Sharing Equity

This Land Shall be Forever Stewarded: A Story of a Community's Effort to Preserve the Farm Through Sharing Property Equity, by Jered Lawson, photos by Nancy Warner, published by the Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF), 30 pages, 1997. This manual describes how one family farm was saved through shared land equity. Live Power Community Farm in Covelo, Mendocino County, Calif. was preserved for farming by a group of people who wanted to create a model for conserving and protecting agricultural land. Specific issues the group addressed in its efforts were the preservation of farmland from conversion to non-agricultural development and housing uses; the promotion of biological/sustainable farming practices that would enhance biological life and the integrity of agricultural soils; and the elimination of the speculative value of farmland so that it becomes and remains affordable for farming. The documentation of this process was funded by a 1994 UC SAREP grant. The manual is intended to be a tool of empowerment and an introduction to shared-equity, with particular emphasis on the elements developed by the people of the Live Power Community Farm. Specifics such as where to find a nonprofit partner, how to raise funds, and drafting an Easement or Option are covered in practical "how to" instructions. It is a handbook for farmers, landowners and investors who are concerned with the future of family farms and the promotion of farming methods that will sustain the integrity and productivity of the land. To obtain a copy of the $10 manual, contact CAFF at PO Box 363, Davis, CA 95617; Tel: (530) 756-8518; email: caff@caff.org; Web site: http://www.caff.org

Farm-City Border Issues

California's Future: Maintaining Viable Agriculture at the Urban Edge, University of California Agricultural Issues Center, UC Davis, 80 pages, 1997. A new UC report offers information that could help the nation's largest urban population and a world-class agricultural system peacefully coexist in the state of California. The report focuses on technologies and public policies that allow farmers to continue growing crops with minimal impact on their urban neighbors. The publication is the summarized proceedings of a day-long conference held Dec. 4, 1996 in Sacramento. It includes the recommendations of land use planners, researchers, farmers, government officials and others concerned about problems on both sides of the farm-city interface, including UC Davis Chancellor Larry N. Vanderhoef. The usefulness of statewide regulations is discussed by Steve Sanders, chief of staff to Assemblyman Michael Sweeney. Jack E. Pandol, Jr., a farmer and former undersecretary at Cal-EPA (and former UC SAREP Public Advisory Committee member), suggests developing economic incentives. New technologies in agricultural production that minimize the nuisance of farming to urban neighbors are outlined by UC scientists. Other speakers consider buffers, planning design and parcel sizes in solving the problem. UC Extension Public Policy Specialist Alvin D. Sokolow of UCD suggests that establishing a stable farm-city edge offers the best hope for compatible long-term coexistence. To order the $15 publication, contact the Agricultural Issues Center, University of California, One Shields Ave., Davis, CA 95616, or call (530) 752-2320.

Central Valley Farmland

Municipal Density and Farmland Protection: An Exploratory Study of Central Valley Patterns, by Alvin D. Sokolow, University of California Agricultural Issues Center, UC Davis, 55 pages, 1996. The third research report in the California Farmland and Open Space Policy Series, this publication focuses on the policies and actions of city governments. To order the $12 publication, contact the Agricultural Issues Center, University of California, One Shields Ave., Davis, CA 95616, or call (530) 752-2320.

USDA Small Farm Publication

Small Farm Digest, a new free quarterly newsletter from the USDA Cooperative State Research Education and Extension Service (CSREES). The Digest constitutes a merger of the former Small Scale Agriculture Today and Small and Part Time Farms. The audience is administrators of colleges of agriculture of land-grant universities; directors of state agricultural experiment stations; Extension agents; and small- and part-time farmers, as well as farm-related businesses; ranchers; commodity groups; community-based organizations; philanthropic foundations; and the general public. The establishment of the new periodical reflects that the former USDA Office for Small Scale Agriculture has merged with the USDA Small Farm Program within CSREES. Digest editors welcome information for potential articles and notices of events. To subscribe or submit information, contact Denis Ebodaghe, USDA-CSREES, STOP 2220, Washington, D.C. 20250-2220; Stephanie Olson at 202/401-6544 (telephone); 202/401-1602 (fax); or email: solson@reeusda.gov To subscribe to an electronic version of the publication, send a message to: majordomo@reeusda.gov In the body, type: subscribe smallfarm-mg The Web site is located at: http://www.reeusda.gov/smalfarm

