Hobbes Declares No-Stretching Zone
Exercise-prevention cat is on the case.
Two Conferences to Highlight Local Grain Gains
The other day, Local Food Forum reported on Midwest GRIT’s application for local grain farmers to participate in a year-long intensive peer-to-peer learning program. There are also two major regional conferences coming up that highlight the gains in local, sustainable grain production and provide guidance on how we can continue this progress.
The first event, to be held January 27-28 in Madison, Wisconsin, is UW-Madison's OGRAIN 2023 Conference. (OGRAIN stands for Organic Grain Resource and Information Network).
The following is information shared by Christine Johnson of Midwest GRIT, which was featured in Tuesday’s newsletter.
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We have an outstanding suite of workshops and networking events planned — take a peek, and hope to see you in Madison!
𝗪𝗛𝗘𝗡: Friday, January 27 through Saturday, January 28, with an optional Regenerative Organic Event Thursday, January 26.
𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧: 🌟Speakers, panelists and roundtables will allow participants to explore various issues important to successful and profitable organic grain production. Ample opportunities for networking and discussion with other farmers, certifiers, support organizations, and marketers.
🌟🌟 For the second year, sessions focused on food-grade grain production and processing will be offered through a partnership with the Artisan Grain Collaborative, providing resources for farmers to enter this expanding sector of the regional organic grain market.
𝗪𝗛𝗢: UW-Madison’s OGRAIN program provides resources and support for new, transitioning and experienced organic grain farmers throughout the upper Midwest.
𝗪𝗛𝗬: Join conversations and learn from experts on topics benefitting both new and experienced organic farmers to refine their production and marketing approaches including weed management, fertility management, equipment, and market trends. Learn in an interactive way with farmer-to-farmer sharing of experiences and ideas to continue to build organic grain systems.
Click below for tickets and a full conference agenda.
Then Champaign, Illinois is the hot spot for the annual Organic Grain Conference and Trade Show, to be held at I-Hotel on February 8 and 9.
Here’s the info you need from The Land Connection.
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Opportunities in Organics
Shifting markets… Changing consumer preferences… Increased input prices… Unpredictable weather… What’s next?
Every hurdle encountered offers an opportunity. Join us as we explore challenges and opportunities across the organic grain value chain.
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2023 | 12:00PM – 6:30PM
Day 1 of the conference will feature concurrent interactive, intensive workshops: Food Safety for Small Grain Producers/Processors, Organic Certification, and Grain Rotation. These workshops will be led by Dr. Kim Koch of Northern Crops Institute, Mark Seeley of OnMark Certification and Nic Podoll of Rodale Institute, respectively.
Workshops will run 1.5 hours and will each be offered twice during the day so folks can easily attend more than one without hopping between them. Snacks and beverages will be available throughout the day. Day 1 will close with a mixer that will take place at local brewer Riggs Brewery.
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2023 | 8:00AM – 5:00PM
Day 2 of the conference will feature presentation sessions, a roundtable discussion about the Farm Bill, a keynote address and a full-day trade show. Day 2 will include a light breakfast, full lunch and refreshments throughout the day.
Opening plenary will be given by Nathan Aaberg of Liberty Prairie Foundation’s Northeast Illinois FarmLink program. Nathan recently joined The Land Connection to launch Illinois FarmLink
Topics include Alley Cropping; Trees and Grains for Soil Health, Water Quality, Wildlife, and Profit; Introduction to Ancient Grains; Organic Corn and Soybean Outlook; STAR and Sustainability: How Organic Farmers Can Efficiently Evaluate Their Field Practices; Midwestern Hemp Database: Using Data to Select Compliant Hemp Cultivars; and more!