CONFERENCE AT A GLANCE

Friday, Feburary 3rd

Plenary Session: 8:15am - 10:00am

Beginning with a few words of commemoration...
Join us as we remember those in the ecological agriculture movement who have passed away this year.

Successful Organic Farmers
An annual tradition at EcoFarm! This year’s crop of farmers will talk about what they do, why they do it, and what they’ve learned along the way.

Bob Cannard
Green String Farm, Petaluma, CA
Bob Cannard has been farming sustainably for 30 years. He is well known for providing produce to Chez Panisse Restaurant in Berkeley. His farming philosophy involves staying in tune with natural processes and replenishing the land with cover crops and compost. Creating more capacity for air and water in the soil, and competition control for balancing crop and weed growth are important. In collaboration with Fred Cline, he currently runs Green String Farm and the Green String Institute. Green String Farm is a 140-acre farm with 50-60 acres in cultivation in Petaluma, CA. The mission of Green String Institute is to renew the spirit of organic agriculture and train young farmers with respect for the environment and the planet.

Christopher LaRose, Jessica Spain, Noël Vietor, Shirley Ward
Esalen Institute, Big Sur, CA
For over forty years, the Esalen Farm and Garden has provided a holistic model of food security and sustainability—growing organic food on 4 acres in Big Sur that sustains, heals and educates the community and 17,000 guests per year. The Esalen Institute was founded in 1962 as an alternative educational center devoted to the exploration of what Aldous Huxley called the “human potential”. The Esalen Farmers and Gardeners believe that growing one’s own food is a powerful form of activism and a deep source of spiritual experience. They strive to cultivate soil, plants and people, while honoring the spirit of the land and its ancestors. The Farm and Garden staff will present an overview of their approach to production and education at Esalen.

Shinji Hashimoto
Hashimoto Farm, Ichijima Tanba City, Japan
Shinji Hashimoto was born in 1961, in Hiroshima, and started farming organically in 1989. He created a Teikei (CSA in English) farmer’s group in Hyogo prefecture, near Kyoto that has since become one of the oldest operating grower’s groups in Japan. His Teikei provides shares year-round for 300 households. Shinji produces around 40-50 varieties of vegetables and raises 400 free-range chickens. He is an active member of the Japanese Organic Agriculture Association and holds speaking engagements around Japan to promote Organic and Teikei farming principles. Shinji’s Teikei helped their members recover from the Kobe earthquake in 1995 and currently supports farmers who were affected by the Fukushima nuclear power plants accident in 2011.

Session D: 10:30am - 12:00pm

Keeping Organic Relevant
In light of newly emerging certifications and increasing regulations for food safety, water, and air, how does the organic community navigate the changing agricultural/food systems landscape? How do we remain relevant to consumers? Consumers are becoming increasingly confused with emerging eco-labels on the market shelf, not to mention unclear terms such as “natural” or “sustainable”. This session will look at some confusing labels and wording, how they affect organic business, and what it would mean to expand organic standards to include social justice, animal welfare, ecosystem conservation, and climate change benefits.

Presenters: Dag Falck, Nature’s Path Food Inc., Richmond, BC, Canada; Jake Lewin, CCOF, Santa Cruz, CA.

Build Your Own Small, Farm-Based, Cheese Business
The number of artisanal cheesemakers is on the rise. Many of them are farmstead producers who only work with the milk from their own animals. Author of The Farmstead Creamery Advisor, Gianaclis Caldwell brings to life the story of creating a successful cheesemaking business. She walks would-be producers through the often-confusing decisions they will face in this burgeoning cottage industry. Her book fills the gap between the pasture and the cheese plate, covering topics such as analyzing your suitability for the career, designing and building a cheese facility, sizing up the market, and ensuring maximum safety.

Presenter: Gianaclis Caldwell, Pholia Farm, Rogue Valley, OR.
*This workshop is made possible in part with funding from the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service.

