The National Center for Appropriate Technology and Leopold Center Farm Energy Workgroup will hold a workshop about Department of Agriculture grants for energy efficiency and renewable energy from 12:30 to 4 p.m. March 4 in Carroll.
A specific location has not been determined.
The Rural Energy for America Program is part of the Energy Title of the 2008 Farm Bill.
It provides grants and loan guarantees to agricultural producers and rural small businesses to help purchase renewable energy systems, make energy efficiency improvements and perform renewable energy feasibility studies. It also funds an energy audit and technical assistance program to serve ag producers and rural businesses.
A representative of Agriculture Department’s Rural Development will discuss the process, which projects are eligible, and where assistance to apply can be found.
E-mail richd@ncat.org for details and reservations.
Learn about cover crops at March 3 event at ISU
The Midwest Cover Crops Council is holding a workshop addressing cover crops on March 3.
The most common cover crop used in Iowa is winter rye, but there are a variety of options, including winter canola, radishes and other small grains.
This workshop will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Gallery at the Iowa State Memorial Union in Ames.
Sponsors for the event include the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, the National Laboratory for Agriculture and the Environment in Ames, Practical Farmers of Iowa and Iowa State University.
For details or to register, go to www.mcc.msu.edu. Registrations are due Wednesday.
Participants are invited to attend planning meetings for the organization March 4.
Galt farm couple donates $125,000 to new center
A farm couple in Galt has made a $125,000 donation to the Beginning Farmer Center, a program administered by Iowa State University with ISU Extension and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
Ronald and Florine Swanson, through a deferred gift, will establish the Swanson Family Beginning Farmer Center Fund to support the work of the center, which conducts programs for farmers who want to transition their farm business to the next generation or individuals who want to get into farming.
Ronald Swanson is a 1961 farm operations graduate of Iowa State. After graduating, he returned to Wright County to operate a family farm south of Clarion.
Florine Swanson is a 1964 home economics education graduate of Iowa State, who served as the executive director of the Iowa 4-H Foundation.
June 1 deadline set for century farm applicants
Eligible farms are encouraged to apply for the 2010 Century and Heritage Farm Program.
The program, sponsored by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship and the Iowa Farm Bureau, recognizes families that have owned their farm for 100 years in case of Century Farms and 150 years for Heritage Farms.
Farm families seeking to qualify for the Century or Heritage Farms Program must submit an application no later than June 1.
Applications are available at www.iowaagriculture.gov/heritageFarmsProgram.asp or may be requested from Linda Rosky at (515) 281-3645 or Linda.Rosky@IowaAgriculture.gov. Applicants also can write to the Century or Heritage Farms Program, Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, Henry A. Wallace Building, 502 E. Ninth St., Des Moines, IA 50319.
