Farm Rescue to Receive 1 for
1 Matching Funds from Otto Bremer Foundation
Funds represent Otto Bremer Foundation’s continuing support for farm families experiencing unexpected crises
JAMESTOWN, ND, March 4, 2014 – Farm Rescue, a nonprofit organization that provides planting and harvesting assistance free of charge to farm families who have experienced a major illness, injury or natural disaster, received a “one for one” grant from the Otto Bremer Foundation. The Otto Bremer Foundation will award one dollar to Farm Rescue for each dollar donated by new sponsors, grantors and individual donors, up to $35,000.
Farm Rescue helped a record number of farm families in 2013 and plans for another successful year of helping farm families who have experienced major injury, illnesses or natural disasters. 50 farm families were helped in 2013, bringing the total number of families helped since the inception of Farm Rescue to 252.
The Otto Bremer Foundation and Bremer Bank were one of the first sponsors of Farm Rescue and continue to be strong supporters of helping farm families through the nonprofit organization. In 2013, Bremer Bank donated $25,000 and the Otto Bremer Foundation donated $75,000, for a cumulative donation of $100,000.
“Farm Rescue is pleased to announce one-for-one matching funds from the Otto Bremer Foundation,” said Bill Gross, Farm Rescue president and founder. “We are asking potential donors to step forward and help us maximize the full potential of the available funding so we may help additional farm families who have experienced unexpected crises in 2014.”
“The Otto Bremer Foundation is pleased to support Farm Rescue,” said Charlotte Johnson, Otto Bremer Foundation trustee. “It provides an important structure for volunteers to help farm families avoid economic hardship.”
Workshop to Focus on Community Gardening
FARGO, ND(March 7, 2014)–The Cass Clay Food Systems Initiative, along with the NDSU Extension Service, and local partners will present “Growing Together Through Community Gardening” the evening of March 14 and all day March 15, at the Dakota Medical Foundation, located at 4141 28th Ave. S., Fargo.
The March 14 program from 7 to 9 p.m. is FREE and features a public forum and Robin Garwood as the main speaker. Garwood has been involved in many aspects of the Homegrown Minneapolis Initiative, which is an initiative to improve the growth, sales, distribution and consumption of fresh, locally grown foods. He has been coordinating efforts to change Minneapolis ordinances on composting, farmers markets, mobile grocery stores and staple food requirements at grocery stores.
The March 15 workshop begins at 8:30 with registration. The fee is $25. Session topics include:
* Local victory gardeners in World War II and 2014 – This talk explains how gardens helped win World War II, examines the local victory garden movement and encourages people to plant their own victory garden this spring.
* All about soil and garden location – This session will deal with finding a proper garden location, soil testing and preparation, and weed control.
* Growing Together – Growing Together is a community garden organization hosting more than 100 new American families. Participants will learn how the gardens are structured.
* Putting community in the community garden – This session will examine ways to help people understand the importance of the word “community” as it relates to “garden.”
* New Master Gardener Program – Participants will learn about changes to the North Dakota Master Gardener Program.
To register for the March 15 workshop, go to https://communitygardenworkshop.eventbrite.com.The goal of the Cass Clay Food Systems Initiative is to increase access to safe, nutritious and affordable food by strengthening all aspects of the local food system. Members include the University of Minnesota Extension Service, NDSU Extension Service, Fargo Cass Public Health and Clay County Public Health.
Governor proclaims Pride of Dakota Month, Day
BISMARCK –Gov. Jack Dalrymple has proclaimed March as Pride of Dakota Month and Thursday, March 20, as Pride of Dakota Day.
“North Dakota is a leader in the production of quality agriculture and home-crafted products for the United States and the world,” Dalrymple said. “The Pride of Dakota program serves as an important marketing tool for North Dakota companies that are competing in a global market.”
The governor noted that the Pride of Dakota program, now in its 29th year, has more than 500 active and associate members. He encouraged North Dakotans “to recognize the state’s food industry and to show their pride in and appreciation for those who produce and process the food we eat.”
Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring, who oversees the program, thanked the governor for the proclamation. He said special activities, including the Pride of Dakota annual meeting, March 20-21, and Pride of Dakota Day at the Capitol, March 20, are scheduled during the month.
Administered by North Dakota Department of Agriculture Marketing and Information Division, Pride of Dakota provides member companies with cooperative marketing and promotional events, such as in-store demonstrations, Pride of Dakota Day, the Holiday Showcases and Harvest Showcase. The program also provides educational opportunities and representation at regional, national and international marketing expositions.