Ecological Pond Design and Management
Struggling to evict scum from your pond? Planning to build a small pond (1/4 to 20 acres) on your property? This session will help you by discussing individual or multi-purpose ponds for fishing, irrigation, tailwater return, swimming, and fire protection. The workshop will cover the physical characteristics of a good pond—depth, islands, aeration, side slopes—as well as weed control and sealing a leaky pond. Learn the complexities of a pond ecosystem and how to manage it. Keith has over 30 years of experience with ponds and has provided advice to hundreds of pond owners.

Presenter: Keith Crabtree, Green Acres 101, Auburn, CA.

Organic Muckrakers: Holding the Organic Industry Accountable
Watchdogs and muckrakers have a place in the organic industry to keep people honest and accountable to the organic community. Farmers and consumers need to stand up to the corporate toxic cartel and to those trying to dilute organic standards from within the industry. The tactics for “raising hell” on some issues have involved confronting people and businesses in a way that some praise and others find objectionable. In this session we will hear differing views about the best approaches for securing economic justice for family farmers and for ensuring corporate accountability, environmental sustainability and fair trade practices. Speakers will talk about their philosophies and tactics for challenging industrial agriculture and corporate globalization while enhancing organic integrity.

Presenters: Ronnie Cummins, Organic Consumers Association, Finland, MN; Mark Kastel, Cornucopia Institute, Rockton, WI; Tom Willey, T & D Willey Farms, Madera, CA.
Hosted by Nutiva

Fukushima, Fallout, & Farming
What are the implications of nuclear fallout on our farms and food systems? How are Japanese farmers faring? U.C. Berkeley is analyzing California farm samples and data obtained from Japan to understand the distribution of materials and their impact on the population. Japanese CSA farmer Shinji Hashimoto will detail the situation for Japanese farmers and Dr. Kai Vetter will explain the findings coming out of U.C. Berkeley. John Chater, pomegranate grower, lecturer and masters candidate in Agriculture at Cal Poly, will contribute his views and findings.

Presenters: John Chater, Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, CA; Shinji Hashimoto, Hashimoto Farm, Hyogo, Japan; Kai Vetter, UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA.

Pastured Poultry in Crop Systems
Integrated crop/livestock agriculture is on the rise, with small and medium-sized farms generating their own sources of soil fertility and providing meat and eggs to consumers hungry for feedlot-free animal products. Agroecologist Kathleen Hilimire will discuss her multi-farm study of poultry’s effects on soil quality, profits and food safety. Jared Lawson, from Pie Ranch will inform us from the farmer’s perspective. Nigel Walker of Eatwell Farm has successfully integrated chickens on his multi-crop CSA farm and enjoys the additional income stream from his poultry. (In English with Spanish interpretation.)

Presenters: Kathy Hilimire, Sierra Bounty, Mammoth Lakes, CA; Jered Lawson, Pie Ranch, Pescadero, CA; Nigel Walker, Eatwell Farm, Dixon, CA.

Variety Trials as a Useful Tool for Organic Farmers
The best way to find better varieties of vegetables for your farm is to conduct your own variety trials. It sounds complicated, so growers are sometimes reluctant. It is really easy and will give you information about what varieties do well in your situation. Don’t take someone else’s word for this, do it yourself! Variety trials can also satisfy your organic certifier, who needs you to demonstrate an effort to find organic seeds. A seed professional and an experienced farmer will discuss how to lay out a variety trial, where to find varieties to compare, how to judge the results, and how this can fit into any type of farming system.

Presenters: Eddie Tanner, Deep Seeded Farm, Arcata, CA; Jared Zystro, Organic Seed Alliance, Arcata, CA.

Trucker’s View of Organic Produce
This session features a panel of people who drive and dispatch the trucks that haul organic produce from farms and loading docks in the country to stores and warehouses in the city. This is an opportunity for farmers, wholesalers, retailers, and consumers to hear from the people who provide the transportation we all depend on. Topics include the challenges faced by truckers, some ways to integrate transportation more effectively into business operations, and how distributors can become better partners with their transportation providers.

