Posted on 07/24/2009 3:37:21 AM PDT by nw_arizona_granny
Weekly Roundup - Living On Nothing Edition Category: Roundups | Comments(15)
Did you hear about the guy that lives on nothing? No seriously, he lives on zero dollars a day. Meet Daniel Suelo, who lives in a cave outside Moab, Utah. Suelo has no mortgage, no car payment, no debt of any kind. He also has no home, no car, no television, and absolutely no “creature comforts.” But he does have a lot of creatures, as in the mice and bugs that scurry about the cave floor he’s called home for the last three years.
To us, Suelo probably sounds a little extreme. Actually, he probably sounds very extreme. After all, I suspect most of you reading this are doing so under the protection of some sort of man-made shelter, and with some amount of money on your person, and probably a few needs for money, too. And who doesn’t need money unless they have completely unplugged from the grid? Still, it’s an amusing story about a guy who rejects all forms of consumerism as we know it.
The Frugal Roundup
How to Brew Your Own Beer and Maybe Save Some Money. A fantastic introduction to home brewing, something I’ve never done myself, but always been interested in trying. (@Generation X Finance)
Contentment: A Great Financial Principle. If I had to name one required emotion for living a frugal lifestyle it would be contentment. Once you are content with your belongings and your lot in life you can ignore forces attempting to separate you from your money. (@Personal Finance by the Book)
Use Energy Star Appliances to Save On Utility Costs. I enjoyed this post because it included actual numbers, and actual total savings, from someone who upgraded to new, energy star appliances. (@The Digerati Life)
Over-Saving for Retirement? Is it possible to “over-save” for retirement? Yes, I think so. At some point I like the idea of putting some money aside in taxable investments outside of retirement funds, to be accessed prior to traditional retirement age. (@The Simple Dollar)
40 Things to Teach My Kids Before They Leave Home. A great list of both practical and philosophical lessons to teach your kids before they reach the age where they know everything. I think that now happens around 13 years-old. (@My Supercharged Life)
Index Fund Investing Overview. If you are looking for a place to invest with high diversification and relatively low fees (for broader index funds with low turnover), index funds are a great place to start. (@Money Smart Life)
5 Reasons To Line Dry Your Laundry. My wife and I may soon be installing a clothesline in our backyard. In many neighborhoods they are frowned upon - one of the reasons I don’t like living in a neighborhood. I digress. One of our neighbors recently put up a clothesline, and we might just follow his lead. (@Simple Mom)
A Few Others I Enjoyed
* 4 Quick Tips for Getting Out of a Rut * Young and Cash Rich * Embracing Simple Style * First Trading Experience With OptionsHouse * The Exponential Power of Delayed Consumption * How Much Emergency Fund is Enough? * 50 Questions that Will Free Your Mind * Save Money On Car Insurance
Although I’ve never tried ‘possum, I hear it is tasty...
Wonder how they get rid of the smell?Anyway, if you have an eating size one, here are some recipes...
LOL! Leave it to DW... ;)
A brown paper bag would be much better. Thanks for the suggestion.
Awwww, I’m glad your possum got a new home. One that’s too far away and too hard to get back to yours!
A related question - will raccoons attack chickens? We have raccoons all over in the mountains and I’d like to have chickens someday when I’m there full time. When TSHTF, it’d be then if not sooner.
>>>will raccoons attack chickens? <<<
Absolutely!
Hmmm, you gonna corner the market on coonskin caps?
Would you like tanning instructions?
Wonder if I can find any ‘coon recipes......
Audience: Vascular healthcare professionals, hospital risk managers
[Posted 01/05/2010] ev3 Endovascular, Inc. and FDA notified healthcare professionals of a Class I Recall of the Trailblazer Support Catheter. This device may crack near the radiopaque marker band. This may result in serious patient injury, including insufficient oxygen supply to the tissues, damage to blood vessels, heart attack, limb amputation, unplanned surgery, and/or death. See the Recall Notice for a listing of affected model and lot numbers, manufactured from September 11, 2009 through September 29, 2009 and distributed from September 21, 2009 through October 27, 2009.
Read the MedWatch safety summary, including a link to the Recall Notice, at:
http://www.fda.gov/Safety/MedWatch/SafetyInformation/SafetyAlertsforHumanMedicalProducts/ucm196266.htm
Wonder how they get rid of the smell?<<<
Soak it in vinegar?
