1. Webinar: "What is Good Data?" - Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture (CISA) Online Farmer Programs
January 6 // 1:30pm
CISA's Winter Workshops for Farmers begins with a basic financial management
and analysis class that will set the stage for more in-depth program
opportunities from January through March. In this workshop, we'll talk about "good data", all the things you need to take into consideration as you get ready to analyze your business and make decisions for growth. The webinar will cover:
1) Different types of recordkeeping systems
2) How to organize your financial transactions so you can get the information
you need to make decisions
3) A framework to think about numbers as you get ready to do seasonal
planning.
Register here.
2. Webinar: Head Start: Providing Food and Nutrition Services During COVID-19
January 13 // 1-2:30pm ET
Food insecurity has worsened during the pandemic. The number of children in households struggling with food insecurity has more than tripled. As the pandemic continues, we encourage programs to take advantage of available flexibilities to ensure children’s nutritional needs are being met. Join the Office of Head Start for a webinar on best practices to combat food insecurity during COVID-19. It will feature experts from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the National Center on Health, Behavioral Health, and Safety. Register here.
3. Save the Date: 5th Annual National Day of Racial Healing
January 19, 2021
On Tues., Jan. 19, 2021, W.K. Kellogg Foundation invites you to join them for the 5th annual National Day of Racial Healing. The day will be centered around experiences rooted in truth-telling that lead to racial healing for a more just and equitable future. It’s a day for authentic dialogues, so people can start to see and hear each other. A day to share our stories, to recognize our shared humanity, so we can come together and transform the world around us. This year, Baratunde Thurston is the host, and you'll be joined by leading advocates, musicians, artists and others, who are taking action to help heal our communities. Learn more about WKKF’s YouTube premiere event for the National Day of Racial Healing and RSVP today.
4. USDA 2501 Stakeholder Feedback Session
January 25 // 1pm ET
USDA's Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement (OPPE) has announced the rescheduled stakeholder listening session on the 2501 program. This listening session was originally scheduled for this fall, but rescheduled for January 25th from 1:00 - 3:00 pm ET. Section 2501 funding was established to assist producers of color, in response to legal decisions on USDA's history of discrimination. The listening session is a chance for producers who fall in this category, or those who serve them, to give feedback on how programs to serve "socially disadvantaged" farmers and ranchers are doing. The 2018 Farm Bill requires USDA to solicit input from stakeholders annually on the program, and given all of the frustration and disappointments with the administration of the program this year, it will be important for folks to attend and share their feedback directly to USDA - especially as a new Administration steps in and is deciding priorities for the coming year (and beyond). National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition published an analysis of this year's 2501 (& CCP) grants.
5. Innovations in State Policy and Implications for Local and Regional Food Sectors
January 25 // 1pm ET
Join the Local Food System Response to COVID, a project of the USDA and University of Kentucky (and others, on the 3rd Monday of each month for a facilitated cross-sectoral discussion on topics including customer retention and engagement, emergency food, cooperative business models, state policies and consumer behavior. Register and view past recordings.
6. 2021 Iowa State University Community Food Systems Annual Event (Virtual)
February 12
This year’s event will focus on Retail and Leadership Within Community Food Systems, lifting up best practices around the nation in all community food systems areas. Come learn, engage, and discuss ways to promote community engagement, collective action, and food systems projects. Register for the conference here. Cost is $20. Registration closes Feb. 5.
7. Webinar Recording: From Erasure to Resilience: The Future of Food Security and Food Sovereignty in Indian Country
For thousands of years before European contact, indigenous peoples enjoyed self-sufficiency and self-determination. After land seizures and forced relocations many Tribes lost the ability to sustain themselves. Colonialism, structural racism and failed US federal policies have led to Native Americans suffering some of the highest rates of poverty, food insecurity, and diet-related diseases. The ongoing Native-led efforts to achieve food security and food sovereignty across Indian Country are and have always been urgent in a post-colonial world – and recent events have thrown that need into stark relief and brought the priorities of Indian Country into the national conversation. Watch this panel discussion featuring advocates who defy the persistence of Native invisibility, harness the resilience of Tribal Nations today, and lift up the promise of Native food systems and agriculture. Watch here.