Presenters: Nicole Mason, Veritable Vegetable, San Francisco, CA; Sheryl Persondek, Dave’s Trucking, Indianapolis, IN; John St. John, Rubios Transportation, Las Vegas, NV; Tom Talmedge, Villa Express, Montebello, CA

Marketing de Baja Tecnología y Alta Eficiencia
Este taller va a explicar cómo hacer un impacto en el mercado sin gastar más dinero de lo que ingresa a través de sus cultivos. Comenzando con un plan estable de cultivo y con un poco de capital, el marketing puede ser eficiente y rentable. Técnicas simples pueden, y van, más allá que estrategias de alto costo. Aprenda como re-pensar la belleza de los productos de su granja y localice dónde será usted más exitoso. La asesora de marketing Dina Izzo y la agricultora Judy Hasty van a presentar ideas y métodos que tienen un récord comprobado de éxito en el competitivo mundo del mercado. (En inglés con interpretación al español.)

Expositores: Judy Hasty, Yellow Wall Farm, Santa Cruz, CA; Dina Izzo, BluDog Organic produce Services, Ben Lomond, CA.

Session E: 1:30pm - 3:00pm

The Business Case for Responsible Packaging
As businesses focus on “greening” their supply chain, it’s essential to develop and use responsible packaging. With the proliferation of “green, sustainable, degradable, and bio-based” packaging claims and the emergence of packaging scorecards and metrics schemes, the organic industry must define a vision for packaging responsibility. The Responsible Packaging Project has developed guidelines for the organic industry that focus on three primary areas: transparency of content, producer responsibility, and ecological principles. We will discuss the need, risks, best practices, and benefits of responsible packaging.

Presenters: Nate Schlachter, Food Trade Sustainability Leadership Association, Portland, OR; Tom Wright, Sustainable Bizness Practices, Moraga, CA; Chad Smith, Earthbound Farm, Palo Alto, CA.

Small Farm Financial Management
Do you want to use your financial information to make better business decisions? Whether you’re keeping receipts in a shoe box, using a ledger, Excel spreadsheet, or QuickBooks, this workshop will take you to a new level in financial management. Learn tips on what kind of information you want to track and why, as well as how to plan upcoming seasons to avoid cash flow problems. Hear about best practices directly from a local farmer and a business advisor to small farms.

Presenters: Anthony Chang, Business Entrepreneurship Center and California FarmLink, Mountainview, CA; Darryl Wong, Freewheelin Farm, Santa Cruz, CA.

Food Safety for Small/Mid-Size Farmers
All farmers want to produce safe food In these times of frequent food safety scares and scrutiny by government as well as buyers and the media, it is a challenge for small and mid-size producers to know what to do. We’ll hear about lessons learned from dealing with food safety inspectors, and steps all farmers can take to be proactive about livestock, wildlife, soil management, compost, perimeter vegetation, and hedgerows. We’ll also get an update on CDFA programs, county environmental health proposals, national harmonization efforts, and federal regulations.

Presenters: Dave Runsten, Community Alliance with Family Farmers, Davis, CA; Jo Ann Baumgartner, Wild Farm Alliance, Watsonville, CA; Tim Bates, Apple Farm, Philo, CA.

Climate-Friendly Farming
Organic and sustainable agriculture and other integrated farming practices show promise for reducing greenhouse gases and sequestering carbon in soils and plants. In this workshop you will hear from two teams of farmers and scientists who are investigating the potential of farming practices to benefit the climate. One team will describe a study that measured carbon stocks on a vineyard site. The second team will report the findings of their research on an organic walnut farm, where they looked at the carbon sequestration potential in soils associated with cover cropping and applying biochar.

Presenters: Louise Jackson, UC Davis, Davis, CA; Russ Lester, Dixon Ridge Farm, Winters, CA; Engil Pereira, UC Davis, Davis, CA; Ann Thrupp, Bonterra/Fetzer, Hopland, CA.

