The Alliance for the Future of Agriculture in Nebraska (A-FAN) is urging Nebraska farmers and livestock producers to take part in its upcoming "Agriculture Matters" seminars Feb. 25 at the Holiday Inn Express in Norfolk and March 3 at the Holiday Inn York I-80, near York.

There is no registration fee for the seminars. They will begin at 9:30 a.m. and conclude by 4 p.m.

"These seminars are designed to help agriculture producers explore new opportunities to expand their operations and to help ensure they remain viable into the future," said Roger Berry, A-FAN's field director.

The seminars will open with Dr. Weldon Sleight, dean of the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture, discussing agriculture entrepreneurship. Other topics for the day include:

* "The Nebraska Pork Model."

* "Making $ense of Manure as Fertilizer."

* "Nebraska Tax Incentives information, an Overview of EQIP Assistance."

* "Agriculture Lenders' and Producers' Perspectives on Investing in Livestock."

* "Opportunities in Poultry Production."

* "Feeding Ethanol Co-Products."

* "Livestock Regulatory Overview."

The seminar will conclude with a presentation on strategies for growing livestock operations.

To pre-register or view the full agenda, visit the A-FAN Web site at www.A-FAN.org, or by call Nancy Eberle at (402) 366-8001 or (402) 736-4691. Open registration will also be available the day of the event.

A-FAN is a nonprofit agriculture promotion, education and producer assistance organization. It was formed in 2006 by the Nebraska Cattlemen, Nebraska Corn Growers Association, Nebraska Farm Bureau, Nebraska Pork Producers Association, Nebraska Poultry Industries and Nebraska Soybean Association. A-FAN's mission is to support the expansion of responsible livestock production.

Coalition to combat poverty in Nebraska debuts

In January the Center for Rural Affairs and other leaders in the nonprofit, business, human service and philanthropic fields announced that they have come together to form a new initiative called Opportunity @Work.

For three straight years, Nebraska ranked No. 1 in the country in the number of children living with working parents, yet child poverty increased by 50 percent in just five years, according to the Annie E. Casey Foundation's 2007 National KIDS COUNT Data Book.

The Opportunity@Work coalition will work to enhance Nebraska's workforce by supporting programs and initiatives that create opportunity for working families to achieve financial stability, contribute to the prosperity of local communities and strengthen the state's economy, according to Jon Bailey, Rural Research and Analysis Program director at the Center for Rural Affairs.

He said the coalition believes that it's crucial for organizations from a variety of economic, geographic and demographic sectors to work together to ensure that all Nebraska families have the opportunity to thrive.

"The Center for Rural Affairs was created 35 years ago to address hurdles working families faced in rural Nebraska," said Bailey, who is the center's representative to Opportunity @ Work. "Those issues and policies remain as important today for the future of rural Nebraska. Creating opportunities, generating wealth and building assets for individuals and working families are crucial for the long-term health and viability of rural communities."

U.S., Canadian hog inventory up 2 percent

U.S. and Canadian inventory of all hogs and pigs for December 2007 was 79.1 million head. This was up 2 percent from December 2006 and up 3 percent from December 2005.

The breeding inventory, at 7.71 million head, was up 1 percent from a year ago, and up slightly from last quarter.

Market hog inventory, at 71.4 million head, was up 2 percent from last year but down 1 percent from last quarter.

The pig crop, at 36.2 million head, was up 3 percent from 2006 and up 5 percent from 2005. Sows farrowed during this period totaled 3.87 million head, up 2 percent from last year.

U.S. inventory of all hogs and pigs on Dec. 1, 2007, was 65.1 million head. This was up 4 percent from Dec. 1, 2006, and up 6 percent from Dec. 1, 2005.

The breeding inventory, at 6.16 million head, was up 1 percent from last year and also up slightly from the previous quarter.

Market hog inventory, at 59.0 million head, was up 5 percent from last year, but down 1 percent from last quarter.

The pig crop was 28 million head, up 4 percent from 2006 and up 7 percent from 2005. Sows farrowed during this period totaled 3.03 million head, up 3 percent from last year.

Canadian inventory of all hogs and pigs on Jan. 1, 2008 was 14 million head. This was down 6 percent from Jan. 1, 2007 and down 7 percent from Jan. 1, 2006.

The breeding inventory, at 1.55 million head, was down 2 percent from last year and down slightly from last quarter.

Market hog inventory was 12.5 million head, down 7 percent from last year and down 3 percent from last quarter.

The pig crop, at 8.2 million head, was down slightly from 2007 and 2006. Sows farrowed during this period totaled 837,000 head, down 1 percent from last year.

USDA announces rural and community grants

USDA Rural Development has announced the availability of $6.2 million in rural community development initiative (RCDI) grants designed to support rural economic and community development efforts.

"The RCDI program is broad-based and assistance can be provided to rural Nebraska in many different aspects," said Denise Brosius-Meeks, community programs director for USDA Rural Development. "If you have an idea or plan for technical assistance, please discuss it with us and we will determine how it may fit within our program guidelines."

RCDI grants are provided to qualified intermediary organizations (private nonprofits, low-income communities, and federally recognized tribes).

These intermediaries assist nonprofits, community-based housing and development organizations, federally-recognized Indian tribes and low-income communities located in rural areas (population 50,000 or less). They do this through financial and technical assistance and developing grant recipients' capacity and ability to undertake projects related to housing, community facilities or community and economic development.

Intermediaries are required to provide matching funds at least equal to the value of the USDA grants. Minimum grant is $50,000; maximum is $300,000. Funding of selected applicants will be contingent upon meeting conditions of the grant agreement.