This, our final message from SSAWG, is filled with both sadness and hope. Though SSAWG is closing down, we have received so many notes and words of encouragement from you, our friends, former staff and board members, conference presenters, and supporters and countless others, as we all processed this news.
While this decision was incredibly difficult, we are heartened by the many groups and organizations and have sprouted from SSAWG’s work and the network built through the thirty years of conferences, teachings, programming, and leadership.
Shari Hawley
Southern SAWG Closing Its Doors
We invite you to share what Southern SAWG has meant to you on our blog. From our history, we know this work will continue long into the future. For nearly thirty years, SSAWG has had the privilege of convening some of the most brilliant farm minds in the region. We have witnessed the growth of organizations and farmers who are revolutionizing the southern food system, and we are so proud to have played a part in the deeply important work you do. Through seeds that Southern SAWG has helped to sow, a number of sustainable agriculture organizations in the South have blossomed over the last 29 years.
Shari Hawley
Southern Sustainable Agriculture Working Group Closing Its Doors
After three decades of work to strengthen, enrich, and shape the southern sustainable agriculture landscape in the south, the Southern Sustainable Agriculture Working Group (SSAWG) is closing its doors. Leadership looks forward to the continued development of other local and regional community organizations to provide the support, technical skill-sharing, and networking for southern farmers working hard every day to sustain the regional critical food supply.
Shari Hawley
USDA's Coronavirus Food Assistance Program
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s
Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) is offering $16 billion in direct payments to agricultural producers who suffered losses due to COVID-19. Details have begun to emerge, and they will keep as many people as possible posted on these details.
Shari Hawley
Survey for Organic Farmers and Farmers Transitioning to Organic
Attention Organic Farmers and Farmers Transitioning to Organic. Help ensure that future agricultural research is relevant to your needs. You can provide input through a national survey that will identify the top challenges facing organic farming and ranchers today. Your feedback is critical to building a comprehensive roadmap for future research investments that help advance organic agriculture across the United States.
The national survey is a project of the Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF) and Organic Seed Alliance (OSA) working collaboratively with the Social and Economic Sciences Research Center (SESRC). Results will be published in updates of OFRF’s National Organic Research Agenda (NORA) report and OSA’s State of Organic Seed (SOS) report.
Shari Hawley
Food System Resilience in a Time of Crisis: Considerations and Resources for the Community
Times of crisis test not only the character of individuals but reveal the flaws in our man-made systems—including how we get food from farm to table. As we face the reality of the COVID-19 pandemic, many will feel a loss of control, safety and security. It is natural to cycle through the stages of grief during times like these: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. As someone working with nonprofits and farmers (arguably the riskiest small business of all), we must quickly move to the next stage: action.
Shari Hawley
Getting to Know the Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service
United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is a steward-level sponsor at the 2020 Southern SAWG Conference. Learn more about NRCS and how they are uniquely positioned to help you, the farmer, conserve your natural resources.
Shari Hawley
Southern Farmers Cultivate Inspiration in Downtown Little Rock
Farmers are flocking to the Statehouse Convention Center this month, gathering tools and resources to address the challenges and changes impacting sustainable agriculture. At a time when severe weather patterns and climate conditions are increasingly changing, farmers need impactful resources to achieve profitable and environmentally beneficial results.
Recognizing the complex issues facing producers today, the Southern Sustainable Agriculture Working Group (SSAWG) is holding its 29th annual conference to discuss these hurdles. The event is geared toward organic and sustainable farmers, researchers, and community leaders who are creating more vibrant community food systems.
Shari Hawley
Statehouse Convention Center
Lazy Eight Stock Farm: A Love for Family and Farming
Owning and operating Lazy Eight Stock Farm in Paint Lick, Kentucky, a 420-acre certified organic farm, is the life Lothar Baumann always wanted for his family, but it isn’t the life they’ve always had.
Article provided by Farm Credit, a steward-level sponsor of the 2020 Practical Tools and Solutions for Sustaining Family Farms Conference.
