The conference is intended to draw participants who:

• have a basic understanding of organic agriculture and desire to know more.
• are motivated to develop or expand an organic farming program.
• want to meet other agency people who are working in organic agriculture.
• want to learn from successful organic farmers and get a better understanding of the challenges they face.

Conference attendance is limited to people from public agencies that serve agriculture (some exceptions may be made upon request, if space is available).  Participant registrations will be confirmed on a 'first-come' basis, but space is being allotted to assure representation from all northeastern states and a variety of agencies.

Still interested.....?

If so, complete the registration form below, print it out, and mail in with the registration fee. Please be sure to answer the questions to help us (the conference committee) get a better understanding of what you're interested in and what your intentions are in working with organic agriculture. Our intent is to create a stimulating and enlightening exchange of information among participants and presenters that will help us achieve the goal of increasing the number of high quality agency programs that serve organic farmers throughout the Northeast.

9:45  Keynote Address, E. Ann Clark, University of Guelph.
The practice of organic agriculture (organics) requires more than simply substituting biological for synthetic inputs. In its simplest form, organics is 'problem avoidance by design', in contrast with conventional agriculture which is 'problem solving after the fact' - using purchased inputs to solve problems created by reliance on ecologically dysfunctional production systems. To effectively support the burgeoning organics sector, research and extension require a fundamentally different context - a different mindset - than that which has guided conventional agriculture all these years. Achieving this new world view is the most difficult, but most critical prerequisite to transforming agricultural research and extension to the service of organics.

10:45  Break

Exemplary Organic Farm Workshops - SESSIONS 1 and 2.  Each of these sessions features two different kinds of farming operations - participants must select one.  The exemplary farmer featured shares his or her in-depth experience and knowledge as to how their farming system has become more organically integrated over the years.  Each presentation contains useful information about what's working, what's not, examples of practical tools, and what is needed from agencies to effectively support the success of organic agriculture.

11:00 SESSION  1 - Exemplary Organic Farms

1A. Dairy - Spring Wood Organic Farm, Roman Stoltzfoos, PA
Roman, Lucy and family operate a diverse, 200 acre, all-grass, seasonal, certified organic 140 cow dairy in Lancaster county Pennsylvania. They have a 22 point New Zealand style swing parlor that can milk 160 cows per hour. They also raise organic turkeys, pigs, have a portable egg-mobile containing 300 layers, and produce about 700 tons of high quality compost, 40 % of which they market to landscapers and organic gardeners.  This third generation preserved farm uses only family labor for day-to-day operation.  Family involvement and teamwork are more important goals than profits.  The mission of Spring Wood Organic Farm is to bring better food to consumers and to promote safe, sustainable and profitable agriculture.
Moderator:  Mena Hautau

1B. Vegetables -  Nesenkeag Farm, Eero Ruuttila, NH
Eero Ruuttila is the Farm Manager for Nesenkeag Farm, a 65 acre, certified organic farm on the banks of the Merrimack River in Litchfield, NH.  He grows 35 acres of vegetable crops, specializing in salad greens, culinary herbs, heirloom tomatoes and potatoes, cut flowers, and specialty or exotic items that offer a distinctive market niche to Boston area restaurants.
Moderator:  Kim Stoner

12:30  Lunch

1:30 SESSION 2 - Exemplary Organic Farms

2A. Diversified Farm  - The Flack Family Farm, Doug Flack, VT
The Flack Family Farm is a two generation, diversified, small operation based on 150 acres in hilly Northwestern Vermont. The land is certified organic by NOFA VT. Restoration of soil fertility in their grasslands and gardens is a central and challenging endeavor. It relies on management intensive pasturing with inputs from composting of barnpack animal manures mixed with rock powders and treated with biodynamic preparations. Reflecting biodynamic thinking and vision, the Flacks raise dairy cattle, sheep, horses, pigs and poultry and integrate this with crops including hay, pasture, vegetables and medicinal herbs. Marshes, streams, beaver ponds, hedgerows and forest are integral to their efforts to manage the whole farm as a complex healthy organism.  The Flack farm is grass-based, raising lamb, beef and milking Devon cows without using grain. Nearly all the livestock products are sold by pre-order with a pre-payment in the spring. They hope to continue this evolution towards becoming a more complex community of families and consumers, integrated and mutually supporting each other.  Education is a major focus of the farm through farm internships, school and university field trips, training workshops, discussion groups, lecture tours and seminars on a wide variety of topics.
Moderator:  Vern Grubinger

