- Topics
- Weather & Climate Change

Subject: Now Open: Farmers Build Wildfire Resilience - An Online Course for Farmers
Are you farming in a fire-prone area and overwhelmed by the “new normal” of wildfires? Wondering how to adapt?
In Topics Business & Financial Planning, Staff, HR & Worker Safety, Insurance, Livestock, Beginning Farmers & Ranchers, Women in Agriculture, Weather & Climate Change
In General FarmsReach community


Subject: Last Call! Join (free) Fire Resilience Online Course for Farmers & Ranchers
Hi all,
Are you overwhelmed thinking about how to face a future of intensifying wildfires? Join our newest 7 week online course: “Farmers Build Fire Resilience, Feb 13-March 26 2020” to help you face a future of fires. Free to farmers and ranchers, though anyone interested may join as well. By the end of the course, you’ll have built your own Resilience Plan specific to your site that you can start applying right away.
Last Call - Sign up and Reserve your Space
Feel free to reach out with questions to fires@mesaprogram.org. We look forward to learning with you!
Topics Include:
Land Management for Fire Preparedness & Mitigation
Emergency Response
Preparing Your Home, Farm Crew, Family & Livestock
Community Preparedness & Organizing for Recovery
Fires & Finances
Health & Food Safety
Understanding Fire Ecology
Katie Brimm and the Fires Resilience Team
In Topics Weather & Climate Change, News & Events
In General FarmsReach community, North Coast Farmers Guild: Sebastopol, CA Women, Food and Agriculture Network

Subject: How can you build fire resilience on-farm? Online Course - Free for Farmers and Ranchers
Hi Folks,
Overwhelmed thinking about how to face a future of intensifying wildfires? Did October’s fires have you wondering if your farm, ranch and community know how to prepare, adapt or recover?
You’re not alone. With 65 years of combined experience working with farmers, MESA and CAFF/The Farmers Guild have worked hard to bring you an innovative, farmer-centered, holistic online course and network, “Farmers Build Fire Resilience, Feb 13-March 26 2020” to help farmers and ranchers face a future of fires.
By the end of the course, you’ll have built your own Resilience Plan that you can start applying right away. Free to farmers and ranchers in California.
Register Here and See Full Course Details Here
Feel free to reach out with questions to fires@mesaprogram.org. We look forward to learning with you!
Katie Brimm and the Fires Resilience Team
In Topics Livestock, Beginning Farmers & Ranchers, Weather & Climate Change, News & Events
In General FarmsReach community, North Coast Farmers Guild: Sebastopol, CA Women, Food and Agriculture Network

Subject: Farms + Wildfire + You: 5 min Needs Assessment to Shape Farmer Support
With the California wildfire season already heating up, the Multinational Exchange for Sustainable Agriculture is teaming up with CAFF & The Farmers Guild to host an online fire resilience course for farmers and ranchers in 2019.
Are you actively farming or ranching? We want to create a course that serves you and those threatened and impacted by fires, so we're seeking your feedback to help us best develop this program.
It takes less than 5 minutes! We take your feedback seriously - your responses will shape the content and design of this course.
Take the Needs Assessment Here
Thank you in advance for your support building fire resilience,
Katie and The MESA Team
Questions? Email katie@mesaprogram.org
In Topics Weather & Climate Change
In General FarmsReach community

Subject: New video series to spark interest in vegetable production of the future
We are pleased to announce that a new series of 26 instructional videos on vegetable production is being launched through the University of California’s Agricultural and Natural Resources You Tube channel beginning this coming Monday, May 13th. We encourage you to sign up at the You Tube channel to begin receiving weekly reminders of new video “premieres” that will be released every Monday morning at 8 o’clock.
Professors from four California universities, UC Davis, Fresno State, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, and Chico State, at which vegetable production courses are offered, teamed up to prepare and produce the videos. The series covers a full range of related topics and while primarily focusing on California, also includes topics from beyond the State as well.
We encourage your help in getting the word out about this series.
If I can be of further help, please call me at (559) 303-9689.
Farm
... Read More
In Topics Soil Fertility Management, Seed & Planting, Trees, Vines & Planting, Pest & Disease Management, Water & Irrigation, Harvesting, Washing, Packing & Packaging, Waste Management, Food Safety, Equipment, Growing Structures: Greenhouses, Hoop Houses, etc., Facilities, Cooling & Energy Systems, Beginning Farmers & Ranchers, Weather & Climate Change, Urban Agriculture
In General FarmsReach community

