Posts (archive)

Michael Fields Agricultural Institute’s current corn breeding objectives remain in alignment with the historical work focus.

The beautiful 2-acre, organic and biodynamic, Stella Gardens has produce for sale! Seasonal perennial fruits and annual vegetables will provide healthy, fresh food to the local community while training young farmers fundamentals of sustainable agriculture. The season starts out with beautiful asparagus, rhubarb, and green garlic. Come see!

Michael Fields Agriculture Institute along with Skylark. Inc. is happy to welcome their new neighbor in East Troy.  Wild Flour Bakery of Milwaukee will be opening their doors in the old Nokomis Bakery on Main street. If you love Artisan Bread baked in the old world style along with other treats this is the place […]

The 2012 Stella Gardens interns are hard at work at MFAI and learning about their new environment. Read their stories…

Legacy Effects Two years ago today, the Deepwater Horizon oil well in the Gulf of Mexico ruptured, spewing oil for months and impacting everything from fishing to tourism along the Gulf coast. At some point, a new term was coined by environmentalists to describe the resulting impact. The impact has resulted in “legacy effects” on […]

While Wisconsin has yet to financially support Farm to School programs, some schools in the state may get assistance through the federal Farm to School Grant program. The grants will range in size from $20,000 to $100,000 and can be for planning a Farm to School program or expanding an existing program. Proposals are due June 15th.

As our legislators head home to campaign, it’s time to take stock: how did sustainable agriculture fare? Here’s the scoop…

Organic farmers depend on conservation practices such as cover crops, nutrient and pest management, seasonal high tunnels, crop rotation, and fencing. And there’s a program to help organic farmers with those conservation practices.

Have federal programs helped your farm or business? Please share how …

American farmers have always been among the nation’s innovators, and USDA began offering Value-Added Producer Grants (VAPG’s) about ten years ago to help them keep innovating. This grant program is a crucial economic driver in rural America, helping farmers explore new options, expand their businesses, boost profits, and employ new workers.

The USDA is considering allowing the release of 2, 4-D tolerant corn, while biotech giants battle for control of the seed industry in a panic over intellectual property rights.

Are you interested in the future of organic agriculture in Wisconsin and are willing to do your part to help it grow? If so, the nomination period is now open for four seats on the Wisconsin Organic Advisory Council. Nominations must be submitted to the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) by Monday, March 19, 2012. [Read more…]

This guide is written for anyone seeking help from federal programs to foster sustainable and innovative initiatives in this country associated with agriculture and forestry. Sustainability is commonly understood to embrace the triple concepts of economic, environmental and social viability. Specifically, the guide provides information about program resources pertaining to natural resources conservation and management; […]

Wisconsin’s AmeriCorps Farm to School Program has created active and engaged Farm to School programs at schools around the state, and they are currently accepting new applicants.

The deadline just got pushed back, so you have until January 27 to fill out an application form and get in the Conservation Stewardship Program this year!

There are lots of federal and state programs to help build food systems (Really! For information about all of them, check out our Building Sustainable Places Guide). But how do we make it easier for farmers to access these programs? Well, Brittany did it, with a little help from us.

Michael Fields Agricultural Institute is offering again, at the end of January 2012, Community Supported Agriculture classes for beginning farmers. I have been a CSA member for a few years now, both in Iowa and Wisconsin, and I have to say it was one of the best decisions I have made (when it comes to […]

The Conservation Stewardship Program rewards farmers for the conservation they are already doing and provides the means to do more. As Chippewa County farmer Bob Bernier says, “You’re saving your soil, your costs are cheaper, and you’re going to make more money in the end. You’re a fool not to be in this program.” To get in the program for next year, fill out an application form by January 13th.

Many of the movement’s longstanding organizers and policy leaders are approaching retirement, and the movement needs to cultivate new activists of diverse cultural backgrounds and skills.  MFAI’s policy internship program helps prospective leaders gain a foothold in the movement’s varied advocacy positions.  We offer two five-month policy internships every spring with a small stipend of […]

In recent months, I have come across articles that imply the whole world is growing genetically modified (GM) crops. In a recent Ag College newsletter from my alma mater, an article stated that, if given a choice, the consumer would choose a GM product at the grocery store. However, I took time to look at […]

For many farmers who sell to the local market, hiring an expert is something that other farmers do. Many farmers think that there aren’t any experts out there for what they need, or that the cost would be too much. But in Wisconsin, some farmers are hiring experts through the state’s Producers First program, and their businesses are better for it.

RSF Social Finance, San Francisco, awards Michael Fields Agricultural Institute a $40,000 challenge grant. The Institute is one of only a handful of organizations doing research on organic corn varieties, along with educational workshops for beginning farmers, and policy work in Wisconsin and nationally. Help support the importance of locally grown, organic and biodynamic fruits and vegetables by stepping forward and help us reach our goal. [Read more…]

A coalition of forward-thinking farmers, economists, environmentalists, health professionals, sportsmen, rural citizens and others concerned with the quality and safety of food, water and air, will come together at the first annual Wisconsin Forum on Rural and Urban Agriculture to be held in Madison on November 11 and 12.

Farmers benefit. Students benefit. Communities benefit. Farm to School is such a no-brainer. We’re going to make it happen in Wisconsin, and we’re going to do it with red packets. (Watch the video…it will make sense.)

Regulations regarding raw milk vary from state to state. The FDA claims that people should not consume raw milk because it might contain dangerous microorganisms. Others claim it is safe, has numerous health benefits, and people should be able to consume it if they choose. In Wisconsin cow owners were denied the right to drink milk from their own cows. Right or Wrong? […]