Here is a detailed guide to the conference.
For an At-A-Glance Overview, click here.

Plenary Session: 8:30 - 10:00 am: Successful Organic Farmers (see plenary page for more info)
Johari Cole, John Williams and the UCSC Farm & Garden Apprentice Program

Workshop Session D: 10:30 am - 12:00 Noon
Biodynamic Viticulture *
The last decade has seen vibrant growth in high quality wines made from grapes grown with biodynamic methods. This session will explore the philosophical and practical aspects of producing high quality wine grapes using biodynamic techniques . Our three Northern California winegrowers, all with Demeter-certified vineyards, will detail how and why they utilize the biodynamic method to grow top quality wine grapes naturally. They will discuss cosmic and etheric forces, BD preparations, celestial calendars, and more.
Presenters: George Davis, Porter Creek Vineyard, Healdsburg, CA; Luke Frey, Frey Vineyards and Winery, Redwood Valley, CA; Matt Taylor, Araujo Estate Winery, Calistoga, CA.

Can We Stimulate Organic Seed Use and Production?
The National Organic Program Rules require organic seed to be used and yet give no timelines, guidelines, or strict rules beyond “commercial availability” to provide incentive for seed companies to invest in organic seed production and research. The market for organic seed has been filled with anecdotal reports of seeds sitting unsold because they were not “equivalent” to another variety that was not commercially available. In fact, in 2005 only about 2% of the certified organic acreage in the U.S. was planted with certified organic seeds! Growers need high quality seed and the organic seed industry will need to provide that quality if it is to succeed. How can organic seed suppliers fulfill organic farmers’ needs? What role is played by both new and old seed suppliers and growers?
Presenters: Andrew Brait, Full Belly Farm, Guinda, CA; Carolyn Lane, Northland Organic Foods, MN; Tom Stearns, High Mowing Seeds, Wolcott, VT; TBA

Grass Roots Marketing
Learn ways to economically market your products in your region and across the nation. Sheanna Davis, of the Epicurean Connection, shares 20 grassroots marketing ideas, including how to do PR and market your company in the trade. Tim and Karen Bates of The Apple Farm grow over 80 varieties of fruit trees and also produce chutney, cider vinegar, apple balsamic, and other specialties. Dee Harley’s goat dairy in Pescadero boasts an edible flower garden as well as two-hour paid tours of the cheese-making operation.
Presenters: Tim or Karen Bates, The Apple Farm, Philo, CA; Sheana Davis, Epicurean Connection, Sonoma, CA; Dee Harley, Harley Farms, Santa Cruz, CA.

How Many Miles to Go Before You Eat?
The local foods movement continues to gain strength as more and more consumers find the deeper meaning of “local” through greater focus on place-based heritage foods. Inspired by Gary Nabhan’s landmark effort to eat only native foods grown near his Arizona home for a year, four “concerned culinary adventurers” from the San Francisco Bay Area launched locavores.com and challenged their neighbors to eat within a 100-mile radius. As the locavore movement begins to impact the food system, how can sustainability-minded distributors do a better job of protecting the environment right now? In 2005, Organically Grown Company asked itself that question and helped launch Resource Innovations, a nonprofit organization that assists produce distributors to shift to renewable fuel sources and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. We all can make an impact on the issue of food transportation through local eating, truck efficiency measures, and alternative fuels.
Presenters: Tom Lively, Organically Grown Company, Eugene, OR; Gary Nabhan, Northern Arizona University Center for Sustainable Environment, Flagstaff, AZ; Natalie Reitman-White, Resource Innovations, University of Oregon, Eugene.

The Immigration Debate
In the past year, immigration reform has grabbed headlines and inflamed passions. The spectrum of perspectives ranges from increased militarization of the border and criminalization of undocumented workers to an open border and total amnesty. A guest-worker proposal is positioned as the compromise, and although it is supported by many players in the sustainable agriculture and labor movements, the devil may be in the details. This panel will examine the various positions in the immigration debate and provide different perspectives on what a guest worker program should look like. It will be followed by a discussion about how to approach immigration policy so to balance the needs of sustainable farmers and create fair conditions for workers.
Presenters: Cesar Lara, Monterey Bay Central Labor Council/AFL-CIO, Salinas, CA; Dick Peixoto, Lakeside Organic Gardens, Watsonville, CA; Diana Tellefson, United Farm Workers Foundation, Los Angeles, CA.