2B. Field Crops - Mary-Howell and Klaas Martens
Klaas and Mary-Howell Martens farm 1300 certified organic acres in PennYan, NY. They grow corn, tofu soybeans, diverse small grains, red kidney beans, and sweet corn, snap beans and edamame soybeans for processing. Additionally, they purchased the local Agway feed mill last year that they now operate as an organic livestock feed business. The Martens will focus on how 'cultural weed control', particularly carefully planned crop rotation, cover crops and soil fertility management, makes organic farming on a large-scale feasible with minimal inputs and reasonable labor.
Moderator:  Emily Brown Rosen

3:30 SESSION 3

3A.  Holistic Animal Health: Homeopathy, Herbs, Parasite Control
Moderator:  Lisa McCrory
Dr Edgar Sheaffer is a veterinarian and a farm consultant from Pennsylvania. Dr. Sheaffer presents an overview of how to minimize parasites and maintain overall herd health by incorporating alternative, practical tools and approaches including herbal and homeopathic remedies and cultural practices.  Farmer Anne Lazor and her husband, Jack, run Butterworks farm in Vermont.  Anne describes how they have raised healthy dairy cows for over 2 decades using homeopathy as part of their approach in dealing with various animal health problems.

3B. Weed Management in Vegetables: Cultivation, Flaming, Mulches, Smother Crops
Moderator: Sarah Johnston
Vern Grubinger is an extension vegetable and berry specialist. He works with many organic growers and draws on his experience to review the wide range of mechanical cultivation tools, flame weeders, cover crops and other strategies that growers are using to manage weeds. Vermont farmer Will Stevens has been growing certified organic vegetables for over 20 years.  He farms 30 acres of diverse crops.  Will talks about his successful approach to managing weeds while minimizing hand labor costs.

3C. Economics and Markets: Who’s Making Money in Organics?
Moderator:  Eric Sideman
Chris Fullerton, manager of Tuscarora Organic Growers Cooperative since 1993, shares what he's learned about wholesale sales and marketing while building an effective system to connect the co-op's diversified produce farmers in the highlands of the Chesapeake Bay watershed to restaurant and retail store buyers in the Washington, DC metro region. Katherine DiMatteo, Executive Director of Organic Trade Association draws from her 15 years experience as Executive Director of the Organic Trade Organization to give her perspective on the organic market - where it's been, its current status and opportunities for the future.

3D. Organic Small Fruit: Production and Marketing
Moderator:   Mark Davis
Berry specialist Marvin Pritts from Cornell University describes the key features of successful organic small fruit production systems and what lies ahead for development of organic approaches to fruit pest management.  Massachusetts farmer, Clifford Hatch, grows both organic and conventional strawberries and he has received several SARE grants to study improved organic production systems for strawberries. He describes his approach to organic production, and what he sees as the major challenges that need to be addressed if organic berry production is to increase.

3E. Open Space: For veteran conference-goers, it's common knowledge that often some of the most useful and practical learning takes place outside of the more formal workshop structure - such as the conversations at the coffee pot, etc.  We're building in an opportunity for these more informal conversations to take place by providing a room(s) for participants to use.  Open space is initiated and organized by participants - they determine what they want to talk about, they facilitate it and they figure out who needs to be there.

5:00  Break

6:30  Dinner

8:00 Informal Social: wine and cheese, meet new friends, reconnect with old ones, chew the fat, check out what others are thinking, enjoy.

