2020 OEFFA Conference Workshop Descriptions

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 14 share recipes for making your own natural and toxin-free seasonings

.Session I: 8:30-10:00 a.m.. Value-Added Production for Small Producers: Agricultural Statistics: What They Are, How Canning and Drying Marcus Nagle, Central State University They Are Used, and Why They Really Matter Value-added products can significantly help a Amalie Lipstreu, OEFFA, Jonathan McCracken, farm’s bottom line, but there are a lot of Senator Sherrod Brown, Cheryl Turner, U.S. considerations that go into creating a quality Department of Agriculture National Agricultural product. Professor Marcus Nagle will focus on Stastics Service detailing two -harvest processes: canning [Description coming soon] and drying. Learn about small- and large-scale

Integral and Plant Management for Health applications suitable for all levels of experience. John Biernbaum, Michigan State Horticulture Growing Year-Round in Hoophouses and High and Pear Farm Tunnels The foundation of organic farming is rooted in Tomm Becker, Nifty Hoops the details of how we manage our soil for You can grow vegetables year-round in high plants, livestock, and ultimately human health. tunnels without any supplemental heat. Tomm Details and refinements continue to be offered Becker will recommend what crops to grow, by farmers and educators like Gary Zimmer, Steve Solomon, Dan Kittredge, John Kemp, and when to plant them, and how to manage the others. Professor and researcher John unique climate within a hoophouse to extend your profitable season clear through the winter. Biernbaum will summarize and integrate some of the key messages and recommendations of 2020 Climate-Smart Organic Grains for Healthy these practices using a graphic format that you , Healthy Food, and Healthy People can use to assess the breadth and depth of your Rafiq Islam and Alan Sundermeier, The Ohio current management strengths and State University weaknesses. Global climate is changing, and grain growers

Your Kitchen Apothecary: Growing and Mixing must change with it. Relying on chemical-heavy Fresh and Dried Herbs for Cooking and Health agricultural intensification to feed the world has deteriorated soil health, water quality, air Mandy Palmer, Barefoot Hippie Homesteading quality, food quality, public health, and other Culinary herbs and spices have ancient and ecosystem services, but we can still thrive with enduring cultural, nutritional, and gastronomic ecological production systems that improve power. They contribute needed nutrients to a soils. Rafiq Islam and Alan Sundermeier will healthy diet, and their natural aromas and share the latest cutting-edge information on flavors enliven our tables. Experienced cropping diversity with multifunctional cover homesteader and educator Mandy Palmer will discuss basic kitchen herbalism, familiar plants, crops, electrolyzed and magnetic waters, plant and easy ways to incorporate them in our inducers, and soil amendments that can foods. Mandy will concoct mixes for tasting and improve the resilience of grain production.

