Alabama A&M University
JUL. -SEPT. 2013
VOLUME 6, ISSUE 1
S M A L L FA R M S R E S E A R C H C E N T E R
NEWS UPDATE
COLLEGE OF
AGRICULTURAL, LIFE
AND NATURAL SCIENCES
United States Department of Agriculture
Office of Advocacy and Outreach (OAO)
RISK MANAGEMENT & BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOP
Inside this Issue
RM & Business
Development
Workshop
1
USDA Farm Service
Agency (FSA)
2
USDA Rural
Development (RD)
2
Neighborhood Farm
News
3
Emerging
AgriD Editor’s
F D S F INew
NCorner
SID
E
T H I S Initiatives
ISSUE:
culture
34
Upcoming SFRC
4
The Facts
About Organic
Events
Hopewell Women In
Quote of the
Quarter
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Mobile, AL. ---- The Small Farms Research Center
(AAMU) in collaboration with the Alabama Cooperative
Extension System (Mobile office) will host its Agricultural
Risk Management and Business Development Training
Workshop on August 21-23, 2013. The three-day event will
be held at the Jon Archer Agricultural Center, 1070 Schillinger Rd. North, Mobile, Alabama 36608-5298.
The workshop will begin on Wednesday, August 21 st, with a
field day tour from 1:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. The tour will be
held at the Alma Bryant High School, 14001 Hurricane
Blvd. Irvington, Alabama. Alma Bryant High School is located in Irvington, AL and is one of 30 high schools in Mobile County School District. It is a public school that serves 1,736 students in grades 9-12. The
school was formed in 1998 by combining Alma Bryant High School (Bayou La Batre) and
Mobile County High School (Grand Bay). The school was named for Alma Bryant, an influential south Mobile County educator.
Producers, landowners, community outreach leaders, and agents will tour Alma Bryant High
School and become students again. The students will learning and engage in hands-on applications of math and science as they learn how the Australian red claw crawfish is produced. The
tour will also include visiting the on-campus greenhouse, as well as the outdoor ponds. Lite
refreshments will be provided, but everyone must register.
Following the farm field day, the workshop will resume on Thursday (22 nd) and Friday (23rd) at
the Jon Archer Agricultural Center, beginning at 9:00 a.m. and ending at 5:00p.m. The sessions will highlight the following topics: marketing, business plan development, leasing land
agreements, record keeping (101), livestock management, USDA Farm Service Agency Microloan program/ workshop, and safety skills on canning. Each session will include a handsdemonstration and/or case study. In addition, there will be representatives from government
agencies available to discuss the current programs available and services, and on-going opportunities.
Small Farms Research Center
Alabama A&M University
4900 Meridian Street
James I. Dawson Building
Limited scholarships are available; please inquire. There is no registration fee; however, everyone must register. Please find attached the registration form. Submit the completed form to
E’licia L. Chaverest, Small Farms Research Center (AAMU) at (256) 372-5517 fax or by email
elicia.chaverest@aamu.edu or Ms. LaTanga Charley, Alabama Cooperative Extension System (Mobile office) at (251) 574-3245 or by email lzc0002@aces.edu.
____________________________
RM #219
Registration Begins Now!
P.O. Box 700
____________________________________
Normal, AL 35762
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
For more information about the Small Farms Research Center’s (AAMU) program and its services, including the
workshop please feel free and contact Ms. E’licia L. Chaverest at 256-372-4970 or 1-866-858-4970.
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USDA FARM SERVICE AGENCY
Farm Service Agency (FSA) is equitably serving all farmers, ranchers, and agricultural partners through the delivery of effective and efficient agricultural programs for all U.S. citizens. Please find below one of the few programs available.
Microloans up to $35,000 Available through FSA. The Farm Service Agency (FSA) developed the Microloan program to
better serve the unique financial operating needs of beginning, niche and small farm operations.
FSA offers applicants a Microloan designed to help farmers with credit needs of $35,000 or less. The loan features a streamlined application process built to fit the needs of new and smaller producers. This loan program will also be useful to specialty
crop producers and operators of community supported agriculture (CSA.)
