produced. It great deal of compassion as they help doctor sick livestock. can be ordered for $9.45 from Classic Tractors, P.O. Box 1755, And they are midget mechanics, running to get a crescent Wilmington, DE 19899. wrench or a half-inch socket, as soon as they can toddle. Just Tip - Carrots are an excellent storage crop. Store them in your listening to Dad figure out how to mix grass seed, set his drill, basement this winter in buckets of moistened peat moss. or hearing Mom mumbling over her accounts gives them early insight into the world of figures and finance. They may not Features Cotton - "The June 1994 issue of the National turn out to be farmers, , but somewhere in life, these skills will Geographic features a 27-page article on cotton around the come back to them when they need them. These kids won’t be world. The approach looks at the history of cotton and the "street-wise," but being "farm-wise" will serve them better." impact of the textile industry around the world from the (Reprinted with permission of Maude C. Reed, Mills, invention in 1771 of the efficient spinning machine in England Pennsylvania. Taken from Farm Diary, AgCooperator, by Sir Richard Arkwright." (The Cotton Gin and Oil Mill May/June 1994 p.33) Press, June Il, 1994, p. 9) Specialty Mushrooms - "Volume of sales for commercially grown specialty mushrooms (Shiitake, Oyster, and all other specialties) in 1992-93 totaled 4.58 million pounds, seven percent above the 1991-92 production. The value increased two percent over last year to $16.4 million, according to the latest report by the Agriculture Statistics Board." (The Produce News, August 28, 1993, p. 15) Bird News - Published monthly, the "Dick E. Bird News" costs $15 a year in the U.S. and $18 anywhere else in the world. Contact: Richard E. Mallery, 6801 Bunker Hill Road, Williamsburg, MI 49690; telephone 1-800-255-5128. Information - The "Gardens/Mini-Farms Newsletter" is a 4-page compilation of names, addresses, and sources. Send a (Mention of commercial enterprises or brand names does not SASE with three 29 cent stamps. Contact: Ken Hargesheimer, constitute endorsement or imply preference by the US. POB 1901, Lubbock, TX 79408; telephone 806-744-8517. Department of Agriculture.) CALENDAR OF EVENTS October 8 - 9, 1994 - Fall Fiber Festival and Montpelier Sheep November 11 -12, 1994 - 11th Annual National Hydroponic Dog Trials at historic Montpelier, Orange County, VA. Grower Conference, Delta-Orlando Resort, Orlando, FL. Contact: Barbara Gentry, Route 7, Box 217, Charlottesville, Contact: Jim Brown, P.O. Box 310, Medina, OH 44258; VA 22901; telephone 804-295-2008. telephone 1-800-321-5656. October 14 - 15, 1994 - AgFest: Fall Vegetable Field Days, November 21-25, 1994 - Systems-Oriented Research in Truck Crops Research & Extension Center, Highway 51, Agriculture and Rural Development, Montpelier, France. Crystal Springs, MS. Contact: Richard G. Snyder, Mississippi Contact: Ms. Anne-Marie Seng-Sourinho, Direction County, P.O. Box 231, Crystal Springs, MS 39059; telephone Scientifique, CIRAD-SAR; voice 67617185, Fax 67617186. 601-892-3731. December 3, 1994 - Putting Small Acreage to Work: Learn October 17 - 19, 1994 - New England Greenhouse Conference, How a Few Acres Can Mean A Big Profit, University of The Sturbridge Host Hotel and Conference Center, 355 Main Illinois, State Fair Grounds, Springfield, IL. Contact: Gary Street (Rt. 20), Opposite Old Sturbridge Village, Sturbridge, Bullen, 480 Deere Road, Macomb, IL; _ telephone MA. Contact: Paul Lopes, Glen Charlie Road, East Wareham, 309-836-3366. MA 02538-0569; telephone 508-295-2212. December II-16, 1994 - 10th International Organic Agriculture, November 4-5, 1994 - 2nd Annual Small Farm Today Seminar International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements and Trade Show, Columbia, MO. Contact: Chuck De Courley, (IFOAM) Conference, Lincoln University, Canterbury, New 3903 West Ridge Trail Road, Clark, MO 65243; telephone Zealand. Contact: IFOAM Conference, Centre for Continuing 1-800-633-2535. Education, PO Box 84, Lincoln University, Canterbury, New Zealand; telephone (64) (3) 325-28ll, Fax (64) (3) 325-2944. November 9-13, 1994 - 6th National Conference Association of Specialty Cut Flower Growers, San Jose, CA. Contact: January 7 - 12, 1995 - Pennsylvania Farm Show, Harrisburg, Judy Lushman, ASCFG, 155 Elm Street, Oberlin, OH 44074; PA. Contact: Victoria C. Ritter, The Farm Show complex, telephone 216-774-2887. 2301 N. Cameron, Harrisburg, PA 17110-9408; telephone 717-787-5373. USDA/CSRS 24 Office for Small-Scale Agriculture Ag Box 2244 Washington, DC 20250-2244 94