Posts Tagged: money

Water and Irrigation Improvement Funding??????

There is money out there to help with irrigation improvements.  Along with USDA funding through The Natural Resources Conservation Service and many local Resource Conservation Districts, there are often funds from the state.  In Ventura County there is a source of funding that is being made locally administered by the VC Farm Bureau.  Check this out and follow some of the threads to find other local funding for improved water management.

 

VENTURA COUNTY AGRICULTURAL WATER AND ENERGY USE EFFICIENCY PROGRAM (AWUE)

Technical Assistance and Equipment Rebates

FACT SHEET

Funded by a State of California Proposition 84 Drought Grant*

The drought and groundwater sustainability goals are challenging farmers to use every drop wisely. To help, the State of California has awarded Ventura County a cost share grant with $1.2 million available for technical assistance and equipment rebates to improve agricultural irrigation and energy efficiency.  

 

What does the funding cover?

The program will rebate farmers up to 60% of equipment upgrades that demonstrate quantifiable water and energy savings. This may include irrigation timers, meters, sprinklers, soil moisture sensors, drip tape and emitters, irrigation software, high efficiency pumps, pipes and valves. (Installation costs are not reimbursable due to grant restrictions.)

 

Who is eligible?

All commercial farms in Ventura County may complete the AWUE Interest Survey for the program. The farming operations with the greatest potential for savings will be invited to begin the program by signing the AWUE Cooperative Agreement (sample available for review at bit.ly/AWUE-grant).       

How does it work? 

Participating farms will have a free, on-site technical evaluation of operations and irrigation system(s) to develop a set of recommendations to improve water and energy efficiency. The evaluation may include a distribution uniformity (DU) test of the irrigation system(s) to determine if the system is applying irrigation water optimally, a review of irrigation scheduling vs. crop need, and other related practices and operational/testing equipment.

In conjunction with irrigation efficiency, opportunities for energy savings will also be evaluated. As a cooperative evaluation, innovative ideas that improve water efficiency will be explored for possible recommendation.

Equipment upgrades that are mutually agreed upon and implemented within one year at the farmer's upfront cost will be up to 60% reimbursed following a free post-project evaluation.

Are there other funding opportunities?

Farmers in Ventura County who meet certain requirements may also be eligible for funding from the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to further offset equipment costs of the same water and energy efficiency improvements. This includes special assistance funding for farms located in these Calleguas Creek subwatersheds: Revolon Slough, Beardsley Wash, Las Posas Arroyo and Lower Conejo Arroyo. Contact Dawn Afman, NRCS at dawn.afman@ca.usda.gov or (805) 984-2358 x101 for more information.

What is the timing

The AWUE Interest Survey completed by any Ventura County commercial farmer are currently being accepted until funding is exhausted. Surveys will be ranked and those with the greatest potential water savings will be invited to begin the process. NRCS potentially coordinated equipment improvements will receive extra credit in the selection process.

How do I begin?

Visit bit.ly/AWUE-grant webpage for current grant information. It is recommended that you review the sample AWUE Cooperative Agreement on the webpage to fully understand the program conditions before deciding to complete the AWUE Interest Survey.

 

Questions?

For AWUE program information questions, please contact Nancy Broschart, Farm Bureau of Ventura County, at nancy@farmbureauvc.com or (805) 289-0155.

For field evaluation questions, please contact Jamie Whiteford, Ventura County Resource Conservation District, at jamie.k.whiteford@gmail.com or (805) 764-5132.

 

*This is a cooperative program supported  under the Safe Drinking Water, Water Quality and Supply, Flood Control, River and Coastal Protection Bond Act of 2006, administered by the State of California, Department of Water Resources; and the Ventura County Watershed Protection District as the Grantee.

 

 

irrigATING CITRUS

UC’s Spanish News and Information Service wesite

UC ANR’s Spanish News Service website brings Agriculture and Natural Resource information to California residents who are fluent, and more comfortable learning, in Spanish. This is a vital service for all Californians as many of the issues and challenges we face together can only be solved by all of us working together.

This highly organized, visually appealing, and easy to navigate site provides a great deal of information on many important topics. The information can be accessed by audio, video, articles, and blogs.