The FSA will host a Microloan workshop at the Small Farms Research Center’s Risk Management & Business Development
Workshop, on August 22-23nd, in Mobile, Alabama. If you are seriously interested in applying for the program you will be able
to apply on site. They goal is for the farmers to complete a Microloan package on site and be prepared to deliver a complete
loan package to the loan officer in their designated area.
Friendly reminder: please bring the following items with you for the application start and finish process.
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Previous 12 months income and expenses (e. g. a schedule F if available)
Projected 12 months income and expenses
Type of crop to be planted or livestock to be produced
List of assets (e.g. farm equipment)
In the alternative they may provide a balance sheet within the last 90 days for items 3-4
For additional questions, discussion or assistance in this matter, or additional workshop available, please feel free to contact
Ms. Gretchen Thomas, District Director, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, at (205) 553-1733 ext.2.
Rural Youth Loans These are available as direct loans only and have a maximum loan amount of $5,000. Rural youth loans
may be made to individuals who are sponsored by a project advisor, such as a 4-H Club, FFA or local vocational instructor. Individuals must be at least 10 but not more than 20 years old to be eligible and reside in a town or city with a population of
50,000 or fewer people. Click this link for additional information:http://www.fsa.usda.gov/FSA/newsReleases?
area=newsroom&subject=landing&topic=pfs&newstype=prfactsheet&type=detail&item=pf_20130501_farln_en_loaninfo.html .
These programs listed are just a few highlighted, but to learn more about USDA FSA programs and in-depth requirements for one’s listed,
please visit your local USDA FSA office. Reference: Lane, Vicki. Public Relations/Outreach Specialist, USDA/Alabama FSA State Office.
USDA FSA Newsletter, June 2013. Montgomery, AL.
USDA RURAL DEVELOPMENT
USDA Rural Development (RD) offers technical assistance and information to help agricultural producers and cooperatives get
started and improve the effectiveness of their operations. They also provide technical assistance to help communities undertake
community empowerment programs. Please find below one of the few programs available.
Community Facilities Loans and Grants. Community Facilities Programs provide loans, grant and loan guarantees for essential community facilities in rural areas. Priority is given to health care, education and public safety projects. Typical projects are
hospitals, health clinics, schools, fire houses, community centers and many other community based initiatives. Visit the following links for more information and assistance in utilizing these funding sources.
Community Facilities Programs can make and guarantee loans to develop essential community facilities in rural areas and towns
of up to 20,000 in population. Loans and guarantees are available to public entities such as municipalities, counties, parishes,
boroughs, and special-purpose districts, as well as to non-profit corporations and tribal governments.
Community Facilities Programs provides grants to assist in the development of essential community facilities in rural areas and
towns of up to 20,000 in population. Grants are authorized on a graduated scale. Applicants located in small communities with
low populations and low incomes will receive a higher percentage of grants. Grants are available to public entities such as municipalities, counties, parishes, boroughs, and special-purpose districts, as well as non-profit corporations and tribal governments.
To develop the capacity and ability of private, nonprofit community-based housing and community development organizations,
and low income rural communities to improve housing, community facilities, community and economic development projects in
rural area.
For more information about these programs, or to file an application, contact the local Rural Development office in your area. Reference:
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Rural Development website http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/HCF_CF.html
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NEIGHBORHOOD FARM NEWS
2013 National Goat Conference “Looking Towards the Future”
North Carolina A&T State University’s (The Cooperative Extension
Program) will host the National Goat Conference (NGC). The program will provide educational opportunities in pasture and nutrition,
marketing and processing, herd health, reproduction and more. The
conference serves a diverse audience and is designed for goat and
sheep producers, agricultural professionals and students. Meet and
network with representatives of the 1890 and 1862 Land-Grant Institutions, community-based organizations as well as local, state and
federal agencies. The conference is scheduled for September 15-17,
2013, at the Joseph S. Koury Convention Center and Sheraton
Greensboro at Four Seasons, in Greensboro, North Carolina. For
more information, please visit their website at Conference Website is
http://www.ncat.edu/academics/schools-colleges1/saes/cooperativeextension/goatconf.html
_________________________________________________________
2014 Southern Sustainable Agriculture Working Group (SSAWG) Conference
Next year, the Southern Sustainable Agriculture Working Group
Conference will be held in Mobile, Alabama. Last year the conference was held in Little Rock, Arkansas embracing over 1,150 highenergy farmers and community food activists, representing 37 states
and the Virgin Islands. Founded in 1991, SSAWG was developed to
foster a movement towards a more sustainable farming and food system – one that is ecologically sound, economically viable, socially
just and humane. The group function as a regional entity, working with and through hundreds of associated organizations
across 13 southern states (Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia.) For more detailed information about the conference and the organization’s efforts, please check out the website http://ssawg.org
EMERGING NEW AGRICULTURE INITATIVE
What’s Trending Now? Futuristic Lab Grown Burger
Would you try a hamburger made from cow muscle grown in a
laboratory? Well, a few scientist in London have developed this
unconventional patty. This burger was fried, served and eaten
for the first time to a few tasters. The taste if you’re wondering,
was “like a animal protein cake,” stated by one taster. For the
scientists, they are happy the results, but acknowledge the lack
of fat (taste) was a problem.