In the old days and in some of the old cookbooks, we soaked wild meat in salt water.....LOL, I forgot why, think it was to kill some of the wild taste.
In Texas we ate a wild Prairie Hen and rabbits, I was told to soak them in salt water, that is the way it was done...in the 1930/40’s.
Awwww, no thanks.
I love my little raccoons. They’re terribly smart.
I’ll just need to be smarter than them and figure out a way so all will coexist.
How one farm got off the ground in Sarasota, Florida
SARASOTA - In an industrial park about a mile from Main Street, mechanics repair
cars, cleaners launder draperies and Vincent Dessberg grows crops on the roof of
his old glass shop.
Dessberg used to fuse glass into colorful windows. But after the economic downturn
he turned from the kiln, seeing better opportunity on his 3,000 square-foot roof.
“Nobody needs glass. Everybody needs to eat,” he said.
UK Grow your own food revolution plans to seed unused land
The government plans to launch a “grow your own” revolution by encouraging people
to set up temporary allotments or community gardens on land awaiting development
or other permanent use.
It aims to develop a “meanwhile” lease to formalise such arrangements between landowners
and voluntary groups and is considering establishing a “land bank” to broker better
links and ensure plots are not left idle.
58 Urban Beekeeping Photos
Urban Bee Rescuers. Photo credit: Janet and Kelly
“We were just beekeeping as a hobby, as gardeners and nature lovers, and soon we
could not keep up with the amount of emails from people who wanted us to rescue
their bees. So now we are the founders of backyardbees.net.”
Africa - Safe Wastewater Use In Urban/Peri Agriculture
In sub-saharan Africa, where sanitation infrastructure does not keep pace with city
growth, the use of polluted water for urban and peri-urban agriculture (UPA) is
a common reality. While UPA puts consumers at risk; it also plays an important role
in food supply and job creation. The question is how to preserve the benefits while
minimizing the risks?
This short video clip gives voice to the people most closely involved, to articulate
their own solutions to the challenges they face. This video was produced by the
International Water Management Institute (IWMI) and it’s partners to aid in knowledge
sharing.
Yemen: Urban agriculture - A solution to food insecurity
Yemen has suffered greatly during the world food crisis, since early 2008, which
increased the number of people in poverty. About two million people are depending
on the aids given by the World Food Program in Yemen.
The country imports as much as 75 per cent of its food requirements, and hence is
vulnerable to shortages in world stocks. Yemen’s poorest households may have no
mechanism to cope with astronomical prices, warned international aids agencies in
Yemen.
Fortune Magazine - Can farming save Detroit?
Fortune asked artist Bryan Christie to imagine how Detroit’s thousands of abandoned
residential acres might be transformed into cutting-edge, city-style farms (see
illustration above): Solar panels and windmills power vertical growing systems that
are efficient, attractive, and tourist-friendly. Greenhouses allow crops to grow
year-round. And new development sprouts on the periphery.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
More on these stories here:
City Farmer News [http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102921190168&s=1304&e=001RAZZsCm047yDzOtvNpA9fVUtMNmB-uEIkQ_YmTDHS-iT31kplAfaAp_wq6PCQ_Uwh9WUn7dQ-qgs9vBKZYbjYx9eRTZ6yMU9v7Mgpu-ottWGAoODkPFKHQ==]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Michael Levenston
City Farmer - Canada’s Office of Urban Agriculture
32 Years - 1978-2010
>>>Soak it in vinegar?<<<
That sounds like a good idea...
>>>In the old days and in some of the old cookbooks, we soaked wild meat in salt water.....LOL, I forgot why, think it was to kill some of the wild taste.<<<
Usually that is to get out remaining blood.
LOL, I think I’ll just file that away for LONG term memory - since I don’t intend to eat ‘possum anytime soon...
Food Prices to Jump 6%
January 5, 2010
By Jerry Lackey
San Angelo Standard Times
SAN ANGELO, Texas — There are some mixed signals coming from several economists as they predict what consumers will pay for food at the grocery store once they return to normal routines of shopping in this new year.
