PIFF - Partners IN Food and Farming

Upcoming webinar alert! Join the Great Lakes Midwest Regional Food Business Center for their webinar: Obtaining a UEI Webinar!

"In this webinar, food and farm business owners will learn how to obtain a UEI on Sam.gov, enabling them to be eligible to receive USDA grant funded opportunities like the Business Builder Award through the Great Lakes Midwest Regional Food Business Center.

Coming late in 2024, the Great Lakes Midwest Regional Food Business Center will offer the first phase of the Business Builder grant program for food and/or farm businesses in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin. Over $10 million dollars will be distributed by state partners directly to technical assistance providers and eligible business owners over the next four years."

More information and registration at the link!

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Come join us and Megan Ayers with Urban Soil Health on Thursday June 13th to learn the ends and outs of composting! To ask questions or RSVP please call the office at 812-427-3126 ext 3

Small Scale Agriculture - Climate Resilience Ag Conservation Equity is about promoting sustainable practices in agriculture for any farm size and climate - smart practices.

New Indiana Organic Network to engage farmers in statewide soil health census A Purdue University interdisciplinary team is establishing a network of organic farmers to improve soil health. The effort will formalize the Indiana Organic Network (ION) as part of a statewide initiative to assess soil health at regional and farm scales. The project is supported by a grant of near...

Thinking about applying for a USDA grant? Consider attending this upcoming webinar that will lead small business owners through the registration process in getting the necessary ID needed to apply to upcoming funding opportunities. Check out the link below!

www.zoomgov.com

This is a reminder that registration for the 2024 Black Farmers & Urban Gardeners National Conference is due Friday, May 24. The conference is free; however, REGISTRATION is required. The event is June 27-29, 2024, in South Lewis Center, Ohio. https://ow.ly/pnMj50RSITQ

National Farmers Union and their Beginning Farmer Institute offers a FREE, online, 10-week intensive program intended to improve the health of your farm or ranch business. Open to producers ages 18 and up, each cohort is selected through a competitive application process, and applications are now open at www.nfu.org/bfi until July 1!

The program is structured around weekly online trainings led by experts in business management. Over the course of 10 weeks, participants will be expected to watch 30-60 minutes of video trainings each week, followed by participation in weekly, 2 hour Q&As with subject-matter experts.

Via National Farmers Union

No matter the size of your farm, having the knowledge you need to conserve, maintain and restore resources is key to your farm sustainability!
Come to this Field Day and learn of the many conservation practices!

Registration link:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/887755960977?aff=oddtdtcreator

Interested in a screening of More Than Corn? Fill out this form and the great folks at will help you out!

More Than Corn | A Documentary Series Featuring Indiana Farmers Eating local becomes more than just a trend in a docuseries that tells the stories of real Hoosier farmers who plan, build, plant, grow, nurture, harvest and prove once and for all - there is way more than corn in Indiana.

In October 2024, Hoosier Young Farmers Coalition and PIFF will present New Farmer U, a 1.5 day workshop that focuses on the skills a new farmer needs to know to be successful. We’re in the planning stage for this program and we’d love to know what you think will be most beneficial during this workshop. Please fill out the survey and let us know!

https://forms.gle/kBVaUP2xadZhbJ738

Join Purdue Extension Marion County Community Development educators and learn how to connect to state, regional, and national technical assistance partners and their resources to access federal funding through this great opportunity.

Learn more and register for this FREE event:
https://extension.purdue.edu/events/county/marion/2024/05/tctac-federal-grant-assistance-workshop.html

Purdue Extension Community Development Program Purdue Extension

Introducing Saturdays at the Farm! Join us every third Saturday from 3- 6 PM, June to October.

This family friendly event will be an opportunity to connect & converse over a meal catered by local businesses using our fresh, produce!

Please mark them in your calendars and RSVP!

Hey Farmers - here's a neat opportunity from National Young Farmers Coalition! Their Root and Bloom Fellowship is open for applications, which are due by June 3rd and comes with a stipend!

The Root and Bloom Fellowship is an advocacy and power-building educational opportunity for 35-40 farmers across the country. Organized into two major phases, ROOT and BLOOM, fellows will explore how many of the challenges young and BIPOC farmers face nationwide are deeply woven and rooted in federal agriculture policy. Progressing through the fellowship, fellows will explore the ways those same policies and power dynamics play out in their communities and regions, blooming into new opportunities, positions of power, local relationships, and projects, to make change at home.

Get the full details here --
https://www.youngfarmers.org/root-and-bloom-fellowship/

Crop Diagnostic Training to be held at Pinney Purdue Ag Center

Agribusiness professionals, consultants and educators who work with farmers will learn new strategies for identifying and responding to a variety of crop problems at an early season workshop at Purdue University's Pinney Purdue Ag Center (PPAC) near Wanatah,IN.
Participants will gain practical knowledge that will help them assist farmers in managing the nutrient, pest and environmental factors that influence plant growth and affect crop yields. The workshop is presented by experts from Purdue Extension Field Crops team.
The workshop is scheduled at Pinney Purdue Ag Center on Thursday, June 20, 9 a.m. to 3:45p.m. CDT. The training will cover topics relating to corn development, w**d control, drone technology, soil health assessments, and irrigation sensors.
Pinney Purdue Ag Center is located at 11402 South County Line Road, Wanatah, IN, about 2 miles west of Wanatah and ½ mile north of US 30 on the La Porte-Porter County Line. Continuing education credits will be available for crop advisers (5 CEUs) and commercial pesticide applicators. Private applicators may also receive one credit from attending the workshop. Commercial applicators and farmers are reminded to bring their pesticide applicator cards for registration. Lunch is included with the registration fee.
Registration for the diagnostic session at Pinney PAC is required by June 13th and is $60. You can register online at https://cvent.me/PPB3nG For more information, please contact Phil Woolery at 574-772-9141or email [email protected] .

