Workshops

The Food and Farm Movement

Here’s How to Impact Organic Rules

Steve Ela, National Organic Coalition

The National Organic Standards Board and National Organic Program are responsible for maintaining and improving organic standards. There are many ways to engage and influence this process, and it is important that the Board hear practical concerns from producers. Walk through how rules are made, how they apply to your farm, and where your voice can make a difference.

Sustainable Foundations and Personal Resilience

Can Organic Feed the World?

Anneliese Abbott, Abbott Farms

Since the 1950s, many agricultural scientists have claimed organic farming can’t feed the world. Learn how anti-organic rhetoric emerged from Cold War geopolitics, how the academic consensus prevented scientists from researching organic farming, and how new words like “sustainable” allowed more academic freedom in organic research in the late 1980s and beyond. Use this history to gain the answers and tools to answer common anti-organic arguments.

Backyards, Lots, and Small Plots

Getting Started with Organic Beekeeping

Ross Conrad, Dancing Bee Gardens

Hear an overview of what to know and consider in order to start beekeeping in a natural and organic manner. Explore choosing an apiary site, sourcing bees, equipment and tools requirements, and tips and suggestions for the rank beginner.

Growing Sustainable Businesses

FlowersInSeason.com Cut Flower Farm App

Michelle Wallace and Marc Amante, CSU

The newly developed FlowersInSeason.com web-based app was created for cut flower growers and buyers to improve buyer/seller communication on cut flower availability. Learn about the app, how it was made, how to create and update your farm profile, and how to create or link the web-based cut flower farm store to improve the market availability communication with cut flower buyers.

Grain Crops

Drought Mitigation Strategies for Crops

Cody Creech, University of Nebraska

The increasing climate variability can reduce cropping systems resilience. To increase precipitation use efficiency, learn about crop water use patterns and management strategies that enhance soil water storage.

Livestock and Poultry

Evaluating and Marketing Animal Welfare

Lauren Cain, Find Hope Farm

The term “animal welfare” has negative connotations for some producers who associate this with animal rights activists and a general negative view of animal agriculture. Learn the science behind evaluating animal welfare, how improving it can help you meet your production goals, and tactics to implement your own welfare monitoring system for your livestock.

Vegetables, Fruit and Specialty Crops

Edible Flowers

Barbara Utendorf, Backyard Nourishment

Backed by published research studies, explore the natural nutrients and compounds in edible flowers, along with their beneficial effects. While many flowers are edible, this workshop will focus on those that are easy to grow, or are commonly grown for sale or personal use.

Tools and Techniques

Choosing the Right Variety for Your Farm

Dana Hilfinger, Johnny’s Selected Seeds

Ever wonder how to choose between all those cherry tomato varieties in a seed catalog? Learn about a decision making framework for selecting varieties, and share your own experiences with varieties that were successful.

Organic seed sourcing is nuanced. Refer to this fact sheet for details!

Connecting Communities

Participatory Community Driven Agriculture

Weston Lombard, Solid Ground Farm, Molly Jo Stanley

Solid Ground Farm is pioneering a unique community-driven participatory farming model that empowers people to grow their own food. By eliminating barriers to success, such as access to land, resources, and expertise, while providing the hosting farm with alternative income, ongoing customer loyalty, and farm labor, this model offers a variety of benefits.