To help farmers transition to organic production, the Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service (MOSES) has established a toll-free Farmer Transition Hotline at 888-551-4769 (GROW). The hotline is staffed by Harriet Behar, a long-time organic farmer, trainer and organic inspector. “I’m here to help farmers understand the organic regulations and get through the paperwork,” she said.
The 2007 Vegetable Crop Handbook for the Southeastern United States is now available online for free. The 254-page book can be dowloaded as a PDF. It covers all the basic vegetables and many specialty vegetables. It covers conventional production using synthetic fertilizers and pesticides but also offers advice about ecological production methods. The Handbook was a collaboration among Extension and university specialists in North and South Carolina, Georgia, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Alabama.
http://www.aces.edu/dept/com_veg/2007_SEVG5.pdf
The Iowa Produce Market Potential Calculator is an online tool that farmers can use to determine how much more produce could be grown to fill demand in their state and counties.The calculator compares what Iowans eat to what Iowa farmers produce of 37 fruits and vegetables. Other states have produced this kind of information in printed form, but this interactive use of production/consumption data makes research particularly easy. The calculator can be accessed at http://www.leopold.iastate.edu/research/calculator/home.htm
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