2014 Winter Conference Brochure

Pre-Registration closes January 15Pre-Registration closes January 15thth

Receive a $10 discount if you register by December 13Receive a $10 discount if you register by December 13thth

Visit www.nofanyconference.org to register onlineVisit www.nofanyconference.org to register online

2 NOFA-NY • 2014 WINTER CONFERENCE www.nofanyconference.org

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W E L C O M EW E L C O M E

WELCOMETh e Northeast Organic Farming Association of New York (NOFA-NY)

is a statewide organization leading a growing movement of farmers,

consumers, gardeners, and businesses committed to promoting local,

organic food and farming. We provide education, assistance, and sup-

port to regionally-based, sustainable farmers to help them thrive; edu-

cate consumers about the value in buying local, organic products; help

consumers connect with farmers; work to make local, organic food

available to all people; and advocate policies that support a sustainable

food and farm system.

REGISTRATION To register for the 2014 NOFA-

NY Organic Farming and Gardening

Conference use the form enclosed,

go online to www.nofanyconference.

org, or contact Stephanie Backer-

Bertsch, Registration Coordinator,

at (585) 271-1979 ext. 509 or regis-

[email protected].

Pre-registration closes Janu-

ary 15, 2014. For general questions

about the Winter Conference, please

call us at (585) 271-1979.

Early Bird Discount

To receive a $10 discount, reg-

ister by December 13.

You c a n re g i ste r on l i ne at

www.nofanyconference.org, call (585)

271-1979 ext. 509 to register over

the phone, or postmark your com-

pleted registration form by Decem-

ber 13.

3www.nofanyconference.org PRESERVING THE PAST, SEEDING THE FUTURE

W E L C O M EW E L C O M E

WHAT’S INSIDE2 Welcome

3 Scholarships & Volunteering

5 Keynote Speakers

6 Special Events

10 Schedule at a Glance

12 Friday Intensives

18 Workshop Tracks

25 Pre-Registration Form

42 Children’s Conference & Childcare

46 How to Get Th ere, Hotel, Bus & Train Transit, Ridesharing

47 Conference Sponsors

Preserving the Past, Seeding the Future

In January 2014, NOFA-NY will hold its 32nd Annual Organic

Farming & Gardening Conference. Th e theme for the conference—

“Preserving the Past, Seeding the Future”—honors the history of the

organic movement and those people who pioneered the movement

and looks ahead to ensure that future generations have the resources

they need to carry on this work. In addition, the topic of seeds is very

timely given the concerns about maintaining organic and genetically

diverse seed in agriculture.

Keynote speaker Gary Paul Nabhan is an internationally-renowned

nature writer, food and farming activist, and proponent of conserving

the links between biodiversity and cultural diversity. He is a pioneer

in the local food movement and seed-saving community.

Our 2014 NOFA-NY Farmer of the Year is Brian Bennett from Bit-

tersweet Farm. Brian is a long-time organic farmer in New York’s

North Country region where he has helped unify his local community

by involving more people in local agriculture.

Each year at our conference, we strive to inspire, as well as inform,

and to provide an unparalleled opportunity for networking and for re-

ciprocal teaching and learning. We look forward to seeing you in Sara-

toga this coming January!

Kate Mendenhall

Executive Director

Marne Coit

Education Director


S C H O L A R S H I P S & V O L U N T E E R I N GS C H O L A R S H I P S & V O L U N T E E R I N G

We’ll be off ering a number of scholarships to our conference thanks to

the generous support from our members and the USDA-NIFA Beginning

Farmer and Rancher Program, grants #2011-49400-30510 and #2011-

49400-30307. To learn more about receiving a scholarship or to fi ll out an

application, please visit www.nofany.org/events/2014scholarships or call our

offi ce at (585) 271-1979 ext. 511. Aspiring and new farmers with less than

10 years of farm ownership/management experience, as well as mentor

farmers, are eligible for scholarships. All applications must be received by

11:59pm on December 1. All scholarship recipients are required to volunteer

two hours at the conference.

Volunteer Opportunities

Th e success of our confer-

ence depends upon the hard

work of many volunteers.

Volunteers receive a $15 re-

bate after the conference

for each two-hour shift for

which they volunteer. To vol-

unteer, please e-mail Dana

at conference.volunteer@nofa-

ny.org or call (585) 271-1979

ext. 517. Volunteer slots will

be fi lled on a fi rst-come,

fi rst-serve basis.

SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE!

FARMER EDUCATION FUND

We also have established

the Farmer Education Fund,

which allows farmers with

fi nancial need to attend

this conference. Help make

the conference accessible to

more farmers. Please consid-

er contributing to this fund

when registering for the

conference.

Josh Levine Scholarship Fund

The Josh Levine Memorial Scholarship

Fund was established to honor Josh Levine,

an inspiring young

farmer who tragi-

cally died in 2010

in a tractor acci-

dent. As a tribute

to Josh’s love of or-

ganic farming and

his support of the

larger organic com-

munity, the Josh

Lev ine Memoria l

Scholarship Fund

provides financial

support to begin-

ning farmers to en-

able them to attend

our conferences.

Each year we se-

lect candidates who

show exceptional

promise to receive

as scholarship as funds allow. Please con-

sider contributing to this scholarship fund

when registering for the conference.


K E Y N O T E SK E Y N O T E S

GARY PAUL NABHAN

Gary Paul Nabhan is an inter-

nationally celebrated nature writ-

er and food

a n d f a r m -

i n g a c t i v -

ist. He has

b e e n ho n -

ored as a pi-

oneer in the

l o c a l f o o d

m o v e m e n t

a n d s e e d

saving com-

mu n it y b y

Ut ne R ead-

e r, M o t h e r

Earth News,

Th e New York

T i m e s , B i -

oneers a nd

Time maga-

zine. As the

W.K. Kellogg Endowed Chair in Sus-

tainable Food Systems at the Univer-

sity of Arizona Southwest Center,

he works with students, faculty and

non-profi ts to build a more just, nu-

tritious, sustainable and climate-re-

silient foodshed spanning the U.S./

Mexico border. His 26 books, includ-

ing Growing Food in a Hotter, Drier

Land, Chasing Chiles and Renewing

America's Food Traditions, have won

numerous awards.Friday Evening

BRIAN BENNETTNOFA-NY Farmer of the Year

In addition to being a full-time

farmer at Bittersweet Farm in Heu-

velton, New York, Brian is a mentor

to new farmers and teaches hands-

on sustainability to area students

and volunteers. He has worked as the

Workshop Coordinator for the Lo-

cal Living Festival and as the Vege-

table Specialist for North Country

Grown Cooperative. Born in 1958,

Brian became interested in plants

and gardens during middle school.

His mother’s family had long stand-

ing farming roots in Indiana where

he spent summers during high

school hoeing miles of corn. In col-

lege, Brian studied plant science, but

was not hap-

py with the

p r o m o t i o n

of chemical

p e s t i c i d e s

and fertiliz-

ers. In 1985,

h e p u r -

c h a sed h is

f i r s t f a r m

with his wife

Ann, where

they farmed

p a r t - t i m e

using all organic methods. In 1999,

they moved to the St. Lawrence Riv-

er Valley. Bittersweet Farm is certi-

fi ed organic with NOFA-NY Certifi ed

Organic, LLC. Saturday Morning

Keynote Speakers


SPONSORSHIP, TRADE SHOW & ADVERTISING OPPORTUNITIES

New York has the highest number of organic farms in the nation af-

ter California and Wisconsin. Not surprisingly, our Winter Conference is

one of the largest organic farming conferences with more than 1200 par-

ticipants attending this annual three-day event. Sponsoring our confer-

ence, participating in our trade show, and advertising in the conference

program are great ways to reach organic farmers, gardeners, and food ad-

vocates with your marketing message while helping to promote local, or-

ganic food and farming. Contact Tanya Smolinsky for more information

at [email protected] or at (585) 271-1979 ext. 502.

ORGANIC FOOD DONATIONS

One of the most memorable parts of

our conference is the incredible meals.

Almost all of the organic food is gen-

erously donated by our farmers, busi-

ness members, and supporters, making

each meal a tribute to the diversity

and bounty of New York State’s organ-

ic agriculture.

Please consider donating food to the

conference to help make it a success!

You will receive a rebate on the whole-

sale value of your food donation after

you’ve paid for your conference regis-

tration. Any remaining value that ex-

ceeds the total cost of your conference

registration will be treated as a tax-de-

ductible donation. Food donors will be

listed in the conference program and on

a banner in the banquet hall.

To contribute food, please contact

Millicent Cavanaugh at [email protected]

or (585) 271-1979 ext. 515. Download a

food donation form at www.nofanycon-

ference.org.

W A Y S T O G E T I N V O L V E DW A Y S T O G E T I N V O L V E D

Ways to Get Involved

FARMHACK: Show, Tell, Ask & Document!

Have you designed a tool that

better fi ts the scale and meth-

ods of work on your farm? Show

off your farm innovations at the

conference.

FarmHack is a farmer-driv-

en community to develop, docu-

ment, and build tools for resilient

agriculture. Bring your innovative

tools and implements for display,

or if more convenient, bring your

designs or photos. Whether for

tillage, transport, power genera-

tion, processing, seeding, or spin-

ning—everything is welcome.

FarmHack representatives will

show you how to document your

tools and ideas on the online

tool forums. Questions? Contact

Dorn Cox at dornawcox@yahoo.

com. Find FarmHack and Nation-

al Young Farmers Coalition in the

Trade Show.


Th is is our 32nd annual conference—let’s celebrate!

Th ursday Evening • Welcome Reception:

Greet your friends and meet new ones at a low-key reception where you will be treated to a sampling of tasty snacks and the fi rst of many musical performances by Mulberry Soul.

Friday Aft ernoon• Trade Show Opens.

