Idaho Center for Sustainable Agriculture (ICSA)

Building Soil, Community & Nourishment -

Building Soil, Community & Nourishment We, the Idaho Center for Sustainable Agriculture, and Ada Soil & Water Conservation District are sponsoring a free lunch featuring locally grown food. Come talk soil health with us, University of Idaho Extension, NRCS and the Soil Keepers crew on Wednesday, August 31, noon at Mallard Park in Caldwel...

Idaho's First Farmer Learning Network -

Idaho's First Farmer Learning Network In 2021, the Idaho Center for Sustainable Agriculture (ICSA) launched Idaho’s first educational platform for farmers with funding support from AB InBev. This peer-to-peer platform will facilitate discussions and knowledge sharing between a diversity of growers, researchers, and technical service p...

In lieu of their 12th annual organic farming conference in Idaho, the Northwest Center for Alternatives to Pesticides (NCAP) is preparing virtual workshops and a Northwest farmer social hour in 2021. The following sessions are being offered at no cost, but participants must register for the event in order to receive the Zoom link.

Workshop for Farmers Interested in Transitioning to Organic
Wednesday, Feb. 24, 3-4 pm Mountain Time (2-3 pm Pacific Time)

Workshop for farmers interested in transitioning to organic, hosted by certifiers in the Northwest. Come learn what it takes to become organically certified. This workshop is open to farmers of all sizes. It is best suited for farmers in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho, but will be applicable to any farmer interested in becoming organically certified following USDA National Organic Program standards.

Come learn from certifiers what to expect and get your questions answered.

Grower’s Own Virtual Workshops & Social Hour Registration Form

Now this is cool and great example of how Idaho farmers (and all farmers) can increase biodiversity on their farms by bringing animals in to their vegetable production, adding cover crops, and eliminating pesticide use.

Thank you Cody and Noel, we hope that more Idaho farmers follow your lead!

East Idaho dryland growers dabble in ranching to improve soil health SODA SPRINGS, Idaho — Just last fall, Cody and Noel Cole raised a single crop — wheat — and their approach to farming entailed heavy tillage and increasingly frequent fungicide

The The Organic Centerer is hosting a webinar on their new organic cotton research which is focused on the of the scientifically backed, full system ecological benefits of organic cotton – from farm to fashion.

By attending you'll also hear from the Organic Trade Association’s Fiber Council on the group’s work to advance organic cotton and other textiles.

register.gotowebinar.com

Did your hear that congressman Mike Simpson has put together a Northwest in Transition proposal to restore Idaho salmon and invest in communities, jobs, clean energy, and healthy farming economies?

This proposal is bold, comprehensive, and urgently needed for Idahoans and the people of the Northwest and includes river restoration, salmon and steelhead recovery, affordable and clean energy, efficient transportation links, and investments in Idaho’s agriculture, outdoor recreation and tourism industries.

ICL supports Simpson’s comprehensive infrastructure proposal - Idaho Conservation League ICL is hopeful that this proposal brings people together to work to benefit communities in Idaho and the Northwest

The Palouse capeter of the Citizens Climate Lobby is hosting a webianr and talk about the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act, is designed to drive down U.S. carbon dioxide emissions by 40% in twelve years and by 90% by 2050, using a price on fossil fuel carbon with all net revenue returned to households.

This act has tremendous benefits for farms and farmers and is currentlyr eceiving bipartisan support across Congress.

The webinar and talk are happening on Feb. 10th from 10 AM MST to 1:00 PM MST, click the article to register or learn more!

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/an-effective-climate-policy-that-farmers-can-support-tickets-131633484295designed to drive down U.S. carbon dioxide emissions by 40% in twelve years and by 90% by 2050, using a price on fossil fuel carbon with all net revenue returned to households.

An Effective Climate Policy that Farmers Can Support We’ll explain an effective climate policy that asks little of farmers, answer questions, and together develop an endorsement statement.

Increasing the biodiversity on your farm has been show to increase yields, develop healthier soil, and create a stronger soil food web.

This article from SARE lays out all some of the key benefits of biodiverse farms

What Does a Biodiverse Farm Look Like? - SARE What Does a Biodiverse Farm Look Like? Agricultural practices that increase the abundance and diversity of above- and below-ground organisms strengthen your crops’ abilities to withstand pests. In the process, you also improve soil fertility and crop productivity. Diversity on the farm includes th...

The National Resource Conservation Service put together a fantastic article on how farmers can help pollinators.

A few highlights of the article are:

Know the habitat on your farm.

Using the illustration as a guide, look for areas on and around your land that can support native bees. Most native bees are solitary or live in small colonies. Bumble, digger, and sweat bees make up the bulk of pollen bees in most parts of the country.

Protect flowering plants and nest sites.
--Once you know where bees are living and foraging, do what you can to protect these resources from disturbance and pesticides.

Enhance habitat with flowering plants and additional nest sites.
-Most bees love sun and prefer to nest in dry places. Nests are created underground, in twigs and debris, and in dead trees or branches. You can add flowers, leave some ground untilled, and provide bee blocks (tunnels drilled into wood) to increase the number of native bees on your farm.

How Farmers Can Help Pollinators | NRCS Native bees are valuable crop pollinators. The over 3,500 species of native bees (often called pollen bees) help increase crop yields and may serve as important insurance when cultivated European honey bees are hard to come by.

University of Idaho Agronomists are putting together a cereal school for cereal crop farmers that will be happening on Feb. 2nd and 3rd.

If you are interested in these workshops, please click the link below

https://www.uidaho.edu/extension/news/cereal-school

Our freidns over at the Ada County Soil and Water Conservation District are starting this awesome project and one that is much needed for Treasure Valley farmers!

https://adaswcd.org/pollinator-project

The National Young Farmers Coalition is currently looking to hire a part-time Food Safety Coordinator. Check out the job posting if you are interested in the role or pass it along to someone that you know that could be a good fit for the role.

https://www.youngfarmers.org/about/jobs/