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> N.C. Cooperative Extension - Bladen County Center
> Timely, Reliable Information for Southeast
Agriculture |
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WASHINGTON, D.C. – July 26, 2010 -
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today
announced that a general sign-up for the
Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) will
begin on August 2, 2010 and continue
through August 27, 2010. During the
sign-up period, farmers and ranchers may
offer eligible land for CRP's
competitive general sign-up at their
county Farm Service Agency (FSA) office.
The 2008 Farm Bill authorized USDA to
maintain CRP enrollment up to 32 million
acres. Jim Miller, Agriculture Under
Secretary for Farm and Foreign
Agriculture Services, made the
announcement on behalf of Secretary
Vilsack during a conference call with
reporters.
"America's farmers and ranchers play an
important role in improving our
environment, and for nearly 25 years,
CRP has helped this nation build sound
conservation practices that preserve the
soil, clean our water, and restore
habitat for wildlife," said Miller.
"Today’s announcement will help us
create a greener and healthier America,
and I encourage all interested farmers
and ranchers to contact their local FSA
office to learn more how to take
advantage of this opportunity.”
To help ensure
that interested farmers and ranchers are
aware of the sign-up period, USDA has
signed partnership agreements with
several conservation and wildlife
organizations, which will play an active
role in USDA’s 2010 CRP outreach
efforts. Additionally, Secretary Vilsack
has recorded two public service
announcements, which are available to
the press and public at
www.fsa.usda.gov/psa.
CRP is a voluntary program that assists
farmers, ranchers and other agricultural
producers to use their environmentally
sensitive land for conservation
benefits. Producers enrolling in CRP
plant long-term, resource-conserving
covers in exchange for rental payments,
cost-share, and technical assistance.
CRP protects millions of acres of
America's topsoil from erosion and is
designed to improve the nation's natural
resources base. Participants voluntarily
remove environmentally sensitive land
from agricultural production by entering
into long-term contracts for 10 to 15
years. In exchange, participants receive
annual rental payments and a payment of
up to 50 percent of the cost of
establishing conservation practices.
By reducing water runoff and
sedimentation, CRP also protects
groundwater and helps improve the
condition of lakes, rivers, ponds and
streams. Acreage enrolled in the CRP is
planted to resource-conserving
vegetative covers, making the program a
major contributor to wildlife population
increases in many parts of the country.
As a result, CRP has provided
significant opportunities for hunting
and fishing on private lands.
Land currently not enrolled in CRP may
be offered in this sign-up provided all
eligibility requirements are met.
Additionally, current CRP participants
with contracts expiring this fall
covering about 4.5 million acres may
make new contract offers. Contracts
awarded under this sign-up are scheduled
to become effective Oct. 1, 2010.
FSA implements CRP on behalf of
Commodity Credit Corporation. FSA will
evaluate and rank eligible CRP offers
using an Environmental Benefits Index
(EBI) for environmental benefits to be
gained from enrolling the land in CRP.
The EBI consists of five environmental
factors (wildlife, water, soil, air and
enduring benefits) and cost. Decisions
on the EBI cutoff will be made after the
sign-up ends and after analyzing the EBI
data of all the offers.
Those who would
have met previous sign-up EBI thresholds
are not guaranteed a contract under this
sign-up. In addition to the general
sign-up, CRP's continuous sign-up
program will be ongoing. Continuous
acres represent the most environmentally
desirable and sensitive land. For more
information, visit
http://www.fsa.usda.gov/crp.
USDA is an equal opportunity provider,
employer and lender. To file a complaint
of discrimination, write: USDA,
Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400
Independence Ave., SW, Washington, D.C.
20250-9410 or call (800) 795-3272
(voice), or (202) 720-6382 (TDD).
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Sandra R. Cain
For
Better Living
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Increase the Shelf Life
of Your Food - Check Your Refrigerator
Everyone knows that is you leave food in the
refrigerator for too long, it will spoil. By
using proper storage techniques, you can
increase the shelf life and safety of your
food.
Why does food go bad?
Have you ever seen mold on fruits,
vegetables or leftovers? If so, you know the
typical signs of spoilage. Spoilage of
refrigerated foods is mainly caused by
microorganisms such as bacteria, yeast, or
mold that are naturally present in the food
or that contaminate the food through
improper nutrition practices.
How can cold temperatures increase shelf
life?
The first step in extending shelf life of
refrigerated foods, as well as increasing
their safety, is to keep food cold. Many
consumers don’t keep their refrigerators
cold enough. The temperature of your
refrigerator should be between 36 - 38
degrees. This can increase the time that it
takes for food to spoil. Cold temperatures
can slow the growth of the spoilage
microorganisms. When food temperatures are
cold - 40 degrees of colder, the environment
becomes less than ideal for damaging
microorganisms to grow. They will continue
to grow, but more slowly, so the food will
not spoil as quickly.
Monitoring refrigerator temperatures
Turning down the temperature of your
refrigerator is simple. Turn the control
knob inside your refrigerator. Typically,
the control is on the wall of the
refrigerator. Check the owner=s manual to
determine which way to turn the knob to
decrease the temperature.
It is also important to monitor the
temperature of your refrigerator as they
often fluctuate in temperature. Put a
thermometer inside the refrigerator near the
door to keep track of the temperature.
Adjust the control as needed to maintain a
temperature between 34 and 38 degrees. You
can purchase a thermometer for about $5 at a
grocery store, discount store or hardware
store.
Tips of safe refrigerated storage
-Use plastic bags or a plate to prevent raw
juices from dripping on other foods.
-Store meat and poultry in the back of the
refrigerator where it is colder.
-Store uncut, whole produce in the crisper
where it is more humid.
-Keep the refrigerator sanitized. Clean the
inside and outside regularly with a solution
of one tablespoon bleach per gallon of warm
water to remove mold spores.
-Use dated products within a safe time.
-If refrigerator fails or the power goes
off, keep the door closed. Within four
hours, you can cook the products or place
them in another refrigerator or freezer.
source: North Carolina Cooperative Extension
Tangy Potato Salad
2 pounds red potatoes, cubed
2 celery ribs, thinly sliced
½ cup fat-free mayonnaise
¼ cup reduced-fat sour cream
2 teaspoons chopped green onion
2 teaspoon cider vinegar
2 teaspoons prepared horseradish
2 teaspoon spicy brown mustard
1 ½ teaspoons lemon juice
½ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
Place potatoes in a large saucepan and cover
with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat.
Cover and simmer for 15 – 20 minutes or
until tender. Drain and place in a large
bowl. Cool to room temperature. Add celery.
In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise,
sour cream, onion, vinegar, horseradish,
mustard, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Stir
in potato mixture.
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Cost Share Funds
Available
Cost Share assistance is available to
landowners and tenants in North Carolina to
help fund the cost of installing
conservation practices to improve the
state’s water quality.
These measures include
such things as no-till incentive payments,
cover crops, cropland conversions (grass,
trees, wildlife), grassed waterways, field
borders, animal waste management systems,
livestock fencing from critical areas,
poultry litter storage facilities, mortality
incinerators, water control structures, and
many more.
The funds, available
through the North Carolina Agriculture Cost
Share Program, are intended to help reduce
the input of sediments, nutrients, animal
waste and pesticides into the state’s
waterways by providing financial and
technical assistance to landowners and
tenants to apply Conservation Best
Management Practices.
For information on applying for these funds,
call the Bladen County Soil Conservation
Office at 862-3179, extension 3.
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