8:00 SESSION 4 - Plenary: Organic Standards: Fasten Your Federal Seatbelts!
Moderator:  Mark Davis
In October 2002 adherence to the USDA National Organic Standards will be required in order to use the word ‘ORGANIC’.  Richard Mathews, Director of the National Organic Program (NOP) will be joined by Emily Brown Rosen, Policy Director for the Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI), and Eric Sideman, who just completed a five year term on the National Organic Standards Board and is Director of Technical Services for the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association.  They will explain the federal organic certification process, review the materials and methods allowed for organic farming and discuss proposed changes to the USDA rule.

9:00  SESSION 5

5A. Cover Crops and Crop Rotations
Moderator:  Vern Grubinger
Marianne Sarrantonio, from the University of Maine and author of the Northeast Cover Crop Handbook discusses the complex task of selecting cover crops: how to provide the most benefits on an individual farm while using crop rotations that are economically viable. Eric Sideman, Director of Technical Services for the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association, shows real-life examples of successful and creative crop rotations used by organic farmers in the Northeast.

5B. Animal Nutrition: Organic Feeds, Forage and Supplements
Moderator:   Lisa McCrory
Jerry Brunetti, founder and manager of Agri-Dynamics, talks about how producing high energy forages is the key to producing optimum herd health and dairy profitability.  Farmer Jack Lazor, runs Butterworks Farm in Vermont with his wife, Anne. Jack presents what he does on his farm to meet the nutritional needs of their cows - from the soil up. They grow all their own forages and grains adding very little minerals or other supplements to the ration.

5C. Insect Management: Managing Beneficial Habitats, Using Organic Insecticides
Moderator:   Kim Stoner
Ruth Hazzard, Vegetable IPM Specialist, at University of Massachusetts has done much work on bio-intensive methods of pest control that rely on cultural practices and timely use of organic pesticides to manage insects in sweet corn, cucurbits, and other crops. She describes the basis for these strategies and what growers and extension can do make them work.  Farmer Jim Kinsel produces 60 acres of vegetable and fruit crops in New Jersey.  He shares his approach to insect management and what he sees are key research and extension needs to help organic farmers.

5D. Making the Transition to Organic: Look before you Leap
Moderator:   Vickie Smith
Rob Johanson runs a diversified 35 acre horticulture farm in southern Maine with his wife Jan Goransen. For many years they have primarily relied on ecological production practices, with limited use of fertilizer and herbicide on a few crops. Recently they decided to become certified organic. Kathie Arnold has been in partnership with her husband, Rick, and brother-in-law, Bob, since 1980 on their Central New York dairy farm. They have been shipping certified organic milk since 1998. The farm relies heavily on a grass / legume based diet thru intensive grazing and TMR feeding for their 100+ cow year round herd.

5E. Open Space - See description in Session 3E

10:30  Break

11:00  SESSION 6

6A.  Soil Health and Organic Soil Fertility
Moderator:   Mark Davis
‘Feed the soil, not the plant’ is the axiom of organic agriculture. Ray Weil, from the University of Maryland characterizes a soil science perspective and describes the tools available to growers to assess the health of their soil over time. Biodynamic farmer Jean-Paul Cortens is from New York’s Hudson Valley and talks about his many years of experience, including a recent move to a new farm and the challenge of building soil health in depleted fields. He describes how he integrates composting, appropriate tillage, cover crops and soil amendments to care for his soil.

6B. Green Industry: Organic Ornamentals and Landscaping
Moderator:  Vickie Smith
There is increased interest in production of flowers and nursery crops and maintenance of landscapes using organic methods. Kim Stoner is an entomologist
at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station and chair of the Organic Land Care Committee, a joint project of the CT and MA chapters of NOFA.
Mike Nadeau is co-owner of Plantscapes, Inc. of Fairfield, Connecticut, a member of the Organic Land Care Committee, and an organic land care professional newly accredited by the CT-MA NOFA program.  Kim and Mike present the principles, development, and plans for the Organic Land Care Program.  Mike also discusses his experience in working with customers' desires and expectations for organic land care and hisperception of market demand.

