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Mark your calendars for next year's Minnesota Organic Conference on January 8-9, 2026, in St. Cloud.
Here's a glimpse of our 2025 conference, with over 35 educational session and an 80-booth trade show.
Thursday, January 9, 2025
8:00 AM Registration & continental breakfast
- Sponsored by USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
9:00 AM Breakout sessions
- Success with Soybeans – Matthew Fitzgerald & Eric Yu
- Sponsored by Minnesota Crop Improvement Association (MCIA)
- Reducing Methane Emissions for Organic Dairy Farms – Bradley Heins
- Sponsored by University of Minnesota Extension
- Selling Wholesale: Food Safety & Best Practices – Annalisa Hultberg & Ariel Pressman
- Sponsored by Field Theory
- Soil Health within Organic Systems – Russell Kleinschmidt & Stephanie McLain
- Sponsored by Minnesota Agricultural Water Quality Certification Program
- Organic Certification: Tips & Tools – Angela Walter & Sam Caldwell
- Sponsored by Mountain High Organics Inc.
- Planning Your Agritourism Business – Ryan Pesch
10:00 AM Trade show & break
- Sponsored by USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service
10:45 AM General session
- Conference welcome: Mr. Patrice Bailey
- Keynote address: Mark Schiller & Simeon Rossi
- Sponsored by BioFlora
11:45 AM Lunch & trade show
- Sponsored by Garratt Industries Ltd.
1:15 PM Breakout sessions
- Yellow Field Peas – Brent Reck & Christopher Werth
- Identifying Common Livestock Parasites – Kari Ripley-Boysen & Lindsey Zemanek
- Diversifying Production Systems with Cut Flowers – Mary Rogers & Elyssa Eull
- Your Soil Health Toolbox – Tom Cotter
- Mentorship & Technical Assistance from TOPP – Matt Leavitt, Zachary Paige, Carmen Fernholz, & Leroy Petersen
- Beneficial Birds for Pest Control – Courtney Tchida, Nic Nelson, Alayna Merchlewitz
2:15 PM Trade show & break
3:00 PM Breakout sessions
- Inter-Seeding Soybeans with Cover Crops – Rye Carlson
- Sponsored by Cashton Farm Supply Ltd.
- Agrivoltaics: Grazing Cattle & Growing Forages – Sabrina Florentino & Bradley Heins
- Sponsored by Solar Farm LLC
- Minnesota Table Grapes – Erin Treiber
- Funding for Climate-Smart Agriculture – Anne Schwagerl & Jada Csikos-Monroe
- Expanding Access with Online SNAP – Stefanie Jaeger
- Digital Marketing Best Practices – Sarah Carroll & Michelle Sharp
4:00 PM Trade show & break
4:15 PM Legislative listening session
- Commissioner Thom Petersen, elected officials and staff, & YOU
5:00 PM Reception & evening social
- Music by Light of the Moon
- Sponsored by Minnesota Farmers Union
Friday, January 10, 2025
7:30 AM Registration and continental breakfast
- Sponsored by Crop Fertility Services
8:00 AM Breakout sessions
- Are Drones in Your Future? – Devin Nohl
- Grazing for Soil Health – Kent Solberg
- Sponsored by Grain Place Foods Inc.
- Biosecurity on Organic Farms – David Weinand
- Garlic: A Look Back at the 2024 Season – Jerry Ford, Chris Kudrna, & Carl Rosen
- Government Programs for Organic Growers – Erik Heimark
- Decision-Making with “My Market Profit” – Mariah Beverly & Curtis Mahnken
9:00 AM Trade show & break
- Sponsored by Crop Fertility Services
9:45 AM Breakout sessions
- Organic Market Outlook: Risks & Opportunities – Alexander Schultz
- Sponsored by F.W. Cobs
- Direct Marketing Meat – Lindsey Loken
- Organic Weed Management for Perennial Fruits – Madeline Wimmer
- Organic Nutrient Management for Healthy Soil – Carl Rosen
- Building Relationships with Local Farmers – Simeon Rossi & Mark Schiller
- Lessons Learned from a Young Farmer – Sal Daggett
10:45 AM Trade show & break
- Sponsored by Crop Fertility Services
11:30 AM General session
- Keynote address: Tom Cotter
- Sponsored by Compeer Financial
12:30 PM Lunch & trade show
- Sponsored by MOSA Certified Organic
2:00 PM Breakout sessions
- Breeding Soybeans for Organic Systems – Aaron Lorenz
- Sponsored by Albert Lea Seed House
- Prevention & Treatment of Common Livestock Parasites – Kari Ripley-Boysen & Lindsey Zemanek
- Organic Management of Insect Pests in Brassicas – Christina Perez & Marissa Schuh
- AURI: Bringing Ideas to Reality – Clay Newton & Jason Robinson
- Food as Medicine – Jenny Breen & Terese Hill
3:00 PM Conference ends
Previous Schedules
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
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
Thursday, January 5, 2023
8:00 AM Registration and continental breakfast
Sponsored by OCIA MN #1
9:00 AM Breakout sessions
- Ecosystem Services: Credit Where Due – Matthew Fitzgerald & Wendy Johnson (sponsored by Grain Place Foods, Inc.)
