OEFFA Conference

Pre-Conference Event
Joel Salatin’s Ballet in the Pasture—Presented by Chipotle
Friday, February 12, 2010, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Granville Middle and High schools, 248 New Burg St., Granville OH

Polyface Farm's choreographed plant-animal symbiosis heals the landscape, the community, and the eater. Learn about Joel Salatin's grass-based multi-species livestock farm, where they raise beef, pork, poultry and rabbit products in a delicate balance that allows each species to perform some of the work of the farm through its own natural behaviors. Joel’s topics include species-appropriate portable shelters; species-appropriate control (different types of electric fences); landscape planning; forage growth principles, monitoring, and rationing; value adding; home processing; on-farm sawmill; predators; nutrient cycling: deep bedding and pigaerating, and pathogen cul-de-sacs and confusion.

OEFFA Conference
Saturday, February 13 - Sunday, February 14, 2010
Granville Middle and High schools, 248 New Burg St., Granville OH

Keynote Speakers
Joel Salatin – Presented by Chipotle
Speaker and author Joel Salatin is one of the best-known farmers of the sustainable food movement. Joel’s family farm in Swoope, VA serves more than 1,500 families, 10 retail outlets, and 30 restaurants through on-farm sales and metropolitan buying clubs with grass-fed beef, pastured poultry, eggs, pork, forage-based rabbits, and pastured turkey. Joel passionately defends small farms, local food systems, and the right to opt out of the conventional food paradigm. In his talk, Everything I Want to Do Is Illegal, Joel will get to the heart of the local food movement challenge: The demonizing and criminalizing of virtually all indigenous and heritage-based food practices. >From zoning to labor to food safety to insurance, local food systems daily face a phalanx of regulatory hurdles designed and implemented to police industrial food models but which prejudicially wipe out the antidote: Appropriate scaled local food systems. Joel will call for guerrilla marketing, food choice freedom legislation, and empirical pathogen thresholds as solutions to these bureaucratic hurdles.

Chef Ann Cooper
What’s wrong with our current food system and what is the effect on children? Chef Ann Cooper (a.k.a., “The Renegade Lunch Lady”) will tell you! Chef Ann’s mission is to transform the National School Lunch Program into one that places greater emphasis on the health of students than the financial health of a select few agribusiness corporations. Her lunch menus emphasize regional, organic, fresh foods, and nutritional education: Helping students build a connection between where their food comes from and personal health and wellness. In her talk, Chef Ann will detail the importance of changing the way our children eat and why parents, schools, farmers, food service providers, and government must work together. Chef Ann is the author of four books, including Lunch Lessons: Changing the Way We Feed Our Children, and Bitter Harvest: A Chef’s Perspective on the Hidden Dangers in the Food We Eat and What You Can Do About It. Chef Ann Cooper is a celebrated author, chef, educator, and enduring advocate for better food for all children.

Conference Information:
Granville, Ohio
The conference will be held in the charming town of Granville, Ohio, about 30 miles northeast of Columbus, at the Granville Middle and High schools, 248 New Burg St., Granville, OH 43023. The facility offers rooms for large group sessions, workshops, exhibitors, dining, kids’ activities, and entertainment—all under one roof. Visit www.oeffa.org for more detailed maps and directions.

Kids Welcome
We encourage participants to bring the family! The OEFFA Kids’ Conference offers a variety of exciting workshops for ages 6- 12. Younger children are invited to spend time in the Playroom, organized by Rebecah Freeling, founder and teach of Briar Rose Children’s Center, a Waldorf preschool in Columbus. (There is no charge for participation in these programs if a parent or sibling over the age of 12 volunteers four hours during the two days.)

Volunteers
In exchange for four hours of work, volunteers may pre-register for both days of the conference for only $50. For more information or to sign up, contact Renee at (614) 421-2022 Ext. 205 or renee@oeffa.org. Pre-registration by Jan. 29 required. Limited opportunities.
Local and Organic Meals
We strive to provide quality meals made from fresh, organic, locally produced meats, dairy products, vegetables, and grains. A limited number of food tickets are available for sale at the conference, so if you plan to eat with us we recommend buying your meal tickets in advance.

Book Signing
Bring your Joel Salatin book and have him sign it on Saturday at the Exhibit Hall. He also will have his publications available for sale.

Exhibit Hall
The Exhibit Hall will offer an interesting array of information, products, services and resources that relate to sustainable agriculture. A 10’x10’ booth includes a covered table, two chairs, and can be equipped with electricity upon request. If you are interested in this opportunity, please visit www.oeffa.org or contact Mike at (614) 421-2022 Ext. 204 or mike@oeffa.org.

Sustainable Ag Film Screening!
Our Saturday evening entertainment takes a new twist with a visit from King Corn’s Curt Ellis, where he’ll serve as host of this film screening.

Non-Denominational Service
Join other conference attendees for spiritual nurturing and community. Retired UMC pastor Charlie Frye will lead a discussion of Scripture and its connection with sustainability.