6C. Ecological Principles of Organic Farming Systems
Moderator:  Vern Grubinger
Underlying successful organic production systems are ecological principles having to do with energy and nutrient cycles, synergy, yield stability and other concepts not typically addressed as part of 'production agriculture'. Bill Duesing, a long-time advocate for organic farming and an organic farmer himself, is the Coordinator for Education and Advocacy for Connecticut NOFA. Chuck Mohler is an ecologist with Cornell University. Bill and Chuck share their insight on what makes organic systems 'sustainable' from an ecological perspective and ways that farmers can put
ecological concepts to work.

6D. Direct Marketing and the ‘O’ Word: Does it Matter and What are the Alternatives?
Moderator:   Vicki Van Zee
Since organic direct marketers sell straight to the consumer at farmers’ market, farm stands, and through CSAs, etc., getting certified is not as essential as it is with wholesale markets. Some direct markets get certified anyway, others never have, and some may ‘opt out’ in response to the National Standards. To what extent do consumers look for organic certification, and what are the labeling alternatives? Jack Manix and his family run Walker Farm in Dummerston VT. The farm has 16 greenhouses that produce flowers and bedding plants and 30 acres of certified organic vegetables. The retail stand sells their own organic and non-organic products as well as items from other local farms, both organic and conventional. All products are clearly labeled as to origin and production method. Cynthia Barstow, a natural products marketing consultant and adjunct professor at University of Massachusetts, will share her observations and insights on labeling and consumer preferences.

6E. Open Space - See description above

12:30   Lunch and 'Flip Chart Networking'
People with an idea for a follow-up project will be encouraged to put their thoughts on paper and post them as lunch starts. During lunch, others can look these over and make comments about possible collaboration, opportunities and pitfalls, and related resources.

2:00 SESSION 7

7A.  Compost: Making It, Using It, Certifying It
Moderator:   Eric Sideman
Will Brinton, a nationally recognized compost consultant based in Maine, will present the science behind the techniques for making high quality compost, talk about the various  methods for assessing quality, and offer guidance on how to make compost 'approvable' for use in organic systems. Farmer David Batchelder, who raises organic vegetables and small fruit on 20 acres in New Hampshire, describes how he makes and uses compost on his farm.

7B.  Organic Seeds: Sources, Prices, GMO Concerns
Moderator:   Mena Hautau
The new federal standards require the use of organic seed. Tom Stearns runs a small seed company in Vermont that produces only organic seed. He discusses the constraints to production, supply and demand, and the ways that agency people can help the expanding organic seed industry. Mark Davis runs the organic research farm for USDA at Beltsville, MD.  He shares his experiences in sourcing organic field crop seed, the concerns about GMO contamination of organic seeds, and offers thoughts about what can be done.

7C.  Getting ‘Organic’ Funding: Sources and Successful Approaches
Moderator:  Vickie Smith
Jane Sooby is Director of Technical Services for the Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF) and author of the ‘State of the State’ report on land grant efforts in organic agriculture.  Jane describes what some of the more successful organic land grant programs are doing and how they are getting funded. Kim Kroll is Associate Director of SARE.  He gives an overview of federal agencies and programs that provide funding to organic research and outreach efforts.

7D. NGOs and Land Grants: Building a Working Relationship
Moderator:  Sarah Johnston
In this workshop, presenters share their experience, information, and insights as to how some organic farming organizations and land grants are working together to fill in some of the gaps in research initiatives, extension programs and education tools. Anu Rangaranjan of Cornell University is the force behind NEON, the Northeast Organic Farming Network. She illustrates how this partnership of land grants, NGOs, and farmers was built, and what it has learned in its first few years of life.   Brian Caldwell, a long-time organic grower and formerly with Cornell Cooperative Extension is the Farm Education Coordinator for NOFA-NY.  He shares his experiences from ‘both sides of the coin’ about building effective partnerships.