2020 OEFFA Conference Workshop Descriptions

Grazing on Leased Land Fearless Farm Finances, will explore how these Meg Grzeskiewicz, Rhinestone Cattle Co. simple analyses can help your bottom line. Operating on leased land requires different management practices and business skills than Partnering with Ohio's Growing Craft Beer on owned land. Ranch manager Meg Industry Grzeskiewicz will explain how to write an Betty Bollas, Fibonacci Brewing Company effective lease contract; build low-cost, It's a great time to learn about one of the portable cattle infrastructure; plan successful fastest growing industries in Ohio and how to and profitable production; and develop a build lasting partnerships that can help expand healthy long-term relationship with your your business. Ohio craft breweries rank fourth landowners. in the nation for beer production, their annual economic impact is almost $1 billion, and they Rotational Browsing: Tips, Tricks, and Tools for support more than 8,000 jobs. Many in the Success. industry also support local small farms and Sasha Sigetic, Black Locust Livestock and Herbal businesses. Cincinnati area brewer Betty Bollas [Description coming soon] will share the great things that can happen when craft beer connects with the local food Is Your Land Climate-Ready? movement! Laura Lengnick, Cultivating Resilience OEFFA keynote speaker, author, and resilience .Session II: 10:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m.. consultant Laura Lengnick will explain how to reduce the risks to your land associated with Rethinking Plastics in Organic Production climate change and extreme weather. Learn Harriet Behar how to identify key climate risks at your farm Plastics are everywhere in our daily lives, and and about management practices that reduce are heavily used in agriculture. The ease of use those risks while also enhancing the general and beneficial characteristics are obvious. resilience of your land. Plastic makes weed control easier, warms the soil, can provide some insect Old Problems, New Materials: Problem-Solving management, and keeps crops cleaner. Plastic in Urban Agriculture harvest and storage totes are light weight and Sherry Chen, Springfield Ohio Urban Plantfolk, easier to clean that wooden ones. Greenhouse, David Cook, Plastic Store high tunnel, and low tunnels use plastic to grow [Description coming soon] crops under protection. Silage bags and hay wrap provide choices to livestock producers Where’s the Profit? Farm Enterprise Analysis when harvesting high moisture crops. This Jody Padgham, Wild Crescent Farm workshop will explore if we can find more Some diversified farm activities might bring in ecological solutions. Biodegradable mulch film, good profits while others have lower financial reusing or recycling plastics, and farming impact. Enterprise analysis is a powerful tool to methods that are less reliant on plastic, such as financially analyze individual or groups of living , will be discussed. products, providing a foundation for pricing and decision-making for improved profitability. Jody Padgham, Wisconsin farmer and co-author of 2020 OEFFA Conference Workshop Descriptions

