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FEBRUARY
Workshop: Learn How to Brand Your Local Food Business
February 1, 2012 | James P Coughlin Center | Oshkosh, WI
Branding helps set your products apart and connects buyers with the story of your farm. At this workshop you will participate in brand development exercises and learn about examples of successful brand development, local food trends, and the 12 steps to successful packaging. Speaker Andrea Neu is owner of Image Maker marketing communications. She has worked with Wisconsin cheese makers and marketers, as well as farmstead and artisan dairy producers, to assist with their brand development programs. She specializes in packaging, labeling, and materials development and brings over 36 years of experience in marketing. Space for each workshop is limited. To register or for more information, visit thier website or contact Theresa Feiner at theresa.feiner@wi.gov or 608-224-5112.
 32nd Annual EcoFarm Conference
February 1-4, 2012 | Pacific Grove, CA
As the oldest and largest ecological agricultural gathering in the West, the EcoFarm Conference meets every year to create, maintain, and promote healthy, safe, and just food farming systems. With over 1,500 attendees, the three days yield myriad opportunities for networking with colleagues, discovering the newest ecological agricultural development and techniques, and building skills for us as individuals and together as a community. Click here to visit their website.
Missouri Organic Association - Regional Organic Conference
February 2-5, 2012 | Union Station Marriott | St. Louis, MO
The lineup of speakers include Jeff Moyer, farm manager of Rodale Institute; Jeffrey Smith, author of “Seeds of Deception”; Jim Long, author of 23 books on urban edible landscapes; Jordon Rubin, founder of Garden of Life and Beyond Organic; and a full day of “Iron Chef” competition featuring some of the best of St. Louis chefs. Eight concurrent hands-on workshops will be presented on such topics as aquaponic production of tilapia and shrimp by KY State Universities experts; tree grafting classes by Stark Bros; best of bramble cultivers for Midwest climates; cheese-making; showing of the documentary, “What’s Organic about Organic." Visit their website for more information and how to register.
Cost: $195
Workshop & Webinar: Learn How to Brand Your Local Food Business
February 3, 2012 | DATCP | Madison, WI
Branding helps set your products apart and connects buyers with the story of your farm. At this workshop you will participate in brand development exercises and learn about examples of successful brand development, local food trends, and the 12 steps to successful packaging. Speaker Andrea Neu is owner of Image Maker marketing communications. She has worked with Wisconsin cheese makers and marketers, as well as farmstead and artisan dairy producers, to assist with their brand development programs. She specializes in packaging, labeling, and materials development and brings over 36 years of experience in marketing. Space for each workshop is limited. To register or for more information, visit thier website or contact Theresa Feiner at theresa.feiner@wi.gov or 608-224-5112.
7th Annual Immigrant and Minority Farm Conference
February 3-5, 2012 | Saint Paul, MN
All workshops are presented, or co-presented, by actual practitioners, meaning farmer market managers, distributors, farmers, chefs, etc. Interpreters accompany the participants as they visit the exhibit tables so to facilitate discussion and exchange. Interpreters and presenters meet before the conference to review the presentations and discuss language and cadence. Workshops and conference evaluations are mainly a brief facilitated verbal question and answer after each session. A highlight the past 3 years has been the lunch time story telling. After everyone gathers up their lunch plates (again catered by Sen Yai Sen Lek Thai Restaurant from Northeast Minneapolis), we gather in the main auditorium and we share stories about where we come from, farming in our native country, farming in our new country, peculiarities of life in America, and life’s wonderful happenings and challenges. Visit their website for more information.
Soil 101
February 3, 2012 | Michael Fields Agricultural Institute | East Troy, WI
Learn how soil is impacted by the addition of organic matter and tillage. Visit their website for more information and to register.
Cover Crops Basics
February 3, 2012 | Michael Fields Agricultural Institute | East Troy, WI
Will cover the basic principles of cover cropping including uses, species selection and management. Visit their website for more information and to register.
Tree Fruit Pruning for Beginners - Workshop
February 4, 2012 | University of Wisconsin - Duluth | Duluth, MN
Instructor Cindy Hale is a well-known local orchardist, farmer, researcher and advocate for restoration and planting of orchards featuring heritage varieties of historical importance to our region. This class is appropriate for participants of all skill levels and will cover the techniques used for restorative pruning of older fruit trees. Class will begin with brief classroom instruction, followed by hands-on work at the UMD Seedling Trial Orchard. Dress for the weather! Visit their website for more information.
Business Workshop for Small and Specialty Crop Farms
February 4, 2012 | Hutchingson, MN
Effective financial and business management are important keys to farm prosperity. Attendees can choose from breakout sessions on goal setting, recordkeeping, financing, cash flow and budgets, marketing, interpreting financial data, calculating the cost of production, and business planning. All sessions will be led by experienced growers and farm business management instructors associated with Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MnSCU). The instructors will help you weave all the information together for your farm. Click here to download the event brochure.
