Small Farms 2014

Dr. Hao Feng, Food Engineer/Professor and his team at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has a Food Safety Project that is doing research aimed at reducing microbial contamination of fresh produce, so that the risk of illness in consumers can be reduced significantly. The project is...

The 2012 Census reported several historic changes in value of sales for agriculture producers in the United States: * Between 2007 and 2012, per farm average value of sales increased from $134,807 to $187,093, continuing a steady 30-year upward trend. The increase of $52,286 was the largest rise in...

Honey prices increased to a record high during 2013 to 212.1 cents per pound, up 6 percent from 199.2 cents per pound in 2012. United States and State level prices reflect the portions of honey sold through cooperatives, private, and retail channels. Released March 21, 2014, by the National...

The 2012 Census showed principal farm operators are becoming older and more diverse; following the trend of pervious censuses. In 2012, the average age of a principal farm operator was 58.3 years, up 1.2 years since 2007, and continuing a 30-year trend of steady increase. The Census also accounted...

In 2012, the United States had 2.1 million farms - down 4.3 percent from the previous Census in 2007. In terms of farm size by acres, this continues an overall downward trend in mid-sized farms, while the smallest and largest-size farms held steady. For more information about the Census, including...

2014 Small Farms Winter Webinar Series. Register early. The highly popular small farm winter webinar series will again bring a wide range of speakers and topics on small farm production of fruits, vegetables and livestock. Sign up early and get the dates on your calendar. To...

There was an increase in the value of agricultural products sold in the United States totaling $394.6 billion in 2012, up 33 percent ($97.4 billion) from 2007. The number of farms and land in farms were down slightly, but held steady. Additionally, agriculture is becoming more diverse. For more...

Webinars will be held from 1:00 - 2:30 pm on Thursdays and are free.To register, click https://web.extension.illinois.edu/registration/?RegistrationID=8854

Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) webinar will be offered during Mondays in April, beginning April 7, through April 28, from 6:00-8:00 pm. The webinar is designed to provide information to growers on how to keep produce safe- from production to the market. The past few years we've all seen and...

The Food and Agricultural Organization has declared that 2014 is the International Year of the Family Farm.  http://www.fao.org/family-farming-2014/en/ "The 2014 International Year of Family Farming (IYFF) aims to raise...

Webinars will be held from 1:00 - 2:30 pm on Thursdays and are free. To register, click https://web.extension.illinois.edu/registration/?Registra

Do you garden, grow, or sell fresh produce? This workshop has benefits for all producers, retailers and wholesalers in supermarkets, Farmers' Markets, or for business owners in service industries. In particular, the GAPs workshop will equip producers with the knowledge to put together a written...

The USDA has announced a new website dedicated to Organic farming.  http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?contentidonly=true&contentid=organic-agriculture.htmlThis is...

Webinars will be held from 1:00 - 2:30 pm on Thursdays and are free. To register, click https://web.extension.illinois.edu/registration/?Registra

Do you garden, grow, or sell fresh produce? This workshop has benefits for all producers, retailers and wholesalers in supermarkets, Farmers' Markets, or for business owners in service industries. In particular, the GAPs workshop will equip producers with the knowledge to put together a written...

Depending on the weather and your crop rotation, cover crops might be an option.  Iowa Learning Farm has a new cover crop calcuator. http://www.extension.iastate.edu/ilf/content/...

Webinars will be held from 1:00 - 2:30 pm on Thursdays and are free. To register, click https://web.extension.illinois.edu/registration/?Registra

NEW PUBLICATION: written by Zachary Grant, Manager of the Illinois Sustainable Student Regional Farm and Food Project...