Urban Agriculture Newsletter – July 2026

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Urban Agriculture Program Updates – July 2026

A Message from the Urban Agriculture Liaison:

Hi food and farming community of New Orleans,

I hope you are finding ways to enjoy the swampy summer and stay cool. Most of you are in the process of giving your soil a seasonal rest and hopefully giving yourself time to rest as well.

This is the season for cover crops, so this is your summer reminder to follow some simple ‘Cues to Care’ to keep your neighbors happy and avoid any potential code violations. In case you missed it, the Cover Crop Ordinance, which passed in October 2025, exempts cover crops from the 10-inch weed height restrictions. At the same time, please remember to have a plan for how you will terminate your cover crops to ensure they come down at the end of summer and don’t spread onto neighboring lots. If you’d like to request a ‘Regenerative Garden in Progress’ yard sign, please email me at urbanag@nola.gov. You can also reach out if you have any questions or get code violations for this practice.

Below you will find resources including grant applications, job opportunities, and new resource guides to support your urban farm or community garden. If you are a grower in New Orleans and we haven’t met yet, please reach out! I’d love to see your space and find ways my role can support your efforts. Email urbanag@nola.gov or call 504-658-4957. Please continue to reach out if you have any contributions you’d like to add.

In community,

Grace Treffinger

Updates from the Urban Agriculture Program in the City Planning Commission

Urban Agriculture Working Group meets at Imbue Farm in Lower Coast Algiers

The Urban Agriculture Working Group (UAWG) had its quarterly meeting on June 24th at Imbue Farm in Lower Coast Algiers.

We were joined by over 20 farmers and gardeners from across the city.

Our discussion focused on generating growers' input on the Food & Agriculture Plan and on sharing ideas around a potential city-run urban agriculture land access program.

The UAWG is a critical component of the CPC's Urban Agriculture Program because it serves as an advisory and accountability group to ensure the work we're doing at the city aligns with farmer and gardener concerns on the ground. We ended the meeting with a farm tour led by Imani Miller of Imbue Farm.

You can find more info on the UAWG here: https://nola.gov/uawg

UAWG Meetings

Land Access

The New Orleans Redevelopment Authority (NORA) is hosting a Non-Housing Development Option (NHDO) Auction in late September. It’s an opportunity for farmers and gardeners to bid on land at NORA’s annual auction.

The CPC Urban Agriculture Program and Sprout created an auction guide for farmers and gardeners interested in participating: NORA Auction 2026: Guide for Farmers & Gardeners

NORA Auction Guide for Farmers & Gardeners

In case you missed it, the city received funding to develop our first Food & Agriculture Plan! This two-year community-driven planning process will be led as a collaboration between city departments, including the City Planning Commission and the New Orleans Health Department, and community organizations (Sprout and the New Orleans Food Policy Council).

We’ve started direct outreach with focus groups and the Urban Agriculture Working Group. We plan to have a website live by the end of summer with more information and updates.

Cues to Care - Avoiding Summer

Code Violations

Are you cover cropping this summer? Are you implementing other regenerative agriculture practices? That's great news! We need growers like you implementing practices that help build healthy soil, reduce localized flooding, and contribute to growing more food for our community.

At the same time, these practices can be interpreted as overgrowth or weeds. Please take a few minutes to review the Cues to Care outlined in the On Farm Guide: How to Avoid Code Violations.

Cues to Care are practices that help show both your neighbors and the city's Code Enforcement team that your farm or garden is intentionally planted and cared for.

If you haven’t gotten a ‘Regenerative Garden in Progress’ Yard Sign and are implementing one of these practices, please email urbanag@nola.gov.

Local Food & Farm Jobs

Black Farmers & Urban Gardeners (BUGs) - Local Host City Coordinator
- Click here for more info. Applications due ASAP.
Grow Dat
- Crew Leader Fellowship – application due 8/1
- Seed Fellowship – application due 8/1
- Development Coordination – priority to applicants who apply before 7/17
LSU Ag Center Associate Extension Agent (4-H Youth Development)
- Click here for more info.
Recirculating Farms - Program Outreach Coordinator
- Click here for more info.

Sugar Roots Farm – Part Time Farmhand / Farm Educator
- More info here: https://www.sugarrootsfarm.org/now-hiring

Funding Opportunities

LA Small-Scale Agriculture Coalition (LSSAC) 2026 On Farm Grant
- Application Period: July 1 – September 1, 2026
- Review Period: September 2 – November 19, 2026
- Disbursements to take place in December
- The sole purpose of these funds is to support projects for on-farm infrastructure for producers growing and selling fruits & vegetables within Louisiana.

Ann B. Zekauskas Family Foundation Grant
- Application deadline: November 1, 2026, for consideration of grant awards in 2027.
- We invite grant applications from nonprofit organizations whose principal work focuses on one or more of our three main areas of giving: nutrition education, improving access to food, advancing careers in the culinary arts.

NORA Food Business Microgrant Program
- Application deadline: August 3rd, 2026 at 4:30pm.
- This program is designed for organizations that currently operate a shared-used commissary kitchen in Orleans Parish or organizations with a well-developed plan to establish a shared-use commissary kitchen.

Materials & Resources

Free Seeds!
- Did you know that many library locations also have Seed Libraries? Library cardholders can take 3 packets per day. Find a list of participating libraries here.

On Farm Guides
- The Urban Agriculture Program’s list of On Farm Guides continues to grow!
- If you’re looking for step-by-step processes to get an agricultural water meter installed, get a greenhouse permitted, participate in NORA’s auction for farmers & gardeners, or how to prepare your garden for summer, please visit the Urban Agriculture Program’s landing page: https://nola.gov/urbanag

Southern Foodways Alliance: Post-Katrina Community Gardens
- Take a few minutes to listen to interviews with various community gardeners and farmers in New Orleans who were recently featured in an oral history project by the Southern Foodways Alliance.

Guides & Resources

Get Involved

Greater New Orleans Growers Community Calendar
SAVE THE DATE: The 14th Annual Black Farmers & Urban Gardeners (BUGS) Conference will be in New Orleans October 23rd – 25th at Dillard University.
The New Orleans Food Policy Council has regular opportunities to get involved in food and agriculture policy through the Food Policy & Practice Meetings and the Food Access Working Group. See upcoming events here: https://www.nolafoodpolicy.org/events

Plug into GNOGA

Has your farm or garden been added to the Greater New Orleans Growers’ Alliance map yet? If not, fill out this form and email gnoga.organizers@gmail.com to get added to email list.

Follow the CPC

If you haven’t already, follow the City Planning Commission on Instagram for updates on our various programs: https://www.instagram.com/neworleanscpc/

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