Southern Wisconsin Vegetable Workshop
February 7, 2012 | Alliant Energy Center | Madison, WI
The workshop will feature sessions on crop production methods, weed control, safe handling practices and a variety of marketing opportunities. Presentations will feature area farmers, UW Extension Vegetable Specialists, DATCP staff, and others. More information including the agenda and online registration are available on the Dane County UW Extension website or call 608-224-3706 to request a registration form.
Organic Nutrient Management Meeting
February 9, 2012 | Juneau, WI
Organic producers from Dodge and surrounding counties are invited to Juneau to learn more about nutrient manaagment planning. Kevin Shelley of UWEX Nutrient and Pest Management will discuss how to use soil tests to determine nutrient needs, and then how to meet those needs with organic sources, composted materials, legume and cover crops. Visit thier website for more information.
Healthy Farms Conference
February 10 & 11, 2012 | Nebraska City, NE
Keynote speaker this year is Fred Kirschenmann with a capstone address from Tom Field of the Engler Agribusiness Entrepreneurship Program. Other sessions include; permaculture, high tunnels, grazing, legumes, berries, organic research and more! There will be a full schedule of youth programming and included in the registration is the Arbor Day Tree Adventure. Another highlight will be the roundtables which will features topics from GMO's to Pipeline legislation to the Local Foods Bill. Scholarships are available for families and beginning farmers. This is the conference of the Nebraska Sustainable Agriculture Society. Visit their website for more information.
Biological Gardening through Soil Enrichment
February 10, 2012 | Michael Fields Agricultural Institute | East Troy, WI
Promote life in the soil by utilizing materials that are more natural and life promoting. Learn about Midwestern Bio Ag’s fertilizer program for biological/organic farming systems that include much more than N-P-K. Visit their website for more information and to register.
Beginning Farmer Course
February 11, 12, 18 & 19, 2012 | Central Rivers Farmshed | Stevens Point, WI
Thinking about starting a farm or market garden to grow sustainable, local food? This two-weekend course is taught by a group of experienced local farmers. Hear their stories about how they started farming, their current practices, and their future visions.Course participants will learn a variety of strategies to grow healthy, local food. Farmer instructors represent a range of growing and marketing styles, including vegetable and meat CSA, rotational grazing, Permaculture, urban farming, and value-added processing. Register online here or request a paper application via email joelle@farmshed.org or phone 715-544-6154
Raising Chickens - Workshop
February 11, 2012 | Michael Fields Agricultural Institute | East Troy, WI
The care, feeding and housing of layers and meat hens for production. Visit their website for more information and to register.
Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) Training
February 14, 2012 | Grayslake, IL
This program will provide an overview of GAPs (produce safety issues and impacts), vegetable retailer presentation on concerns about food safety, good handling practices, food defense protocols in the food chain, self auditing farms for food safety, crisis and risk management, and writing a food safety plan. Visit their website for more information.
Managing Weeds for Vegetable Production - Workshop
February 16, 2012 | Michael Fields Agricultural Institute | East Troy, WI
Vegetable producers gain new strategies for weed management in a diversified operation from a weed ecologist. Visit their website for more information and to register.
Food & Agricultural Communications: The Next Frontier
February 17, 2012 | I Hotel | Champaign, IL
Business leaders, media, non-profit organizations, and academia will meet for a first-of-its-kind international agricultural communications symposium open to anyone interested in strengthening communications about food, fiber, feed, renewable energy, rural-urban relations, natural resources, rural development and other dimensions of agriculture. Viist their website for more details.
Farm Transition and Estate Planning: Creat Your Farm Legacy
February 17, 2012 | Warner Lake Park Nature Center | Clearwater, MN
Renewing the Countryside and the Sustainable Farming Association bring you a workshop in which participants will get a greater understanding of crucial issues like transfer strategies, tax issues related to the transfer process, discuss methods for treatment of heirs in the transfer process, as well as learn how to go about developing a written transfer plan. Visit their website to learn more and register.
Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association Conference
February 17-19, 2012 | Granville, OH
The state’s largest sustainable food and farm conference, the event draws more than 1,000 attendees from across Ohio and the Midwest, and has sold out in advance the past two years. This year’s conference will feature keynote speakers Woody Tasch and Andrew Kimbrell; more than 70 informative, hands-on workshops; two featured pre-conference events on February 17; a trade show; a fun and educational kids’ conference and child care area; locally-sourced and organic homemade meals, and Saturday evening entertainment. Visit their website to learn more and register.
MOSES Organic Farming Conference
February 23-25, 2012 | La Crosse, WI
The MOSES Organic Farming Conference is the largest organic farming conference in the U.S. Organized by the Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service (MOSES), and held annually in La Crosse, WI, the OFC is an extraordinary, farmer-centered event. With over 70 informative workshops, 150 exhibitors, locally-sourced organic food, live entertainment and inspirational keynote speakers, the OFC is celebrated as the foremost educational and networking event in the organic farming community.From its humble beginning with 90 attendees in 1989, our most recent conference in February attracted almost 3,000 farmers, advocates, educators, students, and more.
Register online or download a registration form here.