Check out a wide selection of equipment, seeds, and services

Friday Evening • Keynote Gary Nabhan

and Opening Ceremony

• Social Hour & Entertainment in the Trade Show

• Film Screening: Switch: Discover the Future of Energy (2013)

• Beginning Farmer Meet & Greet

Saturday Morning • NOFA-NY Certifi ed

Organic, LLC Open Annual Meeting

• NOFA-NY Annual Report and Keynote Brian Bennett, Farmer of the Year

Saturday Aft ernoon• NOFA-NY Annual

Meeting

• NYSSFPA Annual Meeting

Saturday Evening• Social Hour and Live

Music in the Trade Show

• Contra Dance with Russet Trio and caller Fern Marshall Bradley

• Film Screening: Seeds of Death: Unveiling the Lies of GMOs (2012)

• Book Reading and Signing with Scott Chaskey, author of Seedtime (2014, Rodale)

Sunday Morning• Closing Ceremony

• Last chance to visit Trade Show

Beginning Farmer Meet & GreetTime to party! Enjoy music by Mulberry Soul starting at

8:00pm. At 8:45pm, the National Young Farmers Coalition

will lead us in games designed to help beginning farmers

fi nd other beginning farmers from their region. In the Farm

Consultation Zone, running throughout the Meet & Greet,

fi nd some quieter space to talk nuts and bolts with some of

New York’s farm mentors and farm business consultants

(please bring your mentor with you). Once you’ve sampled

the snacks and beverages available at the party, we’ll en-

courage you to pose with some silly props at the not-to-be-

missed photo booth. All conference attendees are welcome

to this kick-

off party to

celebrate or-

ganic farming

in New York

State.Friday 8–10pm

S P E C I A L E V E N T SS P E C I A L E V E N T S

House Band MULBERRY SOULFormed in 2012 at the

Folk Art Guild on East

Hill Farm in Middle-

sex, N Y, Mulberr y

Soul 's music blends

folk, bluegrass, and

old-time fiddle mu-

sic with stunning-

ly soulfu l or ig ina l

songs. This six-piece

band (see photo be-

low) is set to release

their fi rst full-length

album at the end of

this year. Get your

dancing feet ready

bec au se t he show

is sure to be packed

with some smokin’

picking on mando-

lin, guitar, banjo, bass

and fiddle. Listen for

them throughout the

conference.



CONTRA DANCE with Th e Russet Trio & Fern Marshall Bradley

FILM SCREENINGSSwitch: Discover the Future

of Energy (2013). Every

energy resource—fossil,

nuclear and renewable—

is undergoing profound

changes. We’re gradually

shifting from coal and oil to

the energies of tomorrow.

Th is sweeping transition is

the subject of Switch. Friday 8:30pm

Seeds of Death: Unveiling the

Lies of GMOs (2012). Th is

movie by award-winning

documentary fi lm director

Gary Null takes on the seed

cartel’s propaganda and

political infl uence to expose

a fabric of lies and deceit

now threatening the safety

and life of every species. Saturday 8:30pm

SPECIAL BOOK READING & SIGNINGJoin beloved author

and NOFA-NY’s 2013 Farmer of the Year Scott Chaskey for a special book reading and sign-ing. Scott will be read-ing from his new book Seedtime: On the History, Husbandry, Politics and Promise of Seeds. In this book, Scott masterfully weaves history, politics, botany, literature, my-thology, and memoir into a beautiful and instruc-tive book. Having co-evolved with the Earth’s plants, insects, and ani-mals, seeds are entwined with the core myths of ancient cultures and the development of human

consciousness. Th eir sto-ry remains vitally im-portant today as the corporations that man-ufacture GMOs threat-en our food security and the future of seed-culti-vated agriculture. Scott Chaskey is a poet, farm-er and educator who’s worked the land for the past quarter of a cen-tury for the Peconic Land Trust at Quail Hill Farm in Amagansett, New York. A pioneer of the community farm-ing movement, he’s past president of NOFA-NY and author of Th is Com-mon Ground, a memoir.

Saturday 8:30pm

The Russet Trio and Fern Marshall Bradley

will be joining us once again in 2014. For those

of you who didn’t make it to the contra dance at

the 2013 conference, you’re in for a foot stompin’

treat. Th e Russet Trio combines traditional Irish

themes with a mod-

er n energ y that ’s

sure to get your toes

a tappin’. New to

contra dancing? Fern

Ma rsh a l l Brad le y

is the perfect caller

to get you swingin’.

When Fern isn’t call-

ing for contra danc-

es, she’s editing our

Ne w York Organic

News magazine. Saturday 8:15pm



Trade Show Th e Trade Show runs

Friday afternoon-Sun-day afternoon and fea-tures a wide array of exhibitors and vendors.

NOFA-NY CERTIFIED ORGANIC, LLC OPEN ANNUAL MEETING

Grab some break-

fast and join our certi-

fi cation staff and the

Management Commit-

tee for an open meeting

to learn about certifi -

cation updates and Na-

tional Organic Program

changes. Th is is an op-

portunity to ask your

certifi cation questions.Saturday 7:15am

NEW YORK SMALL SCALE FOOD PROCESSORS ASSOCIATION MEETING

Th e NYSSFPA was

formed to build on the

resilience of New York

State family farms. It

works to create value-

added products from

farm produce in order

to keep small farms

prosperous. If inter-

ested in learning more

about NYSSFPA, grab a

plate and join them at

their lunch meeting on

Saturday.

Saturday 11:45am

Special Meetings

BookstoreSo maybe it’s not a

“special event”, but it is

special to have such a

great bookstore at the

conference just for you.

Browse and buy a diverse

selection of writings on

organic agriculture, cul-

ture and life. Our confer-

ence bookstore includes

works authored and rec-

ommended by confer-

ence presenters and

attendees, as well as

NOFA-NY merchandise.

Book Signings Th roughout the con-

ference, presenter-au-

thors will be available to

sign books and chat with

you about topics of mu-

tual interest. Check the

printed schedule at the

NOFA-NY book store.

NOFA-NY ANNUAL MEETING

Members, this is

your chance to make

your voice heard within

your organization. Over

lunch, help determine

what issues NOFA-NY

works on in the com-

ing years. Your partic-

ipation is important.

We will elect new mem-

bers to the Board of Di-

rectors and vote on the

2014 policy resolutions.

If you’re not a member

already, join NOFA-NY

and join us at our annu-

al meeting.Saturday 12:00pm


A T A G L A N C E A T A G L A N C E

FRIDAY 7:30–9am

FRIDAY 9am–12:15pm; coffee break at

10:30am

Advanced Cheesemaking

Increasing Farm Diversity with

Small Ruminants

Common Apple and Stone Fruit

Diseases

Seed Saving and Production

Basics

Starting from Square One:

Creating a Farm

FRIDAY 12:15–1:15pm

FRIDAY 1:15–4:30pm;

coffee break at 2:40pm

Keeping Up with Internal Parasites in Goats and

Sheep

Spotted Wing Drosophila

Advanced Seed Saving, Seed Production &

On-farm Breeding

Breaking Open the Books:

Budgets, Cash Flow &

Business Planning



FRIDAY 7–8:30pm


SATURDAY 7–8am

SATURDAY 8–9:15am

Production & Marketing of

Raw Milk

Draft Animal Power: From Homestead to

Megafarm!

Nuts 101No-Till Spring

Vegetables with Cover Crops

Scaling Up to Farm Scale Composting

SATURDAY 9:45–11:30am

SATURDAY 11:30am– 1:15pm

SATURDAY 1:15–2:30pm

Cattle Fly Management

Using IPM

Meat Yields & Marketing

Commercial Organic

Orchards: Late Season Tree Fruit Harvest

High Tunnels

Slow and Steady Start-Up: Building

Experience & Capital

SATURDAY 2:45–4pm

Extending the Grazing Season

for Livestock

Diversified Dairy CSA

Growing Figs In Cold Climates

Managing Insects &

Insecticide Resistance for

Organic Potatoes

Potatoes 101

SATURDAY 4:15–5:30pm

The Udder Basics of

Starting a Small-Scale Dairy

100% Grass Fed Beef: Low Cost Inputs for High Quality

Finish

Starting Right: Establishing Young Trees

Growing Better Melons, Summer

Squash & Cucumbers

Know Your Insurance,

Protect Your Farm

SATURDAY 5:30–7pm

SATURDAY 7–8:30pm

SATURDAY 8:30–11pm

SUNDAY 7–8am

SUNDAY 8–9:15am

Cows, Climate & Why Grazing

Matters

Advances in On-Farm Poultry

Breeding

Brambleicious Ideas to

Increase Farm Diversity

Advanced Seed Saving:

Biennials

Guiding New Farmers

SUNDAY 9:45–11am

Flaxseed & Ryegrass for

Improving Milk Fatty Acids &

Forage Production

Small Scale Pig Breeding Cider Apples

How to Grow Tomatoes &

Potatoes Despite the

Blight

Cooperative Farming Ideas

SUNDAY 11am–1pm

SUNDAY 11:30am–1pm

Dairy & Grazing Livestock Fruits Vegetables Beginning

Farming

Opening Session and Keynote Address by Gary Paul Nabhan

Social Hour with Music and Fun in the Trade Show

Lunch

Breakfast

Dinner

Entertainment

Breakfast & NOFA-NY Certified Organic, LLC Annual Meeting

Annual Review; Keynote Address by Farmer of the Year Brian Bennett

Lunch & NOFA-NY, Inc. Annual Meeting


Dinner

Entertainment

Breakfast

Last Chance to Visit the Trade Show & Bookstore

Lunch, Goodbyes & Filling Out Evaluations

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A T A G L A N C E A T A G L A N C E

Sustainably Integrated

Aquaponics

Farmer's Guide to On-Farm Food Safety Certification

Grains at the Farmers' Market

Long Range Planting of

Medicinal Herbs

Adapting to Climate

Uncertainty

Establishing an Urban Market

Garden

Group GAP: Introduction for Practitioners &

Support Organizations

Grains at the Farmers' Market

(continued )

Flower Growing: Strategies

Using The Entire Animal:

Hide Tanning & Soap Making

Introduction to Organic

Certification

Success on the Ground

Sourcing for Urban Markets:

Snail of Approval &

Producer Matrix

Pancakes: Field to Griddle!

Agriculturally Productive

Buffers: Agroforestry Strategies

Herbs for the Winter Blues

Where Do We Stand with

FDA's Food Safety

Regulations?

Creating a Compost Heated

Greenhouse in the City

Negotiation Makes It Happen!

Small Scale Rice Production

101

Drought & Flood-Proofing the

Farm

Espalier Fruit Plants ———

Yes We Can! Preserve Your Harvest! Part 1

Close the Loop! Building

Support for Food Scrap Collection & Composting

Lots of Food: Feeding Folks

with Urban Food Forests

Justice for Farmworkers!

And How About Farmers, Too?

A Local Grain Renaissance in the Northeast,

Part 1 : Baking Bread

with Local Flour

Farming with Rocks

Quality in Cider Making ———

Ferment Change!