The meat was produced from using stem cells-basic cells of the cow’s shoulder muscle from the slaughterhouse. The two-year project to make the one burger, plus extra tissue for testing, cost $325,000. The funding for
this project was by Sergey Brin, one of the founders of Google. It is estimated that if production could be scaled
up, cultured beef made as this one burger was made would cost more than $30.00 pound. Of course, additional
research and financing of this futuristic burger is needed. According to studies, this burger could provide high
quality protein to a growing population. As well as, avoiding many of the animal welfare and environmental
issues. Basically, animals may not be even needed to be slaughtered for meat to gather stem cells. Even thou
there is much research needed it would probably take 10 years or more before the patty will make it to the a supermarket near you. So just make a note, the futuristic lab-grown burger is definitely one of the future foods.
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Cooperating Units: USDA Office of Advocacy and Outreach (OAO), USDA /NIFA/ Beginning Farmers and Ranchers
Development Program (BFRDP), USDA/OAO/Outreach Assistance for Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers
(OASDFR) Program , Alabama Cooperative Extension Systems, and Alabama A&M University.
EDITOR’S CORNER
QUOTE OF THE QUARTER
If you would like to submit articles related to agriculture issues, or would like
to make an announcement of your event, please forward your information to:
“Do what you can, with what you have,
where you are.”
Ms. E’licia L. Chaverest (Lisa)
Elicia.Chaverest@aamu.edu
Office: (256)372-4970 & Fax: (256) 372-5517
Theodore Roosevelt
_________________
Check out our website: http://www.2aamu.edu/saes/sfrc/webdocs/SFRC.html
UPCOMING SMALL FARMS RESEARCH CENTER EVENTS (AAMU): MARK YOUR CALENDAR!

August 21-23, 2013 Risk Management & Business Development Training Workshop, Mobile, Alabama.
!!!REGISTRATION BEGINS NOW!!!

New and Beginning Farmers and Ranchers Program, Huntsville and Madison, Alabama. Additional courses
will follow shortly. (Look for Production & Management, Capital & Access to Capital, Land Acquitions & Tenture,
Markets & Marketing, and Business Planning & Financial Management. October 2013).

September 5, 2013. New and Beginning Farmers and Ranchers Program
Kick Off: Organic All-Natural Soap Making Course (101). The course will
cover all vegetable soap, milk based soaps, including Melt and Pour Soaps. Soap
you can make from ingredients from the local grocery store. Course begins
10:00a.m to noon. Alabama A&M University’s Small Farms Research Center.
James I. Dawson Building. Limited seating is available Only 15 seating available.
Pre-registration is requested. Non-refundable Registration fee: $5.00 (includes
lite refreshments, distribution of material, and take-home samples.) A second
class will offered that afternoon, if necessary. Please make check to Small Farms Research Center (AAMU) Foundation.

September 26, 2013. New and Beginning Farmers and Ranchers Program: Organic All-Natural Lotion Making Course. Begins 10:00a.m to 2:00p.m. Alabama A&M University’s Small Farms Research Center. James I. Dawson Building. Limited seating is available. Pre-registration is requested. Non-refundable Registration fee: $5.00
(includes lite refreshments, distribution of material, and take-home samples.) A second class will offered that afternoon, if necessary. Please make check to Small Farms Research Center (AAMU) Foundation.
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