Soil Health in Vegetable Fields and High Tunnels: Lessons from 100 Farms
Presenter(s): Lauren Barry, Natalie Hoidal, Skyler Hawkins
Description: Small-scale (<50 acre) vegetable farms are an increasingly important part of the Upper Midwest food system, but little is documented about the soils on these farms, particularly in high tunnels. To develop a better understanding of soil health and nutrient management trends in these systems, a team of Extension educators in Minnesota conducted soil tests and soil health assessments in fields and high tunnels at 100 vegetable farms, accompanied by a survey about management practices. In this session, we’ll highlight what we learned, and two farmer participants will share how they are planning to move forward with soil management after participating in the trial.
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Saving Real Organic
Presenter(s): Dave Chapman, Francis Thicke
Description: Organic farmers are struggling with the challenges of the eroding integrity of the National Organic Program. Rather than throw up their hands and turn away, many of the pioneers of the American organic movement came together to create the Real Organic Project and reunite the American and global movements for organic, but our work is far from finished. Learn why the Real Organic Project exists and how it can re-energize the organic movement.
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Managing Manure for the Climate
Presenter(s): Dr. Nesli Akdeniz, Rebecca Larson
Description: Manure management is critical for fertility in organic systems and for protecting the environment. Recent research highlights practices to reduce greenhouse gas and ammonia emissions from organic dairy systems. In this session we will discuss what manure management practices can be implemented on livestock farms to reduce emissions and store carbon from the barn to the pasture. Researchers will quantify emissions reductions by sharing data on practices ranging from composting to digestion and discuss tradeoffs, practicalities of implementation, and economics. We encourage you to attend and participate in the discussions to further all our knowledge on this critical topic.
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Overcoming Entry Barriers for Emerging, Beginning, and Immigrant Farmers
Presenter(s): Vitalis Tita
Description: This workshop will address some of the challenges that beginning farmers, particularly immigrant farmers in minority communities, face as they try to gain traction and carve spaces for themselves within the larger farming community.
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A Farmer on the Front Lines of Climate Change
Presenter(s): Wendy Johnson
Description: Wendy Johnson has one boot in the conventional row crop world and the other in the world of regenerative food farming. Hear her personal account of the flooding, drought, derechos, and tornadoes that have hit her Iowan farm in the past five years and how her operations are part of the climate problem and the solution. She’ll discuss her efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and provide ecosystem services, public and private efforts to compensate farmers for ecosystem services, the need to couple climate change work with building local and regional food systems, and the importance of community and hope to thrive during climate disruption.
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The Historical Context of Land Access in the United States and Modern Impacts on Indigenous Peoples
Presenter(s): Alex “Bagwaj” Kmett
Description: In this presentation, Bagwaj will briefly describe the relationship between Indigenous nations and settler-colonial states that set up the legal basis for continued occupation, treaties, and actions impacting Indigenous land access and intergenerational wealth. As an individual entwined in that history, he will describe his own story about how the cascading effects of historical events have impacted him.
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Farmers Market Food Hubs: An Innovative Way to Connect
Presenter(s): Allison Rian, Sara George, Tina Moen
Description: Farming is complicated enough, and marketing to schools, hospitals, and restaurants on your own adds an additional layer of stress. Come learn how participating in a Virtual Food Hub, aka the Farmers Market Food Hub, can add dollars to your pocket and help you gain wholesale relationships and sales.
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Grow Your Own Fertilizer
Presenter(s): Sandy Syburg
Description: For those experiencing unprecedented financial volatility and scarcity of resources, discover some real-scale challenges and solutions with data-backed research to learn the possibilities of using nitrogen-rich fertilizer sourced from your own production.
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Building Fairness and Cooperation at Your Farm
Presenter(s): Jon Magee
Description: Small farms thrive on healthy, fair relationships among farmers, workers, and customers. When everyone is treated with respect and care, they make the farm more productive, safe, and resilient in the face of challenges. We’ll touch on the legal requirements of employing workers and then spend the bulk of the time on fair labor practices and ways to build a fairer and more collaborative workplace based on the standards of the Agricultural Justice Project. We’ll also touch on opportunities to earn preferred status as a wholesale vendor with institutions that pursue values-based sourcing (e.g., Good Food Purchasing Program, Healthcare Without Harm, Real Food Challenge).
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Building Your Own Seed Sovereignty to Boost Economic Growth and Production on Your Farm
Presenter(s): April Parms Jones
Description: Building Your Own Seed Sovereignty to Boost Economic Growth and Production on Your Farm
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Meet the Heirlooms: Introduction to Growing Heirloom Beans
Presenter(s): Paula Foreman
Description: Mention “beans” and what comes to mind is often navy, kidney, or pinto. In this workshop, meet Lina Cisco’s Bird Egg, Kenearly Yellow Eye, Peregion, and Christmas Lima. With names as fantastic as their taste, heirloom dry beans can be a locally-grown, shelf-stable, climate-resistant, high-quality, and plant-based protein addition to your farm. This workshop is geared toward aspiring bean growers as well as the bean curious.
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Putting the Soil Micro-Livestock to Work for You
Presenter(s): Michael Borucke
Description: There are more soil microbes in a teaspoon of healthy soil than there are people on the planet, so whose farm plan is accounting for them properly? A functioning soil ecosystem made up of aerobic bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and nematodes in the correct proportions
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