Although the latest Texas Farm Bureau Grocery Price Watch shows food prices fell in the fourth quarter of 2009, a survey conducted by Wells Fargo & Co. predicts retail food prices may jump as much as 6% in 2010.
xxxxRising milk, beef, pork and chicken prices will double the pace of U.S. food inflation this year as livestock supplies shrink and rebounding economies boost demand, says Michael Swanson, a senior economist at Wells Fargo & Co.
“Producers of cattle, hogs, dairy cows and poultry cut production after a jump in feed costs last year, reducing supplies as demand for meat is rising at home and abroad,” Swanson said. “Corn, the main source of animal feed, will rally in 2010 because of record demand for grain to make ethanol.”
Swanson predicts protein inflation will be much higher than people are anticipating. Corn is a proxy for feed costs, and right now the value of all meat and dairy output is below the price of feed on a long-term relative basis, he said.
However, food prices on the 16 items sampled across the Lone Star State rang in at $50.29 in the final quarter of 2009, having fallen 17 cents, on average, since the last informal survey conducted in the third quarter. The survey also found that fourth quarter prices had fallen $1.68, on average, from Texas Farm Bureau’s first Grocery Price Watch at the start of last year.
“This has definitely been a tough year for all of us, farmers, ranchers and consumers alike,” said Texas Farm Bureau President Kenneth Dierschke. “Economic and commodity markets took a dive. Mother Nature tossed us one of the worst droughts ever. But even in hard times, our farmers and ranchers continue a grand tradition of growing the best possible food and fiber in ways that ensure they remain the most affordable in the world.”
The Waco-based Texas Farm Bureau, the state’s largest farm organization, launched the Grocery Price Watch in 2009 following the success of two other long-running annual survey programs, Food Check-Out Day and cost of the Thanksgiving meals.
For 12 years, the Farm Bureau’s Food Check-Out Day has compared the average food bill with housing, federal taxes and medical care. For more than 20 years, the farm bureau’s cost of the traditional Thanksgiving dinner has recorded only slight increases for the home-cooked meal.
Dierschke, who operates a cotton and grain farm at Wall, 10 miles southeast of San Angelo, said the current survey was conducted during the week of Dec. 13-19 by 22 volunteer shoppers all across Texas. This final quarter survey marks the first full year of the TFB Price Watch, and it will serve as a benchmark for future annual food price comparisons.
He said shoppers of dairy goods picked up some of the largest savings of the quarter with cheddar cheese falling an average of 78 cents to $4.17 per one-pound block and ice cream falling an average of 48 cents to $5.01 per half gallon. However, whole milk was up 39 cents to $4.03 per gallon.
Other items noting price declines in the final quarter of 2009 included turkey slices, down 41 cents to $4.45 per 16-ounce package; cornflakes, down 27 cents to $2.91 per 18-ounce box; grapefruit, down 17 cents to 85 cents per pound; cake mix, down 14 cents to $1.14 per box; bread, down eight cents to $2.12 per 24-ounce loaf; and porterhouse steaks, down a nickel to $8.28 per pound.
The largest single cost increase during the fourth quarter came in the price of boneless pork chops, up 52 cents to $3.56 per pound. Other increases included lettuce, up 51 cents to $1.58 per head; tomatoes, up 42 cents to $1.78 per pound; dried pinto beans, up 18 cents to $3.93 per 64-ounce bag; and lean ground beef, up two pennies to $2.62 per pound.
According to Phil Lempert, the “Supermarket Guru” and a spokesman for ConAgra Foods, the new year will usher in some foreseeable food trends.
He predicts food brands will continue to use “real foods” on ingredient labels while also shortening the label’s length.
“In the wake of the recession, many Americans switched to private label or store brands because they offer better prices,” Lempert said. “In 2010, major food brands will develop co-branded private label foods with retailers that will feature brands’ key ingredients.”
Americans are getting back to basics, Lempert said, by shifting away from the art and glamour of meal preparation and are now focused on preparing easy, great-tasting meals to nourish their families. The purer the ingredients and the less complex the ingredient label, the better.
Another factor — The Country of Origin Labeling or COOL — is driving consumers back to the local butcher when it comes to meat purchases. Now, more than ever, people want to know where their food is coming from, especially in the meat case where the labels can often list multiple countries of origin.
