Workshops

Friday, February 16 | 9:15-10:30 a.m.

The Food and Farm Movement

Understanding and Overcoming the Rural-Urban Divide:  Opportunities for the Local Foods Movement to Lead the Way

Anthony Flaccavento, Rural Urban Bridge Initiative

Local food markets have helped revitalize downtowns and reconnect producers with consumers in many communities, yet the divide between city and country, between “Red” and “Blue,” has expanded and intensified. The Rural Urban Bridge Initiative (RUBI) works to understand the divide and create opportunities to reverse it. Explore how farmers and food system advocates can use their experience to help meet this challenge.

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Sustainable Foundations

What We Learned About Data Collection and Use by Direct Marketing Farmers Who Sell at Farmers’ Markets

Christie Welch, OSU

Data collection and analysis can be challenging and time consuming for small, under-resourced farmers’ markets, but it can have a tremendous impact on the success of markets and vendors. Learn ways to collect data—and how to use data you may already have—to better inform business decisions.

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Backyards, Lots, and Small Plots

Connecting the Dots: Regeneration of Soil, Plants, and People

Debra Knapke, The Garden Sage

“Regeneration” is a term offered as a substitute for organic and sustainable. But it isn’t a replacement; for some it is a next step, for others it is everything. Learn about functional gardens and regenerative practices that connect gardeners, farmers, and anyone who works on the land. Glean garden plans, plants, and better practices for living gently on the Earth.

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Specialty Crops

C A N C E L L E D

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Grain Crops

Overcoming the Hurdles to Organic Grain Transition

Panel discussion, featuring Carmen Fernholz, A-Frame Farm, and moderated by Eric Richer, OSU

Organic grain transition can be a difficult process. To help new and transitioning growers, hear about the challenges, the solutions, and ways to have a smoother entry into organic.

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Livestock and Poultry

Native Warm Season Grasses: Applications and Management for Pasture-Based Farms

Dan Borrenpohl, Chris Glassmeyer, and Matt Tomaszewski, Greenacres Foundation

Native warm season grass (NWSG) pastures have a multitude of benefits, both to your farm and to native wildlife. Dig into the steps involved in establishing NWSG, how you can integrate them into your grazing plan, and how to develop a prescribed fire program to maintain your planting.

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Personal Resilience

Seed To Fork: The Key to Raising Farm Wages

Ryan Doan, Fresh To Morrow

Fresh To Morrow sells produce, value added products, meals, baked goods, and other items their farm produces in a vertically integrated, seed to fork, farm to table model. This allows for higher wages for farmers and chefs. Walk through their process of starting the kitchen, balancing field and kitchen work, production numbers, mix of sales, what is sold in the store, how they sell produce via pre-paid market accounts, and even the menu.

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Business and Marketing

Farmers Working Together: Collaborations in Marketing, Purchasing, and Equipment to Improve Your Farm’s Bottom Line

Melissa Whitt, OSU

Collaborative approaches to marketing, purchasing, and equipment sharing may be opportunities for farmers to save time, enter new markets, lower costs, and more. Gain an understanding of collaborative models in food and farm marketing and distribution, as well as supply and equipment access, the problems these approaches may help farmers solve, and important considerations for farmers and service providers using cooperative approaches.

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Community Conversations

Breaking Ground in Land Access for Landowners Community Discussion

Jerah Pettibone, OEFFA

Are you a farmer approaching a transfer of your land or business? Do you want to see your legacy carried on to the next generation? Collaboratively explore the many factors, needs, and concerns surrounding land transfer, sale, and leasing. Explore some of the parallel needs and concerns of emerging farmers and land seekers, and gain strategies for “bridging the gap” between you and the right person. Then, bring what you’ve learned to the 5 p.m. Heartland FarmLink Mixer to connect with seekers already in the community.

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