FAMU College of Agriculture and Food Sciences

Announcing an upcoming event focusing on enrolling in Youth Summer Camp Programs sponsored at FAMU on March 23; 2023.

Celebrating the Second Morrill Act of 1890 On Aug. 30, 1890, Benjamin Harrison, the 23rd President of the United States, signed the Second Morrill Act of 1890 into law. Sponsored by Senator Justin Morrill of Vermont, the act’s goal was to expand the opportunities for people of color to access education, specifically in agriculture and mech...

https://www.nass.usda.gov/AgCensus/index.php?fbclid=IwAR30tylXvjk_GDCEOZlFd9wTxcmODG5PgqiQyJGRUwv5PPtGsTd6oW7GA60

USDA - National Agricultural Statistics Service - Census of Agriculture The Census of Agriculture is a complete count of U.S. farms and ranches and the people who operate them. Even small plots of land - whether rural or urban - growing fruit, vegetables or some food animals count if $1,000 or more of such products were raised and sold, or normally would have been sold,...

Need a kid-friendly healthy treat? Try Florida Fruit Pops! https://bit.ly/FloridaBlueberryFruitPops

Have a 🧡Happy 💚 FAMU 🧡 Homecoming 💚 Celebration,
🎉FAMUans 🐍and🐍 Friends!🎉

Congratulations to FAMU CEP's Dr. Jennifer Taylor for being honored as a 2019 Organic Pioneer awards honoree by the Rodale Institute.

Jennifer Taylor, Ph.D. is owner of Lola’s Organic Farm in Glenwood, Georgia and Associate Professor at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU), where she developed the Statewide Small Farm Program, focused on education, training and technical assistance for small farms. Jennifer was introduced to farming from her grandmother, who farmed as a sharecropper and successfully bought her own farmland. Lola’s Organic Farm now holds yearly workshops for local farmers and gardeners. Dr. Taylor served on the National Organic Standards Board and currently serves on the Organic Farmers Association Governing Council and Policy Committee, IFOAM-NA, US Food Sovereignty Alliance, and Georgia Organics. “We are mindful of the essential work that Rodale Institute is doing to grow the organic movement…it is with honor and gratitude that I accept this opportunity to become a Rodale Institute Organic Pioneer,” said Dr. Taylor.

https://rodaleinstitute.org/blog/organic-industry-innovators-honored-by-rodale-institute/

Upcoming Event

http://birdsongnaturecenter.org/

Birdsong Nature Center - Home Birdsong Nature Center's 565 acres of wildflower meadows, forests, ponds and swamps, are home to a myriad of birds and other wildlife. Here you can enjoy the serenity and beauty of the natural landscape and return home with a renewed spirit.

News Features Video

News

USDA to Invest $150 Million in Conservation Stewardship Program

USDA
8 February 2016

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that $150 million in funding is available for agricultural producers through the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), USDA's largest conservation program, by acres impacted, that helps producers voluntarily improve the health and productivity of private and Tribal working lands. USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) plans to add an estimated 10 million acres to the rolls of CSP during fiscal 2016.

"The Conservation Stewardship Program is one of our most popular programs with producers because it results in real change on the ground by boosting soil and air quality, conserving clean water and enhancing wildlife habitat," Vilsack said. "With this investment, we'll be able to build on the already record number of acres enrolled in USDA's conservation programs, enabling producers to achieve higher levels of conservation and adopt new and emerging conservation technologies on farms, ranches and forests."

NRCS accepts applications for CSP throughout the year, but producers should submit applications by March 31 to a USDA service centers to ensure they are considered for enrollment in 2016.

Participants with existing CSP contracts that will expire on Dec.31, 2016 have the option to renew their contracts for an additional five years if they agree to adopt additional activities to achieve higher levels of conservation on their lands. Applications to renew are also due by March 31.

NRCS also makes CSP available to producers as an additional opportunity to participate in regional landscape-level conservation efforts including the Sage Grouse Initiative, Lesser Prairie-Chicken Initiative, Longleaf Pine Initiative and Ogallala Aquifer Initiative.

Funding is available for more than 100 kinds of enhancements nationwide to help participants:

• Improve soil quality through use of cover crops, conservation crop rotations and other activities that increase soil productivity.

• Use water wisely and improve water quality through enhancements such as more efficient irrigation systems and weather monitoring.

• Restore habitat for wildlife and pollinators such as the greater sage-grouse, lesser prairie-chicken and monarch butterfly through the use of better grazing systems and improved plant management.

A CSP self-screening checklist is available to help producers determine if the program is compatible with their operation. As part of the application process, applicants will work with NRCS field personnel to complete a resource inventory of their land to determine the conservation performance for existing and new conservation activities. The applicant's conservation performance will be used to determine eligibility, ranking and payments.

Through CSP, USDA has provided more than $4 billion since 2009 in assistance to farmers, ranchers and forest managers to enhance conservation on more than 70 million acres. For more on technical and financial assistance available through conservation programs, visit www.nrcs.usda.gov/GetStarted.

Since 2009, USDA has invested more than $29 billion to help producers make conservation improvements, working with as many as 500,000 farmers, ranchers and landowners to protect over 400 million acres nationwide, boosting soil and air quality, cleaning and conserving water and enhancing wildlife habitat. For an interactive look at USDA's work in conservation and forestry over the course of this Administration, visit
http://medium.com/usda-results.

Get Started with NRCS | NRCS Do you farm or ranch and want to make improvements to the land that you own or lease? NRCS offers technical and financial assistance to help farmers, ranchers and forest managers. Here’s how you can get started with NRCS:

USAJOBS - Search Jobs � � � GS-0199, Student Trainee (Economics) � � � � You will be required to provide documentation to support your eligibility for the program.