Our Changing Climate: Global Context, Local planting pawpaws in orchards, woodland Lens, Risks, and Adaptations production, and on-farm research. Learn the Aaron Wilson, The Ohio State University basic information to plant your own pawpaw Weather doesn’t have to be relegated to small ! talk! Join us as we discuss the challenges that our changing climate presents to the Working with Living Soils agricultural community in Ohio and throughout Jean-Martin Fortier, The Market Gardener the Midwest. We will explore the differences Join award-winning author Jean-Martin Fortier between weather and climate, the role of of Les Jardins de la Grelinette for a look at the increasing greenhouse gases, and global soil management techniques that enliven his changes that spur local impacts. How is local agro-ecological approach to market gardening. climate changing, and is it something that we He will discuss specific strategies, including should only be concerned about for the future? perma-beds, using Ramial chipped , Think big as we brainstorm the various ways the applying teas, and going beyond no- agricultural community can adapt and build till. resilience to these changes, mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, and enrich our soils Reducing Weeds, Insects, and Diseases with for a better tomorrow. Soil Health James Hoorman, Hoorman Soil Health Services Regenerative Farming for Healthier Farms, [Description coming soon] Food, and Planet Mary Lou Shaw, Milk and Honey Farm Making Healthy Pasture Soils Regenerative agriculture is key to having Bob Hendershot, Green Pasture Services financially viable farms, nutritious food, [Description coming soon] increased topsoil, and reduced greenhouse gas emissions. Homesteader and physician Mary The Complex and Controversial Relationship Lou Shaw will explain how the soil food web is Between Animal Agriculture and Climate the basis for all life and how nurturing it Change through cover crops, compost, and grazing can Jeff Schahczenski, National Center for give our farms and gardens increased resiliency Appropriate Technology and profits. Learn specific ways to work with From water consumption, to deforestation, to this underground life and how regenerative manure runoff, to bovine methane emissions, agriculture positively affects our health. many environmental activists raise concerns about the environmental impact of animal Pawpaw Trees from Seed to : An agriculture. At the same time, many ecological Introduction to Cultivation farmers point out that well-managed animals Sarah Francino, The Ohio State University, Ron can provide fertility, control weeds and other Powell, Fox Paw Ridge Farm pests, productively use erodible or otherwise Not only is the pawpaw the state fruit of Ohio, marginal land, “recycle” food waste, and build it is an up and coming orchard crop which is soil organic matter to sequester carbon. NCAT’s uniquely suited to the midwest. Researcher Jeff Schahczenski will review the studies, delve Sarah Francino and Dr. Ron Powell will discuss into the data, and lead a comprehensive OSU projects and Ron’s experience with discussion of the facts to provide a wholistic, 2020 OEFFA Conference Workshop Descriptions science-based view of farm animals and their Girl Boss with the Milk Money: Ohio's Women role in a climate-friendly food system. Dairy Entrepreneurs Angel King, Blue Jacket Dairy, Sheila Schlatter, Beating the Feed Bill Blues: Eliminating Inputs Canal Junction Farm, Sarah Taylor, Jedidiah on the Small Farm and Homestead Farm, Abbe Turner, Lucky Penny Farm Shawn and Beth Dougherty, The Sow's Ear Farm [Description coming soon] and Pottery A decade ago, after getting tired of feed bills When You Can’t Control the Weather: and discouraged by how expensive “home- Managing Your Stress on the Farm grown” food can be, Shawn and Beth Dougherty Amanda Bohlen, Jami Dellifield, and Misty decided to make their farm inputs-free. Learn Harmon, The Ohio State University Extension how they use integrated intensive grazing [Description coming soon] practices to raise beef, dairy, sheep, hogs, and poultry, and run a small dairy and community .Session III: 2:00-3:30 p.m.. supported agriculture program. Unlock the potential of daily solar energy to feed the whole Ecological or Industrial Organic? What We farm. Learned From Allowing Hydroponics in the NOP Taking Back Saturdays: Cooperative and Harriet Behar, John Biernbaum, Michigan State Coordinated Marketing of Small-Scale Horticulture and Pear Tree Farm Producers Allowing hydroponics and the discrepancies Angela Blatt and Dana Hilfinger, The Ohio State between certifiers in the National Organic University Initiative for Food and AgriCultural Program (NOP) are two of several key issues Transformation that threaten the foundations of organic Small-scale diversified vegetable growers can agriculture and the livelihood of organic tire of running a farmers’ market booth every farmers. Harriet Behar, former chair of the Saturday and managing the individualized needs National Organic Standards Board (NOSB), and of dozens of crops. A coordinated, cooperative John Biernbaum, NOSB Hydroponics Task Force approach amongst farmers could help alleviate Member, will review the NOP process that these issues. In this session, Dana Hilfinger and allowed hydroponics, what is currently being Angela Blatt will share what they’ve learned allowed with hydroponics, and how from a pilot project in Mansfield that developed hydroponics are addressed internationally. a cooperative of Richland County growers to They’ll also discuss what the process has taught coordinate crop plans and collectively market organic advcoates and what we can do to stand product. They'll include a few ideas for how this up for important matters of organic integrity. model could be used in other communities and facilitate a discussion with session participants Land Access Innovations for Sustainable to collectively brainstorm the needs of small- Farmers plot growers that could be addressed through Bryn Bird, Bird's Haven Farms, Krista Magaw, coordinated, cooperative aggregation and Tecumseh Land Trust, Rob Krain, Black Swamp marketing efforts. Conservancy [Description coming soon]

