Alabama A&M University

2016
JANUARY MARCH

VOLUME 8, 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)

SMALL FARMS RESEARCH CENTER: UPCOMING EVENTS

Inside this Issue

SMALL FARMS
RESEARCH CENTER
UPCOMING EVENTS

FARM SERVICE
AGENCY PROGRAM &
SERVICES

USDA RURAL
DEVELOPMENT

EDITORS CORNER

UPCOMING EVENTS

QUOTE OF THE
MONTH

SMALL BUSINESS PLAN WORKSHOP. Huntsville, Alabama

Huntsville, AL. The Small Farms Research Center (SFRC) in collaboration with the Alabama Cooperative Extension Systems Mobile County Extension Office will host a Small Business Workshop on
May 5-6, 2016, in the James I. Dawson Building on the campus of Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University (AAMU). Workshop presentations will include: Starting a Business from Scratch,
Business Economics and Marketing, Short- and Long-Term Business Planning and the Affordable
Care Act Business Requirements, and Bookkeeping and Business Taxes. Great emphasis will be
placed on the importance of business and agribusiness owners developing a business plan that aligns
with marketing, production, and financing capacities and strategies to minimize risk. This course is
offered to all aspiring entrepreneurs and will provide hands-on and real life examples to further illustrate the purpose of a business plan. Lenders and United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)
representatives will also be available to discuss loans and government programs. Registration is
$10.00 and is now open until April 26th. Limited scholarships are available for those who qualify.
Please contact the SFRC at 256-372-4958 for more information.
SMALL RUMINANT WORKSHOP: MARKETING HEALTHY ANIMALS. Huntsville, Alabama
Huntsville, AL. The Small Farms Research Center in collaboration with the Alabama Cooperative Extension System
(ACES) will host its Small Ruminant Workshop, June 1-2,
2016. The two-day workshop held in AAMUs James I.
Dawson Building, will provide hands-on training and informative session on USDA government programs, marketing opportunities, health care and maintenance, pricing products, and networking with fellow farmers. Registration is
$10.00 and is now open until May 27th. Limited scholarships are available for those who qualify. Please contact the
SFRC at 256-372-4958 for more information.

Small Farms Research Center

Alabama A&M University
4900 Meridian Street
James I. Dawson Building
Suite 316-A
P.O. Box 700
Normal, AL 35762
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

This workshop is open to aspiring small ruminant producers,

as well as community leaders, agribusiness representatives, and anyone interested in goat production.
REGISTRATION BEGINS NOW FOR BOTH EVENTS. To learn more about the Small Farms Research

Centers programs and services, and to register for each event please contact us at 256-372-4958 or elicia.chaverest@aamu.edu.

USDA FARM SERVICE AGENCY (FSA)

USDA Looking for Veterans: The Next Generation of Farmers

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced a joint agreement with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation to increase employment opportunities in the agricultural sector for military veterans and their spouses.
USDA Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services Deputy Under Secretary Lanon Baccam signed the agreement along with
Eric Eversole, vice president at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Eversole, a Commander in the Navy Reserve, also serves as
the foundations President of Hiring Our Heroes. Baccam, a U.S. Army and Iowa National Guard veteran who served in Afghanistan, is USDAs Military Veterans Liaison.
Todays agreement opens the door for thousands of service members who participate in Hiring Our Heroes events around
the world to benefit from USDAs vast array of tools and resources, said Baccam. This new partnership strengthens
USDAs ongoing efforts to help veterans pursue rewarding careers in farming, ranching, or in the fast-growing
agriculture and food sectors.
The agreement establishes a new partnership between
USDA and Hiring Our Heroes, a program that helps military veterans, transitioning active duty personnel, and
their spouses and partners with training and opportunities to find meaningful employment when entering the
civilian workforce.
Since 2009, USDA has provided $466.8 million in farm
loans to help more than 6,868 veterans purchase farmland, buy equipment and make repairs and upgrades. Our
microloans, which offer smaller amounts of support to
meet the needs of small- or niche-type farm operations,
have also grown in popularity among veterans. Since it
was launched in January 2013, USDA's microloan program has provided more than $25.8 million in support to
help veterans grow their farming businesses.
Recently, USDAs Farm Service Agency (FSA) also expanded its collaboration with the Department of Defense to better
reach the nearly 200,000 service members transitioning from military service to civilian life each year. Through a career
training and counseling program, called the Transition Assistance Program, or TAP, USDA provides information on a wide
variety of loans, grants, training and technical assistance available for veterans who are passionate about a career in agriculture.
For more information on how USDA can help military veterans transition into agriculture as a career, visit
www.usda.gov/veterans.
This joint agreement between USDA and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation was authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill,
which builds on historic economic gains in rural America over the past seven years, while achieving meaningful reform and
billions of dollars in savings for taxpayers. Since enactment, USDA has made significant progress to implement each provision of this critical legislation, including providing disaster relief to farmers and ranchers; strengthening risk management
tools; expanding access to rural credit; funding critical research; establishing innovative public-private conservation partnerships; developing new markets for rural-made products; and investing in infrastructure, housing, and community facilities to
help improve quality of life in rural America. For more information, visit www.usda.gov/farmbill.
Reference Politsch, K. (2016, February 12). USDA and the US chamber of commerce foundation join forces to promote agriculture jobs
and farming and ranching to military veterans. Retrieved from http://www.fsa.usda.gov/news-room/news-releases/2016/
nr_20160217_rel_0044.
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USDA RURAL DEVELOPMENT

