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ONE DAY, FOUR WAYS

Join us on Friday, November 11th for our pre-conference symposia.

Jump to:
WSU Dryland Organic Agriculture Symposium, 8:30am – 4:30pm
Microdairy Symposium & Tieton Field Trip, 9am – 4:30pm
Research Symposium, 9am-12pm
Policy Symposium, 1pm-4:30pm

DRYLAND ORGANIC AGRICULTURE: Meeting Opportunities and Challenges, 8:30am-4:30pm

Agriculture in the Pacific Northwest drylands is at a crossroads.  Dryland farming in our region faces serious threats from erosion and loss of soil organic matter.   Farmers and industry professionals in dryland organic agriculture want to farm sustainably, but they face unique challenges because low rainfall, short growing seasons and cool evening temperatures limit productivity. Both farmers and consumers need consistent markets.

Come hear the good news! Pioneers from Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana are finding ways to meet the challenges. Producers, researchers and early adopters are discovering what works in cooperative and direct marketing, weed management, soil conservation, control of pests and diseases, design of organic agroecosystems and conversion to organic farming.

Together we can develop sustainable agricultural systems for the special needs of our region. Aside from educational sessions, this symposium provides time for dryland organic farming stakeholders in the Pacific Northwest to meet each other, share ideas, and build relationships.

Agenda

7:30am-8:30am	Registration
8:30am-9:30am	Welcome & Keynote Address Bob Quinn, Kamut International
9:30am-10:30am	Finding and Building Marketing Channels Diana Roberts, Luke Zigovits, David Stelzer
10:30am-11:00am	Break and Speed Networking
11:00am-12:00pm	Marketing Channels, continued Kate Painter, Lou Andersen, Dan Probert
12:00pm-1:00pm	Lunch
1:00pm-2:30pm	Nuts & Bolts of Organic Dryland Farming Ian Burke, Rich Koenig, Kate Painter, Kristy Borrelli, Misha Manuchehri, Stephen Machado
2:30pm-3:00pm	Break and Speed Networking
3:00pm-4:30pm	Building a System that Works David Huggins, Diana Roberts, Maurice Robinette, Eric Nelson

MICRODAIRY SYMPOSIUM, 9:00am – 4:30pm
Join Jaime Sackmann of Sackmann Cattle Company for a morning session about basic nutrition and animal feed for cows and goats. Then, grab a provided box lunch and carpool to Tieton Farm and Creamery where Ruth and Lori Babcock will talk about their business plan, long range vision, successes, challenges and marketing. The final stop before heading back to the conference center will be Tieton Cider Works, where visitors will be able to taste the 2011 ciders.

Agenda

7:30am-9:00am	Registration at Yakima Convention Center
9:00am-10:30am	Workshop on Animal Nutrition and Feed
10:30am-11:00am	Break, pick up box lunch
11:00am	Depart for Tieton
11:45am-1:45pm	Tieton Farm & Creamery Talk & Tour
2:00pm	Tieton Cider Works
3:45pm	Depart Tieton Cider Works
4:15pm	Arrive Yakima Convention Center

RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM, 9:00am – 12:00pm
Join researchers and growers to learn about the latest research on organic management strategies for two important agricultural issues, Fire Blight and Spotted Winged Drosophila. Choose your pest and attend one of the concurrent sessions. Attendees will reconvene for a plenary session to explore organic research needs for Washington growers and how to fund organic research.

Agenda

9:00am – 9:15am	Welcome Anne Schwartz, Grower; David Granatstein, WSU
9:15am – 11:30am	Concurrent Session One: Fire Blight Ken Johnson, OSU; Tim Smith, WSU; Harold Ostenson, Grower Concurrent Session Two: Spotted Winged Drosophila Betsy Beers, WSU; Beverly Gerdeman, WSU; Joe Bennett, Small Planet Foods
11:30am – 12:00pm	Plenary: Exploring Research Needs & Funding Solutions Anne Schwartz, David Granatstein, Brenda Book, WSDA; Alan Schreiber, Grower; Alec McErlich, Earthbound Farm

POLICY SYMPOSIUM, 1:00pm – 4:30pm
Get up to date on current policy issues that affect small to mid-size farms and gain tools for making an impact on agricultural policy. Symposium sessions will focus on state issues like Farm-to-School and internship legislation, as well as national issues such as the Farm Bill and Food Safety. Our speaker lineup features Ellen Gray of the Washington Sustainable Food and Farming Network, John Fawcett-Long of the Northwest Farm Bill Action Group and Claudia Coles with the Washington State Department of Agriculture.

Agenda

1:00pm – 1:45pm	2012 State Legislative Issues What issues could affect agriculture next session?
1:45pm – 2:30pm	Food Safety: A Moving Target What do you need to know?
2:30pm – 2:45pm	Break
2:45 pm- 3:15 pm	Advocacy 101 Easy Tips that Make a Difference
3:15pm – 4:30pm	Federal Farm Bill What’s in it and why you should care!