Organic Industry Event

The Midwest Organic & Sustainable Education Service Organic Farming Conference takes place in the La Crosse Center Arena in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Attending the conference provides an opportunity to learn ways to improve your farm, discover new resources and tools, make connections and find support. 

The Organic Center and the Organic Trade Association will hold a Manure Safety Discussion Session in collaboration with the University of California, Davis. The session will be led by The Organic Center’s Science Advisory Board Member Dr. Riki Sorge, a professor at the University of Minnesota. This discussion group will address the challenges associated with manure and animal rotational grazing, and will be part of a national effort to address issues surrounding animal-based soil amendments and animal rotational grazing.  Listening sessions are being conducted regionally, with the results being collected in a white-paper that will help shape a long-term research plan addressing the most pressing needs of the organic community.  We encourage you to attend the session on Friday, February 26, from 11:00-11:45 a.m. to share your thoughts and knowledge about research needs for and current use of manure in organic farming. For more information about the discussion group, visit the MOSES Conference Expert Roundtable page.

The Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont will host its Winter Conference at the University of Vermont, Burlington. NOFA Vermont brings 34 years of conference history to the cutting edge of the local, organic food movement. Join 1,200 attendees by participating in this year's conference. Connect with the dynamic, growing community of organic farmers, homesteaders, gardeners, and consumers. The NOFA Vermont Winter Conference is a perfect opportunity for businesses and nonprofits alike to reach a receptive, targeted audience while supporting the growth of this vital movement.
Nate Lewis, OTA's Senior Crop and Livestock Specialist, will be facilitating a stakeholder listening session on The Organic Center's OREI Grant on Manure Safety. To connect with OTA at the conference, please contact Nate. 

BIOFACH 2016 will take place at the Exhibition Centre, Nuremberg, Germany. As a visiting professional you can meet organic producers from the international organic market and be inspired by the sector’s latest international trends. Details TBA.

The 8th Organic Seed Growers Conference is the largest organic seed event in the U.S. It will be held at the Oregon State University CH2M HILL Alumni Center on campus in Corvallis, Oregon. Expand your seed knowledge and skills, hear the latest in scientific research, and discover new resources and tools that help you breed, grow, and sell more seed. OTA's Senior Crop and Livestock Specialist, Nate Lewis, will be moderating a workshop, and OTA's Senior Director of Regulatory and Technical Affairs, Gwendolyn Wyard, will also be attending. Contact Nate and Gwendolyn for more information. 

The EcoFarm Conference: Regenerating our Lands and Water will be held at the Asilomar Conference Grounds in Pacific Grove, California, January 20th - 23rd. From technical discussions on biological methods, to sessions and office hours dealing with the business of farming, the conference is a roll-up-your sleeves affair that supports our individual and organizational efforts. This year the conference continues and expands its emphasis on discussion groups and peer-to-peer sharing forums, recognizing the value of all of our combined efforts and knowledge. It features working meetings and strategy sessions, providing an opportunity to reflect on achievements and plot the course of action for the coming year. It also includes topics to inspire and frame our shared project: overgrowing the conventional agricultural system, replacing it with a healthier, safer, more just food and farming system.

OTA will be presenting at several sessions: 

"Scaling up Organic: Into the Mainstream or Around the Margins" 

Friday January 22, from 3:30-5:00pm.
Presenters include Laura Batcha, OTA's CEO/ Executive Director

One of the few areas that people in the organic movement agree on is that they want organics to keep growing in order to counteract the use of toxic materials in our environment and food. However, positions vary widely regarding how a lot more organic production can and ought to come about. These conflicts result in arguments over scale, speed, standards, media messaging, and grower recruitment without creating a successful model for growth. Leaders representing industry and activist groups will consider ways to achieve a more organic future and a common strategic ground. How should the organic message be presented to consumers, and by whom? Which is the better strategy to strengthen the organic industry: targeting the chemical farming establishment or in-fighting over organic standards?

"Organic Textiles from Field to Tee"
Thursday January 21, from 3:30-5:00pm
Presenters include Gwendolyn Wyard, OTA's Senior Director of Regulatory and Technical Affairs

The market for organic textiles is the most rapidly growing non-food organic category in the U.S., achieving $1.1 billion in sales in 2014! The sector grew 18% that year, its strongest growth since 2009. What’s an “organic textile?” What are the challenges and opportunities for growers, processors and retailers? What are U.S. labeling requirements and certification options? A diverse panel including a farmer, a manufacturer, a policy wonk, and a retailer will discuss organic cotton farming, trends in the organic fiber sector, why it is a critical next frontier, and how the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) ensures truth behind the label.

OTA's Senior Crop and Livestock Specialist Nate Lewis will also be presenting on policy efforts and public/private initiatives to attract new growers to organic production and support existing producers during their transition to organic.

To connect with OTA at the conference, please contact Laura, Gwendolyn or Nate.

The Transforming Food Access Summit: Accelerating Affordability with Nutrition Incentives will take place January 11th - 13th at the Emory Conference Center and Hotel in Atlanta, GA. Nutrition incentives have played a transformational role in providing affordable access to healthy fruits and vegetables for hundreds of thousands of low-income consumers. From national policy makers to community-based organizations engaged in incentive programs and local and regional food supply chains, attendees will take away practical and innovative tactics to improve access to healthy food. To connect with OTA at the event, please contact OTA's Vice President of Government Affairs and General Counsel, Marni Karlin. 

Delaware Ag Week begins Monday, January 11, and ends Friday, January 14 at the Delaware State Fairgrounds in Harrington, Delaware. Offering a wide variety of great sessions, exhibits, and activities, the event provides useful and timely information to the agricultural community and industry through educational meetings and events, and is a great time for networking and fellowship with old and new acquaintances. There will be many opportunities to receive nutrient management, pesticide and certified crop advisor continuing education credits. OTA's Vice President of Government Affairs and General Counsel, Marni Karlin, will be attending Delaware Ag Week from Tuesday, January 12 to Wednesday, January 13. To connect with OTA at the event, please contact Marni. 

An Accredited Certifiers Association, Inc. Professional Development Training will be held January 13th-14th at the Hilton Savannah DeSoto Hotel in Savannah, GA. The training will include panel discussions as well as individual presentations. To connect with OTA at the event, please contact OTA's Senior Crop and Livestock Specialist Nate Lewis.

The 4th Cascadia Grains Conference will be held January 9th at the South Puget Sound Community College in Olympia, WA. The Cascadia Grains Conference brings together farmers, processors and end-users, as well as investors, brokers and local government officials to support rebuilding a grain economy west of the Cascade Mountains in Washington, Oregon, and British Columbia through three value-added enterprises – brewing and distilling, baking and other food uses, as well as animal feed.  OTA's Senior Crops and Livestock Specialist Nate Lewis and OTA Member Matthew Dillon, Cultivator for Seed Matters, will be presenting on the U.S. Organic Grain Collaborative and OTA's Grain Council. To learn more, please contact Nate.