Lempert said more brands will focus on positioning their products as “relaxation” foods rather than “comfort,” with the message of helping people relax and unwind.
http://www.gosanangelo.com/news/2010/jan/04/windmill-food-prices-may-jump-6-percent/
>>>In the old days and in some of the old cookbooks, we soaked wild meat in salt water.....LOL, I forgot why, think it was to kill some of the wild taste.<<<
Usually that is to get out remaining blood.<<<
Good to know, thanks.
LOL, at least I remembered that it should be done, it has been about 70 years since I started cooking.
Although the latest Texas Farm Bureau Grocery Price Watch shows food prices fell in the fourth quarter of 2009, a survey conducted by Wells Fargo & Co. predicts retail food prices may jump as much as 6% in 2010.<<<
6% or a lot more.
At what point do we stop buying food?
Several things have already been taken off my list, that were common a couple years ago.
I can’t imagine feeding a house full of kids today.
MELAMINE, MILK PRODUCTS - CHINA
*******************************
A ProMED-mail post
http://www.promedmail.org
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
http://www.isid.org
Date: 4 Jan 2010
Source: English.ntdty.com [edited]
http://english.ntdtv.com/ntdtv_en/ns_china/2010-01-04/148242373937.html
A new milk safety scandal has broken out in China. Authorities in
Shanghai have closed a dairy company and arrested 3 executives, after
milk products were found to contain high levels of the toxic
industrial chemical melamine.
According to the state-run Shanghai Daily, melamine was found in milk
powder and condensed milk made by the Shanghai Panda Dairy Co. Ltd.
Melamine is a toxic chemical used for making plastic. When added to
food it can make the protein content appear higher, but it is highly
detrimental to human health. [As well as other monogastric animals,
such as dogs and cats. - Mod.TG]
Last year, more than 300 000 children were poisoned and at least 6
died after drinking the tainted milk, according to Chinese state-run media.
In a similar incident last month [December 2009], Chinese authorities
also arrested 3 employees of the Shaanxi Jinqiao Diary Company for
producing melamine-tainted milk.
—
Communicated by:
Sabine Zentis
[Melamine is an organic compound, a base with chemical formula
C3H6N6. Officially it is 1,3,5-triazine-2,4,6-triamine in the IUPAC
nomenclature system (CAS #108-78-1). It is has a molecular mass of
just over 126, forms a white, crystalline powder, and is only
slightly soluble in water. It is used in fire retardants in polymer
resins because its high nitrogen content is released as
flame-stifling nitrogen gas when the compound is burned or charred.
Melamine has a very high nitrogen content, about 66 percent nitrogen
by mass. This high percentage of nitrogen gives it the analytical
characteristics of protein molecules. Melamine can also be described
as a trimer of cyanamide, 3 cyanamide units joined in a ring.
Melamine is listed on the material safety data sheets as being toxic.
The caveat is that the LD50 is on the order of ordinary table salt.
However, experience has shown, last year or so, that this protein
masquerading compound is not well metabolized by the stomach of
humans or cats or dogs, and since it is poorly soluble in water, it
is poorly excreted through the kidneys, resulting in kidney damage
that may be fatal.
The presumption is the powder was added to boost the protein content
on testing, but given the problems it has caused, one has to wonder
why anyone would want to go down that path of problems we saw with
this substance just last year or so.
