Full and half Day Pre-Conference workshops are offered Friday, January 19. Thanks to grant funding from USDA-NOP-TOPP, most workshops are covered with USDA funding. (Spaces are limited) One workshop registration per person, please.
Pre-Conference Workshops may be added onto Summit Registrations at no charge.
NEW: Pre-Conference workshops are available as a stand alone item to VABF members who can’t make the full Conference! Register Here!
REGISTER FOR THE SUMMIT TODAY!
Into the Weeds Documentary Screening
Friday, 6-7:45pm
The film is Into the Weeds: Dewayne “Lee” Johnson vs. Monsanto Company, directed by internationally celebrated director Jennifer Baichwal. Into the Weeds follows groundskeeper Dewayne “Lee” Johnson and his fight for justice against Monsanto (now Bayer). Johnson’s case was the first to go to trial in a series of lawsuits involving tens of thousands of plaintiffs claiming Monsanto’s weed killer Roundup, or its industrial counterpart Ranger Pro, contributed to their cancer. The film follows this groundbreaking trial, while also stepping back to consider the systemic effects of the world’s most widely used herbicide.
Download a pdf of the pre-conference schedule here!
The Agronomics and Economics of Transitioning to Organic Production
Gary Zimmer (Midwestern BioAg and Otter Creek Organic Farm) and Leilani Zimmer-Durand (Midwestern BioAg and USDA NOP TOPP)
9:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Gary Zimmer and Leilani Zimmer-Durand will present on how to successfully transition your farm to organic production. They will cover the basis of soil management, crop rotations, fertility practices, and maintaining soil and crop health to maximize yields on an organic farm. Transitioning to organic is not only a change in production practices, but presents economic challenges as well. Gary and Leilani will discuss different types of production practices through the transition period that balance building soil health while maintaining farm income and building a highly profitable organic farming system. Information regarding transition to certified organic will be provided at this session.
Year Round Hoophouse Vegetables
Pam Dawling, Twin Oaks Community
9:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Fill your hoophouses (high tunnels, polytunnels) all year round with productive crops. In this course you’ll learn how to decide which crops to grow—with an emphasis on vegetables—how much to plant and how much to harvest by making maps, schedules and crop rotation plans. We’ll discuss which market crops are best at various times of year—cold-hardy, early warm-weather and high summer crops—and consider less common crops, such as seed crops and flowers, and cover crops for soil improvement. Learn how to maximize the use of space by clever seasonal transitions, succession planting and follow-on cropping. The course will also provide strategies for managing challenges such as extreme temperatures, nitrate accumulation in leafy greens, soil-borne diseases, pests and nematodes, salt buildup, and maintaining soil organic matter.
Holistic Farming Methods: How Organic, Biodynamic, Permaculture, & Beyond Integrate for a Sustainable Future
Stewart Lundy and Natalie McGill with The Josephine Porter Institute and Perennial Roots Farm
9:30 AM to 12:30 PM
LUNCH 12:30-1:30 (Lunch Buffet Provided at no cost to attendees of this workshop)
1:30-4:30 PM
What is the cosmic context of farming on this planet? Explore the relationship of plants and animals to the cosmos and how to farm more conscientiously as an ennobling human activity. Learn about the basics of DIY soil remedies and fermented plants to enhance yield, and nutrient density, while fostering human freedom from within the limits of a small farm or garden. Study the interconnections between livestock grazing and vegetable production, composting, seed quality, soil amendments, biodynamic preparations, and more. Learn about the microcosmic and macrocosmic elements influencing these systems. Practical farming techniques, observations on animals, and more. Questions welcome. Information regarding transition to certified organic will be provided at this session.
Starting a Permaculture Farm from Scratch
Patrick Johnson with Nanih Farm and Garden
9:30 AM to 12:30 PM
This working session will explore the concept of starting a farm or homestead from the beginning (on paper farm plan) through its full development as a permaculture farm. We will begin with the foundation of any permaculturally developed site, the ethics and principles, and work through creating a conceptual site map. The session will also feature an open question and answer session where Patrick shares his over 30 years of experience working in the permaculture, organic, and sustainable agriculture field. Information regarding transition to certified organic will be provided at this session.
Market Gardening 2.0: A Half-Day Seminar with Organic Grower JM Fortier
Jean-Martin Fortier with the Market Gardener and Scott Wilson with Full Quiver Farm
1:00 to 5:00 PM
Is it truly feasible to achieve financial success through farming on a modest acreage? Explore the fundamental elements, techniques, and design principles that transform small-scale biointensive farming into a profitable endeavor. Join us for a half-day session alongside master grower JM Fortier and delve into the pivotal aspects of successful farming.