Wise Words from Well-Seasoned Farmers
We are in for a wonderful session of reminiscing about the early days of California agriculture. This is the real dirt from those who were there. Charlie Barra, 87, began working his parents’ vineyard at age 10 and has been growing organic wine grapes on his own for 67 years. Wally Condon, 80, a former high school teacher, has been farming near Lodi for over 40 years, specializing in potatoes and garlic. Richard Rominger, 84, is a fourth generation farmer in Yolo County, growing grains, beans, alfalfa, and other field crops. He is former Director of CDFA and former Deputy Secretary of the USDA.

Presenters: Charlie Barra, Barra of Mendocino, Redwood Valley, CA; Richard Rominger, Rominger Brothers, Winters, CA; Wally Condon, Small Potatoes, Lodi, CA.

Human Health Benefits of Grass-Fed Livestock: Meat, Milk & Eggs
Just as diet has a significant impact on human health, what farm animals eat has a tremendous effect on the nutrient content of the food they produce. Research shows that grass-based diets enhance the healthful antioxidants, proteins and vitamin content of these foods. Grass-fed animal products are high in a number of healthy constituents including carotenoids, bioflavonoids, tocopherols, and glutathione. This session will detail the latest research on the impact of grass-fed diets on ruminant and poultry products and how we can use this information to market products to consumers.

Presenter: Cindy Daley, California State University, Chico, CA.

The Magic of Organic Integrated Pest Management
Learn the secrets of cultural, mechanical and biological practices that reduce pressure from insects, diseases, weeds, and vertebrate pests in organic crops. IPM Specialist Martin Guerena has many years of experience using these techniques on farm fields all over California. He will discuss pesticides approved for organic use and will detail how to construct a diverse and healthy soil food web on your farm. (In English with Spanish interpretation.)

Presenter: Martin Guerena, City of Davis Integrated Pest Management Program, Davis, CA.

La Magia del Manejo Integrado de Pestes Orgánico
Aprenda los secretos de las prácticas culturales, mecánicas, y biológicas para reducir insectos, enfermedades, malezas, y las presiones de pestes vertebradas en cultivos orgánicos. El especialista en MIP Martín Guerena tiene muchos años de experiencia usando estas técnicas en campos en todo California. El va a hablar acerca de pesticidas aprobados para uso orgánico y va a dar detalles acerca de cómo construir una red alimentaria del suelo diversa y saludable en su granja. (En inglés con interpretación al español.)

Expositor: Martín Guerena, City of Davis Integrated Pest Management Program, Davis, CA.

The 2012 Farm Bill: Who Needs It? You Do!
The Farm Bill is federal legislation re-written every 5 years that defines how we eat and how we do business, guiding the direction of agriculture in the U.S. This is the time to learn about the Farm Bill, how it can benefit farmers and ranchers, improve access to healthy food, promote conservation, organic agriculture, beginning farmer and rancher programs, and more.

Presenters: Noelle Ferdon, Food and Water Watch, Chico, CA; Susan Prolman, National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, Washington, D.C; Gina Sims, Center for Nutrition and Activity Promotion, Chico, CA.

Livestock Guardian Dogs
Adam Gaska currently uses seven dogs to protect 100 sheep and 1,000 chickens. He has been buying, training, and breeding his guard dogs for eight years. These amazing animals become “family” with the sheep and help nurture the young lambs. Terri and Bob Blanchard of Old Creek Ranch are “Predator-Friendly” certified ranchers who live in harmony with bobcats, eagles and coyotes. Since 1996, they’ve used dogs and electric fences for protection, but they also realize that they must preserve native prey. They have a couple hundred cattle in a cow-calf/yearling operation, as well as about 400 sheep and goats, a couple of hundred chickens, and around 50 pigs.

Presenters: Bob Blanchard, Old Creek Ranch, Cayucos, CA; Adam Gaska, Mendocino Organics, Mendocino, CA.

