Education Sessions, Saturday, Feb. 25
Grower One
Grower Two
Livestock One
Livestock Two
Farm to Institution
Good Food For All
Homegrown
Farm & Food Policy
Grower I
Successful CSA Strategies, 9:30 - 10:45 a.m.
Joe Reynolds, Love is Love Farm
Paige Witherington, Serenbe Farms
Veteran young farmers Reynolds and Witherington will explore diverse strategies for planning, marketing, and distributing CSA programs from two farms’ perspectives. Content will address designs for getting a CSA program started as well as keeping an existing program fresh and engaging. Both presenters manage successful and thriving CSAs of over 100 members.
Post Harvest Handling & Packaging, 11 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.
Alex Rilko, Whole Foods Market and Front Field Farm
Eric Wagoner, Athens Locally Grown
Alex Rilko and Eric Wagoner will lead this session about getting your freshly harvested food from the farm to the end consumer, whether at a market or to a distributor. Since there are a variety of markets big and small, direct and indirect, we will go over what packaging options are available that work best to get your product to your market. In this session you will also learn some post-harvest handling techniques to maximize your product’s shelf life before you put it in a package.
An Ounce of Prevention: Practical Food Safety Tips for Small Farms and Farmers Markets, 2:30 - 3:45 p.m.
Julia Gaskin and Dr. Judy Harrison, University of Georgia
Jay Payne, Cedar Grove Farm & the Athens Farmers Market
Gaskin and Harrison will discuss some of the common practices that lead to food safety issues and offer practical ideas to prevent contamination and reduce risk of liability for farms and farmers markets. Simple checklists of good practices will be offered with information relevant for both the farmer and market organizer.
Making the Most Out of Small Spaces, 4 - 5:15 p.m.
Brennan Washington, Phoenix Gardens
Phoenix Gardens has grossed almost $30,000 on only 3,000 square feet. In this session, Washington will cover crop planning for small spaces, raised beds, intensive planting, selecting niche & high value crop, succession planting, season extension, use of vertical space, fertility management, dealing with slopes & rocks, selecting your markets and value added products.
Grower II
Controlling Insect Pests & Diseases in Organic Pecan and Peach Production, 9:30 - 10:45 a.m.
David Shapiro and Clive Bock, USDA-ARS, Southeastern Fruit and Tree Nut Research Laboratory
A number of insect pests and diseases can cause severe damage in orchard crops such as pecan and peach. Drs. David Shapiro-Ilan and Clive Bock from the USDA-ARS Fruit and Tree Nut Research Laboratory in Byron, GA, will provide information on organic solutions to control pests and diseases that target pecans and peaches. Based on their research others’, Shapiro-Ilan and Bock will discuss organic approaches that are available now, as well as prospects for the future.
Fruit Opportunities for Georgia, 11 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.
Robert Hamilton
The successful grower knows the challenges of their environment and the varieties that may be able to adapt. An open mind to experimentation of crops and new markets are key. This session will focus on common and usual fruit plants well suited to our region and worth exploring, how to find out more information on specific crops for your area, sources for plant material and how to shop for the best material and basic planting and care of your bushes and trees.
Determining Nitrogen Availability in Soil, 2:30 - 3:45 p.m.
Dr. Peter Hartel, Lisa Woodruff, and Miguel Cabrera of the University of Georgia
Nitrogen is one of many important ingredients in healthy soil. Tired of trying to figure out how much nitrogen you have in your soil to grow your organic crops? We'll use CERES-N, a new model that determines nitrogen availability in soil. The model has been adapted for organic growers in Georgia by University of Georgia scientists and is now available on the web. We'll show you how you use this model, depending on whether you're using organic matter, cover crops, poultry litter, compost, or any combination of these inputs as a nitrogen source.
Wholesale Opportunities for Small Growers, 4 - 5:15 p.m.
Adam Sheridan, Bowersville Family Produce
The Georgia agricultural reformation is maturing and experiencing great success in direct-to-consumer markets. The next logical step is to reform the existing modern food systems, specifically: wholesale distribution of locally-grown organic produce and organic grain production. We’ll look at an aggregation model which allows small farmers to access the wholesale distribution network and at opportunities for organic grain production in Georgia.
Livestock I
Beef Genetics for Total Forage Systems, 9:30 - 10:45 a.m.
Bill Hodge, Hodge Ranch
There are two types of cattle, “corn cattle” and “grass cattle.” First and foremost, the bovine was put on this earth to function as a grazing animal. The agriculture industry has created a bovine that requires inputs most forage-based systems cannot economically support. This session will discuss selection and management of beef cattle for minimal input, sustainable systems.