Compliance with pesticide
rules again at all-time high in ND
BISMARCK –Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring says North Dakota farmers have again demonstrated their stewardship of land and water resources through proper application and storage of pesticides.
“For a second consecutive year, compliance with state and federal pesticide laws and regulations is at an all-time high in North Dakota,” Goering said.
Goehring said that more than 84 percent of the entities inspected by the pesticide and fertilizer division of the North Dakota Department of Agriculture (NDDA) in 2013 were in full compliance with the law.
“To my knowledge, this is the highest rate of compliance in the history of the program and throughout the nation,” he said.
Goehring said the high compliance rate can be credited in large part to the department’s outreach and compliance assistance program.
“We continued to use a mixture of regulatory oversight and compliance assistance to help people comply,” he said. “Our programs help ensure that pesticides are used safely and legally so that they do not impact human health, the environment, the food supply, and the marketability of North Dakota commodities.”
Goehring said NDDA’s pesticide priorities in 2013 included:
· *Pesticide use on or near surface water
· *Pesticide use in or near beehives
· *Use of grain fumigants and ensuring users understand all label requirements
· *Protecting underserved and socially vulnerable populations
“Working with the North Dakota Department of Health and U.S. Geological Survey, we sampled 30 river and stream sites seven times each from mid-April through October for 99 pesticide compounds,” Goehring said. “Results show pesticides are not adversely impacting North Dakota tributaries or aquatic ecosystems.”
Goehring said NDDA continues to be engaged in national pesticide discussions and issues.
“Several NDDA staff members serve on national committees and workgroups where they work directly with Environmental Protection Agency staff and with other states,” Goehring said. “Having a seat at the table during these discussions helps to ensure that our input is considered, and that North Dakota producers are not subject to unnecessary or overly burdensome restrictions.”
The compliance figures are included in the annual report NDDA submits to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
NDSU Wheat Researcher Fights Rust Disease
A driving force behind Maricelis Acevedo’s research is to make a difference.
The assistant professor in the North Dakota State University Department of Plant Pathology certainly is doing that. Acevedo specializes in leading research dealing with rust disease in wheat, a fungal infection that can have devastating results on plants. In some parts of the world, the crop-killing fungus is called
the “polio of agriculture.”
“I’m very passionate about working with rust pathogens, ultimately with a goal of increasing food security in the U.S. and around the globe,” Acevedo says. “I find them very interesting because they are highly diverse, and new virulent races
are constantly emerging. That keeps
us on our toes and always trying to
stay ahead of the pathogen. I love the challenge of working on that type of research project.”
Her research emphasizes genetics to build resistance to leaf and stem rust in wheat. The work is especially important for North Dakota because the State Wheat Commission reports about 19,200 farms grow wheat. The state typically ranks second only to Kansas in total wheat production each year.
“Working in North Dakota is the perfect place because of wheat’s importance as a commodity, a way of living and its history in the state,” says Acevedo, who joined NDSU’s faculty in 2010. “It’s exciting to be working in an area where agriculture really is appreciated and our research is valued.”
Acevedo is becoming an authority in her field of study. She was one of the inaugural recipients of the Jeanie Borlaug Laube Women in Triticum Early Career Award. In May 2013, she was an invited speaker at the Internal Symposium on Genetics and Breeding Durum Wheat in Rome, and she also presented at the “1st
Workshop of Surveillance of Race Ug99 in South America and Breeding for Resistance” in Passo Fundo, Brazil. She recently was one of 16 scientists invited to the Melinda and Bill Gates Foundation in Seattle to brainstorm about future needs in wheat research.
A native of Puerto Rico, Acevedo earned her bachelor’s degree in biology and master’s degree in agronomy at the University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez. She earned her doctorate in biological sciences at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Before joining NDSU, Acevedo received postdoctoral training at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service Small Grains and Potato Research Unit in Aberdeen, Idaho.
“I like the idea of working with a purpose, to make a difference in people’s lives,” Acevedo says. “I want to apply the research in the field and facilitate getting it to market as prudently as possible. I’d like to provide better information and more understanding of how rust pathogens interact with the plant, so researchers can develop better ways to manage the disease, like new technologies and new chemicals.”
Another aspect of her work is serving as a mentor and role model for students. She works in a field where the majority of researchers historically have been men, but that is starting to shift. Half of the graduate six students she works with are women from different cultural and ethnic backgrounds.
Acevedo received a 2013 Leap Research Award from NDSU’s FORWARD program, which works for the advancement of women.
“I think I bring to the table other points of view and push research boundaries,” Acevedo says. “My lab provides evidence how diversity can provide changes in how we approach science. We try to keep an open mind and a ‘think- outside-of-the-box’ approach on research.