During this seminar, you will gain insights into:
• Identifying key crops for optimal profitability
• Discovering the latest advancements and innovations in farming tools
• Implementing effective management practices to enhance crop and harvest planning
• Learning strategies for team mobilization and streamlining daily farm operations
Our ultimate objective in this workshop is to empower you to cultivate with greater abundance and, most importantly, with increased efficiency. Join us as we embark on a journey toward more prosperous and sustainable farming practices. Information regarding transition to certified organic will be provided at this session.
Living on the (Leading) Edge
Julie Rawson and Jack Kittredge with Many Hands Organic Farm
1:00 to 4:00 PM
Building Community on the Farm – Part One
We have a small certified organic CSA farm with 2 acres vegetables, 1 acre fruit, 5 acres animals on pasture, about 40 acres in woods, and several hoophouses. In the peak of the season we average 5 or 6 workers per day, half paid staff, half working shareholders or volunteers. The field work is mostly soil building, planting, tending and harvesting vegetables, moving pastured chickens, turkeys and pigs, and pruning and harvesting berries, grapes and tree fruit. There is also plenty of marketing, machine work, building and repairs, financial analysis and planning.
We will talk about how we make the farm the center of a vibrant and supportive community: by providing workers with two daily sit-down meals, by a weekly newsletter that reaches a thousand subscribers, by welcoming children, by paying fair wages and providing the “health insurance” of lots of farm product, by frank and therapeutic discussions in the fields, by going maskless and encouraging personal health through natural means rather than drugs and vaccines, and by employing the unique strengths and passions of each person who arrives here.
Activism on Ag Policy – Part Two
We have spent many years advocating for policies fairly treating organic and small farms such as effective certification protocols and legalized marketing of healthy local product such as raw milk and farmstead meats, as well as opposing opposing industrial farming practices like promotion of GMOs, use of sludge for crop nutrition, aerial spraying of insecticides for ‘public health’ and mandatory registration of farm animals. We have developed several successful campaigns for small farmers around these issues and can discuss strategy and organizing tips.
It is our belief that consistently healthy food production requires both thoughtful farmers and appreciative consumers. These are best achieved by small and moderate-sized operations which are actively in contact with the families they feed. Such coalitions can also lead in promoting policies to enhance farm viability and strengthen popular ag consciousness in support pf local food production. Farms can be community bastions of independence and freedom in a society which is increasingly regimented and industrialized. We will talk about our experience working to achieve that. Information regarding transition to certified organic will be provided at this session.
Growing tropical perennials as temperate annuals
Chris Smith with Utopian Seed Project
2:00 to 5:00 PM
As the climate warms some crops will get harder to grow and some crops will get easier to grow. The Utopian Seed Project has been exploring the world of growing tropical perennials as temperate annuals and developing crop options and market opportunities for farmers. Examples include taro, yacon, ube, chayote, cassava, and achira. The half day work shop will cover some basic overview of growing tropicals in open field culture, with time for hands on exploration of the crops and some tasting opportunities. We should also be able to provide some planting material of some of the crops for participants to take home. Information regarding transition to certified organic will be provided at this session.
Full and half Day Pre-Conference workshops are offered Friday, January 19. Thanks to grant funding from USDA-NOP-TOPP, most workshops are covered with USDA funding. (Spaces are limited) One workshop registration per person, please. Pre-Conference Workshops may be added onto Summit Registrations at no charge.
REGISTER FOR THE SUMMIT TODAY!
Lick Run Farm Tour
Sponsored by Sand County Foundation
Cameron Terry with Garden Variety Harvests
1:00 to 5:00 PM (Van transportation from the Hotel Roanoke leaves at 12:45pm. Lunch on the farm from 1-2pm. Farm tour and presentation from 2-5pm.)
Bagged lunch on the farm included at no charge for attendees of the farm tour. Email will be sent to attendees to garner any dietary restrictions once the farm tour is full.
Join farmer Cam Terry and Chloe Johnson of Garden Variety Harvests for a harvest-day tour of Lick Run Farm, two miles from Hotel Roanoke in NW Roanoke CIty. Lick Run Farm is a 3.5 acre property cultivating a diverse array of vegetables and flowers for direct sales in local farmers markets and restaurants. They run farm education programs for nearby youth and run a sliding-scale “veggie club” for neighbors of the farm. Sprouted over six years ago on a network of backyards and community garden property, Garden Variety Harvests has been headquartered at Lick Run for two years, expanding vegetable gardens over time and working in community to plant perennials that neighbors will be able to enjoy for decades to come. Lick Run is a true community farm, owned by a community land trust and forever committed to food production on this land to feed local eaters. Tour will include exploration of wash/pack facility, greenhouses, outdoor gardens and the farmhouse community center.
Sponsored by Sand County Foundation