Preserve Your Harvest! Part 2

A Farm Bill — For All of Us

Finances of Farming,

Especially in a City

May All Be Fed: A Unique Farm to Food Pantry

Model

A Local Grain Renaissance in the Northeast, Part 2 : Into the

Dough

Bouquet Making Basics: Floral Design 101 for

New Flower Growers

Teaching a Science

Curriculum in a School Garden

Seeds and Breeds:

Classical Breeding in a GMO World

Empowering Youth in Urban

Farming

Choosing a Business

Structure for Your Farm

Rotations for a Quality Grain

Farm

Sugaring 101: Why Every

Farm Should Have a

Sugaring Operation

The Essential Small Farm Greenhouse

Just Label It! NYS Campaign

for GMO Labeling

Growing Urban Soil for Food Production

Profitability of the Paper Pot

Transplanter on a Small

Vegetable Farm

High Performance Cover Crops

Sugaring 102: Developing a Productive &

Profitable Sugaring Operation

The Resilient & Regenerative Homestead

NOFA-NY's Farmer's Pledge

Breakfast

Opening Session and Keynote Address by Gary Paul Nabhan


Lunch

Urban Farming Marketing & Business

Grains & Field Crops

Other NY Enterprises

Gardening & Homesteading

Policy & Community

Dinner

Entertainment

Breakfast & NOFA-NY Certified Organic, LLC Annual Meeting

Annual Review; Keynote Address by Farmer of the Year Brian Bennett

Lunch & NOFA-NY, Inc. Annual Meeting


Dinner

Entertainment

Breakfast

Last Chance to Visit the Trade Show & Bookstore

Lunch, Goodbyes & Filling Out Evaluations

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F R I D A Y F U L L D A Y W O R K S H O PF R I D A Y F U L L D A Y W O R K S H O P

GRAINS AT THE FARMERS’ MARKETSLearn how to grow many diff erent cereal grains on a small scale. Most

importantly, learn how to grow, harvest, clean, store and mill right at the

farmers’ market on a small and realistic budget. Join us for a discussion

of how rolling and steel cutting oats have eclipsed George’s fl our sales. We

will learn about the possible successes and failures one can encounter sell-

ing grains at the farmers’ market.

Presenter: George Wright, Castor River FarmFriday Full Day 9am–4:30pm

STARTING FROM SQUARE ONE: Creating a Farm to Match Your Goals, Skills, Values, and Resources

When starting a farm, gaining

hands-on experience is essential.

Equally important is developing

a process for navigating the thou-

sands of complex decisions you’ll

need to make, and creating a plan

for a manageable start-up (the in-

visible side of farming)! We will

lead you through activities and in-

troduce you to resources that will

help you create a written farm/fam-

ily goal to aid in decision-making,

determine what social, physical,

biological, and fi nancial resourc-

es you can draw from to create your

farm, and help you assess your

skills so you can prioritize the next

steps in your learning process. If

you take the time to do these things

as you are getting started, they will

continue to keep you on track and

guide the growth of your farm for

many years.

Presenters: Erica Frenay, Shel-

terbelt Farm & Cornell Small Farms

Program, and Kylie Spooner,

Spooner and Daughter FarmFriday 9am–12:15pm

ADVANCED CHEESEMAKING

Th is workshop is designed for

people who have made cheese be-

fore and want to advance to more

diffi cult styles of cheesemaking. We

will make two types of cheese with

very diff erent recipes to demon-

strate a variety of techniques.

Note: Attendance is limited to 30.

Presenter: Peter Kindel, Haw-

thorne Valley Farm Friday 9am–12:15pm

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F R I D A Y M O R N I N G W O R K S H O P SF R I D A Y M O R N I N G W O R K S H O P S

COMMON (AND A FEW UNCOMMON) APPLE AND STONE FRUIT DISEASES

Diseases of tree fruit crops are

perhaps the one remaining area

that truly bedevil organic orchard-

ists. While there may be as many

ways to tackle the problems as

there are varieties of apples, until

one really understands what one is

up against, all controls are mere-

ly prophylactic. In this workshop

we’ll cover the major (and a few mi-

nor) diseases of apples and stone

fruit, traditional and innovative

control tactics, and orchard design

considerations for avoiding them

altogether.

Presenter: Mike Biltonen, Red

Jacket OrchardFriday 9am–12:15pm

INCREASING FARM DIVERSITY WITH SMALL RUMINANTS

Small ruminants (sheep and

goats) can bring new management

and marketing opportunities as

well as needed ecological services to

any farm. We will explore how graz-

ing small ruminants can enhance

the farm ecosystem, as well as pro-

vide income from dairy, meat, and

fi ber enterprises.

Presenters: Joyce Henion, Acorn

Hill Farm, Maryrose Livingston,

Northland Sheep Dairy, and Lisa

Ferguson, Laughing Goat Fiber

Farm.Friday 9am–12:15pm

FARMER’S GUIDE TO ON-FARM FOOD SAFETY CERTIFICATION

Are you hearing that getting GAP

certifi ed is a good idea? We’ll ex-

plore why you might want to con-

sider getting certifi ed, introduce

you to some of the concepts behind

GAP, introduce Group GAP—an in-

novative approach to food safety

certifi cation—and point you in the

direction of some great resources.

We’ll also talk about mitigating risk

through available crop insurance

options, as well as how to evaluate

insurance options to determine the

best fi t with your operation.

Presenters: Steve Warshawer,

National Good Food Network, and

Jeff Farbman, Wallace Center at

Winrock International Friday 9am–12:15pm

MEDICINAL HERBS: Increasing Bio-Diversity on the Farm and Creating Value-Added Income

What are the long range plans for

the land you steward? Will you leave

it for your family and future gener-

ations so they can sustain a living

from the land? Learn how to produce

and market value-added products

such as herbal salves, creams, teas,

and tinctures in conjunction with

growing and harvesting medicinal

herbs. Discuss how these perennials

increase farm net income, long term

sustainability, and profi tability.

Presenters: Matthias and Andrea

Reisen, Healing Spirits Herb FarmFriday 9am–12:15pm

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ADAPTING TO CLIMATE UNCERTAINTY: Crop Diversity and Pollinator Habitat Enhancement

Keynote Speaker Gary Nabhan

will discuss means to adapt to cli-

mate uncertainty by using on-farm

biodiversity, from crop variety diver-

sifi cation and intercropping to en-

hancing populations of pollinators

and soil microbes. Because climate

change is aff ecting crop and live-

stock production in diff erent ways

in each food scape, the feedback one

gains from making daily observa-

tions of how elements of this diversi-

ty are responding is key to long term

adaptation and survival of farms-

and to our food security as well.

Presenter: Gary Nabhan, Uni-

versity of Arizona and Almuniya de

los Zopilotes Experimental FarmFriday 9am–12:15pm

SUSTAINABLY INTEGRATED AQUAPONICS

Th is workshop will cover the de-

sign and construction of a small-

scale closed-loop aquaponic system

appropriate for a cool climate. Top-

ics will include fi sh and plant se-

lection, tank sizes and siting,

educational possibilities, and mar-

keting strategies. We’ll also dis-

cuss how to build a terrestrial food

chain for fi sh that includes silk-

worms, black soldier fl ies, worms,

and duckweed, and how to inte-

grate aquaponics with greenhouses,

ducks, and vermicomposting.

Presenter: Scott Kellogg, Radix

Ecological Sustainability Center Friday 9am–12:15pm

SEED SAVING AND PRODUCTION BASICS

Th e fundamentals of seed saving

will be covered in this workshop in-

cluding plant reproduction, basic

plant biology, harvesting and clean-

ing dry versus wet seeded crops,

cross-pollination/isolation, main-

taining seed quality, and seed stor-

age. Participants will also learn why

seed saving is important and where

they are on the continuum from

backyard seed saver to commercial

seed producer/breeder.

Presenters: Ken Greene, Hudson

Valley Seed Library and Michael

Glos, Kingbird FarmFriday 9am–12:15pm

F R I D A Y M O R N I N G W O R K S H O P SF R I D A Y M O R N I N G W O R K S H O P S

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F R I D A Y A F T E R N O O N W O R K S H O P SF R I D A Y A F T E R N O O N W O R K S H O P S

BREAKING OPEN THE BOOKS: Discussing Whole-Farm Budgets, Cash Flow and Beginners’ Business Planning

Farmer-owners will bare their

books to participants in order to

demonstrate tools for whole-farm

planning, enterprise budgeting,

cash fl ow forecasting, and market-

ing. Th is workshop is best for the

beginning farmer with a defi ned

farm plan and business idea, as well

as some farm work experience.

Presenters: Melissa Madden,

Good Life Farm, and Anton Bur-

kett, Early Morning FarmFriday 1:15–4:30pm

SPOTTED WING DROSOPHILA

Does SWD have you (and your

berries) down? Learn ways to fi ght

back with the organic control man-

agement options that can be com-

bined to work on your farm. Th is

workshop starts by covering the ba-

sic biology of SWD, its regional (and

international!) distribution, and

the crops that it currently or po-

tentially impacts (berries, grapes,

soft tree fruit, and maybe even to-

matoes!). Presenters will share the

most current research and what

showed promise at their farm tri-

als this season. SWD controls cov-

ered during this workshop include

cultural practices like exclusion and

netting, mass trapping, and altered

post-harvest handling of berries,

as well as spray options including

which pesticides eff ect this tricky

pest, how to most effi ciently apply

them, and potential bio-controls.

Presenters: Emily Cook, Ulster

County CCE’s Commercial Organ-

ic Production Resource Educator,

Laura McDermott, Eastern NY

Commercial Horticulture Program,

Lawrie Nickerson, Hay Berry FarmFriday 1:15–4:30pm

USING THE ENTIRE ANIMAL: Hide Tanning and Soap Making

Participants will learn about the

hide tanning process to produce

buckskin and non-chemically treat-

ed pelts. Th ere will be hands-on

demonstrations of both hide tan-

ning and soap making. At the end

of the conference, attendees will be

able to take home their own bar of

soap made during the workshop.

Presenter: Peter Sutera, farmer

and homesteaderFriday 1:15–4:30pm

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KEEPING UP WITH INTERNAL PARASITES IN YOUR GOATS AND SHEEP

Join us to learn about current re-

search on promising innovations

in integrated parasite management

for sheep and goats. We’ll also dis-

cuss some of the old standbys in

terms of FAMACHA and pasture

management to identify parasite

problems and reduce parasite pres-

sure in your fl ock.

Presenter: Tatiana Stanton,

Cornell University Small Ruminant

Extension Specialist Friday 1:15–4:30pm

GROUP GAP: A Detailed Introduction for Practitioners and Support Organizations

Group GAP is an innovative ap-

proach to GAP now being off ered

as an option by the USDA. It uti-

lizes a central organization to or-

ganize a group of growers under a

unifi ed food safety plan with par-

ticular features so that growers re-

ceive support and are able to reduce

the costs of audits. Th is workshop

serves as a detailed introduction to

groups who might manage a group,

experienced farmers who might

consider joining a group, and those

people who might support or edu-

cate others about Group GAP.

Presenters: Steve Warshawer,

National Good Food Network, and

Jeff Farbman, Wallace Center at

Winrock InternationalFriday 1:15–4:30pm

FLOWER GROWING: Strategies to Grow and Sell the Best Flowers in Your Market

In this workshop, we will cover

production of several popular cut

fl ower crops and general tips on

sustainable/organic pest and dis-

ease control. We will also discuss

key tips on harvest and post har-

vest techniques to make sure your

customers have long lasting, gor-

geous blooms.