Saltcedar & Riparian Proceedings

Saltcedar Management and Riparian Restoration Workshop, proceedings from September 1996 Las Vegas, Nev. conference sponsored by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Refuges/Wildlife, Portland, Ore. is available via the World Wide Web at:

http://refuges.fws.gov/NWRSFiles/SaltcedarWorkshopSep96/wkshpTC.html

Sustainable Ag Source Book

Source Book of Sustainable Agriculture, published by the Sustainable Agriculture Network (SAN), 136 pages, 1997. SAN's new book is organized by state and lists 559 resource materials on agriculture, from how to market sustainably grown vegetables to locating the latest sustainable research findings on the World wide Web. It covers print, electronic and video resources and includes contact information. To order, send a check or purchase order for $12 to Sustainable Agriculture Publications, Hills Building, UVM, Burlington, VT 05405-0082. For information on bulk discounts or rush orders, call (802) 656-0471 or email msimpson @zoo.uvm.edu

Organic Directory

1997 National Organic Directory, Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF), 400 pages. The directory includes cross-referenced indexes of commodities, telephone and fax numbers, email and Website addresses, contact names of organic growers, wholesalers, farm suppliers and related businesses and their regions of operations. It has indexes of services, exporters/importers, certification groups, mail order, CSAs, farm acreage, organic farm supplies, and includes fully updated summaries of state and federal organic laws. The cost is $44.95 plus $3 handling and $3.48 sales tax in California. To order a copy contact CAFF at PO Box 363, Davis, CA 95617; Tel: (530) 756-8518; e-mail: caff@caff.org; Web site: http://www.caff.org

Pesticide Studies

The Myths and Realities of Pesticide Reduction: A Reader's Guide to Understanding the Full Economic Impacts, by Edward Jaenicke, the Henry A. Wallace Institute for Alternative Agriculture, 35 pages, 1997. This report helps readers understand the economic predictions in studies about restricting the use of, or reducing the risks from, agricultural pesticides. The publication is priced at $6; to order, contact the Wallace Institute, 9200 Edmonston Rd., #117, Greenbelt, MD 20770; Tel: (301) 441-8777; email: hawiaa@access.digex.net; Web site: http://www.hawiaa.org/

Regulated Pest Management Districts

Organic Growers in Regulated Pest Management Districts: A Guide to Changing the Rules, Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides (NCAP), 18 pages, 1997. This step-by-step guide on how to effect change in regulated pest management districts is aimed at individuals and farmers who want to change rules that dictate repeated applications of agricultural pesticides. $3 to cover postage/handling. Contact: Norma Grier at NCAP, PO Box 1393, Eugene, OR 97440; Tel: (541) 344-5044; email: ncap@ipc.apc.org Web site: http://www.efn.org/~ncap/

WEB SITES

AgriSurf!

http://www.agrisurf.com

AgriSurf! has links to hundreds of agricultural sites on the Internet, including 60 listed under "Sustainable Agriculture."

Watersheds

State Watershed Sites:

California: http://ice.ucdavis.edu

Illinois: http://www.epa.state.il.us/org/bow/targeted-watershed

Kentucky: http://www.state.ky.us/agencies/nrepc/dow/ watrshd.htm

Pennsylvania: http://www.dep.state.pa.us/dep/deputate/enved/watershed/watershed.htm

Vermont: http://www.anr.state.vt.us/water1.htm

Virginia: http://www.deq.state.va.us/envprog/watqual.html

Wisconsin: http://www.doa.state.wi.us/deir/coastal.htm

National Watershed Sites:

CTIC Know Your Watershed: http://www.ctic.purdue.edu

USGS Real-Time/Watershed Info (by state): http://water.usgs.gov/public/wrd002.html

USGS National Water Quality Assessment (NAWQA): http://wwwrvares.er.usgs.gov/nawqa/nawqa_home.html

US EPA OWOW Surf Your Watershed: http://www.epa.gov/surf/

GWPC Groundwater Quality: http://www.site.net/

Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy: http://www.iatp.org/home.htm

SAREP WEB Information: http://www.sarep.ucdavis.edu

In addition to its print publications, UC SAREP offers access to SAREP-funded research and education projects, its newsletter, its latest Progress Report, an interactive calendar, and information databases through its World Wide Web server.