Advanced Orchard Health for Sustainable Fruit Production - Workshop
February 23, 2012 | Radisson Hotel | La Crosse, WI
Sponsored by the Organic Tree Fruit Association (OTFA). Fruit tree culture has been stuck in allopathic mode for far too long, solely seeking out short-term fungicides and antibiotics to destroy disease-causing organisms from without. We never understood that the tree’s own immune ability could be coupled with the stimulation of friendly microbes to defeat disease from within. Join orchard health expert Michael Phillips for a day of in-depth orchard care geared towards fruit producers looking for sustainable and nature-based production techniques. Click here to download the event brochure.
Fruit Tree Pruning for Beginners - Worskhop
February 26, 2012 | Hillside Public Orchard | Duluth, MN
Instructor Cindy Hale is a well-known local orchardist, farmer, researcher and advocate for restoration and planting of orchards featuring heritage varieties of historical importance to our region. This class is appropriate for participants of all skill levels and will cover the techniques used for training young fruit trees for optimum health and production as they mature. We’ll begin with brief classroom instruction, followed by hands-on work at the Hillside Public Orchard. Dress for the weather! Visit their website for more information.
MARCH
Soil Sampling Basics - Workshop
March 2, 2012 | Michael Fields Agricultural Institute | East Troy, WI
This hands–on workshop explores the theory and practical aspects of getting representative soil samples. Visit their website for more information and to register.
Soil Fertility & Nutrient Management - Workshop
March 2, 2012 | Michael Fields Agricultural Institute | East Troy, WI
Interpret a soil sample report (bring yours if you have one) and design a soil fertility program. Visit their website for more information and to register.
Permaculture on Family Farms - Workshop
March 3, 2012 | Michael Fields Agricultural Institute | East Troy, WI
Discussions on the use of “what plant where” will be held, and you’ll also receive in-depth instruction on how to modify existing terrain in accordance with permacultural practices. Visit their website for more information and to register.
Introduction to Growing Specialty Cut Flowers - Workshop
March 9, 2012 | Michael Fields Agricultural Institute | East Troy, WI
Learn how to add value to your farm stand with specialty cut flowers. This workshop will give an overview of selecting, growing, harvesting, storing, and displaying beautiful specialty cut flowers. Visit their website for more information and to register.
The Care and Pruning of Fruit Trees
March 11, 2012 | Angelic Organics Learning Center| Caledonia, IL
Learn about variety selection, siting, planting methods, sustainable care, accommodating "pests" and disease, and proper pruning techniques. Get hands-on experience as we prune the fruit trees in our orchard. Visit their website for more information.
Time: 1:00pm - 5:00pm
Cost: $50
Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) Training
March 12, 2012 | Oregon, IL
This program will provide an overview of GAPs (produce safety issues and impacts), vegetable retailer presentation on concerns about food safety, good handling practices, food defense protocols in the food chain, self auditing farms for food safety, crisis and risk management, and writing a food safety plan. Visit their website for more information.
Introduction to Growing Specialty Cut Flowers - Workshop
March 9, 2012 | Michael Fields Agricultural Institute | East Troy, WI
Learn how to add value to your farm stand with specialty cut flowers. This workshop will give an overview of selecting, growing, harvesting, storing, and displaying beautiful specialty cut flowers. Visit their website for more information and to register.
Adding Diversity to Your Whole Farm Plan - Workshop
March 16, 2012 | Michael Fields Agricultural Institute | East Troy, WI
The basics of planning and planting plans for an organic orchard, managing risk, equipment needs, and budgeting for transition to organic fruit production. Participants encouraged to bring their ideas and farm maps as we will spend some time on orchard design and getting feedback from others. Focus on fruits suitable for our climate including labor, establishment and costs. Resources on orchard management, design and plant lists will be provided. Visit their website for more information and to register.
Farm Dreams: Assessing Risk & Resources to Start a Small Farm or Garden
March 17, 2012 | Angelic Organics Learning Center| Caledonia, IL
This interactive workshop will teach about types of sustainable farming careers in northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin. You will take part in a series of self-assessments, and be better prepared to decide whether to pursue a farming business. Visit their website for more information.
Time: 1:00pm - 5:00pm
Cost: $60
Growing Grapes in the Upper Midwest - Workshop
March 17, 2012 | Michael Fields Agricultural Institute | East Troy, WI
If you have ½ acre (250 grapevines),you can profit from growing grapes. Learn about site selection, grape varieties for cold climates, trellis systems, pruning, pest management, costs and marketing. Conclude with a wine tasting. Visit their website for more information and to register.
Student Initiatives in Sustainable Agriculture Conference
March 31 - April 1, 2012 | Appleton, WI
The Student Initiatives in Sustainable Agriculture Conference (SISA) is a national event for current and recent college students dedicated to sustainable gardening and farming initiatives whether well established or not yet realized. SISA facilitates an exchange of knowledge to promote the growth of student-run projects and encourage continued involvement in sustainable agriculture after college. This year's conference will feature presentations and workshops from students, farmers, and entrepreneurs, a keynote address by agricultural economist John Ikerd, and much more! Visit their website for more information and to register.
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