Portions of this comment have been extracted from:
http://www.sciencebase.com/science-blog/melamine-in-milk.html - Mod.TG]
[see also:
2008
The following reports were added to the Open CRS database on Tuesday January 05, 2010
International Terrorism and Transnational Crime: Security Threats, U.S. Policy, and Considerations for Congress
R41004 - January 05, 2010
http://opencrs.com/document/R41004/
International Forestry Issues in Climate Change Bills: Comparison of Provisions of S.1733 and H.R. 2454
R40990 - December 22, 2009
http://opencrs.com/document/R40990/
You can find more information about FDA Patient Safety News , and watch or download the video program on our web site (http://www.fda.gov/psn). Stories in the January 2010 edition include:
Emergency Use of Peramivir to Treat H1N1
Use of peramivir is authorized only under certain circumstances, including when the patient is not responding to either oral or inhaled antiviral therapy…
Complications with Negative Pressure Wound Therapy
FDA recommendations to help reduce the risk of serious complications with negative pressure wound therapy…
Warning Against Nebulizing Relenza Inhalation Powder
Relenza Inhalation Powder, which is used in the treatment and prophylaxis of influenza, is only intended to be inhaled using a Diskhaler…
Nationwide Recall of AccuSure Insulin Syringes
These syringe needles may detach from the syringe…
Recall of Certain Liquid Glucose Hexokinase Reagents
Laboratories should consider all test results obtained with the recalled reagents to be questionable…
Preventing Anaphylactic-type Reactions with Dexferrum
Updated boxed warning about giving patients a test dose and observing them for signs and symptoms of anaphylactic-type reactions every time Dexferrum is administered…
Energy Levels in External Biphasic Defibrillators
FDA is looking into reports in which a 200 joule biphasic defibrillator was ineffective in terminating an arrhythmia, whereas a subsequent shock from a 360 joule device resulted in immediate defibrillation or cardioversion…
Alert on Philips Avalon Fetal Monitors
While Philips continues to investigate, the company recommends several interim steps to reduce the likelihood of inaccurate readings or their impact…
Never Use Parenteral Syringes for Oral Medications
Once a parenteral syringe is filled with a liquid intended for oral use, it can be accidentally connected to an intravenous line, with potentially dangerous consequences…
For more FDA Patient Safety News , visit http://www.fda.gov/psn . Please send any comments, questions or suggestions about the program to PSNews@fda.gov
Weekly Harvest Newsletter
Sustainable Agriculture News Briefs - January 6, 2010
Weekly sustainable agriculture news and resources gleaned from the Internet by NCAT staff for the ATTRA - National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service Web site. The Weekly Harvest Newsletter is also available online (http://attra.ncat.org/newsletter/archives.html#wh).
Share The Harvest: Please forward this newsletter to friends and colleagues who might be interested in the latest sustainable agriculture news, funding opportunities, and events.
News & Resources
* USDA Works to Reduce Fraud In Farm Programs
* Company Turns CSA Produce into Meals
* Investors Looking to Save Detroit With Farming
* Hoophouses Help Bring Local Food to University
* Iowa Farm and Rural Life Survey Results Available
* Missouri Livestock Producers to be Surveyed
Funding Opportunities
* 1890 Institution Teaching, Research and Extension Capacity Building Grants Program
* New York Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program
* EPA CARE Grant
Coming Events
* Organic Farming Webinar
* Introduction to Sheep and Goat Production Workshop
* American Grass-Fed Conference
News & Resources
USDA Works to Reduce Fraud In Farm Programs
http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/!ut/p/_s.7_0_A/7_0_1OB/.cmd/ad/.ar/sa.retrievecontent/.c/6_2_1UH/.ce/7_2_5JM/.p/5_2_4TQ/.d/1/_th/J_2_9D/_s.7_0_A/7_0_1OB?PC_7_2_5JM_contentid=2009/12/0630.xml&PC_7_2_5JM_parentnav=LATEST_RELEASES&PC_7_2_5JM_navid=NE
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that USDA is partnering with the Internal Revenue Service to reduce fraud in farm programs and streamlining payment limits for family farmers. The actions are intended to strengthen the integrity and defensibility of USDA farm safety net programs and help the agricultural industry to meet requirements included in the 2008 Farm Bill. As part of the announcement, USDA has finalized a Memorandum of Understanding with the Internal Revenue Service to establish an electronic information exchange process for verifying compliance with the adjusted gross income provisions for programs administered by USDA’s FSA and Natural Resources Conservation Service. This agreement will ensure that payments are not issued to producers whose adjusted gross income (AGI) exceeds certain limits.
Company Turns CSA Produce into Meals
http://www.sweetdeliverancenyc.com/index.php/site/services/
Through Sweet Deliverance, a New York company, you can experience the benefits of a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) share without all the work, stress and time it takes to prepare the meals. Sweet Deliverance uses fresh produce from CSAs every week, they will pick up your share, carefully prepare the food and deliver the meals to your home. Sweet Deliverance chef and creator, Kelly Geary, posts the week’s fruits and vegetable, and the menu she has created from that produce on http://www.sweetdeliverancenyc.com.