Powering Sustainable Rural Communities

Providing reliable, affordable electricity is essential to sustaining the economic well-being and quality of life for all of the
nation's rural residents. The Electric Program provides leadership and capital to maintain, expand, upgrade, and modernize
America's vast rural electric infrastructure. Under the authority
of the Rural Electrification Act of 1936, the Electric Program
makes direct loans and loan guarantees (FFB), as well
as grants and other energy project financing to electric utilities
(wholesale and retail providers of electricity) that serve customers in rural areas.
The loans and loan guarantees finance the construction of electric distribution, transmission, and generation facilities, including system improvements and replacement required to furnish
and improve electric service in rural areas, as well as demand
side management, energy efficiency and conservation programs, and on-grid and off-grid renewable energy systems.
Loans are made to cooperatives as well as to corporations,
states, territories and subdivisions and agencies such as municipalities, people's utility districts, and nonprofit, limited-dividend,
or mutual associations that provide retail electric service needs to rural areas or supply the power needs of distribution borrowers in rural areas.
RUS also provides a loan program under section 313A of the Rural Electrification Act of 1936, as amended (7 U.S.C. 940c1) entitled Guarantees for Bonds and Notes Issued for Electrification or Telephone Purposes. The proceeds of the guaranteed
bonds will be used by the guaranteed lender to make loans to borrowers for electrification or telephone purposes eligible for
assistance under this chapter, or to refinance bonds or notes previously issued by the guaranteed lender. For additional details,
see the Code of Federal Regulations 7 CFR 1720 .
The RUS Electric Program helps nearly 700 borrowers in 46
states finance safe, modern, and efficient infrastructure. The
resulting loan portfolio of approximately $46 billion is managed by the Electric Program.
RUS-financed electrical systems provide service to more
than 90% of the Nations counties that are identified as suffering from persistent poverty, out-migration, or other economic hardships. The Electric Program also provides financial assistance through High Energy Cost Grants to rural
communities with extremely high energy costs to acquire,
construct, extend, upgrade, and otherwise improve energy
generation, transmission, or distribution facilities.
To apply for Electric Infrastructure Loan & Loan Guarantee for a Distribution Loan visit RD Apply, our newly developed, optional online application system.
Contact: Christopher McLean, Assistant Administrator, Electric Program at: (202) 720-9545, James Elliott, Assistant Administrator, Electric Program at: (202) 720-9547 or Jonathan Claffey, Policy Advisor
Reference: USDA. Rural Development. http://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/all-programs/electric-programs

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Cooperating Units made possible with financial support and assistance from: USDA/OAO/Outreach Assistance for Socially Disadvantaged
Farmers and Ranchers (OASDFR) Program, USDA/NIFA/Beginning Farmers and Ranchers Development Program (BFRDP). USDA/NIFA/
Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) and USDA/NIFA/Southern Risk Management Education Center (SRMEC).

Mark your Calendar!

SAVE THE DATE !
May 5-6, 2016. Small Business Workshop, Huntsville, Alabama. AAMUs SFRC in partnership
with the Alabama Cooperative Extension System (ACES) will host its Small Business Workshop at
AAMU. Come learn from the experts on all the advantages of having well-developed business plan.
Registration Begins Now.
May 14, 2016. Holistic Wellness Conference and Expo Mobile, AL . Healthy Living Garden,
LLC will host its first annual health and wellness conference. The conference will cover holistic practitioners, vendors, and healers (CONNECT), attend our workshops or check out wellness product demos
(LEARN), try out a Yoga, Pilates, Nutritional or Restorative Movement class (MOVE), and enjoy
local art, music, and dance performances (ENJOY)! TBA. For more information, please contact Ms.
Venisha Taylor at venishabonham@gmail.com or (512) 318-5884.
June 1-2, 2016. Small Ruminant Workshop, Huntsville, Alabama. AAMUs SFRC in collaboration with ACES will host its
Small Ruminant Workshop on the campus of Alabama A&M University. Come learn from the experts, specialist, and experienced
farmers on marketing goat meat, health-care maintenance, and government programs available. Registration Begins Now.
August 17-19, 2016. Risk Management and Business Development Workshop, Mobile, Alabama. AAMUs SFRC in collaboration with ACES will host its RM and Business Development Workshop in Mobile, Alabama. Topics addressed but not limited to risk management strategies, sustainability, diversification, business development, government programs available, marketing and various new and
emerging agricultural issues/topics. In addition, a farm field day will be held. (More details will follow shortly.)

September 20-22, 2016. USDA 7th National Small Farm Conference. Virginia Beach, Virginia.
Conference information: http://www.vsu.edu/nationalsmallfarmconference/index.php

Editors Corner
Hello, my name is Sonia Kishasha. I am a student majoring in chemistry
at Alabama A&M University and a proud native of Nairobi, Kenya. As a
bi-weekly student worker with the Small Farms Research Center, I am
looking forward to this opportunity to work with the agricultural community as well as assisting with outreach efforts and developing training
material such as the SFRC newsletter. I will work with Ms. Elicia (Lisa)
Chaverest and I am excited to be working with each of you. We definitely
want to know whats going on in your community as it relates to agriculture. If you would like to submit articles or would like to make an announcement of your agricultural related event, please forward your information to:
Elicia (LISA) Chaverest
Elicia.Chaverest@aamu.edu
Office: (256) 372-4970/Fax: (256) 372-5517

Thank you,

Sonia Kishasha
Editors Note: All these articles were compiled from organization Small Farms Research Center,
The Canola Team, Farm Service Agency, Natural Resource Conservation Services, and Healthy
Living Gardens, LLC.

Quote of the Quarter

Imagination is more important than
knowledge. Knowledge is limited.
Imagination encircles the world.

Albert Einstein.