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July 2025
Grab your fellow foodies and join us on Sunday, September 28 for an evening of fresh flavors from North Alabama’s favorite farmer-chef pairings!
Graze is Alabama Sustainable Agriculture Network’s signature farm-to-fork picnic benefit showcasing the amazing food alchemy born from collaborations between farmers and chefs equally committed to quality, craft, and a rich, locally rooted food system. This is your chance to meet the local chefs and farmers behind your favorite restaurants, caterers and farms across North Alabama. Walk the grounds, hear their stories, and taste what’s possible when homegrown ingredients meet culinary creativity. Stay tuned for pairing announcements to come!
Your ticket includes tastings of sample-sized dishes from over 20 chef and farmer pairings, live music, and fun activities for the kids.
Even better? Every bite helps fuel ASAN’s mission, with proceeds supporting year-round programming like farmer workshops, participant stipends, and the ongoing work of strengthening Alabama’s food future.
Thanks to EBSCO Community Impact Committee's support of ASAN, we have a new website. Shout out to our friend Erik Hanson for building this beautiful website that hosts a growing collection of resources, a member portal where farmers can share resources and support one another, a crowdfunding page where members can seek funding for projects, and more!
We have also transitioned to a new member/donor database that integrates with the website. Unfortunately, this means we need you to resubmit payment details for recurring membership dues and donations. Upon completing this step, you will also gain access to the Member Dashboard. We understand this is an inconvenience and we're here to help if you need it. Please don't hesitate to reach out with any questions or concerns to [email protected].
Wood Chips Facilitate Crop Production by Limiting Moisture Evaporation--This study evaluates the effectiveness of locally available woodchips as an economically viable strategy for small fruit and vegetable farmers to manage weeds, increase yield, improve soil health, and reduce irrigation.
Mobile Urban Growers Conducting Food Hub Feasibility Study--With the goal of increasing local capacity to supply the Mobile area with healthy, sustainable, and locally grown food, a group of farmers, citizen groups, nonprofits, and businesses are working to establish a Worker/Producer Farmer's Cooperative Food Hub.
Checkoff Corruption: It's What's for Dinner--Started as a way for farmers to pool their resources and boost the overall sales of their product, checkoff programs have become a favorite tool for corporate lobbyists seeking to consolidate wealth and power into ever-fewer hands.
Undo the Knot Fund
ASAN allocates a portion of its annual budget to directly help ASAN farmer members "untie" a problem that's limiting their farm's operations or profitability. The hope is that these mini-grants can provide a leg-up in hard times
This fund provides grants to ASAN Members who could benefit from monetary support for the following categories:
an expense holding back production
help with transition to sustainable growing practices
ASAN is a partner in the USDA Southeast Transition to Organic Partnership Program (SE TOPP). Part of this program is a Farmer-to-Farmer Mentorship Program designed to build connections between producers transitioning to organic, provide support for the transition process, and create a stronger network of organic producers. Both mentors and mentees will have the opportunity to receive stipends as part of the program. Visit the Transition to Organic Partnership Program website below or email [email protected] for more information.
The ASAN Board of Directors is responsible for ensuring that ASAN's resources are used in the best possible manner by overseeing the annual budget, executive director, and organizational visioning and planning processes.
Please join us in welcoming Austin and Elisa to the ASAN team! We'll be introducing additional new Board Members in future newsletters.
Austin T. Monk
Austin T. Monk is a young professional with a unique blend of experience in business and agriculture. Currently President of A. Talmadge & Co. and Flat Rock Farm, Austin leverages over 13 years of relationship management and advocacy skills in consulting for business and industry. Alongside his consulting work, Austin is deeply involved in building and managing Flat Rock Farm, where he also shares his expertise with others seeking to establish their own farms or gardens. His background includes significant roles in workforce training and economic development, demonstrating a consistent drive to cultivate growth in both professional and agricultural spheres.
Elisa Muñoz
Elisa Muñoz is a dedicated community organizer and policy advocate with over a decade of experience in the food system. Her work spans farmers markets, policy advocacy, program development, and coalition building, all with a focus on equitable communities. Elisa engages in policy advocacy at all levels and is recognized as a leading expert in her field. Under her leadership, the New Orleans Food Policy Action Council (FPAC) grew from a volunteer organization to a funded entity with multiple programs and expanded to become a central figure in the Louisiana food system as the Louisiana Food Policy Action Council. In 2022, Elisa moved to Huntsville, AL with her family and looks forward to making an impact in Alabama. Her passions include cooking Puerto Rican food from her Abuelita's cookbooks and recipes, and reading with a glass of wine on the back porch. She has an unruly garden and adores it.
Webinar: Choosing the Right BusinessStructure presented by Virginia State University’s College of Agriculture in conjunction with its Small Farm Outreach program and Virginia Cooperative Extension. Explore the pros and cons for farmers related to taxes, liability, insurance, finance, and how it relates to the real world and real profits. July 16, 5:30PM-7PM
Join Your FSA County Committee: Nominations are open for farmers and ranchers to serve on their local FSA county committee. These committees make important decisions about how federal farm programs are administered locally. Contact your local FSA office to see if an election is occurring for your area. Nomination forms must be postmarked or received by their local USDA Service Center by August 1.
Save the Date: 2025 Southern Region Small Farms Conference will take place in Mobile, AL on December 3-5. More details to come.
Submit your event to the ASAN Events Calendar! Do you have an event you would like to advertise in this monthly newsletter? If so, please email the following to [email protected]: name of event, host group and contact info, location (including full address), date/time, price, link to event website / Facebook event page. We cannot transcribe a flyer but can share a link to one you've already published online.
SUMMER HARVEST VOLUNTEER PROGRAM
Summertime is well known to be the busiest time of year for farmers. We know that for many of you, all help is appreciated. So this year, ASAN is launching our inaugural Summer Harvest Volunteer Program. The goal is to connect farms with volunteers to help support you through the season while strengthening relationships between your farm and the community. Volunteers are not limited only to harvesting, ASAN will also help you find volunteers willing and able to assist complete other tasks. This program is open to all farms within our network. If you're interested, please fill out the form below!
GRANT OPPORTUNITY: The Livestock Conservancy offers a variety of microgrants for those working with rare and endangered breeds of livestock and poultry. The application deadline is August 15.
HUNTSVILLE FOOD & FARM HUB: Year-round virtual marketplace connects you directly with local farmers and producers through simple online ordering and convenient Tuesday drive through or walk-in pickup in downtown Huntsville (with free parking!), as well as home delivery.
ICE PREPAREDNESS POSTERS FOR FARMS: This page includes information on preparing for a potential visit from Immigration & Customs Enforcement (I.C.E), as well as best practices for supporting immigrant employees.
EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS KIT: RAFI has put together a simple checklist of actions to take before disaster strikes so that you are prepared to apply for FSA programs that may assist in recovery.
FREE TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE: Prosperity Partners by American Farmland Trust (the "No Farms, No Food" folks) provides free technical assistance connecting farmers with expert advisors. Services include conservation planning, soil health improvement, and agricultural project support to strengthen farm businesses.
TAX EXEMPTION OPPORTUNITY: Fencing materials, such as t-posts, wood posts, barbed wire, net wire, smooth wire, standard metal gates, and other like materials used for the purpose of fencing in agriculture livestock applications are exempt from state sales and use taxes through September 30, 2029. To benefit, the purchaser must provide the retailer with Form ST:EXC-2. For more information, email [email protected].
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