OEFFA Conference Workshop Schedule
Saturday February 13, 2010
9:30-11:30 a.m.
Small Scale Intensive Farming Systems I (for Urban and Rural Production) (Andy Pressman & Lee Rinehart)
Fresh Mozzarella and Ricotta Cheese in Your Own Kitchen (Angel King)
Mob Grazing (Joel Salatin)

9:30-10:25 a.m.
How to Be a Successful Farmers’ Market Vendor (Christie Welch)
Preserving the Farm Through Estate and Business Planning (Robert Moore)
Can Small Farms Move Off The Energy Grid? (Maurus Brown)
Homestead Goat Husbandry for Beginners (Laura Ann Bergman)
Organic Certification for New & Old Producers & Processors (OEFFA Organic Certification Staff)
Ecological Design in the Garden (Elyse Perruchon & Annie Warmke)*
Mental Models: Making Weed Control Work for You (Doug Doohan)
Organic Corn Variety Performance (Peter Thomison)

10:35-11:30 a.m.
Managing Small Farmers’ Markets for Success (Christie Welch)
Top 10 Marketing Opportunities Using Social Networks (Rob Leeds & Dr. Julie Fox)
Building Green, Living Green (Jay & Annie Warmke)*
Cow Selection and Management for Organic and Sustainable Dairies (Paul Dutter)
SARE Resources Available for Farmers and Farm Organizations (Mike Hogan)
Urban Gardening: Why, What, How (Rachel Tayse)
Using Ecological Principles to Design Small Fruit Systems (Joseph Kovach)
OEFFA Grain Growers Chapter Meeting (Marty Warnecke)

1:45-3:45 p.m.
Basic Off-Grid Living (Christine Tailer)
High Quality Organic Small Grain Production (Deborah Stinner)
Small Scale Intensive Farming Systems II (for Urban and Rural Production) (Andy Pressman & Lee Rinehart)
Grassfed Dairy (Bill Hall, Stacy Dix & Warren Taylor)

1:45-2:40 p.m.
Raising Chickens in a Food Forest (Ed Chen)
Food with Integrity: Chipotle Cooking Demo (Chipotle staff)
Running and Winning Grassroots Food Campaigns (Sarah Alexander)
Food Safety Regulations (David G. Cox)
Soil Testing and Organic Farming: Things to Know About Your Soil (Alan Sundermeier)
Rain Water Harvesting (Chris Luers)*
Pruning and Training of Apple Trees (Dr. Gary Gao)

2:50-3:45 p.m.
Niche Pork Production, Processing and Marketing (J.B. King)
Eat Locally Grown Food All Year (Mary Lou Shaw)
Making Connections: Creating a Local Food Guide for Your Region (Deborah Jordan)
Farm to Table Restaurant Blue Print (Todd Hudson)
Management Approaches and Resources for Certified Organic Producers (Paul Dutter & Mike Anderson)
Looking Back in Time at Victory Gardening (Karen Feltham)
Weed Trees in Your Forest Garden: What To Do? (Janell Baran)

Sunday February 14, 2010
9:30-11:30 a.m.
Small Scale Backyard Chickens (Wayne Shingler)
Developing Community Kitchens (Leslie Schaller)
Recordkeeping Made Easy for Certified Organic Producers (David Benchoff & Paul Dutter)
Tree Grafting: Have Fun and Learn a Great Skill (Bill Johnson)
From A to Z: Setting Up a Healthy School Lunch Program (Chef Ann Cooper)

9:30-10:25 a.m.
Clean and Green (Trudy Stewart)
Solar and Wind as Cash Crops: Can Farmers Make Money from Renewable Energy? (Jay Warmke)*
Practicing Biodymanic Farming and Gardening (Charles Griffin)
Drip Irrigation Systems (Dan Kamburoff)
Understanding Soil Biology and Its Role in Organic Crop Farming Systems (Larry Phelan)

10:35-11:30 a.m.
Worm Composting 101 (Jeremy Gedert)*
Basic Farming with Horses (Alex C. Dragovich)
Foundations of Biodymanic Farming and Gardening (Charles Griffin)
Food Safety Is Everyone’s Business; However It Begins At Your Farm (Hal Kneen)
USDA NRCS Conservation Programs for Farmers (Bob Hendershot)

1:30-2:30 p.m.
Sustainable Beekeeping (Christine Tailer)
Living the Good Life: Autobiographical Literature of Self-sufficiency, Integrity and Social Responsibility (Rich Tomsu)
Transition Initiatives: Local Actions Meet Global Challenges (Mary Cunnyngham & Cindy Parker)*
Connecting the Community: From Field to Sales Floor (Joe Gallo)
Stepping Up to Renewable Energy (Russ Meeker)*
Farmland Tenure Options: Creative Ways to Hold Land in Ohio (Meredith Fox)
Forest Farming American Ginseng and Goldenseal (Tanner Filyaw)
Microbial Inoculants and Biochemical Fungicides for Plant Disease Control (Brian McSpadden Gardener)
Using Cover Crops to Improve Soil Productivity (Dr. Rafiq Islam)
Farm to School Program Opportunities in Ohio (Sara Tedeschi, Noreen Warnock & Amalie Lipstreu)

*Ohio Green Living: Green & Sustainable Practices workshop