2020 OEFFA Conference Workshop Descriptions

Restorative Plants: Good for You, Good for the amendments that could improve the resilience Planet of your farm’s vegetable production. Barbara Utendorf, Wilmington College Many plants truly carry health-restoring Hemp! Understanding a Revived Crop properties. Further, when sustainably cultivated Craig Schluttenhofer, Central State University and cared for, they are ecologically beneficial. Hemp has the potential to provide great It’s a win-win! Barbara Utendorf, an opportunities to Ohio farmers. Craig experienced grower and college professor of Schluttenhofer will explain the basics of hemp nutrition, neuroscience, and holistic health, will and its production. Learn how to initiate hemp review key plants that are restorative for production on your farm. people and the planet. Generating Cash Flow in Cow-Calf Production Farm and : The Chestnut Agroecosystem Meg Grzeskiewicz, Rhinestone Cattle Co. Amy Miller, Route 9 Cooperative Traditional cow-calf production is asset-rich and Chestnut production is a hot topic for those cash-poor by nature. Up to 70 percent of forage interested in sustainable agriculture, but is it consumed does not directly generate sale the ecological silver bullet that environmentally revenue. Ranch manager Meg Grzeskiewicz will conscious farmers crave? Amy Miller will discuss alternative breeding stock enterprise explore the pros and cons of common chestnut designs that boost liquidity and efficiently production, including such topics as convert a finite amount of grass to cash. “conventional” farming versus polyculture, agroforestry, and organic production. Find out Growing Your Pastured Egg Business and Layer whether chestnut production is right for your Operation agricultural system and your specific goals. Mike Jones, Tierra Verde Farms [Description coming soon] 2020 Climate-Smart Organic Vegetables for Healthy Soils, Healthy Food, and Healthy The Divine Farmer: An Approach to Personal People and Ecological Restoration through Chinese Rafiq Islam and Alan Sundermeier, The Ohio Medicine State University Christian Totty, LOAM Acupuncture & Herbal Global climate is changing, and vegetable Medicine growers must change with it. Relying on Traditional Chinese medicine is rooted in chemical-heavy agricultural intensification to observation of nature and the cycle of the feed the world has deteriorated soil health, seasons. It provides a unique and relevant water quality, air quality, food quality, public perspective on our relationship with the land as health, and other ecosystem services, but we farmers and powerful tools for nurturing our can still thrive with ecological production whole selves in this strenuous work. In addition systems that improve soils. Rafiq Islam and Alan to introducing a radical, yet approachable, Sundermeier will share the latest cutting-edge framework to farming and agriculture, information on cropping diversity with acupuncturist Christian Totty will share practical multifunctional cover crops, electrolyzed and mind-body techniques, including breath work magnetic waters, plant inducers, and soil and qigong, for both personal and ecological restoration. 2020 OEFFA Conference Workshop Descriptions

Building Partnerships In Local Food Systems anticipated solution for the devastation caused Jalisa Dawkins, Columbus Public Health, by varroa mites. Hongmei will also discuss how Michelle White, Clintonville Farmers Market beekeepers are taking advantage of new strains In order to see widespread, systems level of bees to decrease hive mortality. Chia-Hua Lin change, strong public and private partnerships will discuss foraging preferences of honey bees are critical. Local Food Systems Strategies based on recent studies in Ohio. Attendees will Manager Jalisa Dawkins and Ohio Farmers have the opportunity to learn simple pollen Market Network Vice President Michelle White analysis techniques as a tool to identify floral will share lessons learned through their unique resources utilized by honey bees. local food system partnership. Jalisa and Michelle will describe the progress that’s been SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 15 made since the Columbus and Franklin County Local Food Action Plan was commissioned five years ago. Learn about the importance of .Session IV: 8:30-10:00 a.m.. soliciting diverse feedback when making a local food plan and developing relationships to carry Whose Voice is Missing? The Need for a out the work. They’ll provide strategies for Cultural Shift to Achieve Justice in the Food recruiting stakeholders, ensuring clear System communication, and creating coordination Jordan Brown and Carolyn Charles, The Family among government, public and private Garden, Leah Cohen, Agricultural Justice Project organizations, businesses, and communities. Learn about the Agricultural Justice Project (AJP) and its stakeholder-driven, cross-sector Building a Value Ladder: How to Get approach to increasing justice in the food Customers to Buy More system, and how that intersects with the Corinna Bench, Shared Legacy Farms organic movement. This approach, as well as What does a customer currently buy FIRST from AJP’s stringent standards, offers a pathway to your farm? What's next after that? How are revolutionary food system change by customers progressing through your farm's addressing the root systemic causes of injustice. product suite? What if you could engineer a Hear stories and video clips from the AJP and process to get them to buy MORE? Farmer, Little Bean Productions social media campaign, podcaster, and marketing expert Corinna Bench “Hungry for Justice: Whose Voice is Missing?,” will discuss how to develop a “suite” of amplifying the voices and experiences of products, put them in a certain order, and move farmworkers, family-scale farmers, processing your customers through them. workers, fast food workers, and eaters. Join this workshop to consider how those experiences Sustainable Apiculture in Ohio reflect racial, economic, and health disparities, Hongmei Li-Byarlay, Central State University, as well as the concentration of power and Chia-Hua Lin, The Ohio State University market share in the food system. Learn about two important aspects related to honey bee colony health: Varroa mite control The Capitalism in Our Food and floral resources. Hongmei Li-Byarlay will Eric Holt-Giménez provide hands-on activities to learn about mite- [Description coming soon] resistant behavior in honey bees, a much- 2020 OEFFA Conference Workshop Descriptions

