A gathering for women, by women, co-hosted by Renewing the Countryside, will highlight loan and grant programs offered through the USDA’s Farm Services Agency.

The programs include microloans and real estate loans for farmland; coverage of traditionally noninsured crops, like vegetables, fruits, bees and herbs; serving on FSA county committees; organic certification cost-sharing; and set-aside acreage conservation programs.

Women staff members from FSA will be on hand, as well as women currently using these programs on their own farms.

The Zumbro Watershed Partnership will share on-farm soil and water conservation practices, and attendees will be able to network and discuss more generally what they need to make their farms successful.

RSVPs are requested by Feb. 12.

The event, co-hosted with the Zumbro Watershed Partnership, will be held from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Feb. 17 at Oronoco City Hall, 115 2nd St. NW, Oronoco; Minn.

According to Renewing the Countryside, women represent a growing segment of farmers and farmland owners in Minnesota and Wisconsin. There is a web of resources built around farming, but much of the information about those resources has historically not been focused on catching the ear or meeting the needs of women.

Through Renewing the Countryside, the organization’s leaders seek to:

• Build relationships among women producers and farmland owners and local FSA offices, to help women increase their understanding of the programs

• Help women identify which programs are right for them

• Shepherd women through the process of meeting eligibility requirements, and signing up or applying for programs

For more information and to RSVP, contact Angela Smith, regional outreach coordinator, Renewing the Countryside at 507-367-2584 or at  [email protected]. You also may RSVP online.

To learn more about Renewing the Countryside, visit Renewing the Countryside.