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    Minnesota Organic Conference logo

    This year's Minnesota Organic Conference features over 35 educational sessions and an 80-booth trade show, plus lots of time for networking. This schedule is subject to change.


    Thursday, January 11, 2024

    8:00 AM  Registration & continental breakfast

    • Sponsored by Germains Seed Technology

    9:00 AM  Breakout sessions

    • New & Emerging Winter Annual Grains & Oilseeds – Matt Leavitt & Anne Schwagerl
    • Going Solar on Your Farm – Bobby King & Joan Olson
      • Sponsored by Solar Farm LLC
    • Holistic Approaches to Weed Management for Vegetables – Marissa Schuh
      • Sponsored by Marbleseed
    • Virtual Fencing for Your Farm – Scott Haase & Doug Voss
    • Upping Your Documentation Game – Kenn Jenkins & Pete Kapustka
    • Marketing & Social Media with Minnesota Grown – Rachel Wandrei

    10:00 AM  Trade show & break

    • Sponsored by Germains Seed Technology

    10:45 AM  General session

    • Conference welcome: MDA Commissioner Thom Petersen
    • Keynote address: Daphne Miller, MD
      • Sponsored by Compeer Financial

    11:45 AM  Lunch & trade show

    • Sponsored by Garratt Industries Ltd.

    1:15 PM  Breakout sessions

    • Building Local Foods Capacity through On-Farm Community Events – Matt Barthelemy, Jan Joannides, & Kelley Rajala
    • Preparing for Disease: Basic Principles – Joe Armstrong, DVM
    • Adding Value, Not Risk, with Farm-Grown Products – Rachel Armstrong
    • USDA Organic Market Update – Heath Dewey
    • Navigating Turbulent Organic Grain Markets – Carmen Fernholz, Mike Schulist, & Tom Wanquist
    • Soil: Get the Basics Right – Gary Zimmer
      • Sponsored by Grain Place Foods Inc.

    2:15 PM  Trade show & break

    3:00 PM  Breakout sessions

    • Grain Marketing Issues & Solutions – Rachel Armstrong & Harriet Behar
    • Ask a Vet: Designing Health Protocols – Joe Armstrong, DVM
    • Seeds of Success: First-Generation Farming for Value-Added Scaling – Naima Dhore
      • Sponsored by Lakewinds Food Co-op
    • Resources for Value-Added Ag Producers – Michael Sparby
    • Confused about Hemp? – Charles Levine, Katy Mutschler, & Jeremy Saueressig
    • Maximizing the Benefits of Soil Health Practices – Tom Cotter
      • Sponsored by Minnesota Ag Water Quality Certification Program

    4:00 PM  Trade show & break

    4:15 PM  Legislative listening session

    • Commissioner Thom Petersen, Sen. Aric Putnam, Rep. Samantha Vang, & YOU

    5:00 PM  Reception & evening social

    • Sponsored by Albert Lea Seed House & Minnesota Farmers Union

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    Friday, January 12, 2024

    7:30 AM  Registration and continental breakfast

    • Sponsored by Crop Fertility Services

    8:00 AM  Breakout sessions

    • What Needs to Be Regenerated? – Sandy Syburg & Gary Zimmer
      • Sponsored by BioFlora
    • Grazing for Soil Health – Kelly Anderson & Doug Voss
    • Progress in the Commercial Production of American Elderberries – Christopher J. Patton
    • Demystifying Organic Certification – Harriet Behar
    • Living Trellis for Climbing Beans – Ken Kmiecik
    • Crop Insurance for Organic Operations – Kelsey Willardson
      • Sponsored by F.W. Cobs Company

    9:00 AM  Trade show & break

    • Sponsored by Crop Fertility Services

    9:45 AM  Breakout sessions

    • What’s New in Specialty Soybeans? – Shane Frederick
      • Sponsored by Minnesota Soybean
    • Improving the Health of Organic Dairy Cows & Heifers – Brad Heins
      • Sponsored by Organic Valley – CROPP Cooperative
    • Hybrid Hazelnuts Bred for Minnesota – Lois Braun & Mike Lilja
    • Transition to Organic Partnership Program (TOPP) – Allison Walent
    • Leveraging Technology to Support Resilient Local Food Systems – Stefanie Jaeger & Anna Richardson
    • Adding Covers to Your Soil Health Toolbox – Tom Cotter
      • Sponsored by Field Theory

    10:45 AM  Trade show & break

    • Sponsored by Crop Fertility Services

    11:30 AM  General session

    • Keynote address: Carolyn Olson
      • Sponsored by Agricultural Utilization Research Institute (AURI)

    12:30 PM  Lunch & trade show

    • Sponsored by MOSA Certified Organic

    2:00 PM  Breakout sessions

    • Organic Grain Rotation Workshop – Nic Podoll
      • Sponsored by Mountain High Organics Inc.
    • Growing Hybrid Rye for Organic Pork Success – Megan Kavanagh, Gabriella Lima, & Melissa Wilson
    • The Samba Wasp: New Biological Control for Berry Crops – Jay DeLacy & Mary Rogers
    • Organic Market Outlook: Market Risks and Opportunities – Alexander Schultz
      • Sponsored by Cashton Farm Supply – CFS Specialties
    • Organic Debates: Is Hydro Organic? – Jenny Heck, Andy Petran, & Jim Riddle

    3:00 PM  Conference ends

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