2019 OGRAIN Winter Conference, Thursday-Saturday Jan. 24-26 on the UW-Madison Campus
Thanks to the 200+ farmers, researchers, industry representatives and others who joined us for the 2019 OGRAIN conference! Plan to join us next year on January 23-25, 2020 for another great gathering. Videos of the 2019 presentations are available at https://ograin.qa.webhosting.cals.wisc.edu/resources/youtube-videos/.
The fourth annual conference for those interested in organic grain production in the Upper Midwest featured expert farmers, researchers and industry representatives sharing their knowledge, along with ample opportunity for networking and discussion. Fifteen workshops highlighting issues important to organic grain farmers were offered. This year there was a special focus on organic no-till and reduced tillage systems. Over 25 businesses provided educational tables and conversation about products and services useful for organic grain operations. An information-filled conference resource book came with the registration fee.
Jeff Moyer, Rodale Institute Executive Director, seasoned no-till farmer and researcher joined us Thursday evening and Friday for discussion and intensives on organic no-till. Long-time organic Iowa hog and crop producer Tom Frantzen shared his thoughts Saturday on “Values oriented decision-making, improving every year based on past lessons.”
Jeff and others joined us for a special interactive roundtable discussion on a variety of reduced tillage methods used in organic systems on Thursday evening.
The UW Agronomy department invited those interested to a discussion about the perennial grain Kernza at 6:30 pm on Friday, Jan. 25.
The conference presented 14 hours of Continuing Education Units for Certified Crop Advisors: 2.5 in Soil and Water Management, 2 in Integrated Pest Management, 6.5 in Crop Management and 3 in Professional Development. Details are listed on the schedule page.
For a full 2019 schedule, workshop descriptions and presenter bios, visit this page.
Thanks for coming to the 2019 OGRAIN Conference. Look for information this fall about next year’s conference, Jan 23-25, 2020!
CONFERENCE SPONSORS
This conference was made possible by a grant from the USDA Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program. OGRAIN is a collaborative effort of the UW-Madison/UWEX Organic and Sustainable Cropping Systems lab, UW-Madison Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems (CIAS), Farm and Industry Short Course (FISC), and Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service (MOSES).