Chickens 101: Basics and Beyond Climate-Resilient Grain Production Lisa Samples, Cedar Crest Farm and Feed Laura Lengnick, Cultivating Resilience In this fun, interactive workshop, Lisa Samples OEFFA keynote speaker, author, and resilience will lead participants through the basics of what consultant Laura Lengnick will discuss growing it takes to begin and thrive with a backyard cash grains while managing the new production flock. Photos, videos, and audio will allow you risks associated with climate change. Learn to experience a typical day on the farm. Learn about management changes that you can make why backyard chicken keeping is an easy way to to reduce climate risk and enhance the "raise your food, raise your awareness." resilience of your grain operation despite climate change and weather extremes. Mad About Saffron: Growing and Cooking with a High-Value Midwest Spice High Forages for Managing Intestinal Kate Hodges, Foraged & Sown, Lauren Hirtle Parasites in Sheep and Rachel Tayse, OEFFA James Kotcon, West Virginia University Can you grow saffron in Ohio? Yes! Kate Intestinal parasites are the limiting factor in Hodges, Rachel Tayse, and Lauren Hirtle will organic sheep production. Forages with high share research about their experience growing levels of condensed have been used to and marketing saffron in Ohio, including hands- suppress intestinal parasites, but little is known on demonstration of tools and techniques. about how they work or the best management Additionally, they will cook up a few simple practices. Professor James Kotcon will present recipes to share a taste of “red gold.” results from a recently completed four-year, U.S. Department of Agriculture funded research Microbial Applications with Effective trial at WVU that showed significant Microorganisms and Korean Natural Farming improvement in sheep health under organic Microbial Concoctions management. He’ll also describe a second Steve Diver, University of Kentucky Horticulture three-year trial initiated to graze sheep on Research Farm pastures of birdsfoot trefoil. Researcher and professor Steve Diver will review the key concepts and practices Livestock Guardian Animals: Lessons from the associated with beneficial fermentative Field anaerobic transformation of organic wastes and Paul Dorrance, Pastured Providence Farmstead resources which results in As consumer demand for pasture-based meats biofertilizers, pest controls, and organic bokashi continues to skyrocket, so too will farmer . Steve has worked with microbial demand for methods to keep livestock safe inoculant technology since 1995 and will share outside of confinement. A good fence goes a tips including on-farm recipes, production of long way towards peace of mind, but today’s microbial inoculants, byproducts, and predators are getting more bold, more crafty, application guidelines using effective and more prevalent. Exacerbating this issue is microorganism and Korean Natural Farming as a the reality that the vast majority of farmers road map. hold an off-farm job to make ends meet, further removing them from the historic role of in-place shepherd and full-time caretaker. Paul Dorrance