Presenters: Polly and Mike

Hutchison, Robin Hollow FarmFriday 1:15–4:30pm

INTRODUCTION TO ORGANIC CERTIFICATION

Join the NOFA-NY Certifi ed Or-

ganic, LLC staff for a discussion of

certifi cation requirements, time-

lines, highlights of application

forms, and the USDA National Or-

ganic Program regulations. Th ere

will be plenty of opportunity for

questions. Whether you intend to

apply for organic certifi cation in the

coming year, or you’re seeking in-

formation to help you decide, certi-

fi cation staff members will provide

an informative overview of the cer-

tifi cation process.

Presenters: NOFA-NY Certifi ca-

tion Staff Friday 1:15–4:30pm


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ESTABLISHING AN URBAN MARKET GARDEN

Th inking about starting an urban

farm, but not sure where to start?

Already have land, but not sure

what to do next? Th is workshop

will help beginners understand the

challenges and methods of start-

ing a not-for-profi t urban market

garden. Topics will include vision-

ing, planning, forming communi-

ty and government partnerships,

site development and running a via-

ble farm during and beyond the ini-

tial start-up phase. Th e workshop

will give special focus to the pro-

grammatic side of urban agricul-

ture projects.

Presenters: Sean Cummings and

Lauren Tonti, Binghamton Urban

Farm and Volunteers Improving

Neighborhood Environments Friday 1:15–4:30pm

ADVANCED SEED SAVING, SEED PRODUCTION, AND ON-FARM BREEDING

Th is session will build on the fun-

damentals covered in the morn-

ing session. Attendees of this

session should already understand

the material covered in the morn-

ing session. We will go through the

fundamentals of integrating seed

saving and seed production in di-

versifi ed farms including on-farm

selection/breeding. We will cover

skills, aff ordable tools, and specif-

ic seed harvest practice along with

organic practices to ensure seed

health for annual and biennial crop

families including peppers/toma-

toes, brassicas, greens, beans, and

alliums. Awareness of seed borne

diseases and seed quality will be

discussed along with results from

the Hudson Valley Seed Library’s

SARE Grant fi ndings on NY farm-

based seed production.

Presenters: Michael Glos, King-

bird Farm, and Ken Greene, Hud-

son Valley Seed LibraryFriday 1:15–4:30pm


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B E G I N N I N G F A R M E R T R A C KB E G I N N I N G F A R M E R T R A C K

SCALING UP TO FARM SCALE COMPOSTING

You are well acquainted with the

basics of home composting, and are

eager to get started making your

own luscious, biologically-active

compost to build fertility on your

farm. What do you need to know,

and what tools and techniques are

being used successfully by farm-

scale composters in the Northeast?

Current information and research

about compost quality and compli-

ance with organic regulations will

also be covered.

Presenter: Grace Gershuny,

Green Mountain College and High-

fi elds Center for Composting Saturday 8–9:15am

SLOW AND STEADY START UP: Starting Small to Build Experience and Capital

Farm start up on $3000 is not

easy. For the low-risk entrepreneur

starting small and part-time can

slowly build a business without bet-

ting the farm. We’ll discuss the de-

tails of a tiny farm start-up from 3

to 20 CSA shares over 3 years. From

greenhouse schedules to fertility

plans and budgets, low cost green-

house designs and equipment lists,

we will look at examples of a system

at the scale a lot of new, part time

growers might be planning for.

Presenter: Tianna DuPont,

Shooting Star FarmsSaturday 1:15–2:30pm

POTATOES 101Potatoes are an essential crop,

and not like many others on the

farm. Learn the basics of growing

this staple food organically, includ-

ing variety selection, tillage and

cultivation, disease and pest man-

agement, harvest and storage, and

more.

Presenter: Ken White, Saranac

Valley FarmsSaturday 2:45–4pm

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B E G I N N I N G F A R M E R T R A C KB E G I N N I N G F A R M E R T R A C K

KNOW YOUR INSURANCE, PROTECT YOUR FARM

Your small sustainable farm is a

place of business, so fi nd out why

and how to protect this business

and yourself from a variety of risk

factors. Th is workshop is designed

to provide easy-to-follow-and-im-

plement advice. Learn about crop

insurance, the diff erent catego-

ries of insurance for your farm, and

what questions to ask your insur-

ance agent. Pick up ideas on how

to protect your property better

and help your business grow safely

while containing costs.

Presenter: Bob Bleistein, East-

ern Classic CoverageSaturday 4:15–5:30pm

GUIDING NEW FARMERSTh is discussion among mentors

will develop your personal list of

best practices to use when advising

new farmers who request your help.

Learn about structuring a mentor-

ship, guiding new farmers through

production and business analy-

ses, communication techniques to

try out, and techniques to improve

your impact on new farmers’ confi -

dence and skills. For current Men-

torship Program participants, hosts

of on-farm apprentices, and anyone

who teaches new farmers.

Presenters: Rachel Schell-Lam-

bert, NOFA-NY, Sarah Williford,

Holistic Management Internation-

al, and Claudia Kenny and Willy

Denner, Little Seed GardensSunday 8–9:15am

COOPERATIVE FARMING IDEAS

Cooperative farming has the

power to ease certain challenges

that come with starting farm busi-

nesses. Learn how some farmers

have found ways to combine their

enterprises, pool capital, purchase

land together, share equipment,

and otherwise collaborate to man-

age land and farm businesses. Faith

will report back on her SARE-spon-

sored research work, in which she

maps out the legal, fi nancial, and

social considerations for starting

a cooperative farm. We will share

examples of existing multi-own-

er farms and provide resources for

further support on your coopera-

tive venture.

Presenters: Faith Gi lber t ,

Letterbox Farm Collective, and

Dr. Lynda Brushett, Cooperative

Development InstituteSunday 9:45–11am

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PRODUCTION AND MARKETING OF RAW MILK

Learn about all of the steps re-quired to produce high quality raw milk, including proactive on-farm testing. We will also talk about our own approach to marketing.

Presenter: Steff en Schneider, Hawthorne Valley Farm

Saturday 8–9:15am

CATTLE FLY MANAGEMENT USING THE 1, 2, 3’s OF IPM

Fly pests can aff ect animal health, decrease milk produc-tion and weight gain, transmit dis-ease causing agents, reduce grazing time, annoy and irritate animals and more. Who are the usual sum-mer time pest species and what can you do about them? You will learn to correctly identify and manage the most important fl y pests af-fecting cattle in the Northeast us-ing an integrated pest management approach.

Presenter: Keith Waldron, Cor-nell University Extension, NYS In-tegrated Pest Management Program

Saturday 1:15–2:30pm

EXTENDING THE GRAZING SEASON FOR LIVESTOCK

Th is workshop will explain how to set up a pasture grazing rota-tion system that will allow for pas-tures to be grazed into the fall and early winter, which reduces the cost and labor needed to produce hay and other stored feeds. Also learn how to calculate the excess amount of pasture forage needed by live-stock for maintenance during cold-er weather conditions and to size pasture accordingly.

Presenter: Dave Roberts, Natu-ral Resources Conservation Service of NY

Saturday 2:45–4pm

THE UDDER BASICS OF STARTING A SMALL-SCALE DAIRY

After being given an overview on Ashlee and Steven’s experience with starting their farm during the past year, workshop attendees will be in-vited to choose from a number of discussion topics. Options will in-clude infrastructure, breeding, or-ganization and systems, equipment sourcing, pasture management, ho-listic herd health techniques, and mooo-re!

Presenters: Ashlee Kleinham-mer and Steven Googin, North Country Creamery

Saturday 4:15–5:30pm

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COWS, CLIMATE AND WHY GRAZING MATTERS

Discussions about climate change tend to focus on the sky, particu-larly on greenhouse gas emissions. In this workshop, we’ll look at cli-mate dynamics from a ground per-spective, specifi cally as it relates to livestock. While livestock are often maligned for their environmental impact, proper management that situates animal behavior in a ho-listic context can play a key role in addressing climate change. We’ll discuss soil carbon, hydrology, bio-diversity, and how new research on climate empowers organic farmers and land managers.

Presenter: Judith Schwartz, author of Cows Save the Planet and Other Improbable Ways of Restoring Soil to Heal the Earth (Chelsea Green Publishing, 2013)

Sunday 8–9:15am

FLAXSEED & PERENNIAL RYEGRASS FOR IMPROVING MILK FATTY ACIDS AND FORAGE PRODUCTION

It’s well known that fl axseed im-proves the milk content of heart-healthy fatty acids such as omega-3 and CLAs. Perennial ryegrass can also enhance the content of ome-ga-3 and CLAs in cow’s milk. In addition, high quality forage is gen-erally produced with perennial rye-grass, which can increase milk production. Th is workshop will provide information about the po-tential benefi ts and limitations of feeding fl axseed and perennial rye-grass in Northeastern organic dairy farms.

Presenters: Richard Smith and Andre Brito, University of New Hampshire

Sunday 9:45–11am

D A I R Y & G R A Z I N G T R A C KD A I R Y & G R A Z I N G T R A C K

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NUTS IN NEW YORKParticipants will get an over-

view about growing the wide range

of nut trees adapted for New York

including chestnuts, English and

black walnuts, fi lberts, hickory,

and even pine nuts. We will cover

planting, cultivation, harvesting,

processing, and how to eat these de-

licious crops.

Presenter: Bill MacKentley,

St. Lawrence NurseriesSaturday 8–9:15am

COMMERCIAL ORGANIC ORCHARDS IN NY: Diversifying Your Farm for Late Season Tree Fruit Harvest

Workshop presenters will discuss

a variety of topics to assist farmers

in designing organic apple orchards

to optimize the organic production

practices. Introduction to orchard

preparation, selection of up and

coming commercial apple varieties

with in-depth discussions of dis-

ease resistant apples, pruning and

training systems, the importance

of high yield and fruit size along

with topics on organic disease, in-

sect, pest, and weed management

will be presented. Tasting of select-

ed disease resistant varieties will

bring the presentation to a sweet

and crunchy end.

Presenters: Peter Jentsch,

Cornell Cooperative Extension,

and Dave Rosenberger, Cornell

UniversitySaturday 1:15–2:30pm

GROWING FIGS IN COLD CLIMATES

Th e seductress fi g can be success-

fully grown throughout the North-

east. Learn to site the tree for

optimum ripening, prune, harvest,

and, of course, getting it through

our frigid winters. Figs need just

a bit of help because they are sub-

tropical, not tropical, and are hardy

between 10° and 20°F.

Presenter: Lee Reich, farmer,

gardening consultant, and authorSaturday 2:45–4pm

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PLANTING THE YOUNG APPLE ORCHARD

Th is workshop covers all aspects

of planting and early care for young

trees, including site location, soils,

water and air fl ow drainage consid-

erations, planting depth, and more.

