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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
- Social Media for Your Farm – Rachel Wandrei
- New & Emerging Winter Annual Grains & Oilseeds – Matt Leavitt & Anne Schwagerl
- Virtual Fencing for Your Farm – Scott Haase & Doug Voss
- Holistic Approaches to Weed Management for Vegetables – Marissa Schuh
- Going Solar on Your Farm – Bobby King & Joan Olson
- Upping Your Documentation Game – Kenn Jenkins & Pete Kapustka
10:00 AM Trade show & break
- Sponsored by Germains Seed Technology
10:45 AM General session
- Conference welcome
- Keynote address: Daphne Miller, MD
- Sponsored by Compeer Financial
11:45 AM Lunch & trade show
- Sponsored by Garratt Industries
1:15 PM Breakout sessions
- USDA Organic Market Update – Heath Dewey
- How Can a Cooperative Help You? – Carmen Fernholz & others
- Preparing for Disease – Joe Armstrong, DVM
- Adding Value, Not Risk, with Farm-Grown Products – Rachel Armstrong
- Soil: Get the Basics Right – Gary Zimmer
- Building Local Foods Capacity through On-Farm Community Events – Matt Barthelemy, Jan Joannides, & Kelley Rajala
2:15 PM Trade show & break
3:00 PM Breakout sessions
- Grain Marketing Issues & Solutions – Rachel Armstrong & Harriet Behar
- Confused about Hemp? – Katy Mutschler & farmer
- Ask a Vet: Designing Health Protocols – Joe Armstrong, DVM
- Connecting People with Produce – Naima Dhore
- Maximizing the Benefits of Soil Health Practices – Tom Cotter
- Grant Writing for Farmers & Small Businesses – Michael Sparby
4:00 PM Trade show & break
4:15 PM Legislative listening session
- MDA Commissioner Thom Petersen, Senator Aric Putnam, Representative Samantha Vang, & others
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
- Crop Insurance for Organic Operations – Kelsey Willardson
- Living Trellis in Beans – Ken Kmiecik
- Grazing for Soil Health – Kelly Anderson & Doug Voss
- Progress in the Commercial Production of American Elderberries – Jon Jobes & Christopher Patton
- What Needs to Be Regenerated? – Sandy Syburg & Gary Zimmer
- Demystifying Organic Certification – Harriet Behar
9:00 AM Trade show & break
- Sponsored by Crop Fertility Services
9:45 AM Breakout sessions
- Leveraging Technology to Support Resilient Local Food Systems – Stefanie Jaeger & Anna Richardson
- What’s New in Soybeans? – Shane Frederick (invited)
- Improving the Health of Organic Dairy Cows & Heifers – Brad Heins
- Hybrid Hazelnuts Bred for Minnesota – Lois Braun & Mike Lilja
- Adding Covers to Your Soil Health Toolbox – Tom Cotter
- Transition to Organic Partnership Program (TOPP) – Allison Walent
10:45 AM Trade show & break
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 Market Outlook: Market Risks and Opportunities – Alexander Schultz & others
- Organic Grain Rotation Workshop – Nic Podoll
- Growing Hybrid Rye for Organic Pork Success – Megan Kavanagh & Gabriella Lima
- The Samba Wasp: New Biological Control for Berry Crops – Jay Delacy & Mary Rogers
- Debates in Organic – Jenny Heck, Andrew Petran, & Jim Riddle
3:00 PM Conference ends
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