Getting into Autumn with FACT's Humane Farming Program

By Samantha Gasson, FACT's Humane Farming Program Manager

There are so many reasons why I love Autumn. With crisp cool nights that demand an extra blanket on the bed, long-sleeved shirts (or dare I say it, sweaters), and FACT’s webinar start-up, I couldn’t be happier. Before you know it, we’ll be opening up our Mentorship and Fund-a-Farmer grant applications. It is such a fun and exciting time to be a member of FACT’s Humane Farming team as we partner with farmers across the country improving the lives of hundreds of thousands of animals.

If your main interest in farming is eating locally-raised food, then you might be unaware of the fantastic programming and services we offer. Scroll down for all of the fun details ... including our state-by-state Pasture-Raised Turkey Directory!

Thank you for supporting our work and for being an important part of our community. 

Pastured-Raised Turkey Directory

Looking for a pastured bird to serve at your holiday meal? FACT has you covered! Browse through the 150+ farms organized by state in our Pastured-Raised Turkey Directory. You might also want to check out my blog post called Why You Should Go Pasture-Raised for Your Holiday Bird. Gobble gobble!

Short Courses for Farmers

FACT’s Humane Farming School is designed to help farmers (or interested consumers) achieve their goals through a series of short courses on a variety of topics. We've taken related webinars from our archive and bundled them together along with some new content, making it easy to absorb the knowledge we have amassed over the years. To get started, farmers can create a student account and dive right in. Everyone who registers will have free, lifetime access to our courses and the ability to access them from any device. We'll be rolling out additional courses very soon.

Free Webinars for Farmers

While our webinars might be designed for farmers they are open to everyone! Here is what we have on tap - more sessions will be announced throughout the year.

September 28: Employment Law Basics

October 5: Adding Value to Your Product Line 

October 10: Forming a LLC

October 12: Digging into FACT’s Mentorship Program with Katie and Samantha

October 28: From the Cell to the Rail: The science of meat quality and yield

November 1: Getting your Farm Funded: Understanding FACT’s Fund-a-Farmer Grants.

November 7: Brain Injury: Disabilities and AG

November 30: Examining the Ramifications of mRNA Vaccines for Livestock

December 5: Pricing your Products for Maximum Profit

December 14: Antibiotics, Antibiotic Resistance and Stewardship on the Farm

Please visit our webinar archive to watch previously recorded sessions (we have some fabulous ones!). We recommend perusing through the categories listed or using our new search option to query for keywords.

Scholarships for conferences and training events 

As funding allows, FACT awards scholarships of up to $400 for livestock and poultry farmers to attend educational events—including virtual events—to learn knowledge, skills, and best practices related to humane animal management, business and farm finance, and/or value-added production processes. We are currently accepting applications to the CFSA Sustainable Agriculture Conference, the American Pastured Poultry Producers Association Conference, and many more. Farmers can also propose events on their application. Scholarships are awarded on a first-come, first-served basis to eligible farmers until funding is depleted. 

Save the Date: Humane Farming Mentorship applications open October 1st

FACT’s Humane Farming Mentorship Program is for beginning livestock and poultry farmers seeking personalized guidance from an experienced farmer on business strategies and management practices. It is designed for farmers who wish to raise their animals on pasture using sustainable, humane practices.  

Last winter we matched 32 pairs of farmers in our year-long mentorship program. Our mentor/mentee teams have been working together over the past seven months to undertake individualized goals.

Save the date: Fund-a-Farmer Grants open in November

We are getting ready for our next round of Fund-a-Farmer Grant applications. FACT awards grants of up to $3,000 to farmers for projects that help them build capacity, improve animal welfare, and expand pasture-based systems for their animals. Last year we distributed over $250,000 to 87 farms across the country. Since we launched this program in 2012, we have awarded more than $1,110,000 worth of grants to humane farmers located all over the country and in US territories. Stay tuned for more details!

Stay in touch

Questions about any of our services? Please email us. Farmers and ranchers are also invited to subscribe to our farmer email list to receive news and notifications about upcoming funding and training opportunities.

Support FACT and Humane Farmers

Please share the good work FACT is doing with your friends, customers, and family members. We are a 501c3 non-profit organization that works to ensure that all food-producing animals are raised in a humane and healthy manner and that everyone will have access to safe and humanely produced food. Making a gift to FACT will enable us to offer more grants, scholarships, and webinars for farmers across the country. Thank you for your support!