2020 OEFFA Conference Workshop Descriptions will offer solutions for successfully protecting changes in the number of organic crop livestock in a pasture-based system. production policies and improved yield and price projections used to calculated premiums Child Care on Family Farms and indemnities nationwide, there is still limited Shoshanah Inwood and Andrea Rissing, The geographic availability of organic policies. Jeff Ohio State University Schahczenski will explain the one exception— Raising children on the farm brings much joy, the Whole Farm Revenue Protection(WFRP) but it can be challenging to balance both child policy—which is available in every county in and farm business needs. Come and connect every state. Get practical information on the with other parents to discuss the trials of raising newest version of WFRP and how it can be an a family on the farm and identify strategies and important tool for organic farmers to mitigate solutions that can help balance individual risk. household and business needs. .Session V: 10:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m.. Regenerating Soil with Keyline and Aerobic Teas Starting the Conversation: Doing the Work to Lisa Helm Hancock, Dayton Urban Grown, Become an Anti-Racist White Ally Braden Trauth, Cincinnati Permaculture Lindie Keaton and Ri Molnar, Showing Up for Institute Racial Justice Greater Dayton Chapter [Description coming soon] Ri Molnar and Lindie Keaton offer a workshop intended for white people, but open to all, that Tax Management for Small Farms will illuminate the systemic nature of racism David Marrison and Chris Zoller, The Ohio State and how that impacts our daily lives. Bringing University Extension the unconscious to the surface, participants will Yes, even small farms need to pay taxes. be encouraged to share their learning and Educators Chris Zoller and David Marrison will growth in a supportive atmosphere. teach the basics of farm taxes and how small farmers can structure their recordkeeping Gain More Benefits from Your Cover Crops system to make tax time easier. Learn about Harriet Behar Schedule F, differences between hobby and for Row crop, vegetable, and perennial crop profit farms, and other local, state, and federal farmers: you can gain diverse benefits by tax issues you need to know. considering a variety of methods and species in your cover cropping rotation. The time of year Protecting Your Whole Farm’s Revenue Just the cover crop will be growing, the above and Got Easier below ground growth with possible nitrogen Jeff Schahczenski, National Center for fixation, and protection and improvement of Appropriate Technology soil and water quality are all considerations. Started in 2001, the federal crop insurance Problem weeds, such as thistle and grasses, can program is now utilized by well over 50 percent be managed with specific cover crop strategies. of certified organic farmers. The U.S. Using mixes of different species can loosen Department of Agriculture Risk Management compaction, scavenge nutrients, provide Agency has made significant progress in serving grazing after the cash crop has been harvested, organic agriculture broadly. Despite significant and provide habitat for beneficial insects. 2020 OEFFA Conference Workshop Descriptions