Mob Grazing, 11 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.
Matt Comerford, Comerford Farms
We will talk about mob grazing, a practice where a large concentration of animals are restricted to graze a small area, usually for a very short period of time. Comerford will also dig into other grazing methods that lower the cost of production and improve soil condition, stand variety, and stand density. Comerford has grown up in farming and currently employs rotational, multi-species, low-input grazing to limit hay feeding for Red Angus cattle, Katahdin sheep, and Large Black and Tamworth pigs.
Getting Started with Small Ruminants, 2:30 - 3:45 p.m.
Sherry Johnson, SheerLark Farm
Johnson will walk the beginning or aspiring small ruminant producer through site selection and assessment, choice of species and types of breeds, basic equipment and facilities required, and basic holistic health management information. You will discover how and why where you farm critically effects these choices and the sustainability of your farm. SheerLark Farm produces lamb and wool from their flock of heritage cross sheep and chevon from their meat goat herd, which was developed over the past 10 years. These products are sold directly to the consumer at farmers markets. Johnson also maintains a Nubian dairy goat herd for farmstead milk production and the sale of kids.
Sheep and Goat Health Care, 4 - 5:15 p.m.
David Pugh, DVM MS
This session will cover basic nutrition, parasite control, vaccination, disease prevention, and routine health care. Techniques such as commonly used injection techniques, hoof trimming ect will be covered. Pugh has been a practicing large animal veterinarian for over 30 years. He has held faculty positions at Va Tech, Texas A&M, The University of Georgia, was a professor of Large Animal Medicine at Auburn University. recently, he is a consulting Veterinarian for Auburn University, owns a consulting small ruminant practice (Southerntraxx Vet Services), and is the resident veterinarian for Ms Jayne Pugh's sheep flock.
Livestock II
Pasture to Plate: Growing Relationships with Chefs, 9:30 - 10:45 a.m.
Olivia Sargeant and Jake Francis, Farm 255
Learn best practices for working closely with restaurant and food service establishment clients from one of the most respected meat producing teams in the state. Sargeant and Francis will share their tips on small-scale niche meat production and their successful ways to develop positive and profitable relationships with chefs. The panel will focus on issues such as cash flow, scheduling, inventory realities for both producers and chefs, and maximizing revenue off of whole animal sale and usage. Other topics include the fresh vs. frozen question, the vital role of the processor/butcher, and how to educate restaurant staff.
Meat CSAs, 11 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.
Suzanne Welander and Charlotte Swancy, Riverview Farms
Darla Synnestvedt, Moonshine Meats
Based on the success of vegetable Community Supported Agriculture (CSAs), meat CSAs are popping up across the state with much success. Here’s how it works: members subscribe to a farm's share of mixed cut meats, often from various animals. Shares usually consist of a combination of primals, roasting/braising cuts, grind, sausage, and even offal. The CSA model affords the farmer more flexibility in balancing slaughter, inventory, cash flow, delivery, and demand. They also provide quality-raised meats to the savvy eater. You’ll hear from two different meat CSA programs and learn about their operations , logistics, slaughtering and delivery, and how to run a meat CSA from soup to nuts.
Q&A with Georgia Dept. of Agriculture, 2:30 - 3:45 p.m.
Animal agriculture is the largest sector of agriculture, contributing over $5.8 billion to Georgia's farm gate value. Assuring that the livestock and poultry sectors remain healthy and productive is one of the top priorities of the Animal Industry Division. The department's Consumer Protection Division administers state laws, rules and regulations for retail and wholesale grocery stores, retail seafood stores and places in the business of food processing and plants which are currently required to obtain a license from the Commissioner under any other provision of law: bakeries, confectionaries, fruit, nuts and vegetables stores and places of business, and similar establishments, mobile or permanent, engaged in sale of food primarily for consumption off the premises. Representatives from the Animal Division and Consumer Protection Division will answer your questions related to the regulations for raising, processing, value-adding, distributing and marketing livestock, and livestock products in Georgia.
The Farmer and Processor Relationship, 4 - 5:15 p.m.
Franklin Randle, Randle Farms
Dean Wilson, Wilson’s Farm Meat Processing
Tim Dyer, West Georgia Processing
Olivia Sargeant, Moonshine Meats
Randle Farms, a 35-acre farm near Auburn, AL, has been taking lamb and beef to Wilson’s Farm Meat Processing, in Seale, AL, for almost two years. Moonshine Meats and West Georgia Processing have developed an out of the box relationship in their partnership to supply Farm Burger. Hear from both farmer and processor about what makes their relationship successful and get information to empower farmers to work with new or existing processors.