Subject: New Resource: Supporting Beneficial Birds and Managing Pest Birds
Hello everyone,
I work with an organization called Wild Farm Alliance. Our mission is to promote a healthy, viable agriculture that protects and restores wild nature. We just released a new resource to help farmers support beneficial birds and manage pest birds.
You can find the new resource here.
Birds can help on the farm to keep pest insects, rodents and pest birds at bay. When habitat is provided for beneficial birds, bringing them closer to crops, farmers may be able to reduce pest-control costs. Beneficial birds can help with production in the same way as beneficial insects. This new resource includes:
- Colorful Accounts of How Birds Can be Beneficial in Crops and on Pasture
- USDA’s Historic Economic Ornithology Division
- How Best to Manage and Co-exist with Pest Birds
- Why On-Farm Habitat and the Surrounding Landscape Influences Pest Control
- What Farmers Can Do to Make Farms More Bird-Friendly
In Topics Soil Fertility Management, Seed & Planting, Trees, Vines & Planting, Pest & Disease Management, Farmland Conservation, Sales & Estate Planning, Wildlife Management, Beginning Farmers & Ranchers, Women in Agriculture, Weather & Climate Change
In General FarmsReach community

Subject: Transitions: Tom Willey of T&D Willey Farms
We’re excited and honored to share the last in our series featuring recently-retired, influential leaders in the CA sustainable agriculture movement: Tom Willey of T&D Willey Farms !
A long-time farmer, advocate and activist in the organic sector, Tom shares his reflections and ideas after 40 years of farming in California.
Topics include:
- Industry Reflections
- Opportunities & Advice for Smaller-Scale/Newer Farms
- Responsible Relationships Between Older & Younger Farmers
- Soil Management, Climate Change & AgTech
- The Food Commons
- Closing Remarks [to the next generation]
We posted both (meaty) Highlights as well as a full Transcript.
It’s always a treat to have a leisurely conversation with someone so knowledgable of the industry and steeped in the community. Thank you, Tom, for taking the time! We wish you all the best in your years of fun and discovery
... Read More
In Topics Soil Fertility Management, Water & Irrigation, Marketing & Sales, Certifications, Farmland Conservation, Sales & Estate Planning, Beginning Farmers & Ranchers, Weather & Climate Change, Policy
In General FarmsReach community

Subject: Earn a Certificate in Applied Agroecology with MESA's online course
Greetings all,
MESA'S Certificate in Applied Agroecology Program:
Farm Locally, Connect Globally.
The Multinational Exchange for Sustainable Agricultural (MESA) is proud to offer the Certificate in Applied Agroecology Program (CAAP), completely online! Our Certificate in Applied Agroecology is open-sourced, community based, with contributions from experts in the field, and builds both your technical knowledge and your theoretical framework of the socio-political aspects of farming.
Drawing
In Topics Soil Fertility Management, Seed & Planting, Pest & Disease Management, Certifications, Beginning Farmers & Ranchers, Women in Agriculture, Weather & Climate Change, News & Events
In General FarmsReach community, North Coast Farmers Guild: Sebastopol, CA Women, Food and Agriculture Network

Subject: MESA seeks Beginning and Experienced Farmers: Climate Resilience - An Online Course for Farmers
Hi all,
I'm reaching out to share that the Multinational Exchange for Sustainable Agriculture is now offering an online course called Climate Resilience - A Course for Farmers. We are specifically making this course available to new and experienced farmers in California and Oregon to create a thriving network, share skills, tools and knowledge, and to help you and your farm be more climate resilient.
I invite you to learn more here: https://learn.mesaprogram.org/climate/ or feel free to contact me with any questions or interest katie@mesaprogram.org . Thank you!
Climate_Resilience_Course_Flyer_(1)_1516313122.pdf | View |
In Topics Beginning Farmers & Ranchers, Weather & Climate Change, News & Events
In General FarmsReach community

Subject: Transitions: Ed Thompson, former CA Director of American Farmland Trust
The second blog in our mini-series with recently retired leaders in the CA agriculture scene: Ed Thompson, former CA Director of American Farmland Trust. Please enjoy our info-packed interview re: the important topic of farmland: preservation, access, mitigation, and more.
http://blog.farmsreach.com/transitions-ed-thompson-american-farmland-trust/
Stay tuned for our next post in the series: Tom Willey of T&D Willey Farms. If you know of other influential folks in the sustainable agriculture sector who have transitioned recently to a life of more freedom, and who would like to share their stories, let us know!
In Topics Farmland Conservation, Sales & Estate Planning, Beginning Farmers & Ranchers, Weather & Climate Change
In General FarmsReach community