Workshops - OEFFA Conference

Session III

Saturday, February 14 | 11-Noon

Herb Hubs: From Field and Forest to Market

Sara Sevy Tremayne, Andrea Miller, Rural Action

Ohio is home to some of the most valuable medicinal plants in the world, yet a long history of over-harvesting has threatened the populations of many wild botanicals. Meanwhile, the market for high quality herbal medicine is only increasing, and offers an opportunity for local landowners to earn supplemental income. Nonprofit project partners are growing a network of regional Herb Hubs that offer shared use equipment, certified processing space, training, and aggregation opportunities for growers to connect to high-paying bulk buyers. Get an overview of available equipment, an introduction to proper harvest and post-harvest handling, herb crop budgets, fresh to dry ratios, and certification opportunities.

River Birch A

Zoom

Evaluate

Grain

2025 Organic Trials in OSU’s eFields

Eric Richer, OSU

See the results of the 2025 (and 2024) organic grain research trials conducted with cooperating farmers through Ohio State’s eFields program. The workshop is designed to share research being conducted at the field level, foster discussion for new research trials, and offer knowledge on conducting research on your own farm. Cooperating farmers will share their experiences and results. Each attend will receive a copy of OSU’s eFields report.

River Birch B

Evaluate

Livestock

Exploring Heritage Pig and Broiler Breeds

Leah Bartel, Greenacres Foundation

Heritage breeds of pigs and meat chickens often come with a reputation of having better flavored meat than conventional breeds. In 2025, Greenacres conducted a study to determine the veracity of this popular belief. They looked at five different breeds of hogs and five breeds of meat chickens, tracking factors that would determine a farmer’s willingness to raise these breeds, including feed efficiency, cost of production, and general performance in a pasture-based system. The meat from each breed was flavor tested by a team, and these insights will be shared so farmers can make informed breed decisions.

River Birch C

Evaluate

Food and Farm Movement

Federal Agriculture Policy: Learning from 2025 and Looking Forward in 2026

Nick Rossi, National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition

Last September, the federal government shutdown for a record 43 days. The shutdown of government operations brought real impacts to farm country, adversely impacting countless farmers and ranchers who rely on county-level USDA offices. Get a brief overview of the current state of federal agriculture policy, explore some of the ways the USDA supports farmers and ranchers, and learn how NSAC is advocating for getting more funding in farmers’ pockets. During the second half of the workshop, there will be an interactive discussion about how Congress can address on-the-ground funding needs.

River Birch D

Zoom

Evaluate

Sustainable Foundations

The Nitrogen Paradox

Anneliese Abbott, Abbott Farms

Many scientists believe that it’s impossible to feed the world without synthetic nitrogen fixation. But is that true? Take an in-depth look at the paradoxical history of nitrogen fixation, how it was always intertwined with weapons production and geopolitics, and how modern agriculture became dependent on it. Discuss the basic chemistry of nitrogen fixation, the incredible complexity of the biological nitrogen cycle, and how organic farmers can use biological nitrogen management concepts to get good yields and healthy plants without synthetic nitrogen fertilizer.

Woodhull C

Zoom

Evaluate

Session I | Session II | Session III