Agriculture Conference 2018 will take place from the 7th to 10th of February at the Goetheanum in Dornach.

The biodynamic preparations bring vitality to the earth, its fruits, the farms and their communities. They inspire our actions and bring concrete benefits to nature as a whole. They also present us with big questions. At the conference insights will be shared from all over the world and in order to inspire and encourage, there will be an intensive exchange of experiences. Those invited include farmers, gardeners, wine growers, orchardists, herb growers, advisors, researchers, students and apprentices, food processors, traders, cooks, nature educators and also consumers and friends of the biodynamic impulse. The plenary sessions will explore the preparations in all their breadth and depth, in the parallel themed sessions specialists will be able to share experiences and deepen their work while in the workshops intensive personal dialogue will be encouraged. To complete the programme there will be music, artistic courses, guided tours of the Goetheanum and an exhibition. 

The conference includes: Themed sessions on biodynamic preparations for viticulture, food, tropical agriculture, preparations in daily life, soil fertility, medicinal plants and herbs, plus 23 workshops, 14 artistic courses and 15 guided tours. All are welcome.

Click HERE for the Programme and HERE to register.

save the date: april 2018 in aloha valley new zealand

Register your interest HERE 

5th annual perennial farm gathering

The 5th annual perennial farm gathering is coming up! Farmers, scientists, and people with a general interest in perennial crops and pastured livestock will all find it valuable to learn what other farmers are doing, what’s working well, and what needs more work.

This year, the Savannah Institute is teaming up with the Green Lands Blue Waters (GLBW) annual conference and have expanded their Perennial Farm Gathering to a multi-day event.

Click HERE for more information and the full agenda and HERE to register.

event: see winona la duke speak about language, the living world, and the commons

The theme of the upcoming 37th annual E.F. Schumacher Lectures, taking place on November 4th, is “Choosing the Path that is Green”,  a reference to the prophecy of the Anishinaabe peoples. Winona LaDuke, who is a member of the Anishinaabe is this years keynote speaker. La Duke is an activist, community economist and author and her work has always been in alignment with the work of the Schumacher Center and of Greenhorns. She has been a persistent advocate for community land stewardship, local food sovereignty and sustainable resource use. She has a unique ability to communicate the stories, ideas and wisdom of the Anishinaabe people in ways that are both timely and relevant.

7th annual soil & nutrition conference takes place from nov 28-30th in southbridge ma

The 7th annual soil and nutrition conference organisers are committed to raising the quality of nutrition in food, beyond organics. Dan Kittredge, this year’s keynote speaker and  founder of the Bionutrient Food Association has taught 2,500 farmers, in 27 states in the last 6 years how to grow food with high Brix levels.

On the first day of the conference Dan will introduce the Bionutrient Meter, which any consumer can use to determine which vegetables, fruits, flours, and the highest in nutrition, and buy those. Over the past several decades the concentration of vitamins and minerals in our food has steadily decreased and unsustainable industrial agricultural practices have polluted water tables and undermined ecosystems The rate of degenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s, diabetes and heart disease have increased during this same time period. While correlation and causation are not the same thing, the food and water we consume undeniable has an effect on our overall health and well-being.

This conference will explore the principles, techniques and practices at the intersection of farm and human ecosystems that can be applied to improve environmental sustainability, food quality, and overall well-being by bringing together the collective knowledge of the food and environmental movements and by integrating diverse viewpoints.

To register for the conference or to learn more, click HERE 

upcoming: heritage livestock conference

The Livestock Conservancy are holding their annual conference in Williamsburg VA from November 9th-12th 2017. The Livestock Conservancy, is a national nonprofit which plays an important role in educating the public about heritage livestock breeds on both a national and international scale.

Speakers include Deborah Niemann-Boehle, a heritage breed farmer and author of three books on sustainable living, Kathy Donovan who produces  award winning heritage wool from her flock of Karakul sheep, and Steve Edwards of Gwaltney Frontier Farm, Inc , a non profit breed conservation program in VA. There are full-day and pre-conference clinics which cover a vast array of topics, from heritage breed selection to social media marketing and everything in between.

There will be a networking reception on Thursday evening before the pre-conference intensive clinics begin on Friday morning, these include:

• All Things Sheep (Full-day)
• Using Entertainment, Education, And Public Service to Promote Heritage Horses (Full-day)
• The Natural Home Dairy
• Maximizing Your Products and Marketing Heritage Breed Wool
• Chicken Processing
• Social Media Marketing Options for Your Breeds
• The Tricky Business of Breed Registries and Associations

The conference workshops include:
Grass Based Cattle  Geese – What Makes Them Special | Managing Poultry Health Before Problems Happen | Dutch Belted Cattle | Maternal Breed Selection | Gardening with Chickens | Strategies to Protect Your Favorite Breed for the Future | The Shocking Truth About Electric Fences | Small Ruminant Health and Biosecurity | Selecting the Correct Forage for your Ruminate | Value-Added Meat Goat Production…and more!

The conference has much to offer greenhorns. If you would like your rare breed meat to be featured, the Livestock Conservancy encourages you to send business cards and flyers to Angelique (athompson@livestockconservancy.org). These can be shared with attendees during the kick-off banquet on Friday night. Your name and contact information will also be included in the conference packets that all attendees receive at check-in. There are also a number of volunteer opportunities available.

