Conference Grows Georgia’s Rural Food Movement

January 24, 2012

By Dan Corrie

 

Rural Georgia continues strengthening its progressive food movement. The latest big step was the “South Georgia Growing Local Conference” held near Reidsville on Jan. 13-14. The conference was sponsored by Okravores of South Georgia, Georgia Organics, Coastal Organic Growers, Main Street Statesboro Farmers Market and Tifton’s Wiregass Farmers Market.
     
Response was exuberant, with more people seeking to register than could be accommodated by UGA's Vidalia Onion and Vegetable Research Center, so registration had to be closed a week prior to the conference. A total of 114 participants and presenters attended.
      
The conference offered tours of Red Earth Farm, a sustainable farm near Reidsville, and Snug Hill Farm, an organic permaculture operation of 700 fruit and nut trees of 50 varieties near Garfield.  
      
Workshops focused on practical skills such as growing wilt-free tomatoes, pruning fruit trees, combating weeds, fermenting, applying vermiculture, understanding which edible plantings grow best in South Georgia and planning locavore meals. Other presentations were more big picture, such as Snug Hill Farm’s Larry Kopczak discussing personal choices to garden/farm and generally live sustainably so as to be able to weather severe economic downturns and to contribute to making the transition to more localized economies and communities. Kevin and Sam Shaw described establishing and operating Georgia Olive Farms in Lakeland. Recognizing South Georgia’s regional kinship with North Florida, the conference included a presentation by Herman Holley of Turkey Hill Farm near Tallahassee, his topic being “How To Successfully Grow Lots of Good Food On Marginal Land.” Other presenters included a UGA organics researcher, UGA sustainable agriculture coordinator, manager of the certified organic garden of the eco-lodge on Little St. Simons Island, an Emanuel County extension agent and additional regional farmers. For a complete list of presenters, go to the South Georgia Growing Local Conference Facebook page.
     
To build the rural movement’s future, the participants were invited to talk about their ideas in the “Where Do We Go From Here?” session. A summary of the session’s rich responses was e-mailed to all participants and posted on the Okravores Facebook page and on the Okravores listserv. Conference leaders encouraged participants to remember the discussion and refer back to the written summary to think how they personally might turn some of those ideas into realities.
     
The superb refreshments and lunch were largely locavore cuisine prepared by
conference organizers, with many participants also bringing dishes and even fresh citrus.  A potluck dinner at Snug Hill Farm also brought together truly marvelous food along with a relaxed opportunity for participants to get to know one another. 
     
To reinforce sustainable practices, participants were asked to bring their own dishes, eating utensils and cloth napkins so the conference would be a zero-waste event.  Door prizes were given out during the day, including numerous varieties of native plants and copies of Rob Hopkins’s The Transition Handbook: From Oil Dependency to Local Resilience.
     
To ensure the conference would be accessible to a wide range of people, the
registration fee was on a sliding scale, with participants invited to decide for themselves what they would pay within a $25-45 range, with drivers of carpooling vehicles allowed to receive a $5 refund. 
      
Lead organizer of the conference, Janisse Ray of Red Earth Farm, said, “The
overwhelming response shows an intense interest in healthy food and healthy farms here in our region. It's a terrifically exciting time.”
     
This was the second in what is hoped will be a continuing series of rural Georgia
conferences, last year’s being held in Tifton. For further conferences to occur, collaborators and volunteers will be needed and are encouraged to come together on the Okravore Facebook page or to contact Ellen Corrie (Ellennet@aol.com) or Dan Corrie (DanLCorrie@aol.com).

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