- Interpreting the Origin of Livestock Rule – Mary Capehart
- Strawberry Fields Forever: Growing Organically in Minnesota – Mary Rogers & Gigi DiGiacomo
- Farm Marketing 101 – Sarah Carroll & Sarah Wescott
- A Better You for A Better Farm – Emily Krekelberg
- A Pair with Potential: Hybrid Rye + Swine – Carmen Fernholz, Yuzhi Li, & Andrew VanDerPol
10:00 AM Trade show and break
Sponsored by OCIA MN #1
10:45 AM General session
- Conference welcome – MDA Assistant Commissioner Patrice Bailey
- Keynote “Strength from the Soil: How Organic Farmers and Sound Public Policy Can Straighten the Whiffletree of U.S. Agriculture” – Sarah Vogel (sponsored by North Star Hemp DBA Carpe Diem CBD)
11:45 AM Lunch and trade show
Sponsored by Garratt Industries Ltd.
1:15 PM Breakout sessions
- Putting Organic Dairy Research to Work – Brad Heins & Sabrina Portner (sponsored by Sustainable Farming Association of Minnesota)
- Worms, Germs, and Nasty Things – Jeff Bender & Colin Yoder
- Improving High Tunnel Soils with Cover Crops – Julie Grossman & Hannah Walsh
- Unleash Biology! The Benefits of Soil Microbes – Adria Fernandez & Marie Schaedel (sponsored by Solar Farm, LLC)
- Keeping Organic Soybean Fields Clean – Jonathan Olson (sponsored by Minnesota Crop Improvement Association)
- Crop Insurance for the Conservation-Minded – Kate Hansen & Megan Vaith
2:15 PM Trade show and break
3:00 PM Breakout sessions
- Grazing for Grassland: Conservation Grazing into the Future – Stephen Thomforde (sponsored by Compeer Financial)
- The Nuts and Bolts of Productive Family Farm Meetings – Alma Jorgensen
- Farm Scale Deep Winter Greenhouses for Market Growers – Claire Cambray, Dan Handeen, & Crispin Phillips
- Small But Profitable: Organic Farm Financial Performance in the Upper Midwest – Gigi DiGiacomo, Erik Heimark, Kevin Knoblach, & Angela & Nate Walter (sponsored by Mountain High Organics)
- Covers That Pay: Kernza®, Camelina, and Other New For-Profit Cover Crops – Carmen Fernholz, Mitch Hunter, & Anne Schwagerl (sponsored by MISA & MN SARE)
- Gaining Market Power and Competitive Advantage through Cooperatives – Kevin Edberg & Mike Schulist (sponsored by Organic Farmers Agency for Relationship Marketing)
4:30 PM Reception and evening social
Sponsored by Minnesota Farmers Union
Friday, December 6, 2023
7:30 AM Registration and continental breakfast
Sponsored by F.W. Cobs Company
8:00 AM Breakout sessions
- Building Organic Grain Markets – Mark Schoenfeld (sponsored by Cargill, Inc.)
- Transitioning to Organic – Nic Podoll (sponsored by Minnesota Ag Water Quality Certification Program)
- Weed Management for Organic Fruits & Vegetables – Erik Heimark
- Organic Dairy Can Store Carbon: Strategies for the Future – Rebecca Larson (sponsored by Cashton Farm Supply – CFS Specialties)
- Organic Hemp and CBD Production: Healthy Business and Healthy Self – Brock Friesen, Neil Hultgren, & Ben Lipkin
- Building a Sustainable Direct-to-Market Farm Business – James Maiocco, & Valerie & Jared Luhman
9:00 AM Trade show and break
Sponsored by F.W. Cobs Company
9:45 AM Breakout sessions
- Nutrient Management Basics for Organic Farms – Glen Borgerding (sponsored by Marbleseed)
- Organic Isn’t Organic if You Can’t Document It – Kenn Jenkins & Pete Kapustka
- Ask a Vet: Grazing Season Health Issues – Greg Brickner (sponsored by Organic Valley – CROPP Cooperative)
- Planning for Change: Are Organic Soybeans and Corn Right for You? – Shane Frederick
- Farming and Food Systems in Uncertain Times: A Conversation – Kathy Draeger
- From Basement to Business: Scaling Our Mushroom Company – Nick Robinson
10:45 AM Trade show and break
11:30 AM Keynote address
- Keynote “Everyone has a Role” – Carmen Fernholz
12:30 PM Lunch and trade show
Sponsored by MOSA Certified Organic
2:00 PM Breakout sessions
- Facing the Future: Marketing Organic Agricultural Products – Discussion group
- Organic or Regenerative or Sustainable: What's in a Name? – Discussion group
- ANOTHER Disease or Pest? Where do we go from here? – Discussion group
- What's New at the U? How can we make research “sexy”? – Discussion group
- Agriculture in a Changing Climate: What's Next? – Discussion group