Topics include:

• Invasive species
• Water quality
• Nutrition and fitness
• Child development
• Preventing obesity and overweight
• Reducing the risk of diabetes
• Natural resources
• Recovering from a natural disaster
• Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
• Preventing and recovering from wildfires
• Money management
• Gardening
• And much more

A similar site is available in English.

Farm Business resources

The recent LA Times article, Farm Team: Two chefs spend a year at Windrose Farm, lending labor and know-how, and learning from the ground up is an interesting and entertaining article related to the business of farming.

Farmers are busy, multi-talented people. They must have skills in a wide variety of areas for their business to survive. As the LA Times article explains slight adjustments in operations have the potential to make a profound difference on the bottom line.

UC’s Farm Business and Market Place has many resources to help food producers strengthen their business. Including:

• Customer Service and Relationships
  • Building trust with consumers
  • I’m right and you’re wrong: Do’s and don’ts in customer service
  • Selling strategies for local food producers
  • Strategies to attract and keep customers

• Promotion & Branding
  • Adding value to agriculture: Branding and certification
  • Building your brand
  • Creating a winning display for your farm products
  • Reputation as your brand

• Budgeting
  • Projecting costs and returns – enterprise budgeting
  • Cost and return studies
  • Determining prices for CSA share boxes
  • Enterprise budgets – 100 foot rows
  • Partial budgeting
  • Using enterprise budgets to make decisions about your farm

• Marketing Channels & Strategies
  • A guide to understanding the value chain
  • Adding value to farm products: An overview
  • An overview of Small Farm direct marketing
  • Bringing local food to local institutions
  • Community supported agriculture
  • Direct marketing of farm produce and home goods
  • Guide to marketing channel selection: How to sell through wholesale and direct market channels
  • Marketing 101
  • Marketing alternatives for fresh produce
  • Marketing strategies for farmers and ranchers
  • New markets for your crops (available in Spanish)
  • Niche market pricing and strategies for maintaining price
  • Pricing for profit
  • Selling directly to restaurants and retailers
  • Selling to institutions: An Iowa Farmer’s guide
  • Selling to Restaurants
  • Strategic marketing management: Building a foundation for your future
  • Value added agriculture: Is it right for me?
  • What are niche markets? What advantages do they offer?

   

  

  To be successful, farmers must have skills and knowledge in a wide variety of areas.

   

Making Every Dollar Count

For nearly 100 years the University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) has worked to extend a variety of knowledge to California’s communities. Money management outreach resources are developed by our Family and Consumer Science Advisors.

UCCE’s Making Every Dollar Count website is a practical resource and provides much knowledge to help individuals and families gain control of their money. This easily navigated website can be read or listened to and is available in both English and Spanish. Classroom setting resources are available.

Topics include:

• Setting goals
• Making choices
• Stretch your dollars
• Budgeting basics
• Paying bills on time
• When you can’t pay cash
• Saving money on food
• Food advertising

Links for additional resources can be found at the bottom of each page.

The incredible dry bean

The dry bean is an amazing and inexpensive food source. Costing just pennies per serving, beans are the only food listed in the USDA’s Dietary Guidelines for Americans which counts as both a vegetable and a protein.

An ever growing body of research suggests that beans promote good health and may even reduce the risk of several diseases.

Studies show that beans:

• Increase both soluble and insoluble fiber in the diet
• May reduce the risk of cancer
• Aide in weight loss and maintenance
• May  improve blood vessel function and cardiac health
• Contain many key nutrients necessary for optimum health including folate, manganese, magnesium, potassium, and iron
• May protect against the development of type 2 diabetes
• Are cholesterol and fat free
• May increase general health and longevity
• And much more

As an added bonus dried beans have a long storage life.

But what about…flatulence? Many people avoid eating beans due to the fear of gas and bloating.  The same bean properties that cause gas, also provide some of beans’ benefits – including stimulating healthy gut flora. Research has shown that people who experienced gas and bloating after introducing beans to their diets, no longer had the problem after two to four weeks of regular bean consumption.

To learn more about the benefits of beans, including cooking instructions and delicious recipes, please visit the US Dry bean Council or the California Dry Bean Board.

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