Related ATTRA Publication: Community Supported Agriculture
http://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/csa.html
Investors Looking to Save Detroit With Farming
http://www.latimes.com/news/nation-and-world/la-na-detroit-farms27-2009dec27,0,7336715.story
Acres of vacant land are eyed for urban agriculture under an ambitious plan that aims to turn the struggling Detroit into a green mecca. “There’s so much land available and it’s begging to be used,” said Michael Score, president of the Hantz Farms, which is buying up abandoned sections of the city’s 139-square-mile landscape and plans to transform them into a large-scale commercial farm enterprise. Although company officials declined to pinpoint how many acres they might use, they have been quoted as saying that they plan to farm up to 5,000 acres within the Motor City’s limits in the coming years, raising organic lettuces, trees for biofuel and a variety of other things. The project was launched two years ago by Michigan native and financier John Hantz, who has invested an initial $30 million of his own money toward purchasing equipment and land reports the Los Angeles Times.
Hoophouses Help Bring Local Food to University
http://www.fsdmag.com/going-green/hooping-it-up.html
Michigan State University is beating Mother Nature by taking farming indoors in an innovative way. An unusual partnership among foodservice staff, student farmers and faculty at 46,600-student Michigan State University is heralding a new era of sustainable and organic meals for on-campus foodservice venues. The catalyst for the partnership is the hoophouse. These low-energy hoophouses enable students to farm year-round without harming the environment or depleting it of its natural resources.
Related ATTRA Publication: Bringing Local Food to Local Institutions
http://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/farmtoschool.html
Iowa Farm and Rural Life Survey Results Available
http://www.iowaagconnection.com/story-state.php?Id=1241&yr=2009
The 2009 Iowa Farm and Rural Life Poll (http://www.soc.iastate.edu/extension/farmpoll.html) Summary Report is now available from Iowa State University Extension. The summary report (http://www.soc.iastate.edu/extension/farmpoll/2009/PM2093%20(2).pdf) (PDF/408KB) examines reasons underlying the ongoing decline in mixed livestock and grain farming, local food systems, value-added agriculture, targeted conservation approaches, nutrient removal wetlands, and personal and financial well-being.
Missouri Livestock Producers to be Surveyed
http://www.missouriagconnection.com/story-state.php?Id=1081&yr=2009
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will be conducting surveys of cattle, sheep, and goat producers nationwide to provide the latest and most accurate data on current conditions including, cattle, sheep, and goat inventories. “During the first two weeks of January, the Missouri Field Office of USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will be contacting about 2,400 operations in order to measure trends in cattle, sheep, and goat inventories,” said Missouri Director Gene Danekas.
More Breaking News (http://attra.ncat.org/news/)
Funding Opportunities
1890 Institution Teaching, Research and Extension Capacity Building Grants Program
http://www07.grants.gov/search/search.do?&mode=VIEW&flag2006=false&oppId=50218
NIFA requests applications for the 1890 Institution Education, Research and Extension Capacity Building Grants (CBG) Program for FY 2010. The intent of this program is to build institutional capacity through stimulating the development of high quality Education, Research and Extension programs at the 1890 Land-Grant Institutions, including Tuskegee University and West Virginia State University, that will produce baccalaureate and higher level degree graduates capable of strengthening the Nation’s food and agricultural scientists and professionals.
Proposals are due February 16, 2010.
New York Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program
http://www.ny.nrcs.usda.gov/news/stories/frpp_2010.html
Applications for the Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program (FRPP) administered by the USDA, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), are being accepted. Land proposed for funding in FRPP must meet one of three eligibility categories: contain at least fifty percent prime and unique farmland soils and soils of Statewide and local importance; contain historic or archeological resources; or contain land that supports the farm and ranch land protection policies of state or local programs. The FRPP can provide up to fifty percent of the appraised fair market value of the easement on the farm or ranch.
Proposals are due February 1, 2010.
EPA CARE Grant
http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/0/166A204679E664898525768F00798D2E
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is making $2 million available in 2010 to reduce pollution at the local level through the Community Action for a Renewed Environment (CARE) program. CARE is a community-based program that works with county and local governments, tribes, non-profit organizations and universities to help the public understand and reduce toxic risks from numerous sources.
Proposals are due March 9, 2010.