For more information about the conference or to register click HERE

save the date for the 23rd annual dairy sheep symposium in quebec

The 23rd Annual Dairy Sheep Symposium is taking place from Nov 30^th – Dec 2^nd this year at the Estrimont Suites and Spas, Orford (near Sherbrooke), Quebec.  The title of this year’s symposium is “Profitability in Dairy Sheep Production”, and it will focus on genetics and nutrition of dairy sheep flocks.  Each year the Dairy Sheep Association of North America travels to a different North American location  for this event. Quebec is one of the perfect spots for an event like this to be held as it has a vibrant community of sheep-milk producers and artisan cheesemakers.  The 2017 symposium will feature discussions on the development of long-term breeding plans, using milk data, the diet of dairy sheep, and the nutrition of youngstock; producer and cheesemaker panels; and presentations from dairy sheep researchers in Canada and the Roquefort region of France.  There will also be visits to Quebec dairy sheep and cheesemaking operations — and don’t forget the banquet with dozens of DSANA members’ sheeps-milk cheeses!

For more information click HERE or contact the organisers directly.

Laurel Kieffer (DSANA President):  715-797-3909

Maria-Chantal Houde (2017 Symposium Chair):  819-578-7234

Bee Tolman: 315-760-2766 (Dairy Sheep Association member): 315-760-2766

calling all artists: ecofarm needs your work!

Are you a talented artist or designer looking to help a good cause and get exposure for your artistic endeavors? If the answer is YES, then send a sampling of your work to the wonderful folks at EcoFarm and it could be picked to promote their annual conference in Pacific Grove, CA:

Showcase your artistic vision through a unique design around the yet-to-be-announced theme of the 38th annual EcoFarm Conference. The selected artist will receive significant exposure, an honorarium, and help generate buzz for this iconic event.

Submit your portfolio to deborah@eco-farm.org by Saturday, April 1, 2017. EcoFarm will be in contact with selected artist by Wednesday, April 12. Completed artwork will be due in mid June, 2017.

If you’re unfamiliar with EcoFarm, you should get acquainted! You can learn more by clicking HERE, but this is an incredible organization with a long history of promoting an ecologically sustainable and just food and farming system, as well as putting together an inspiring farming conference each and every year.

severine in ireland

For our friends in Ireland (or those that plan to be there this spring) Greenhorns founder and executive director Severine von Tscharner Fleming will be presenting at Litfest : the Food and Drink Literacy Festival, in Ballymaloe. Ballymaloe, it’s a pleasure just to say the name of the place, so we can only imagine how magical it is in real life.

Severine will be talking about the farmer’s life along with Alice Holden at this years Festival in May, which will bring together authors, chefs, foragers, farmers, educators, gardeners, and bloggers to share ideas on food.

You can find out more Litefest HERE.

 

evolution of organic premiers at ecofarm conference, jan. 27

Still from the film feature Severine and Elizabeth and Paul Kaiser of Singing Frogs farm, who are leaders in no-till farming and recently the key-note speakers at the NOFA MA Winter Conference.

This year at the EcoFarm Conference in Pacific Grove California, participants will get a chance to see a sneak preview of the documentary The Origins of Organic!

Evolution of Organic, according to its filmmakers, “brings us the story of organic agriculture, told by those who built the movement. A motley crew of back-to-the-landers, spiritual seekers and farmers’ sons and daughters rejected chemical industrial farming and set out to explore organic alternatives. It’s a heartfelt journey of change – from a small band of rebels to a cultural transformation in the way we grow and eat food. By now organic has gone mainstream – split into an industry oriented toward bringing organic to all people, and a movement that has realized a vision of sustainable agriculture. As interviewee Kelly Mulville says, “Creating health in the soil creates health in the ecosystem creates health in the atmosphere – and it all cycles around.””

All that, and Severine makes a cameo!

This year’s EcoFarm Conference, which also features incredible speakers, farmer mixers, and even dancing, takes place January 25-28 at the Asilomar Conference Grounds. Online registration is now closed but onsite walk-in registration begins Wed, Jan 25 – Sat, Jan 28 starting at 7am.

vintage grange pin

Spotted this weekend at the NOFA Mass Winter Conference! Thanks to conference presenter Martin Dagoberto of MA Right to Know and MA Pollen Action for coming over to share this sweet swag with us!

talking about transitions

If you weren’t able to get to the “Our Land” symposium in Santa Fe and Albuquerque this November (a lot of us couldn’t), you can still catch a bit of the goodness. Agrarian Trust just uploaded some more of the video lectures from the event.

successful tribunal and peoples assembly

TNC’s (Transnational Corporations) currently have world policy customized to streamline their interests. The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is a primary example along with many other ‘free trade’ arrangements established by neo-liberal politicians. The damage to regional agriculture and human rights in the most vulnerable countries has been done, though many have resisted.

On 24-28 October, Friends of the Earth International (FOEI) were able to deliver 10 formal presentations in Geneva detailing human rights abuses by TNC’s to representatives from a wide variety of governments.

To read more about the Geneva Conference click HERE

 

new york certified organic meeting

This years NYCO meeting program dates are up! If you’re in the NY area this a great opportunity to meet with folks and representatives from around the state working in organic agriculture. The event brings grain and dairy farmers together with guest speakers to discuss organic crops and dairy production.

The 2017 dates are January 10, February 14 and March 13. Each program begins at 10 AM in Jordan Hall, 630 West North Street at the New York State Agricultural Experimental Station, Geneva, NY.

did we mention that it’s free?

Please join National Farmers Union December 5-8, 2016 for our FREE online
beginning farmer and rancher conference.

Growing for the Future is a unique online, interactive virtual conference
focused on beginning farmer and rancher issues, including: mentorship,
business planning, USDA programs women and veterans in farming, conservation
and much more!

The conference is completely online, and features farmer-to-farmer webinars,
live Q & A, a discussion board, a resource center and free giveaways! Register
now for free to join us in December for this unique opportunity!

Register here: https://nfu.org/growing-for-the-future/

Please contact NFU Education Coordinator Melissa Miller for questions:
MelissaMiller@NFUDC.org