AMANA, Iowa- A new Art Exhibit by Amana Colonies Artist, Marci Schwartz entitled "Portraits of Amana" will open on September 10 and continue until November 8th and consists of portraits of residents of the Amana Colonies.

Marci and her husband Ben live in South Amana along with their 3 daughters, Lucy 8, Harper 4 and June 3.

The public is invited to an open house on September 10^th from 5:00-7:00pm.  At that time visitors may view Marci's work, visit with the artist and enjoy refreshments.

The Amana Arts Guild Gallery is open daily, except Tuesdays, from 10:30-4:30pm through September, October will be weekends only.

For more information call 319-622-3678 or email amanarts@southslope.net

AMANA, Iowa- Artisans Studio Tour will be held in the seven villages of the Amana Colonies on Saturday, September 12^th from 10am to 5pm and Sunday, September 13^th from Noon to 5pm.

The Artisans Studio tour, a "Once a year experience", is a chance to visit artist in their working environment.  Experience the continuing tradition of beauty and excellence as you stroll through the unique galleries and studios of Amana's Artisans.

The eleven participating artist: Huebner's Oldhaus Fibers in the village of Amana specializing in Angora Rabbit Wool; Middle Amana Tinsmith, Bill Metz recreating traditional communal designs; High Amana's Wood turner Harvey Jeck, and the Amana Arts Guild; West Amana features three artists, Basket maker, Joanna E. Schanz weaving traditional willow basketry; Blacksmith, Alex Tjaden, working in the West Amana blacksmith shop, and Michele Maring Miller painting images of the Amana Colonies and other subjects; traditional rug weaving is done by George Berger in South Amana; the artists in  Homestead include Troy Thomas Art Gallery with contemporary and traditional painting, cooper, Tom Oehler with old traditional wooden buckets, and Roger Ipsen turning Burl Bowls.

The Quad Cities Food Hub and Chef Chad Cushman "the Crepe Guy" present Harvest Farm to Table on September 29, 2015 from 6-8pm. Chef Cushman will highlight locally-sourced food with creative twists on Autumn favorites. The band Fifth of Country will be playing live music. Reservations are accepted in advance only by cash, check, or credit card in the Market Store at 421 W. River Dr., Davenport, Iowa, or by credit card over the phone (563) 265-2455.

Health Halos series

Three part series taught by Mekenzie Riley, MS, RD. This series will focus on the three forbidden foods: Gluten, fat and sugar and what we think we know about them. The dates for these workshops are,  9/3 gluten, 9/24 sugar, and 10/29 fats. 6pm - 8pm. Students will attend a lecture, watch cooking demos, enjoy samples and recipe cards to take home.

The first class will cover gluten. $25 each class. Students will view cooking demos, samples, receive lecture info and recipes to keep.

Register with cash, check or credit card at the Quad Cities Food Hub or by credit card over the phone (563) 265-2455.

About Mekenzie Riley:
A Registered Dietitian Nutritionist by trade, I have my license through the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, as well as both a Bachelors and Master's degree in dietetics from Eastern Illinois University. I have always taken a special interest in performance nutrition throughout my studies, due primarily to my background in competitive athletics. I take a personal interest in the science behind using food as fuel to perform while helping people change their bodies. I believe that what you put in your body directly impacts not just the way you look, but the way you feel.

Whole Farm Coverage Now Available in Every County Across the Nation

WASHINGTON, Aug. 27, 2015 - Agriculture Deputy Secretary Krysta Harden today announced that Whole-Farm Revenue Protection insurance will be available in every county in the nation in 2016. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is also making changes to the policy to help farmers and ranchers with diversified crops including beginning, organic, and fruit and vegetable growers, better access Whole-Farm Revenue Protection.

"Whole-Farm Revenue Protection insurance allows producers who have previously had limited access to a risk management safety net, to insure all of the commodities on their farm at once instead of one commodity at a time," said Deputy Secretary Krysta Harden. "That gives them the option of embracing more crop diversity on their farm and helps support the production of a wider variety of foods."

USDA's Risk Management Agency (RMA) introduced the Whole-Farm Revenue Protection pilot program for a majority of counties in the 2015 insurance year. Starting with the 2016 insurance year, the new program will be available in all counties in the United States, a first for the federal crop insurance program.

USDA also provided additional flexibility to producers by making the following changes, including:

• Beginning Farmers and Ranchers - RMA makes it easier for more beginning farmers and ranchers to participate in the program by reducing the required records from five to three historical years, plus farming records from the past year. Additionally, any beginning farmer and rancher may qualify by using the former farm operator's federal farm tax records if the beginning farmer or rancher assumes at least 90 percent of the farm operation
• Livestock Producers - RMA removed the previous cap that limited participants to those who received 35 percent or less of their income from livestock production. Producers will now be able to insure up to $1 million worth of animals and animal products.
• Expanding Operations - RMA increased the cap on historical revenue for expanding operations to 35 percent from its previous 10 percent to better allow growing farms the opportunity to cover their growth in the insurance guarantee.

Whole-Farm Revenue Protection includes a wide range of available coverage levels, provides coverage for replanting annual commodities, includes provisions that increase coverage for expanding operations, and allows the inclusion of market readiness costs in the coverage. The policy is tailored for most farms, including farms with specialty or organic commodities (both crops and livestock), or those marketing to local, regional, farm-identity preserved, specialty, or direct markets. The policy covers farms or ranches with up to $8.5 million in insured revenue.

For more information, including product availability, visit the RMA Whole-Farm Web page. Crop insurance is sold and delivered solely through private crop insurance agents. A list of crop insurance agents is available at all USDA Service Centers and online at the RMA Agent Locator. Learn more about crop insurance and the modern farm safety net at www.rma.usda.gov.

Whole-Farm Revenue Protection is a provision of the 2014 Farm Bill, which builds on historic economic gains in rural America over the past six years, while achieving meaningful reform and saving billions of taxpayer dollars. To date, USDA has implemented many provisions of this crucial legislation, providing disaster relief to farmers and ranchers; strengthening risk management tools; expanding access to rural credit; funding critical research; establishing innovative public-private conservation partnerships; developing new markets for rural-made products; and investing in infrastructure, housing and community facilities to help improve quality of life in rural America. For more information, visit www.usda.gov/farmbill.

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