Session F: 3:30pm - 5:00pm

Think Federally, Act Locally: Farm Bill Organizing Strategies
The policies that collectively make up the Farm Bill and influence all aspects of our food system are up for reauthorization in 2012. But how do we act locally to influence legislation in D.C.? Advocacy and smart campaign tactics will help the food movement gain influence at state and national levels. Learn about campaign architecture, grassroots strategies and the tactics of organizations working on the 2012 Farm Bill. Join the policy fight for a healthy and just food system.

Presenters: Adam Scow, Food and Water Watch, San Francisco, CA; Udi Lazimy, Organic Farming Research Foundation, Santa Cruz, CA.

Bringing Grains Back Home
The remarkable rise in local food production is rekindling interest in locally grown grains. Among artisanal bakeries, restaurants and small markets, demand for specialty grains is growing steadily. This session’s speakers are re-introducing local grains in vineyards and small plots, using small-scale and vintage equipment. They will tell their stories and cover the breadth of this exciting topic, from seed selection and production techniques through cleaning, storage, milling, distribution, equipment acquisition, and the growing opportunities to bring grains back home.

Presenters: John La Boyteaux, Camp Grant Ranch, Redway, CA; Matthew Frey, Frey Vineyards, Redwood Valley, CA; Doug Mosel, Mendocino Grain Project, Philo, CA.

The Farmworkers’ Journey
The book with this title, by Dr. Ann López, describes the binational farmworker circuit that runs from the Mexican countryside to central California. Using farmworker voices and up-to-date research, she portrays a world of inescapable poverty that has worsened since NAFTA began in 1994. Dr. López was so disturbed by the social injustices and human rights’violations that are endemic to the binational farmworker community that she founded the Center for Farmworker Families. Center for Farmworker Families’ staff work on both sides of the border supporting projects in both Mexico and California designed to sustainably promote financial and nutritional well-being and independence. (English and Spanish interpretation offered.)

Presenter: Dr. Ann López, Center for Farmworker Families, San Jose, CA; farmworkers will also attend and tell their personal stories.

El Trayecto del Trabajador del Campo
Este es el título del libro en que la autora Ann López describe el circuito del trabajador del campo que comienza en el campo Mexicano y va hasta el centro de California. Usando las voces de trabajadores del campo e investigación actualizada, ella retrata un mundo en que es muy difícil escapar de la pobreza y que ha empeorado desde el comienzo del NAFTA en 1994. La Sra. López fundó el Center for Farmworker Families (Centro para Familias de Trabajadores del Campo) para apoyar proyectos en México y California que promueven el bienestar y la independencia financiera y nutricional. (Ofrecido en inglés y español.)

Expositor: Ann López, Center for Farmworker families, San José; posibles trabajadores del campo a ser anunciados.

Fixing School Food
School lunch is getting a makeover. Jamie Smith’s background as a talented chef and graduate of The French Culinary Institute in New York has created a huge impact on his role as the Senior Manager of Food Services & Nutrition for the Santa Cruz City Schools. He has incorporated seasonal and local produce in to the breakfasts and lunches of thousands of children and has forged partnerships with local farms to sell fruit and vegetables directly to schools. Amy Kalafa became involved with school lunches when she found out her daughter was eating fries, chips, and cake for lunch at middle school. She got angry, made a documentary film, wrote a book and created tools to help us create change in our own school districts.

Presenters: Amy Kalafa, Two Angry Moms, Georgetown, CT; Jamie Smith, Santa Cruz City Schools, Santa Cruz, CA

Organic Orchard Management & IPM
After an overview of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) practices and organic farm management by a UC Cooperative Extension small farm adviser, two successful and experienced tree fruit farmers will describe their orchard management systems. Coco Ranch features cherries, apricots, peaches, and apples in the Central Valley near Davis. Gabriel Farm produces Asian pears, persimmons, apples, and more on 14 acres in Sebastopol.

Presenters: Richard Molinar, UC Cooperative Extension, Fresno, CA; Gregory House, Coco Ranch and House Agricultural Consultants, Davis, CA; Torrey Marius Olsen, Gabriel Farm, Sebastopol, CA.

