Funding Opportunities

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Agritourism Conference – Apply for Scholarships by 3/15!

Join farmers, educators, and service providers in Rutland, Vermont for a two-day exploration of open farms!
More information at www.uvm.edu/vtagritourism

Register on-line at https://www.regonline.com/vtagritourism-apr2015-rutland by Monday, March 23.

Scholarships are available. Please contact Barbara Noyes Pulling at Barbara@rutlandrpc.org or 802-775-0871 x207 before you register if you would like to apply for a scholarship. Deadline is Sunday, March 15.

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Organic Farmer Educational Grants from UNFI

If you know anyone aspiring to become an organic farmer, be sure to let them know about some exciting news from the UNFI Foundation.

The UNFI Foundation, in partnership with the CCOF Foundation, Driscoll’s, Organic Valley, Bradmer Foods and the National Cooperative Grocers Association, will be making grants to future organic farmers in three educational categories in 2014. The categories are:

  • Kindergarten through Eighth Grade: Grants for in-classroom organic projects in California; $1,000 grants available for 10 schools
  • High School: Grants for individuals to complete organic Supervised Agriculture Experience projects nationally; $1,000 grants available for 10 individuals
  • Vocational and Higher Education: Grants for students to study organic agriculture nationally; $2,500 grants available for at least 10 individuals

The world needs organic farmers and organic leaders now more than ever. Please share this opportunity with your networks, friends and family.

For more information, visit: http://www.ccof.org/ccof/structure/ccof-foundation/future-organic-farmer-grant-fund

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Mortgage Lifter for Small Farms

Beekman 1802 is offering four ‘lifts’ for small farms with big ideas sponsored by money they’ve raised in the last year selling their pasta sauces. Pass the opportunity to win $10,000 or other mini-‘lifts’ on to small farmers you know.

Applications are due April 22nd, 2014 and winners will be announced April 29th. Learn more or fill out an application profile online. 

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SARE/NACAA Applications Due March 15

SARE/NACAA Search for Excellence in Sustainable Agriculture: Applications due March 15

 

Properly interseeding cover crops into standing corn can help increase yields by 15 percent. But improper application can cause up to 40 percent of the crop to be lost. This is just one of the lessons taking root in Missouri thanks to the effective teamwork of University of Missouri Natural Resource Engineer Charlie Ellis and Agronomy Specialist Rich Hoorman.
Ellis and Hoorman were recently named finalists in the SARE/NACAA Search for Excellence in Sustainable Agriculture program, which recognizes educational programs that advance the adoption of sustainable management practices by farmers and ranchers.

 

 

Through on-farm research and strategic partnerships with the Midwest Cover Crop Council, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCD) Ellis and Hoorman shared research-based cover cropping strategies that can earn an additional $100 per acre while preventing crop loss. Using a wide range of workshops, webinars and demonstration plots, Ellis and Hoorman have reached over 600 farmers in Missouri and the upper Midwest.

 

Please encourage innovative NACAA members in your state to submit a Search for Excellence in Sustainable Agriculture entry by March 15, 2013. Individuals or groups named as finalists in each of the four SARE regions receive an honorarium for presenting their innovative educational programs at the NACAA conference.

 

How to Apply
See the NACAA website for information and application guidelines. NACAA members in good standing can submit applications online.
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Scholarships Available for Students Seeking Careers in Dairy

Some great info from this month’s Farm to Plate Newsletter:

By: Julie Smith, DVM, PhD, UVM Ext. dairy specialist and UVM Dept. of Animal Science associate professor

The Vermont Dairy Industry Association (VDIA) announces the availability of the 2014-2015 Memorial Scholarship. Applicants must be Vermont residents and enrolled in any year at an accredited college or university and are seeking a degree in dairy business, dairy science, or a related field. Past recipients may re-apply each year they remain eligible.

Selection is based on academic achievement, letters of recommendation, and an essay portraying commitment to a career path related to the dairy industry. One to six scholarships will be awarded at levels ranging from $500 to $1000.

March 7, 2014 is the Final Postmark Deadline for ALL VSAC-Assisted Scholarships. Only completed applications including all properly labeled required documents postmarked on or before March 7 will be reviewed.

The Vermont Student Assistance Corporation (VSAC) administers the application process for the VDIA Memorial Scholarship.  For more information, please contact VDIA scholarship chair Bebe Zabilansky at bebe@brunsbros.com or contact VSAC at 888-253-4819 or visit www.vsac.org.

The Vermont Dairy Industry Association works for the mutual benefit of its members, dairy farm families, and the dairy industry; and encourages and promotes close cooperation with educational institutions and other agencies concerned with the dairy industry.  For more information about the VDIA, its events, or the VDIA Memorial Scholarship please visitwww.vdia.org.
Also of interest to the dairy community are the Annual Dairy Producers Conference on February 25th at the Sheraton in Burlington and the Vermont Organic Dairy Producers Conference on March 5th at Vermont Technical College in Randolph.