We will also cover cultivar options,

uses for the diff erent types of ap-

ples, how to maintain an orchard

organically, and planting dos and

don’ts.

Presenter: Bill MacKentley,

St. Lawrence NurseriesSaturday 4:15–5:30pm

BRAMBLEICIOUS IDEAS TO INCREASE FARM DIVERSITY

Brambles comprise the raspberry

and blackberry crops many are al-

ready familiar with. Over the past

few years many new varieties and

production techniques have made

growing brambles easier and more

profi table than ever. We will cov-

er basic bramble types, production

techniques, diseases, insects, post-

harvest handling, and marketing in

a nutshell.

Presenter: Mike Biltonen, Red

Jacket OrchardSunday 8–9:15am

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CIDER APPLES: Growers’ Descriptions

Join Finger Lakes orchardists

and cider makers to learn about

all things cider apples! Hear about

what characteristics make a good

cider apple, what varieties they

prefer to use and why, how grow-

ing cider apples can be diff erent

from “normal” orcharding, some of

the challenges and opportunities

of growing cider apples, and how

to connect with cider makers who

might want to use your apples.

Presenters: Autumn Stoscheck,

Eve’s Cidery and Eric Shatt, Redb-

yrd Orchard Cider and Cornell Uni-

versity’s Ithaca Research OrchardSunday 9:45–11am


G R A I N S & F I E L D C R O P T R A C KG R A I N S & F I E L D C R O P T R A C K

PANCAKES: Field to Griddle!

Freshly ground fl ours from lo-

cally grown grains make fantas-

tic pancakes—the original fast

food! Learn the history and basics

of pancakes and homemade mix-

es, including gluten-free cornmeal

pancakes.

Presenter: Amy Halloran, writer

and grain growerSaturday 8–9:15am

SMALL SCALE RICE PRODUCTION 101

Randall’s Island Park Alliance

in New York City has been grow-

ing rice for 3 years in small exper-

imental and educational plots. We

will describe the process of grow-

ing rice on a small scale from seed-

ing through transplanting, heading

and harvest, in order to encourage

other growers to explore this in-

teresting new grain in the region.

Is rice the next production grain in

the Northeast?

Presenter: Nick Storrs, Randall’s

Island Park AllianceSaturday 1:15–2:30pm

A LOCAL GRAIN RENAISSANCE IN THE NORTHEAST, Part 1: Baking Bread with Local Flour

Just as the myth that good bread

wheat cannot be grown in the

Northeast has been debunked, so

too has the myth that bakers can-

not bake good bread using local

fl our. Join us for a screening of the

GrowNYC and OGRIN produced

video A Local Grain Renaissance in

the Northeast, Part 2: Baking Bread

with Local Flour. Th e video will be

followed by a panel discussion.

Presenters: June Russell,

GrowNYC, and Stefan Senders,

Wide Awake BakerySaturday 2:45–4pm

A LOCAL GRAIN RENAISSANCE IN THE NORTHEAST, Part 2: Into the Dough

Building on the conversation

from the earlier workshop entitled

“Baking bread with Local Flour,”

join us for this hands-on baking

demonstration. We will demon-

strate some of the key elements of

quality bread making. Learn to see

and feel stages of dough develop-

ment and begin learning important

hand skills. Taste the results in the

wonderful breads from the Wide

Awake Bakery in Trumansburg,

New York made using local fl our

from Farmer Ground Flour.

Presenter: Stefan Senders, Wide

Awake BakerySaturday 4:15–5:30pm

Workshops continue on page 27

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Att endees

Adult #1 Name _____________________________________________________________

Adult #2 Name _____________________________________________________________

Child #1 Name _________________________________ Age at Conf.: ______________



Farm/Company Name ______________________________________________________

Which best describes you: Farmer Consumer Gardener Business Owner

Billing Address ____________________________________________________________

City, State, Zip _____________________________________________________________

County ________________________ Phone _____________________________________

Email ____________________________________________________________________

2014 WINTER CONFERENCEPreserving the Past, Seeding the Future

Pre-Registration Form: Postmark by January 15th!Visit www.nofanyconference.org to register online.

Pre-Registration Deadline: January 15, 2014Registration includes breakfast and lunch. Dinners are available for $16 each.

Adult #1 Adult #2

Full Conference (Friday–Sunday) $275 $275

Friday: Full Day $130 $130Friday: Morning $ 80 $ 80Friday: Afternoon $ 70 $ 70

Friday: Free Intro to Certifi cation $ 0 $ 0

Friday: Dinner $ 16 $ 16

Saturday: Full Day $110 $110

Saturday: Dinner $ 16 $ 16

Sunday: Full Day $ 80 $ 80

Organic Certifi cation Application Packet $ 53 $ 53

TOTAL INDIVIDUAL REGISTRATIONS $ $

TOTAL REGISTRATIONS ADULT #1 + ADULT #2 $

Adult #1 – Friday Workshop Selections: am pm

Adult #2 – Friday Workshop Selections: am pm

Students receive a 20% discount off the cost of registration for groups of 3 or more.

Not subject to Early Bird Discount. Valid Student ID required. To apply, contact

Stephanie at 585-271-1979, ext. 509.

Children’s Conference & ChildcareChildren ages 6–12 (at the time of the conference) may attend the children’s conference. Children ages 3–5 (at the time of the conference) may attend childcare. Registration for children’s programming is fi rst come, fi rst serve and is not guaranteed. You MUST PRE-REGISTER for children’s programming; we cannot accept walk-in registrations.

Child #1 Child #2 Child #3Full Conference (Friday–Sunday) $125 $125 $125Friday $ 50 $ 50 $ 50

Friday: Dinner* (5 and under eat free) $ 16 $ 16 $ 16Saturday $ 50 $ 50 $ 50

Saturday: Dinner* (5 and under eat free) $ 16 $ 16 $ 16Sunday $ 50 $ 50 $ 50

TOTAL INDIVIDUAL REGISTRATIONS $ $ $

TOTAL REGISTRATIONS (Child #1 + #2 + #3) $

Volunteer Opportunities Yes! I would like to volunteer at the 2014 NOFA-NY Winter Conference.

Please contact me.

Cancellation and Refund PolicyRefunds requested prior to January 15th will be charged a $25 processing fee. No refunds after January 15th. Sorry, no exceptions.

TotalsCombined Adult Registration Total: $

Combined Child Registration Total: $

NOFA-NY Membership Donation: $

Donation to the Farmer Education Fund: $

Donation to the Josh Levine Memorial Scholarship Fund: $

Early Bird Discount (−$10 per Adult: Dec.13th Deadline) $(–)

TOTAL ENCLOSED $

Pre-Registration Form: Must be postmarked by January 15th! After January 15, adult walk-in registrations will be accepted at the conference.

Additional fees will apply.

Please make checks payable Credit Card Information (MasterCard/VISA only)to NOFA-NY.Submit form and payment to: Card #

NOFA-NYAttn: Conference Registration

Expiration Date: _____ / _______ CCID# _______

249 Highland AvenueRochester, NY 14620 Signature

For questions, please call Date (585) 271-1979, ext. 509.

MembershipYour membership donation directly supports NOFA-NY programs and services. Please choose a membership level that is meaningful and aff ordable to you.

$50 $75 $100 $250 $500 Other $ ______________________

At the $75 level, get your FREE NOFA-NY hat. At the $100 level or above, get two FREE NOFA-NY hats. All membership donations entitle you to our two quarterly publications, New York Organic News magazine and Th e Natural Farmer, and our 2014 Food & Farm Guide.


Workshops continued from page 24 G R A I N S & F I E L D C R O P T R A C KG R A I N S & F I E L D C R O P T R A C K

ROTATIONS FOR A QUALITY GRAIN FARM

Th is workshop will explore or-

ganic disease management prac-

tices and crop rotations essential

for producing quality food-grade

grain crops in the Northeast. Grain

farming is like rocket science if you

plan on success in the changing cli-

mate and specialty markets which

demand perfection. From seed to

weeds, and grains to bread, this

is the whole grain primer for be-

ginning farmers and experienced

growers hoping to improve their

farm plan for the future.

Presenter: T hor Oeschner,

Oechsner Farms, Farmer Ground

Flour, and Wide Awake Bakery Sunday 8–9:15am

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HIGH PERFORMANCE COVER CROPS

Cover crops can greatly benefi t

your soil and crops, but only if they

reach their full potential. In this

workshop we will explore optimum

planting and termination dates

for legume and non-legume cover

crops. We will also discuss nitrogen

tie-up, pests, weeds, and other as-

pects of using cover crops.

Presenter: Brian Caldwell, Cor-

nell Organic Cropping Systems

ProjectSunday 9:45–11am


G A R D E N I N G & H O M E S T E A D I N G T R A C KG A R D E N I N G & H O M E S T E A D I N G T R A C K

HERBS FOR THE WINTER BLUES

Herbs can gladden the heart and

boost the spirit. Learn about herbs

that relieve the winter blues. Grow

and use some helpful plants!

Presenter: Betty Pillsbury, Green

Spiral Herbs Saturday 8–9:15am

ESPALIER FRUIT PLANTSAn espalier can yield very high-

quality fruit while making a dec-

orative and edible covering for a

fence or a wall. Learn which plants

work best as espaliers and the theo-

ry and practice involved in bending

and pruning branches to train and

maintain the plants.

Presenter: Lee Reich, farmdener,

gardening consultant, and authorSaturday 1:15–2:30pm

YES WE CAN! PRESERVE YOUR HARVEST! Part 1

Using time-honored techniques

of canning, learn the best meth-

ods for preserving the wide vari-

ety of produce you harvest. Getting

hands-on during our session, par-

ticipants will learn the theory and

practice of canning. We will discuss

the nutritional benefi ts of canned

foods as well as how to implement

canning safely.

Presenters: Michaela Hayes,

Crock & Jar, and Angela Davis,

Just Food and NYC Ferments Saturday 1:15–2:30pm

SEEKING QUALITY IN CIDER MAKING

Improve your cider making abil-

ities with this intermediate work-

shop on cider making. After a brief

overview of the basic cider making

practice, we will discuss some fac-

tors that change the quality and

character of the cider produced.

Main topics will be the quality of

cider-appropriate apples, blending

for a well balanced cider, and con-

trolling the fermentation (includ-

ing diff erent yeast strains).

Presenter: Claude Jolicoeur, au-

thor of Th e New Cider Maker’s Hand-

book (Chelsea Green Publishing,

2013)Saturday 2:45–4pm

FERMENT CHANGE! PRESERVE YOUR HARVEST! Part 2

Using time-honored techniques

of fermentation, learn the best

methods for preserving the wide

variety of produce you harvest. Get-

ting hands-on during our session,

participants will learn the theory

and practice of fermenting. We will

discuss the nutritional benefi ts of

fermented foods as well as how to

implement fermentation safely.