Low-Tech, High-Efficiency Marketing
This workshop will explain how to make an impact in the marketplace without spending more money than your crop brings in. Beginning with a solid crop plan and a small budget, marketing can be effective and profitable. Simple techniques can and go farther than hyper-costly strategies. Rethink the beauty of your farm’s products and evaluate where you will be most successful. Marketing consultant Dina Izzo and farmer Judy Hasty will present ideas and methods that have a proven record of success in the competitive world of the marketplace. (In English with Spanish interpretation.)

Presenters: Judy Hasty, Yellow Wall Farm, Santa Cruz, CA; Dina Izzo, BluDog Organic Produce Services, Ben Lomond, CA.
*This workshop is made possible in part with funding from the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service.

Edible Eco-Gardens
En masse, mainstream American consumers can create more resilient communities by shifting from lawns to beneficial landscapes that develop local food production and habitat. Eco-edible landscaping services are an ethical and viable business strategy. A growing number of clients are seeking more than “exterior decoration” services from landscape professionals. How do we develop a workable business model for this concept? What is the market potential, who are these clients and how do we connect with them? What do these landscapes look like and how do we design, and build them? This session will inspire landscape professionals.

Presenters: Jillian Steinberger, The Garden Artisan, Oakland, CA; Owen Dell, Owen Dell and Associates, Santa Barbara, CA.

Animal Angst: Humane Husbandry in Organic
Issues such as stocking densities, access to pasture and veterinary care have taken center stage as the NOSB attempts to balance the interests of diverse animal producers while preserving the integrity of the organic label. At what point does a large-scale organic operation cross the line and become a CAFO and how does the regulation prevent that from happening? What essential practices must be regulated to ensure that organic livestock producers employ the food industry’s most humane treatment? Join the conversation as we analyze the NOSB’s draft animal welfare guidelines, their anticipated impacts on organic farming, and what should change to protect organic integrity.

Presenters: Harriet Behar, Midwest Organic Farming and Education Service, Gays Mills, WI; Ed Maltby, Northeast Organic Dairy Producers Alliance (NODPA), Deerfield, MA; Paige Tomaselli, Center for Food Safety, San Francisco, CA.

[New at EcoFarm] Farmer Discussion Group on Seeding Techniques and Equipment
In acknowledgment that some of the best learning comes from farmers talking to each other on a subject, we are starting a series of Farmer Discussion Groups in 2012. These groups will not have pre-arranged presenters but will have a farmer or two to facilitate discussion among participants in an informal setting. This session will be about the best ways to get seeds in the ground. Different types of seeding equipment, modifications made to existing equipment, strategies for acheiving the best stand, and many more related topics. Farmers are welcome to attend and talk. Watch for more Farmer Discussion Groups in the conference program when you come to Asilomar!

Session G: 8:30am - 10:00am

Farmer-Chef Relationships
Can it be profitable to market to just one or a handful of restaurants? Love Apple Farms grows over 300 different cultivars of vegetables, fruits, herbs, and edible flowers year-round for one world-renowned restaurant, Manresa. It is a demanding and lucrative arrangement that our speaker thinks others, especially beginning farmers, should consider in order to advance their economic viability. We will also hear the perspective of the French Laundry’s culinary gardener, who farms for several well-known restaurants in the Thomas Keller Group and developed a grower cooperative in Georgia that sold to 24 restaurants.

Presenters: Cynthia Sandberg, Love Apple Farms, Ben Lomond, CA; Tucker Taylor, French Laundry, Yountville, CA.

Organic Herbicidal Products
As more products are introduced for organic weed control, it’s time to separate the wheat from the chaff. Learn the practical applications and limitations of these materials. John Roncoroni and his colleagues have conducted numerous field trials with organic herbicides, and he will discuss the results. Field application of Final-San-O, a soap-based herbicide, will be detailed by Greg Hallquist. Joe Jankauskas will discuss the use of Nature’s Avenger, derived from citrus oil.