Former National Organic Standards Board chair Savvy Tillage Harriet Behar will consider specific crop Jeff Poppen, Barefoot Farmer production challenges and cover crop solutions, [Description coming soon] as well as describe a variety of seeding and termination methods. Growing Organic Grain as the Climate Changes Eli Dean, Timberlane Farms, Scott Myers, What Bees Are These? Incorporating Wild Bees Woodlyn Acres Farm, Paul Schmitmeyer, in Our Garden and Landscapes Nourishing Meadows, Amalie Lipstreu, OEFFA Dianne Kadonaga, Sunny Glen Garden [Description coming soon] There are 500 native species of Ohio bees with lifestyles that are very different from Keeping Your Cattle Healthy honeybees. Understanding them can help us Richard Jeffers, Sunny Mead Land and Cattle find ways to tweak our garden, landscaping, and [Description coming soon] farming practices to be more inclusive and supportive of wild bees. Pollinator specialization Did the Butcher Steal My Meat?! Finding, advocate Dianne Kadonaga will explain how Forming, and Maintaining a Good Relationship mulching, tilling, winter clean up, and other with Your Processor common practices destroy native bee habitat. Travis Hood, This Old Farm Meats and Learn what you can do instead to enhance Processing, Lyndsey Teter, Six Buckets Farm survival of these vital creatures. Dianne will [Description coming soon] bring native bee specimen collections, share free tools and resources, and demonstrate how Planning a Regenerative Farm for Climate Crisis you can contribute to citizen science bee Resilience: One Farm’s Experiences projects. Kip Gardener, Creekview Ridge Farm Farmers use regenerative practices to increase Compostponics: How to Make Compost for biodiversity and foster carbon sequestration, Long-Term Containers and Raised Beds but only recently have regenerative farmers John Biernbaum, Michigan State Horticulture started to think about the impacts of climate and Pear Tree Farm change on current systems and practices, which Whether you grow in containers and raised could make planning difficult. Kip Gardner will beds because the local soil is not an option or describe how he is implementing a basic you are interested in an alternative to buying agroforestry model, but with specific practices soil or expensive bags of peat-based media, you that are aimed at being resistant to extreme may want to make nutrient rich, biologically temperature variations, drought, or excessive active growing media with long-term stability. precipitation. Learn the practices and the Professor and researcher John Biernbaum will principles behind his system, and see examples explain how to hot compost local fall leaves, from his farm, as well as from other farms, ramial wood chips, straw, hay/grass, garden regions, and types of growing systems. residue, food scraps, and coffee grounds with added minerals, plus how to blend composts and make and use vermicompost for routine fertility management.

2020 OEFFA Conference Workshop Descriptions

Navigating Urban Farming: Land, Laws, and .Session VI: 3:30-5:00 p.m.. Locals April Pandora, Eden Urban Gardens Walking Our Talk: Introduction to Food Justice Urban farming presents unique challenges and Certification opportunities. Learn from certified organic Jordan Brown and Carolyn Charles, The Family urban farmer April Pandora how to carefully Garden, Leah Cohen, Agricultural Justice Project assess and acquire land and access and install Can a workplace have a comprehensive water in the city. She’ll help you understand approach to justice and equity? Learn more and find solutions to local laws and how to about Food Justice Certification, which involves strategically build relationships with supportive fair pricing, health and safety, conflict partners, while responsibly responding to resolution, and employment policies. unsupportive neighbors. Strengthen your farm team in the face of climate change and food safety requirements. Six Steps to Planning Your Promotional Demonstrate to your customers and staff that Calendar you follow best practices for running a fair, safe Corinna Bench, Shared Legacy Farms business. Food Justice Certified farmers Jordan How do you plan your farm promotions for next Brown and Carolyn Charles, along with Leah year? Are you tired of shooting from the hip Cohen, will lead attendees through creating a and doing a lot of things that “feel” like safety plan, useful ergonomic exercises, and marketing, but you’re not sure they’re working? lively discussion. Leave with a template for In this workshop, she will walk through the composing labor policies that meet the Customer Value Journey grid tool. You’ll learn standards of Food Justice Certification. how to plan several strategies that target multiple audiences so that your prospects and Unlocking the Mysteries of Biodynamics customers move even deeper into your brand. Jeff Poppen, Barefoot Farmer [Description coming soon] Living Soil and the Human Microbiome: What Organic Growers Need to Know Building Your Own Hoophouse Right the First Kimberley Kresevic, InSoil Health Time For millennia, plants have nurtured a diverse Bruce Kress, Adaptive Process microbiome in humans and have reliably This workshop will cover what Bruce Kress wish contributed to our health and wellness. As the someone had told him before he built his first human diet transitions away from natural hoophouse. Even though a hoophouse looks farming towards factory-produced foods, our simple, the wind must be carefully considered, microbiota is changing; chronic illnesses like and there are many factors that will affect cost, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and performance, frustration, and longevity. Grain arthritis are steadily rising. Registered Nurse farmer and engineer Bruce Kress will share his Kimberley Kresevic will describe current hoophouse experiences that hopefully will help research on the human microbiota relevant to you think through the many options and organic growers. Learn about the fundamental considerations of this wonderful season role of healthy food in preventing, and even extender. If you’re planning to cut costs by reversing, the most debilitating diseases of our assembling your own hoophouse, he’ll help you time. carefully weigh the options. 2020 OEFFA Conference Workshop Descriptions