Presenters: Michaela Hayes,

Crock & Jar, and Angela Davis,

Just Food and NYC Ferments Saturday 2:45–4pm

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G A R D E N I N G & H O M E S T E A D I N G T R A C KG A R D E N I N G & H O M E S T E A D I N G T R A C K

TEACHING A SCIENCE CURRICULUM IN A SCHOOL GARDEN: A Worthy Challenge

We’ll discuss the joys and pitfalls

of working with 7th grade science

students in a garden. Th is workshop

will take you through the logistics

of covering the New York State sci-

ence curriculum, while maintaining

a 6,000 square foot vegetable gar-

den that provides food to the cafe-

teria. Participants will be presented

with some challenges to explore in-

cluding how to involve students in

controlled experiments when most

crops aren’t harvested until the

summer.

Presenter: Wayne Gottlieb, sci-

ence teacher and gardener at Dewitt

Middle SchoolSaturday 4:15–5:30pm

THE ESSENTIAL SMALL FARM GREENHOUSE

Build your own greenhouse for

under $300! Th is 10' x 20' green-

house is simple to build. Two peo-

ple can move it by hand, and it can

be used alone or in tandem for more

growing area. Th is workshop will

provide greenhouse plans as well

as 15 years of experience using this

greenhouse for plant propagation,

season extension, and even raising

chickens.

Presenter: Eric de Long, farmer

in Greene County, New York Sunday 8–9:15am

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THE RESILIENT AND REGENERATIVE FARM AND HOMESTEAD

Using images and illustrations,

the workshop will provide a visu-

al tour of the primary principles

and their application in establish-

ing and operating a high diversi-

ty, nutrient-dense food, medicine,

and fuel-producing homestead and

small farm. Aspects covered in-

clude rapid fuelwood production

in hedgerows, integrating grazing

with perennial woody crops, wood

and compost-heated hot water,

rice paddy construction and man-

agement, ducks, sheep and peren-

nial crop integration, earthworks

for drought, fl ood prevention and

much more.

Presenter: Ben Falk, homestead-

er and author of Th e Resilient Farm

and Homestead, (Chelsea Green Pub-

lishing, 2013) Sunday 9:45–11am


L I V E S T O C K T R A C KL I V E S T O C K T R A C K

DRAFT ANIMAL POWER: From Homestead to Megafarm

See and hear about all the diff er-

ent uses for these incredible work

partners on your homestead or

farm. Ask questions about training,

keeping, and working with draft

animals.

Presenter: Donn Hewes, North-

land Sheep DairySaturday 8–9:15am

MEAT YIELDS AND MARKETING

Th is workshop will provide an in

depth discussion of meat yields for

all red meat. Learn the basics for

optimizing your meat yields and

participate in a conversation about

current market trends and market-

ing options.

Presenter: Richard Beckwith,

Hilltown Pork Inc.Saturday 1:15–2:30pm

DIVERSIFIED DAIRY CSA: Benefi ts and Challenges to Alternative CSA Models

Th e presenter will discuss the

various iterations of a diversi-

fi ed CSA that her farm has gone

through over the past three years.

Th e CSA includes dairy (raw milk,

cheese, butter, buttermilk, whey),

eggs, bread, and beef. Challenges

and benefi ts of the diff erent models

will be covered.

Presenter: Suzy Konecky, Crick-

et Creek FarmSaturday 2:45–4pm

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100% GRASS FED BEEF: Low Cost Inputs for High Quality Finish

Understand and produce high

quality, in demand, 100% grass fed

beef. It all starts with the pasture.

Th e workshop topics will cover MIG

(managed intensive grazing), sal-

ad bar grass production, holistic

health care, AI breeding, calving,

pasture improvement, high ten-

sile wire fencing, organic-approved

mineral supplements, and fall and

winter feeding.

Presenter: Steven Rockcastle,

Blue Heron GrowersSaturday 4:15–5:30pm

ADVANCES IN ON-FARM POULTRY BREEDING

Th is workshop will provide a de-

scription of our poultry breeding

experience and a platform for dis-

cussing others’ experiences. We will

cover small-scale breeding, incubat-

ing, and hatching chickens, ducks,

and turkeys.

Presenters: Karma and Michael

Glos, Kingbird FarmSunday 8–9:15am

SMALL SCALE PIG BREEDINGWe will cover our hog breeding

programs from boar selection to

weaning piglets. We will delve spe-

cifi cally into the economics of or-

ganic sow management.

Presenters: Karma and Michael

Glos, Kingbird Farm Sunday 9:45–11am


M A R K E T I N G & B U S I N E S S T R A C KM A R K E T I N G & B U S I N E S S T R A C K

REGIONAL SOURCING FOR URBAN MARKETS: Snail of Approval & Producer Matrix

Slow Food NYC will describe how

its Snail of Approval & Produc-

er Matrix drives regional producer

sales in the New York City market.

Learn how to become a Producer

Matrix farmer and get introduced

to NYC Snail of Approval buyers.

Presenter: Anthony Fassio, Slow

Food NYCSaturday 8–9:15am

NEGOTIATION MAKES IT HAPPEN!

Organic farmers experience a

number of unique challenges, and

often experience barriers to land

and credit. While there is a grow-

ing fi eld of advisers, resources, and

technical advice available, the abil-

ity to negotiate and form collabor-

ative partnerships is the common

denominator to success in accessing

credit and land ownership. Skills

and resources to facilitate clear

communication, interest based

negotiation, collaborative prob-

lem solving, consensus building,

and confl ict management are what

NYSAMP brings to the table.

Presenter: Charlotte Carter,

NYSAMPSaturday 1:15–2:30pm

JUSTICE FOR FARMWORKERS! AND HOW ABOUT FARMERS TOO?

For years, farmworkers and ad-

vocates in New York State have

been trying to pass the Farmworker

Fair Labor Practices Act. NOFA-NY

members support the central de-

mand—freedom of association.

How can we make this bill a win for

family-scale organic farmers as well

as farmworkers? We will review re-

sults from NOFA-NY’s farmer sur-

vey. Come join the discussion.

Presenter: Elizabeth Hender-

son, co-founder of Peacework Or-

ganic CSA and co-chair of NOFA-NY

Policy CommitteeSaturday 2:45–4pm

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M A R K E T I N G & B U S I N E S S T R A C KM A R K E T I N G & B U S I N E S S T R A C K

MAY ALL BE FED: A Unique Farm to Food Pantry Model

Food pantries and soup kitch-

ens are more than just donation

sites for your excess harvest. In this

workshop, we will provide a thor-

ough overview of Local Produce

Link. LPL is a unique Farm to Food

Pantry model of sourcing cultural-

ly-appropriate, locally-grown food

to emergency food relief organiza-

tions in New York City. Workshop

presenters will discuss how this

program benefi ts food pantry cli-

ents, how partnerships with at-risk

populations benefi t New York State

farmers, and how education can

benefi t both the recipients of local

produce as well as those that pro-

duce it.

Presenters: Rachelle Faroul,

Just Food, and Katie Sheehan-Lo-

pez, United Way NYC Saturday 4:15–5:30pm

DOING BUSINESS AS. . . Choosing a Business Structure for Your Farm

In this workshop, we will explore

the various options for structur-

ing a farm business, including sole

proprietorship, partnership, cor-

poration, and LLC. Participants

will gain an understanding of the

strengths and weaknesses of each

entity type so they can make a more

informed decision about structur-

ing their farm business.

Presenter: Elizabeth Lappin,

GrowNYC Sunday 8–9:15am

PROFITABILITY OF THE PAPER POT TRANSPLANTER ON A SMALL VEGETABLE FARM

Th e paper pot transplanter—it

looks cool, but is it a practical tool

for small scale vegetable farms?

Th is nifty tool quickly puts lit-

tle plants into the ground in spe-

cial paper pots that are linked

together. Learn about the benefi ts

and downfalls of the transplant-

er, what fi ve test crops were prof-

itable, and potential future uses of

the transplanter.

Presenters: Matthew Glenn and

Liz Martin, Muddy Fingers FarmSunday 9:45–11am

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N Y S E N T E R P R I S E S T R A C KN Y S E N T E R P R I S E S T R A C K

AGRICULTURALLY PRODUCTIVE BUFFERS: Agroforestry Strategies for Riverlands and Beyond

Agriculturally productive buff ers

(APBs) are an emerging agroforest-

ry option for vulnerable river lands

in the Northeast. APBs combine

crop production, conservation, and

fl ood resilience into a single man-

agement strategy. Th is workshop

will provide an overview of ecolog-

ical functions, crop systems, and

planning and economic consider-

ations for productive riparian buf-

fers. We will also discuss the use of

productive buff ers as an agroforest-

ry strategy elsewhere in the work-

ing landscape.

Presenter: Connor Stedman,

ecological designer and agroforest-

er based in southern Vermont and

co-organizer of the Carbon Farm-

ing CourseSaturday 8–9:15am

DROUGHT AND FLOOD-PROOFING THE FARM

Th is workshop will provide an

overview of the primary strate-

gies for decreasing one’s vulnera-

bility to problematic inundation

and drought. We will cover tech-

niques for handling major precipita-

tion events and for extending these

events to help a farm resist acute

drying when the rains stop. Th ese

include ponds, swales, hugelculture,

perennial crop and shade integra-

tion, among other strategies.

Presenter: Ben Falk, homestead-

er and author of Th e Resilient Farm

and Homestead, (Chelsea Green

Press, 2013) Saturday 1:15–2:30pm

FARMING WITH ROCKSDo you suff er from soil envy? Is

your farm lined by far too many

stone walls? Are rocks and pebbles

your best crops? If so, come to this

support group for those suff ering

from PRSS (Poor Rocky Soil Syn-

drome). We will share stories and

ideas on how to farm with this ter-

rible affl iction.

Presenter: Eric de Long, farmer

in Greene County, New York Saturday 2:45–4pm

BOUQUET MAKING BASICS: Floral Design 101 for New Flower Growers

Seasoned fl ower farmers and fl o-

ral designers will share how re-

warding and lucrative working

with local fl owers can be. If you’re

new to growing fl owers, chances

are you’ll pick up the growing tech-

niques; however, making market-

ing bouquets takes some know-how

and creativity. Learn tips on ba-

sic bouquet making and fl oral de-

sign including styles, materials, and

resources.