Farm to Institution/ sponsored by Whole Foods Markets
Salad Days – a California Model, 9:30 - 10:45 a.m.
Rodney Taylor, Director Nutrition Services at Riverside Unified School District
A pioneer in farm to school in California, Rodney Taylor shares his experiences in creating salad bars for children in two large school systems using locally purchased produce. The Riverside Unified School District receives produce from local growers who grow within one hour of the district. The district works with community partners to integrate the cafeteria program with nutrition education activities including farmers' market field trips and farmer in the classroom presentations.
Innovation in University Food Systems, 11 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.
Gary Coltek, Director of Culinary and Hospitality Services, Kennesaw State University
Robin Taylor, Farm Manager, Kennesaw State University
Kennesaw State University was recently ranked 13 among the top 25 colleges for best food by Newsweek magazine. Opened in August 2009, the school’s 54,000square foot Commons, which feeds about 7,000 guests per day, subscribes to a unique concept of fresh eating and utilization of local, mostly organic produce. Kitchen and service design was based on the concept of ‘small-batch’ cooking, where main entrée dishes and sides are cooked to order, instead of cooked in large batches and held hot for service throughout the day. The university’s farm-to-campus program, which launched with two-acres of farmland, recently announced the addition of 43 acres, which is expected to provide 20 percent of the produce used in The Commons – the campus dining hall.
Practical Approaches to Farm to Hospital and School, 2:30 - 3:45 p.m.
John Turenne, President & Founder, Sustainable Food Systems LLC
With a history of sustainable food service management in large and small organizations, John Turenne expertly identifies practical steps to making farm to institution work both logistically and financially. John shares lessons from his experience as director and executive chef at Yale University Sustainable Dining, as well as from his work with other institutions such as New Milford Hospital in Connecticut. Plenty of time is allowed for participants to ask their farm to institution questions.
Whole Foods Market Animal Purchasing Certification, 4 - 5:15 p.m.
Theo Weening, Senior Global Meat Coordinator Whole Foods Market
Whole Foods Market has chosen to partner with Global Animal Partnership to certify their producers' animal welfare practices. Learn about the philosophy behind this choice; how a producer can become certified; and how they implement the 5-Step™ Animal Welfare Rating Standards in stores across the United States and Canada.
Good Food For All
Global Growers Network, 9:30 - 10:45 a.m.
Susan Pavlin, Global Growers Network
Basmat Ahmed, Global Growers Network
Metro-Atlanta hosts an invaluable resource for the local food community – a wealth of international newcomers who have expertise in local food systems and are eager to put their farming and food knowledge to work. These newcomers, who have come to our community after escaping genocide, ethnic cleansing and persecution in countries around the world, are the heart of the Global Growers Network.
In 2009, a start-up urban community farm project developed in partnership with Susan Pavlin and refugee farmers from Burundi. Over the past two years, Umurima, The Burundi Women’s Farm, has become just one of the sites in the Global Growers Network – together with six community gardens in and around Clarkston, an incubator farm and training site in Stone Mountain, and a market garden in Decatur – all linked to the Global Growers Market Co-op.
Learn how the cultures, languages and traditions of farmers around the world impact the development of our local food system, and how we ensure that good food, strong farmers, and economic opportunity contribute to our incredibly diverse and mixed-income local community.
Harvesting for Hope, 11 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.
The Hutwagner Family
The Harvesting for Hope organization began as an idea for Tate Hutwagner’s senior project at Columbus High School. Brothers Tate and Will founded the organization and it has grown into a non-profit corporation that provides fresh produce to the Feed the Valley Food Bank in Columbus Georgia. Meet members of the Hutwagner family and learn more about the challenges and successes of this unique project.
Nuts and Bolts of EBT, 2:30 - 3:45 p.m.
Teri Schell, Foryth Farmers Market, & Tim Shedd and Felicia Heard/USDA Food & Nutrition Service
All about EBT – USDA specialists answer critical technical, and logistical questions about implementing Electronic Benefits Transfer at farmers markets. The Forsyth Farmers Market has successfully integrated EBT and Wholesome Wave and Teri Schell, market manager, gives practical advice about implementation and marketing to the local community.
Food Banks Bring Fresh Produce to the Table, 4 - 5:15 p.m.