Presenters: Greg Hallquist, Certis USA, Elk Grove, CA; Joe Jankauskas, Cutting Edge Formulations, Buford, GA; John Roncoroni, UC Cooperative Extension, Napa, CA.

Veganic Agriculture
More farmers than ever are interested in farming without the use of animal products. Whether it is because of concerns about food safety from manure, or a philosophical commitment to being vegan, or the desire to incorporate vegan permaculture principles into a practical system, veganic farming is thriving. Our speaker’s background includes 17 years farming her own 30 acres of organic crops and 15 years as a county extension agent in Montana. She has developed conservation farming techniques using reduced tillage, increased species diversity and closed nutrient cycles on her farm. This led her to a “veganic permaculture” with permanent soil cover, minimal weeding and protection of all beneficial creatures.

Presenter: Helen Atthowe, Veganic Permaculture, Stevenson, MT.

Hippity Hop to the Wabbit Workshop
Rabbits are a viable enterprise for home and commercial production. Our speakers have many years of practical rabbit raising and marketing experience. They will cover detailed topics including rabbit breeds, basic housing and management, breeding and nutritional health, processing, and cooking with rabbit.

Presenters: Mark Pasternak, Devil’s Gulch Ranch, Nicasio, CA; Pamela Alley, Rabbit Industry Council, Oroville, CA.

Preserving and Propagating Heirloom Fruit and Nut Trees
Heirloom fruits and nuts created the California agricultural juggernaut. The future of our food heritage lies in the roots of our past. Today horticulturists are going back to the state’s history to find and propagate the best of these heirlooms. Learn about these pioneering plants and how their legacy is being preserved. Ram Fishman has been finding and propagating the Mendocino and Humboldt introductions of Albert Etter. Bob Hornback is a leader of the preservation and propagation efforts of the Luther Burbank legacy. Amigo Cantisano is evaluating and propagating the thousands of plants introduced by Felix Gillet beginning in 1871.

Presenters: Amigo Bob Cantisano, Felix Gillet Institute, N. San Juan, CA; Bob Hornback, Luther Burbank Experimental Farm, Sebastopol, CA; Ram Fishman, Greenmantle Nursery, Garberville, CA.

Urban Homestead Design Lab
This workshop is an opportunity to learn about the different elements that make up an urban homestead and how to put them together in whatever space you have. Learn about the relationship of an individual home site to the wider neighborhood, community and watershed you inhabit. Addressing questions about the limitations and opportunities of both land and lifestyle, this workshop helps novice or experienced urban gardeners combine design elements in a closed-loop system. The workshop offers some basics in permaculture, as well as common sense how-to projects for the urban homestead.

Presenter: Rachel Kaplan, Homegrown Guild, Petaluma, CA.

Planting the Spirit
Where can Eco-Farmers go to commune with others about the applied ethics of fairness, compassion and care in all our relations? Anne Marie Sayer, Ohlone elder and spokesperson for the heritage rights of California’s Indigenous People, knows the power of asking guidance from the ancestors of the place where you live and work. Musician, poet and bard Diane Patterson activates the rhythms of the heart-mind through her soul-penetrating music and lyrics. Kalita Todd, founding member of EcoFarm, is a teacher and healer who offers us the Dance of Life every year on the beach. Join these three wise women to find inspiration in ceremony, song and dance.

Presenters: Anne Marie Sayer, Costanoan Research, Inc. and Indian Canyon Nation, Hollister, CA; Kalita Todd, Spiritual Inspiration to EcoFarm, Grass Valley, CA; Diane Patterson, Musician, Ceremonial Activist, Nomad.

GMO Labeling Legislation
Genetically engineered ingredients are pervasive in today’s supermarket because American consumers don’t know they’re there. Labeling these foods would impact food production worldwide, and the companies that profit from GMOs know this. Momentum on the GE labeling issue has taken root in the U.S. and a precedent could be set for labeling all foods produced with GMO ingredients. Does the consumer have the right to know?