7E.  Open Space - See description above

3:30  Adjourn

Space is limited and participants will be selected on a first-come basis; however, space is being reserved to assure representation from all Northeastern states and a variety of agricultural agencies. Translation: the sooner you get your registration in the better! Registration confirmations will be complete by Aug. 15, 2002.

Name: _________________________________________________________________________

Agency/Organization: ______________________________________________________________

Title/Area of Responsibility: _________________________________________________________

Address: ________________________________________________________________________

              ________________________________________________________________________

Phone:   _______________________________ Fax: _____________________________________

Email:   _______________________________

Please answer the following questions in order to help us better know your interests and intentions in furthering organic agriculture. An anonymous compilation of registrant responses will be shared with presenters prior to the conference.

1. What has been your involvement with organic agriculture to date?
 
 
 
 

2. What is your intention for being more involved with organic agriculture?  Is there a plan for carrying out this intention?
    If so, what?
 
 
 
 

3. What do you need to support the implementation of an organic farming program?
 
 
 
 
 

4. What do you most hope to learn by attending this conference?
 
 
 
 
 

5. Please describe any educational resource materials or displays that you would like to exhibit at the conference.
 
 
 
 
 

REGISTRATION FEE:  $50 per person, includes one night's lodging on Sept. 26 (double occupancy), and all meals during the conference. An additional $50 is required for an extra night’s lodging on Sept. 25.  Participants responsible for their travel expenses, and for meals before and after the conference.

$50 registration fee includes 9/26/02 lodging                                                   $   50.

$50 for an additional night lodging on 9/25/02                                                $  _____

These fees are based on sharing a double room with another participant*
If you’d like a single room please add $ 50 per night                                      $  _____

TOTAL PAYMENT ENCLOSED                                                                $  _____
 

* Name of person you have asked to room with you for the night(s) you are registering:
 

________________________________________________________________________

MAKE CHECK PAYABLE TO ‘UVM EXTENSION’   -  SORRY, NO CREDIT CARDS OR PURCHASE ORDERS ACCEPTED.

IF YOU REQUIRE SPECIAL ACCOMODATIONS PLEASE NOTIFY US ALONG WITH YOUR REGISTRATION.

IF THE CONFERENCE SPACE ALLOTTED FOR YOUR STATE/AGENCY IS FILLED, YOUR FEE WILL BE REFUNDED BY AUGUST 1, 2002 AND YOU WILL BE PLACED ON A WAITING LIST IN THE EVENT A CANCELLATION OCCURS.

IN THE EVENT YOU NEED TO CANCEL, FEES ARE  REFUNDABLE UP TO JULY 1, 2002, AFTER WHICH REFUNDS WILL BE MADE ONLY  IF YOUR RESERVATIONS ARE TAKEN BY ANOTHER PERSON.

Questions? Please feel free to contact:

Vicki Van Zee, conference coordinator
(413) 587-9302
vanzee@crocker.com

Vern Grubinger, conference committee chair
(802) 257-7967   x13
vernon.grubinger@uvm.edu

OR other members of the conference planning committee:

Emily Brown-Rosen, Organic Materials Review Institute                 (609) 737-8630
Mark Davis, USDA-Agricultural Research Service                          (301) 504-9068
Mena Hautau, Penn State Cooperative Extension                            (610) 378-1327
Sara Johnston, Northeast Organic Farming Assn. of New York        (518) 922-7937
Lisa McCrory, Northeast Organic Farming Assn. of Vermont           (802) 434-4122
Eric Sideman, Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Assn              (207) 946 4402
Vicki Smith, New Hampshire Dept. of Agriculture                           (603) 271-3685
Kim Stoner, Connecticut Agric. Experiment Station                         (203) 974-8480