Opportunities in Agroforestry: Forest Farming Business Strategies for New and Young Medicinal Woodland Herbs and Other Non- Farmers Timber Forest Products Meg Grzeskiewicz, Rhinestone Cattle Co. Tanner Filyaw, Rural Action Young and beginning farmers may not have Tanner Filyaw, Non-Timber access to loans, inherited assets, or local (NTFP) Program Manager at Rural Action, will mentorship. Ranch manager Meg Grzeskiewicz discuss the basic principles of forest farming, will propose startup plans that don’t require big including common production methods, capital investments. Learn how new producers growing site selection and evaluation, planting can find clear direction in enterprise economic techniques, and marketing strategies. Learn analysis, as well as how to build their how to propagate, cultivate, process, and knowledge and reputation. market specific NTFP crops including ginseng, goldenseal, ramps, black cohosh, bloodroot, Treatment-Free Beekeping and pawpaw. Tom Cail, White Clover Meadows Organic farmer Tom Cail will explain how hive Organic Vegetable Transplant Production modifications, selective breeding, and crop Steve Diver, University of Kentucky Horticulture rotation helped his hives flourish without the Research Farm assistance of pesticides or antibiotics. Hear how Researcher and professor Steve Diver will he was able to split the four hives that survived review the key cultural practices and crop last year’s difficult winter to create eleven more production inputs—such as plug tray options, hives. potting mixes, homemade potting mixes, soil amendments, and liquid organic fertilizers— A Hands-On Guide to Solar Applications that drive a successful organic transplant Valerie Garrett and Tom Rapini, A's and O's production system. This workshop will share Farm lessons learned, based on raising thousands of Solar prices have dropped dramatically, flats of organic seedlings and evaluating new allowing homes and farms to turn to renewable composts, vermicomposts, and media energy to automate tasks, especially remote components every year. Tips will include how to tasks, with electricity. Electric fences, water amend a commercial potting mix with dramatic pumps, greenhouse fans, lighting and electric growth improvements. vehicles are just a few of the applications farmers Tom Rapini and Valerie Garrett will Creating and Connecting Regional Staple Food discuss. This will be a full hands-on workshop Networks with hardware demonstrations. Work in small Michelle Ajamian and Brandon Jaeger, groups to assemble simple solar, battery, Shagbark Seed & Mill, Lisa Trocchia, Prescott motor, and lighting circuits. College [Description coming soon] Engaging Urban Youth In Gardening and Agriculture Katie Carey and Beth Urban, Highland Youth Garden [Description coming soon]

2020 OEFFA Conference Workshop Descriptions

Awesome Customer Service: Considering All Aspects of Customer Engagement Eric Barrett, Rob Leeds, and Christie Welch, The Ohio State Unviersity Extension Every contact with each customer defines the farm brand and affects the future of the farm business. Extension educators Eric Barrett, Rob Leeds, and Christie Welch will lead attendees in practicing the art of scripted customer service, empowering them with spontaneity to make sure customers leave happy. Attendees will receive a workbook with activities and a template to create their own customer service plan.

Trust, Transparency, Disruption, and Blockchain in a New Organic Food Economy Jeff Schahczenski, National Center for Appropriate Technology Blockchain technology as applied to agriculture product supply chains offers promises of a new and disruptive form of algorithmic economic trust, even referred to as a “trust machine.” Can blockchain technology usher in a transformation to a new transparent “sharing” organic food supply economy? Jeff will explore, through the comparative examination of three case studies of lamb supply chains, how blockchain is and is not living up to its many promises of improved transactional efficiency, transparency, and trust in food products with multiple attributes, such as certified organic.