The Lancaster County office of UNL Extension will host a Listening Session on Sustainable Agriculture from 5:30-8:30 p.m., Sept. 23 in the Lancaster Extension Education Center. The session is free and open to the public. Please register in advance by calling (402) 441-7180.
Since 1988, the North Central Region-Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education has helped advance farming systems that are profitable, environmentally sound and good for communities through a nationwide research and education competitive grants program. The program, part of U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture, funds projects and conducts outreach designed to improve agricultural systems.
The NCR-SARE will conduct three listening sessions in Lincoln and Omaha, Neb. and Council Bluffs, Iowa. The listening sessions are free and open to the public. Everyone is welcome to attend, especially anti-hunger and food justice advocates, educators, non-profit organizations, concerned citizens, government officials, farmers, ranchers, grocers, chefs, workers, food processors and distributors.
Topics of discussion could include new production, processing, distribution, food safety and security and health information. This is an opportunity to communicate challenges and successes, help assess how NCR-SARE grants and programs are reaching and benefiting recipients and suggest how NCR-SARE can support future programs designed to meet both rural and urban community needs.
These discussions will help guide future USDA and NCR-SARE policies, outreach, research and programs.
The listening sessions are presented with the cooperation of the Nebraska Great Plains Resource Conservation and Development and Iowa Golden Hills RC&D in partnership with UNL Extension, Metropolitan Community College and Iowa Western Community College.
For more information about the Lincoln session, contact Gary Bergman at (402) 441-7180. Please register in advance by calling (402) 441-7180. For information about the sessions in Omaha and Council Bluffs, go to http://www.mccneb.edu/sareusda or call (402) 457-2214.
More details at: http://go.unl.edu/m7n