Danah Craft-GA Food Bank Association (facilitator); Bill Bolling, Atlanta Community Food Bank; Babbs Douglas, Feeding the Valley Food Bank; Kathryn Strickland, Northern Alabama Food Bank.
Food Banks are making strides in bringing fresh fruits and vegetables to the people in need. This session addresses the barriers to that process and highlights innovative approaches to supply and distribution challenges.
HomeGrown
Getting into Gardening, 9:30 - 10:45 a.m.
Glynis Ward
Learn to become more self-sufficient and get your hands on nourishing food by starting your own vegetable garden. This session is perfect for the novice gardener. We will discuss basic organic gardening principles for site selection, soil preparation, crop selection and planting times for this coming spring and summer seasons.
Aquaponics, 11 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.
David Epstein, and Kenneth Lovell, Algosolar
Talk about sustainability. Turn yard wastes into fish food, and plant fertilizer for raising fish and vegetables. Learn simple instructions to create a DIY bioponic garden using 55-gallon barrels, rainwater, and common plumbing parts. Find out how nutrient cycling from yard waste is used to grow duckweed as a fish and livestock feed, tilapia and crawfish, plus liquid fertilizer for nourishing plants both in-ground and in soil-less hydroponic/aquaponic garden systems.
Grow Your Own Small Fruits, 2:30 - 3:45 p.m.
Jerry Larson, Fort Valley State University
Jerry Larson, area extension agent and fruit specialist with Fort Valley State Uuniversity, has conducted organic trials on fruits from some 16 years. He will share practical, organic methods on how to grow strawberries, blackberries, figs and muscadines. Larson will cover everything you need to know to grow these fruits abundantly: variety selection, site selection, bed preparation, setting plants, irrigation, mulching, trellis building, pruning, training and yields.
Tools You Need To Make Your Backyard Garden Flourish, 4 - 5:15 p.m.
Scott Arrington, Third Angel Farms
Arrington will cover the basics on well known and not so well known hand and power tools designed to make your efforts easier and more expedient. Knowing the right tools to purchase and how and when to use them, will go a long way into making your food growing experience quicker, easier, and more enjoyable, thus helping to keep you in the game of growing your own fresh, nutritious, great tasting produce.
Food & Farm Policy
Zoning for Zucchini: Land Use Advocacy to Support Urban Agriculture, 9:30 - 10:45 a.m.
Mindy Goldstein, acting director of the Turner Environmental Law Clinic at Emory University
Sarah Morse, a Public Policy Fellow of the Turner Law Clinic
Jennifer Owens, Georgia Organics Advocacy Director
The session will cover one of the most extensive surveys conducted on urban agriculture policies and programs conducted in Georgia history, including land use policies, incentives, and innovative programs to spur urban food production. Presenters will share the practical application of this research with pending zoning regulations in municipalities in Georgia.
Georgia's Pastured Chicken Quandry, 11 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.
Kurt Ebersbach, Georgia Organics Board member and Southern Environmental Law Center attorney
Leah Garces, Compassion in World Farming and Georgians for Pastured Poultry
Jennifer Owens, Georgia Organics Advocacy Director
Georgia has the potential to be a major player in the pasture-raised poultry market. However, confusing regulations and a lack of processing options has kept the industry stagnant, save a few brave farmers. This session will cover the latest legal and regulatory conditions and advocacy underway to empower farmers to raise clean, sustainable chicken.
From Capitol to Cafeteria – Farm to School Advocacy Lessons and Strategies, 2:30 - 3:45 p.m.
Pam Roy, Executive Director of Farm to Table and the New Mexico Food Policy Council
Jennifer Owens, Georgia Organics Advocacy Director
Big changes are happening around the country as parents, public health advocates, farmers, and communities rally to improve the food served in our schools. Hear about some innovative policies taking shape and new research and tools available to advocates. Highlights include the findings of a new Farm to School policy brief created as part of the Communities Putting Prevention to Work initiative and the latest look at the Georgia landscape.
Feeding America: Social Justice Issues and the Farm Bill, 4 - 5:15 p.m.
Pam Roy, Executive Director of Farm to Table and the New Mexico Food Policy Council
Jennifer Owens, Georgia Organics Advocacy Director
Georgia was recently ranked in the bottom three states for suffering from widespread poverty. With nearly 19 percent of households struggling to make ends meet, many are struggling with access to fresh, healthy food. Critical farm bill programs provide an important lifeline to make sure families and children don't go hungry. Come learn more about these important programs and how to effectively advocate for them. Roy and Owens will give an overview of the basics, the latest progress on the 2012 farm bill, regional and state implications, and opportunities for advocates.