Presenters: Molly Culver, Youth

Farm and Molly Oliver Flowers, and

Deborah Grieg, East New York

Farms! and Molly Oliver Flowers Saturday 4:15–5:30pm

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N Y S E N T E R P R I S E S T R A C KN Y S E N T E R P R I S E S T R A C K

SUGARING 101: Why Every Farm Should Have a Sugaring Operation Even if You Don’t Have Maple Trees

Th is workshop will explore the

benefi ts of developing a maple sug-

aring operation and off er ideas for

expanding existing sugaring opera-

tions. You will learn about the eco-

nomics of sugaring and marketing

opportunities with maple, birch,

and walnut sap. Several examples of

community-based sugaring models

will be covered to demonstrate how

you can work with others to develop

a sugaring operation through buying

sap, boiling it on shares, or leasing

other’s trees for tapping. If you don’t

already have a sugaring operation,

by the end of this workshop you’ll be

making plans to buy your fi rst evap-

orator, and if you are already sug-

aring, you will be well equipped to

expand your production and sales.

Presenter: Michael Farrell, Cor-

nell University’s Sugar Maple Re-

search & Education Center Sunday 8–9:15am

SUGARING 102: Tips and Tricks for Developing an Enjoyable, Productive, and Profi table Sugaring Operation

You already have a sugaring op-

eration. Now it’s time to focus on

the nuts and bolts of modern syr-

up production. Th is workshop will

highlight the most effi cient and ef-

fective technologies and techniques

that will help you save time, money,

fuel, and frustration as you gather

sap and process it into syrup. If you

would like some new ideas to en-

hance your existing operation, this

workshop is for you.

Presenter: Michael Farrell, Cor-

nell University’s Sugar Maple Re-

search & Education Center Sunday 9:45–11am

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P O L I C Y & C O M M U N I T Y T R A C KP O L I C Y & C O M M U N I T Y T R A C K

WHERE DO WE STAND WITH FDA’S FOOD SAFETY REGULATIONS?

With the Food & Drug Admin-

istration (FDA) now in the fi nal

rule-making phase for the nation-

al food safety regulations, there is

much that farmers and supporters

of localized food systems need to

know and prepare for. Th is interac-

tive workshop takes a proactive ap-

proach toward better protecting our

farms and positioning ourselves to

take the next steps.

Presenter: Steve Gilman, NOFA-

Interstate CouncilSaturday 8–9:15am

CLOSE THE LOOP! Food Scrap Collection, Composting and Rotstar Training

We will present an overview of

how the Close the Loop VT! food

scrap composting program was de-

veloped, the program’s role in im-

plementing Vermont’s new law

banning all organic materials from

landfi lls by 2017, and how to train

communities to implement com-

posting programs.

Presenters: Grace Gershuny,

Green Mountain College and High-

fi elds Center for Composting, and

Tyler Buswell, Highfi elds Center

for CompostingSaturday 1:15–2:30pm

A FARM BILL: For All of UsWe will go over a brief history and

lively discussion about the Farm

Bill and how and why the Supple-

mental Nutrition Assistance Pro-

gram (SNAP) is and should continue

to be a part of it. What’s the polit-

ical landscape, and what you need

to know to get engaged to change

the Farm Bill to better support or-

ganic, sustainable, diversifi ed farm-

ing, reduce the grip of agribusiness,

promote healthy foods and fami-

ly farmers, and sustain emergency

food programs.

Presenters: Liana Hoodes, Na-

tional Organic Coalition, and Mark

Dunlea, Hunger Action Network of

NY Saturday 2:45–4pm

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P O L I C Y & C O M M U N I T Y T R A C KP O L I C Y & C O M M U N I T Y T R A C K

SEEDS AND BREEDS: Th e State of Classical Breeding in a GMO World

Organic farming is dependent on

diverse, locally-adapted seed and

livestock varieties, yet most pub-

lic and private funding for breeding

in recent decades has been for ge-

netic engineering. Th e state of pub-

lic varieties is in disarray and has

an eff ect on seed and breed avail-

ability. Learn how seeds are adapt-

ed to local conditions and changing

climates, the importance of locally-

adapted varieties to our local food

supply and continuing diversity in

the marketplace, the knowledge

and resources needed for public cul-

tivar development, and the status

and funding of non-GE breeding in

our public institutions.

Presenters: Liana Hoodes, Na-

tional Organic Coalition, and

Michael Mazourek, Cornell

UniversitySaturday 4:15–5:30pm

JUST LABEL IT! NYS Campaign to Pass GMO Labeling Legislation

Help NOFA-NY and the NYS

GMO Labeling Coalition pass leg-

islation this year! We’ll present up-

dates on actions so far, background

on the successful campaigns by

NOFA chapters in CT and VT, and

a draft plan of action. Bring your

ideas for how we can pass a bill this

year. Prepare to roll up your sleeves

and sign up for action!

Presenters: Elizabeth Hen-

derson, co-founder of Peace-

work Organic CSA and co-chair of

NOFA-NY Policy Committee, and

Danielle Pinkerton, lead orga-

nizer for the Rochester chapter, NY

March Against MonsantoSunday 8–9:15am

NOFA-NY’S FARMER’S PLEDGE

Th e Farmer’s Pledge was created

by the NOFA-NY Board and mem-

ber-farmers in 2002 as a means for

farmers to describe their sustain-

able growing practices for the con-

sumer. Each year, farmers are asked

to evaluate the stated principles

and make recommendations to the

Pledge. If you’re interested in learn-

ing more about this program and

how it might benefi t your farm, or

if you’re already a Farmer’s Pledge

farm and would like to contribute

to the program’s evolution, join us

for this annual workshop on our

Farmer’s Pledge program.

Presenter: TBDSunday 9:45–11am

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U R B A N F A R M I N G T R A C KU R B A N F A R M I N G T R A C K

SUCCESS ON THE GROUNDHit the ground running before

the fi rst seed is planted, wheth-

er planning an urban farm plot

or community garden. Learn how

to establish your organization’s

framework, form community alli-

ances, forge partnerships, connect

diverse constituencies, and commu-

nicate your success.

Presenter: Annette Nielsen,

food writer and sustainable com-

munity activistSaturday 8–9:15am

CREATING A COMPOST-HEATED GREENHOUSE IN THE CITY

Grow your own healthy seedlings

in an urban environment. We’ll re-

view the ins and outs of creating a

low-cost, off -grid greenhouse, heat-

ed by the power of composting ur-

ban waste stream materials. We

will go over the methods and re-

sults from a 2012–2013 SARE proj-

ect to study the feasibility and

eff ectiveness of a small-sized com-

post-heated greenhouse for both

winter vegetables and spring seed-

lings, and to provide tools for an ur-

ban farm to be more self-suffi cient.

We will also address particular ur-

ban growing issues for a greenhouse

such as utilities access, communi-

ty participation, vandalism, and

transportation of materials.

Presenter: Jesica Clark, South

Pine Street City Farm Saturday 1:15–2:30pm

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LOTS OF FOOD: Feeding Folks with Urban Food Forests

Got shade? How about urban

wildlife? Permaculture, a design

science rooted in natural systems,

informs us of how to plan produc-

tive perennial food forests that will

feed sub/urban dwellers in even the

most challenging environments.

Learn polyculture design basics

and advanced problem prevention

and solving to increase the biodi-

versity, health, and productivity

of your sub/urban garden or farm

while discovering some new foods,

regenerating the environment, and

reducing your workload.

Presenter: Patty Love, Barefoot

Edible Landscape and Permacul-

ture, and Lots of Food Saturday 2:45–4pm

FINANCES OF FARMING, ESPECIALLY IN A CITY

In this workshop we will dis-

cuss the important fi nancial met-

rics in farming including startup

costs, production, yields, sales,

and expenses. From experience in

space-limited environments like

rooftops and city lots, these lessons

can be translated into any space.

Learn how to assess a farm’s poten-

tial, quantify the value of diff erent

crops, set goals, and achieve them.

Presenter: Ben Flanner, Brook-

lyn Grange Rooftop FarmSaturday 4:15–5:30pm

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EMPOWERING YOUTH IN URBAN FARMING

A panel of adult and youth lead-

ers from two youth-in-urban-agri-

culture organizations will present

their fi ndings and experiences. We

will address core programming de-

tails that enable youth leader-

ship, what makes urban farming

programs exciting to youth, and

through discussion try to tackle

some of the biggest challenges to

engaging youth in urban farming.

Presenters: Maggie Cheney,

EcoStation: NY and Bushwick Cam-

pus Farm, and Erika Symmonds,

Green City ForceSunday 8–9:15am

GROWING URBAN SOIL FOR FOOD PRODUCTION

Focus on the soil, and the rest of

the urban farm can grow. Buff alo’s

Massachusetts Avenue Project’s ur-

ban farm has spent 10 years turn-

ing vacant, nutrient-dead city land

into a farm capable of intensive,

healthy organic food production.

Learn how MAP has created quality

soil to support the farm’s diff erent

elements of agriculture. Th is work-

shop will explore the urban farm

system including home grown com-

post, worms, chickens, fi sh farms,

crop rotation, youth employees, and

volunteers.

Presenter: Jesse Meeder, Massa-

chusetts Avenue ProjectSunday 9:45–11am


V E G E T A B L E T R A C KV E G E T A B L E T R A C K

NO-TILL, NO-HERBICIDE PLANTING OF SPRING VEGETABLES USING WINTER KILLED COVER CROPS

We all know the advantages of

no-till for soil health. But organ-

ic no-till using cover crops like

rye tends to exacerbate problems

with cold soils in early spring. Th is

workshop will explore recent re-

search in Maryland and Pennsylva-

nia where we have seeded directly

into low residue, winter killed cov-

er crops that leave a friable, weed-

free seedbed in spring. Th is

experimental system will elimi-

nate the need for spring tillage,

speed soil warming in spring, and

benefi t farmers economically while

providing the environmental bene-

fi ts that good cover crops can off er

including nutrient capture and cy-

cling, erosion prevention, and soil

compaction alleviation. Hear the

experiences of farmers from the

past two years.

Presenters: Tianna DuPont,

Penn State Extension, and Nicole

Shelly, Gottschell FarmSaturday 8–9:15am

MANAGING INSECTS AND INSECTICIDE RESISTANCE FOR ORGANIC POTATO PRODUCTION

We will discuss management op-

tions for Colorado potato beetle

and potato leafhopper in organ-

ic potatoes. Pest biology, cultural

practices, allowed insecticides, and

managing insecticide resistance in

Colorado potato beetles will be the

primary topics covered.

Presenters: Abby Seaman, Cor-

nell IPM, and Mitchell Baker,

entomologist Saturday 2:45–4pm

GROWING BETTER MELONS, SUMMER SQUASH, AND CUCUMBERS

Growing organic cucurbits—spe-

cifi cally melons, summer squash,

and cucumbers—can be a chal-

lenging endeavor. Hear about best

management practices for getting

your crops through the onslaught

of insects and eventual disease that

threaten the potential of bounti-

ful and delicious harvests. Results

of trials of dozens of diff erent cul-

tivars will help growers select vari-

eties that will fi t into their growing

and marketing systems. Share your

knowledge from your own experi-

ences and help guide future trial-

ing and breeding to meet grower’s

needs.