NCR-SARE Farmers Forum at the Organic Grain Conference 2024: Lauren Asprooth, UW Madison Increasing evidence of the benefits of small grains in rotations and rising demand for organic and local products presents a promising opportunity for farmer...

What a great event -- looking forward to seeing folks there!

Vendor application now open! The Indiana Grown Marketplace will be held on Saturday September 14, 2024 at the Hamilton Co. Fairgrounds.

We are looking for artisan goods, food & beverage products, food trucks and more to be a part of this one day market.

All vendors will be juried in and contacted directly via e-mail & Indiana Grown will not connect any vendors via social for payment.

Apply today https://indianagrown.org/marketplace-vendor-application/

Any questions, send an e-mail [email protected]

NCRCRD is pleased to announce our 2024 Small Grants Awardees. Every year NCRCRD receives proposals that offer unique and creative approaches to addressing rural challenges and 2024 was no different. The selected 2024 projects focus on rural healthcare, community well-being, rural gateway communities; and food access. https://bit.ly/4act0f5

Please join us in congratulating this year’s Principal Investigators: Gwynn Stewart, M.S., Ohio State - College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences, Marilyn Schlake, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Richard Johnson-Sheehan, Purdue University, and Krystal Hodge, PhD, MPH, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Join Indianapolis Office of Sustainability Healthy & Sustainable Eating Workshop next Thursday, May 16th at the Riverside Park Family Center.

The folks behind local family-owned restaurant Black Leaf Vegan will provide a workshop in the park’s demo kitchen on how to cook and eat more plant-based meals in your diet. A delicious vegan meal will be provided to those who register in advance.

🔗 Register here: https://ow.ly/9BWr50RAPEJ

Thursday, May 23: Field Day and Dinner

Owen County Soil & Water Conservation District is assisting Morgan County Soil & Water Conservation District with this engaging event! I hope you can join us!

Please RSVP with Morgan County SWCD at 765-349-2060 or email [email protected].

SARE Fellows Program Now Accepting Applications SARE Fellows is a unique professional development opportunity for agricultural professionals working with farmers and ranchers. Applications are now being accepted.

Join Purdue Extension Marion County Community Development educators and learn how to connect to state, regional, and national technical assistance partners and their resources to access federal funding through this great opportunity.

Learn more and register for this FREE event: https://extension.purdue.edu/events/county/marion/2024/05/tctac-workshop.html

Purdue Extension Community Development Program Purdue Extension

Training in Montgomery County with our partners! Click to register:
https://purdue.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_8rgc8wOo7JSRzwO

Information on the venue: https://www.fusion54.com/

Are you a beginning farmer, farm worker, or food and farming ally that cares about creating a more localized and just food system? Hoosier Young Farmers Coalition is looking for 3-4 folks to join their board for the 2025-2027 term with an opportunity for a six-month onboarding process so applicants can learn the ropes! Underserved beginning farmers, including BIPOC and q***r farmers, are encouraged to apply!

Follow this link https://buff.ly/3V0vMQl to check out their current board and apply for the open seats. Applications are due by 11:59pm ET on Sunday, June 2, and elections will be held later in the month.

The Indiana Grown for Schools Network is excited to share that the Indiana Dept of Education has received $616,387 from the USDA to award FY 2023 Equipment Assistance Grants. Applications for the 2024 National School Lunch Program (NSLP) Equipment Assistance Grant will be accepted through May 31, 2024.
Contact [email protected] with questions. Please include your sponsor number and “Equipment Grant” in the subject line. https://www.ingrown4schools.com/news/nslp-equipment-grant-application-now-available

This FREE, virtual Lunch & Learn will cover getting the most out of your garden season. We will cover the concepts of succession planting to maximize your vegetable beds’ production as well as the idea of planting your flowers to have something in bloom at all times.

Register: https://extension.purdue.edu/events/county/marion/2024/05/lunch-and-learn.html

If you are looking to manage your farm to maximize production or you have unique management needs for your operation.
Join us to learn more about the many programs and assistance available for any size farm!
Use link to register. Space is limited
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/887755960977?aff=oddtdtcreator

The Northeast Indiana Local Food Network created the Local Food Scholarship Fund to help NE Indiana's local food producers, processors, and other entrepreneurs in our local food supply chain to seek the training opportunities they need to help their businesses grow and thrive.

Ready to apply?! Check out qualifications and details here: https://www.neifood.org/scholarship-application

Growing an Agri-Culinary Education Program with Joia Walker EarthDance Organic Farm School, in partnership with the local Ferguson-Florissant School District in Ferguson, MO, has developed an Agri-culinary Education p...