Presenters: Pamm Larry, Campaign to Label GMOs, Chico, CA; Rebecca Spector, Center for Food Safety, San Francisco, CA.

Plenary Session: 10:30am

Neighborly Voices

Jim Knopik
Northstar Neighbors, Fullerton, NE
Tom Philpott
Mother Jones, Valle Crucis, NC

Our theme this year, Raising EcoFarmer Voices, is about speaking up for ecologically-sustainable values in our communities. This may mean engaging with neighbors who may not agree with those values. Learning how to inspire change while at the same time working with neighbors and communities with a variety of perspectives is key to being an effective voice. Our speakers can take on “the system” in a way that keeps a neighborly outlook intact.

An organic grain and livestock farmer from Nebraska, Jim and the mid-Nebraska PRIDE organization he founded successfully fought big hog confinement operations and won. If you talk to Jim, he won’t describe the battle in terms of fighting, but rather as neighborly connection and education. Connections with his neighbors have figured largely in Jim’s success; he is also the founder of Northstar Neighbors and the Nebraska Food Co-op. Jim has worked tirelessly to create ways that fledgling organic producers in Nebraska can bring their goods to the heartland’s urban markets in the midst of conventional and GM cropland, and he has succeeded.

Making connections of a different kind, Tom Philpott has helped launch a new type of career – part farmer and part witty investigative food journalist most recently for Mother Jones and formerly for Grist. In Tom’s words, a decade ago it wouldn’t have occurred to a national, political publication to hire a full time food writer. Today, Tom’s reporting digs into food and farm stories to bring readers the hitherto hidden facts – no matter how surprising and unappetizing they may be. A former financial reporter, Tom is able to elucidate the vagaries of the industrial food system through engaging writing that reaches larger numbers of readers every day. He’s sharing knowledge on a grand scale, and as the saying goes, knowledge is power. We hope you’ll listen to Tom describe the surprising ways that small groups of people have made big changes in their communities and are dramatically altering previously barren, industrial landscapes.

[Bios]
Jim Knopik
Jim Knopik is a diversified organic rancher from Nebraska and the founder Northstar Neighbors (2000), a direct marketing food co-operative consisting of seven ranching families. To engage more producers and reach more Nebraska markets, Knopickalso founded the Nebraska Food Co-op (2006), a larger organization that currently has 300 active members and 60 producers. Jim was also a founding member of Nebraska PRIDE, the group that organized to keep large confinement hog operations out of much of Nebraska in 1998.

Tom Philpott
Tom Philpott is the food and ag blogger for Mother Jones and the cofounder of Maverick Farms, a center for sustainable food education in Valle Crucis, North Carolina. For five years, Tom served as a columnist, food editor, and senior food writer for the online environmental site Grist. Before moving to the farm in 2004, Philpott worked as a financial journalist in Mexico City and New York. He has been named one of “ten innovators” who “will continue to shape the culinary consciousness of our country for the next 30 years” by Food & Wine, and “one of 25 People Who Are Changing the World” in 2011 by Utne Reader.

CONFERENCE AT A GLANCE

Friday, Feburary 3rd

Plenary Session: 8:15am - 10:00am

Session D: 10:30am - 12:00pm

Session E: 1:30pm - 3:00pm

Session F: 3:30pm - 5:00pm

Session G: 8:30am - 10:00am

Plenary Session: 10:30am

Neighborly Voices

SPONSORS

Ecological Farming Association

Evans & Johnson,
Event Manager

Lodging

Follow Us

CONFERENCE AT A GLANCE

Friday, Feburary 3rd

Plenary Session: 8:15am - 10:00am

Session D: 10:30am - 12:00pm

Session E: 1:30pm - 3:00pm

Session F: 3:30pm - 5:00pm

Session G: 8:30am - 10:00am

Plenary Session: 10:30am

Neighborly Voices

SPONSORS

Ecological Farming Association

Evans & Johnson, Event Manager

Lodging

Follow Us

Evans & Johnson,
Event Manager