More Funding Opportunities (http://attra.ncat.org/funding/)
Coming Events
Organic Farming Webinar
http://www.extension.org/pages/Free_Webinars_on_Organic_Farming:_Jan._12_—_Financial_Benchmarks_—_and_Jan._19_Certification
January 12 and 19, 2010
In a Jan. 12 webinar Dale Nordquist, Center for Farm Financial Management at the University of Minnesota, will describe the Minnesota Organic Farm Business Management Project and show three years of results of organic farm financial performance in Minnesota. The Jan. 19 webinar focuses on the basics of organic certification. National organic expert Jim Riddle, University of Minnesota, will explain the National Organic Program crop production requirements and certification process.
Introduction to Sheep and Goat Production Workshop
http://mdsheepgoat.blogspot.com/2009/12/small-ruminant-basics.html
January 13-February 3, 2010
Timonium, Maryland
The Baltimore County Office of the University of Maryland Extension will be offering a program titled “Introduction to Sheep and Goat Production”; a four-night course focused on the basics of small ruminant production. This course is designed to give novice producers a strong base for developing a successful operation.
American Grass-Fed Conference
http://www.americangrassfed.org/
February 4-6, 2010
Lexington, Kentucky
Conference topics will include: Growing Your Grass-fed Business: Smart Risk Management and High-Quality Marketing PLUS -” From Farm Gate to Customer’s Plate” Butchery and Cooking Sessions with some of America’s Best Butchers and Chefs.
More Events (http://attra.ncat.org/calendar)
New & Updated Publications
Organic System Plans: Livestock Production
http://attra.ncat.org/calendar/new_pubs.php/2009/11/30/organic_system_plans_livestock_productio
Aquaculture Enterprises: Considerations and Strategies
http://attra.ncat.org/calendar/new_pubs.php/2009/11/18/aquaculture_enterprises_considerations_a_1
Building Sustainable Places
http://attra.ncat.org/calendar/new_pubs.php/2009/11/11/building_sustainable_places
Question of the Week
What are some resources for barn designs to house multiple species of livestock?
http://attra.ncat.org/calendar/question.php/2010/01/05/what_are_some_resources_for_barn_designs
Ask a Sustainable Agriculture Expert
Submit questions to our professional staff online
http://attra.ncat.org/ask.php
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http://www.hhs.gov/aspr/opsp/nhss/strategy.html
National Health Security Strategy
National Health Security Strategy (December, 2009)
This document presents the Nation’s first National Health Security Strategy (NHSS), which is intended to help galvanize efforts to minimize the health consequences associated with significant health incidents. The NHSS was developed in consultation with a broad range of stakeholders, including representatives from local, state, territorial, tribal, and federal government; community-based organizations; private-sector firms; and academia. The statutory authority and requirements for the NHSS are provided under section 2802 of the Public Health Service Act.
The vision for health security described in the NHSS is built on a foundation of community resilience - healthy individuals, families, and communities with access to health care and with the knowledge and resources to know what to do to care for themselves and others in both routine and emergency situations. Communities help build resilience by implementing policies and practices to ensure the conditions under which people can be healthy, by assuring access to medical care, building social cohesion, supporting healthy behaviors, and creating a culture of preparedness in which bystander response to emergencies is not the exception but the norm.
Securing our Nation’s health is a formidable task and must be a responsibility that is broadly shared among virtually all segments of society. The NHSS reflects current approaches and priorities for improving our Nation’s ability to prevent, prepare for, respond to, and recover from a major health incident. However, the NHSS also acknowledges that achieving national health security is a long-term proposition, one that requires a process of continuous learning and improvement, strict accountability, a willingness to engage domestic and global partners, and an on-going commitment to measuring, evaluating, and improving our collective ability to recognize, confront, and resolve existing and emerging threats to our Nation’s health. Learn More >>
http://www.hhs.gov/aspr/opsp/nhss/implementationguide.html
Interim Implementation Guide for the National Health Security Strategy
Interim Implementation Guide for the National Health Security Strategy (December, 2009)
The Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act (PAHPA) was enacted in 2006 to improve the Nation’s ability to detect, prepare for, and respond to a variety of public health emergencies. Among other things, PAHPA directs the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to develop a National Health Security Strategy (NHSS), to be initially presented to Congress in 2009 and subsequently revised every four years afterward.
National Health Security Strategy identifies goals and strategic objectives for the Nation. The Interim Implementation Guide identifies initial activities that provide the foundation for a more complete biennial implementation planning process. Learn More >>
I just noticed that ‘stinkbait’ is one of our keywords for this thread.
Weird!
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