Presenter: Michael Glos, Cornell

Horticulture ProgramSaturday 4:15–5:30pm

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ADVANCED SEED SAVING: Biennials

Saving seed in the Northeast can

be a challenge, particularly for bi-

ennial crops. Come learn the fun-

damentals of planting, selecting,

storing, and saving seed of common

biennials from onions to cabbage,

kale to carrots. Expect to come

away with understanding, inspira-

tion, and an expanded seed saving

confi dence.

Presenters: Petra Page-Mann

and Matthew Goldfarb, Fruition

SeedsSunday 8–9:15am

HOW TO SUCCESSFULLY GROW TOMATOES AND POTATOES DESPITE THE BLIGHT

Th is devastating disease has been

occurring more, especially on toma-

toes, because new pathogen strains

are more aggressive and more toler-

ant of summer temperatures . Th e

goal of this workshop is to enable

farmers to optimize management

of late blight by combining knowl-

edge from research with farmer

experience. Following the presen-

tations from a research-extension

perspective, farmers will be asked

to share their experiences with late

blight to start a discussion where

attendees will be encouraged to

comment about their successes and

failures managing late blight with

copper, biofungicides, and resistant

varieties, and utility of monitoring

information on the Decision Sup-

port System at the USABlight.org

site.

Presenters: Meg McGrath, Cor-

nell University, and Abby Seaman,

Cornell IPMSunday 9:45–11am

MAXIMIZE NEW FARM GREENHOUSE SPACE: Transplants and More

Join us for a discussion about all

aspects of getting your green houses

and high tunnels up and going in

the context of larger start-up farm

planning and infrastructure devel-

opment. Th is workshop will cover

the basics of growing organic trans-

plants, as well as how to best use

your greenhouse spaces after the

starts get in the ground.

Presenter: Jamie Edelstein,

Wyllie Fox Farm, NOFA-NY Board

of Directors Saturday 1:15–2:30pm

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Friday

SAND PAINTING MANDALASWho are we? Who do we want to

be? We’ll warm up with games and

yoga, and get comfortable with each

other. We will be led in creating

sand painting mandalas as a way to

express our hopes and dreams for

ourselves. Sarah is a trained yoga

teacher and shamanic practitioner

in the Jaguar Path tradition.

Presenter: Sarah van Leer, home

gardener Friday 9:00am–12:15pm

Lunch Parents will need to pick up their

children promptly at 12:15pm; no

children’s programming or childcare will

be off ered during lunch.

C H I L D R E N ' S C O N F E R E N C E & C H I L D C A R EC H I L D R E N ' S C O N F E R E N C E & C H I L D C A R E

MINERAL SPRINGS TASTING TOUR

We’ll head over to the Sarato-

ga Spa State Park for a guided tour.

We’ll taste the mineral springs,

learn about geology, discover the

folklore of Saratoga Springs, and

practice our map reading skills.

Please bring a small backpack and

come dressed in warm layers and

skid-proof boots for this icy out-

doors experience. Parents: you’ll

need to drop off and pick up your

child(ren) at Park headquarters at the

State Park (you are also welcome to

join us if you wish to). Maps, direc-

tions, and carpool arrangements

will be available in the morning.

Latecomers please check with regis-

tration before joining us.

Presenter: Alli Schweizer, envi-

ronmental educator Friday 1:05–4:45pm

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FRIDAYFRIDAY

Each year we encourage attendees to bring their children ages 6–12 to at-

tend our special Children’s Conference. Space is limited, so register ear-

ly. Sorry, no walk-in registrations. Children’s Conference Coordinator

Rebekah Rice will be available throughout the conference to keep things

running smoothly. Check out this year’s schedule:


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Saturday

MYTHS AND CREATION STORIES

Myths and creation stories are an

exciting part of our traditions. Join

us as we weave together community

building games with art and story-

telling. You can count on a playful,

magical and creative workshop!

Presenter: Jillian Hirsch, artist,

educator, gardener Saturday 7:55–9:30am

YOUNG FARMER’S CIRCUSParticipants will learn acrobat-

ics, dance, creative movement, and

songs related to themes of land

and food. Th ere will be something

for everyone! We will decorate our-

selves and perform for each other.

Presenters: Leah Penniman and

Jonah Vitale-Wolff , organic farm-

ers, educators, parents, activists Saturday 9:45–11:15am

SATURDAYSATURDAY Lunch Parents will need to pick up their

children promptly at 11:15am; no



HERBALISM 101Herbalism is the study of the me-

dicinal properties of plants, and has

been widely practiced across cul-

tures and throughout history. Join

us for this fascinating introduction

to herbalism where we will learn

how to make traditional salves,

tinctures and teas.

Presenter: Jenn Baumstein,

community engagement organizer,

herbalist, writerSaturday 1:10–2:30pm


Sunday

SEED PACKET ART Have you ever looked at how

diff erently seeds are packaged in

nature? We’ll look at lots of seed

heads and pods, clean up the ones

we want to save, and create our

own seed packet art using collage

and paints.

Presenter: Rebekah Rice, Nine

Mile Farm, artistSunday 7:45–9:30am

PANCAKES FOR BRUNCH!We’ll use a bicycle mill to grind

locally grown grains, mix up

some batter, heat up the griddle,

and have a feast. Amy loves and

writes about grains of all sorts,

and Howard grows grain in Troy

and enjoys inventing new equip-

ment for community use.

Presenters: Amy Halloran,

writer, and Howard Stoner, ur-

ban farmer Sunday 9:30–11am

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FOOD SCULPTUREMake and photograph a food

sculpture with multimedia story-

teller and food artist Ellie Markov-

itz. We’ll make delicious smoothies,

too! Ellie created Troy’s StoryHar-

vest and StoryCooking.com in order

to work with food literacy, which is

her true passion.

Presenter: Ellie Markovitz, mul-

timedia storyteller, food artist Saturday 2:30–4pm

TELLING OUR STORIES IN SONG AND MOVEMENT

We’ll wrap up the day by tell-

ing our stories through song and

movement and by creating a song

together in this songwriting work-

shop. Cathy is a long-time singer

songwriter who does workshops in

camps, libraries, and schools.

P re s e nte r : C at hy W i nte r,

songwriter Saturday 4–5:30pm

SUNDAYSUNDAY


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CHILDCAREChild care will be available for youth ages 3–5 and includes many ac-

tivities to keep your young ones engaged and inspired. Th e childcare

program will be led by Linda Stallard, an experienced teacher and af-

terschool leader at the Saratoga Waldorf Schools since 1987. Each day

will include a walk outside and fun inside crafts and activities. Chil-

dren must bring warm outside clothes (boots, snow pants, jackets,

hats, mittens, etc., and an extra change of clothes).

Pre-registration is required, and no childcare services will be

off ered during lunch. Parents should plan to pick up their children

promptly after the morning sessions end, and then again following the

afternoon’s last workshop.

Friday: 8:45am–12:15pm and 1:10–4:35pm

Saturday: 7:50–11:50am and 1:10–5:40pm

Sunday: 7:50–11:15am

WORKING WITH TRADITIONAL MATERIALS

Using lumber milled on his farm

from diff erent types of trees, ar-

chitect John Inman will show us

how to work with traditional ma-

terials in this hands-on workshop.

We’ll experiment with pine, oak,

and black locust planks and fi nd

out for ourselves how the strengths

of these various materials are

diff erent.

Presenter: John Inman, Nine

Mile FarmSunday 11am–12:15pm

Lunch Parents will need to pick up their

children promptly at 12:15pm; no




DRIVINGFrom the South: Take NYS Th ruway (I-87N) to exit 24. Take Adirondack Northway

(I-87) to exit 15. Turn left off exit. At the 5th traffi c light, turn left onto Rock Street. At stop sign turn right onto Maple Ave. Th e Saratoga parking lot is on your right.

From the East: Take Mass. Turnpike-West to NY Th ruway, take exit B-1 (I-90 Bypass) to I-787N for approximately 6 miles to Route 7-W for approximately 2 miles to Adirondack Northway (I-87) for approximately 22 miles to exit 15. Turn left off exit. At the 5th traffi c light, turn left onto Rock Street. At stop sign turn right onto Maple Ave. Th e Saratoga parking lot is on your right.

From the West: Take NYS Th ruway (I-90 East to exit 24). Take Adirondack Northway (I-87N) to exit 15. Take left at exit. At the 5th traffi c light turn left onto Rock Street. At stop sign, turn right onto Maple Ave. Th e Saratoga parking lot is on your right.

From the North: Take Adirondack Northway (I-87S) to exit 15. Take right at exit. At the 4th traffi c light turn left onto Rock Street. At stop sign, turn right onto Maple Ave. Th e Saratoga parking lot is on your right.

HOW TO GET THERETh e Saratoga Hilton534 Broadway, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866888-866-3591 • 518-584-4000 • www.thesaratogahotel.com

Hotel AccommodationsHotel rooms at the Saratoga Hilton

are available at a rate of $100/night, based on double occupancy. To re-ceive this discounted rate, you must identify yourself as a NOFA-NY Conference Attendee. To make a reservation, please visit the Winter Conference Hotel Reservation site at www.nofany.org/hotel and use the

promotional code AKEL or call the Hilton Reservations Department at (888) 866-3596. Rooms go quickly!

Interested in arranging to share a room? We have set up a page on Ride-Buzz.org so that you can arrange your own room shares. Go to http://tinyurl.com/WC2014rideshare.

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATIONAir: Albany International Airport (ALB)

Train: Amtrak off ers direct service to Saratoga Springs. Use discount code X74Q-980 when you call Amtrak at (800) 872-7245 or use www.amtrak.com. Discount is valid for travel 1/21/14–1/29/14.

Bus: Greyhound, Adirondack Trailways and Pine Hill Trailways service Saratoga Springs.

Taxi: Saratoga Central Dispatch (518) 584-2700.

SAVE GAS & MONEYShare a Ride!

Are you concerned about carbon emissions and/or interested in saving a few

bucks? Share a ride! We have set up a page on RideBuzz.org so that you can ar-

range your own ride shares. Go to http://tinyurl.com/WC2014rideshare to arrange

your own ride.


THANKS TO OUR 2014 THANKS TO OUR 2014 WINTER CONFERENCE SPONSORSWINTER CONFERENCE SPONSORSPATRON OF ORGANICSPATRON OF ORGANICS

PLATINUMPLATINUM

GOLDGOLD

SILVERSILVER

An employee-owned company

Downto EarthFARMERS MARKETS- formerly Community Markets

United States Department of AgricultureRisk Management AgencyThis institution is an equal opportunity provider.

Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program

Deep GrassDeep GrassNurseryNursery

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2014 Winter Conference Brochure

Documents

Transcript of 2014 Winter Conference Brochure