Wild Farm Alliance is excited to share an upcoming opportunity to learn about on-farm conservation practices that support healthy ecosystems and resilient farms. Our partners at ALBA (Agriculture and Land-Based Training Association), along with NCAT (National Center for Appropriate Technology) are hosting a Farm Conservation Field Day in Salinas, California.

This free event will offer hands-on learning about integrated pest control, the benefits of native flowers, soil health principles, and the use of cover crops. Spanish and Mixteco interpretation will be available.

Drinks, food, and educational publications will be provided. Come connect with fellow farmers and conservationists and strengthen your land stewardship practices. For more information, contact Jasmine Rodriguez at (831) 737-5495 or [email protected].

Minnesota Women in Conservation Host Beneficial Birds Webinar with Wild Farm Alliance

WEDNESDAY, JULY 30, 2025 • 12:00 - 1:00 PM CT

WFA’s Courtney Tchida joins Minnesota Women in Conservation (MNWiC) for a Welcoming Wednesday Webinar about Beneficial Birds and what you can do to attract them. These interactive Zooms are intended to provide relevant and actionable information about land and water stewardship, while also connecting like-minded women over lunch hour conversations. They recur on the fourth week each month.

Avocado and Coastal Citrus Roundtable

MONDAY, AUGUST 18, 2025 • 8:30 AM - 1:00 PM PT
Associates Insectary - 1400 E Santa Paula St, Santa Paula, CA 93060

Join the Association of Applied IPM Ecologists (AAIE) to hear about sustainable pest management for avocado and citrus. Topics will range from citrus mealybug and lace bug management to augmentative releases of a parasitoid wasp. CEUs for DPR and CCA are offered.

Photo: Seabamirum

Coming this Fall: WFA Bird Safety Webinar and New Webinar Series on Birds in Agriculture

This September, Wild Farm Alliance is hosting two exciting opportunities to learn more about supporting birds on farms.

September 23 – Launch of the Midwest Role of Birds on Farms Webinar Series

We’re kicking off a 10-part webinar series that will highlight how birds contribute to pest control, biodiversity, and farm resilience across the Midwest.

Topics the series will cover include:

• Why Birds Belong on the Farm
• American Kestrels as Pest Control Allies
• How Birds Provide Pest Control Across Crop Types
• Prairie Strips and Bird Conservation
• Balancing Biodiversity and Food Safety
• Tree Swallows Helping Farmers Fight Pests
• Forestry, Farming, and Habitat
• Bird-Friendly Livestock Operations: From Grassland Conservation to Barn Swallow Fly Control
• Semi-Natural Habitats and Birds as Pest Managers
• Birds at Risk: Pesticides and Safety

September 30 – Bird Safety on Farms Webinar

Learn how to keep birds safe while benefiting from their pest control services. Topics include:

• Best practices for terminating cover crops to protect ground-nesting birds
• Which pesticides—conventional and organic—are most harmful to birds
• Safe nest box placement near roads and high-traffic areas

We’ll also release a new handout on bird safety for farmers and agricultural professionals.

More details and registration for both the webinar series and the Bird Safety webinar will be shared in the coming weeks—stay tuned!

Thank You, Nick Filannino!

For the past four years, Nick has been an invaluable part of the Wild Farm Alliance team, helping grow our capacity to support farmers in planting native hedgerows and installing nest boxes for birds. With deep knowledge and a true love for wild nature, Nick brought dedication, heart, and scientific rigor to everything he touched. He worked closely with growers to help them expand their on-farm conservation practices, and led engaging outreach efforts that helped bridge science and on-the-ground conservation. Nick goes on to pursue a PhD program in botany and we wish him all the best in his future career.

Join the Beaver Coexistence Training & Support Program

The newly launched Beaver Coexistence Training & Support Program, a project of the WATER Institute at Occidental Arts & Ecology Center (OAEC), provides landowner assistance that minimizes human-beaver conflict throughout California.

The program provides technical and financial assistance to landowners interested in living alongside beaver. Additionally, the program offers training for a cohort of Beaver Coexistence Professionals who will work with residents to install coexistence devices on California lands.

From blocked culverts, excess flooding, and damaged vegetation, living with beaver can bring challenges. However, most of these activities are manageable with easy-to-install, low-cost strategies that prevent property damage and avoid the need to kill beaver.

The benefits of beaver stewardship are crucial for well-functioning farms, rangelands, and ecosystems. As beaver slow the flow, they recharge groundwater and improve water quality, stabilizing clean and plentiful water supply throughout the seasons. With thoughtful coexistence measures in place, landowners can retain the benefits of water storage while minimizing human-beaver conflict.

Learn More about Coexisting with Beavers at OAEC’s website and read WFA’s Wild Neighbors issue on Beavers here.

If you are in California, sign up for the Beaver Coexistence Training & Support Program Below. Outside of California? The Beaver Institute can help!

2025 Midwest Beaver Summit Presentations on YouTube

The 2025 Midwest Beaver Summit is in the books! The successful conference, with more than 100 in-person attendees and more than 300 virtual registrants, was sponsored and co-hosted by more than 60 beaver advocacy groups, land trusts, environmental nonprofits, Indigenous Tribal environmental associations, state environmental councils, wildlife advocates, wildlife rehabilitation centers, environmental restoration businesses, watershed councils, and agroforestry practitioners from across the Midwest states.

Photo: Joe Galkowsk

Raptors, From A to Z!

Check out the new raptor ecology page from Raptors are the Solution (RATS). Raptor biologist Allen Fish shares his wide-ranging knowledge, walking us through an alphabetical (almost) miscellany of all things birds of prey. Swoop on over for some fascinating facts!

Photo: Nicole Beaulac

Thank You for Helping Build a Legacy

For 25 years, Wild Farm Alliance has championed a vision where farms and nature thrive together. We are deeply grateful to everyone who has contributed to the Legacy Fund—your generosity is helping shape the future of wild farming.

Unlike end-of-year giving, which supports our annual budget, the Legacy Fund creates a financial buffer against uncertain times and ensures our mission can endure and grow no matter what challenges arise.

There is still time to give during this special campaign and be part of a lasting movement. The Legacy Fund was created to carry our work forward through changing times, reducing economic uncertainty, and ensuring that wild farming remains a powerful force for biodiversity, climate resilience, and thriving agricultural landscapes.

When you give to the Legacy Fund, you're making a lasting commitment to:

🌱 Expanding farmer education on biodiversity-friendly practices
🌎 Restoring and protecting native habitats that build climate resilience
🚜 Supporting on-farm conservation projects that sustain wildlife and working lands
🦋 Ensuring a future where farms and nature flourish together

To those who have already given: thank you. You are planting the seeds for a future where farms remain havens for biodiversity, soil health, and climate solutions.

Your gift to the Legacy Fund strengthens and complements your annual giving, ensuring impact and resilience for the future of wild farming.

Make your gift today and help shape the next 25 years of wild farming. Your legacy starts now.

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