Mentoring New Organic Farmers: Direct Action for the Transition to Organic *
With the strong demand for organic products, more and more conventional farmers are seeking assistance to transition their land to organic production. To help them the California Certified Organic Farmers Foundation started the Going Organic Project in 2003 and Organic Valley launched their Generation Organic campaign in 2005. Both programs provide mentors to help ease new organic farmers through the transition years. Our presenters will discuss some of the successes and pitfalls of their efforts, and how their programs are funded. Come learn what might work for you and your organization or farm.
Presenters: Lisa McCrory, Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont, Randolph, VT; Carl Rosato, Woodleaf Farm and Going Organic Mentor, Oroville, CA; Fred Thomas, CCOF Foundation, Chico, CA.

Pesticide Paths and Perils *
Laurie Tümer is a photographer who experienced a pesticide poisoning in 1998 after her New Mexico home was sprayed with what was falsely advertised as “organic” pest products. Her health continues to be effected. Her series of photographs, Glowing Evidence, make visible the movement and settling of ubiquitous pesticides. The technique she uses to make these surprising images is inspired by the environmental scientist Richard Fenske. She will give a digital slide presentation of these photographs with commentary about her personal experience, the research related to the images, and how visualizations serve science, memory, social awareness, and political change. The Organic Center’s chief scientist Chuck Benbrook will summarize the Center’s 2006 Critical Issue Report findings that compared and contrasted the impact of efforts to reduce children’s dietary exposures to pesticides over the past decade. He will provide an up-to-date overview of new science on pesticide risks in relation to regulation, new pesticide chemistry, Integrated Pest Management, and organic farming. Information CDs will be available that provide a “short course” on pesticide residues and risks, and the benefits of organic farming relative to pesticide risks.
Presenters: Chuck Benbrook, The Organic Center, Enterprise, OR; Laurie Tümer, Santa Fe, NM.

Steps to Health and Personal Sustainability: Living the Life You’ve Always Wanted
This is a workshop about possibilities. Would you like to experience more balance, health and vitality while making a difference? Is there a way to easily and affordably create a sustainable life? Come find out at this upbeat, empowering, and interactive presentation on how we can bring about sustainability on a personal, organizational, and planetary level. Through music, yoga, meditation, discussion, and fun we’ll explore the possibilities of creating a healthy, sustainable life. We’ll explore the challenges we face and how we can use Alternative Nobel Prize-winning Chilean economist Manfred Max-Neef’s ten basic human needs and other innovative approaches to create an organic, humane life and world you’ll love.
Presenter: Terry Gips, sustainability consultant and president of the Alliance for Sustainability, Lake Wobegon, MN.

Urban Permaculture Design: Practical Solutions for a Changing World
Hear from representatives of the next generation of permaculture designers as they share perspectives on the evolving holistic design system and process. What is this new design? How can it work in our suburbs and cities? How can permaculture help address the issues of sustainability and community food security in our urban ecologies? The presenters — organizers of the Bay Area Permaculture Convergence — offer living and working examples of how projects integrate permaculture principles with green building, affordable housing, new technologies, green businesses and education, and social and economic justice!
Presenters: Benjamin Fahrer, Ocean Song Farm and Wilderness Center, Occidental, CA; Kat Steele, Urban Permaculture Guild, Oakland, CA.

back to top

Workshop Session E: 1:30 - 3:30 pm
California’s Response to Invasive Pests and Diseases: Impacts on Organic Farmers *
All California farmers face the crucial issue of invasive pests and diseases. Sometimes these pests result in mandatory spray programs with chemicals that are not allowed in organic farming. CDFA Secretary A.G. Kawamura will discuss how the state is responding and how the government approach could target the needs of organic farmers. Helge Hellberg of Marin Organics and plant pathologist/viticulturist Richard Hoenisch will provide their perspectives on the impact of current approaches on organic farmers, and what farmers and communities can do in response to invasive species.
Presenters: Secretary A.G. Kawamura, California Department of Food & Agriculture, Sacramento, CA (Invited); Helge Hellberg, Marin Organics, Pt. Reyes Station, CA; Richard Hoenisch, National Plant Diagnostic Network/Department of Plant Pathology, UC Davis, CA.

Cooperatives: A Better Model?
Farming cooperatives have long seemed to provide a solution for small-scale producers and marketers to get leverage in competition with big-scale producers. Cooperatives, however, have gotten a bad reputation as many did not live up to their ideals and failed economically. In current times, a few vibrant cooperatives are making this idealistic model work in the modern world. Let’s learn about the history of co-ops and how successful ones are faring. Speakers include representatives of a vegetable growers co-op and a dairy co-op, and an attorney who has worked with both farmer and food co-ops.
Presenters: Jim Crawford, Tuscarora Organic Growers Co-op, Hustontown, PA; George Siemon, C-E-I-E-I-O of Organic Valley Co-op, LaFarge, WI; Therese Tuttle, Tuttle and Van Konynenburg, Modesto, CA.

Keeping Genetic Engineering Out of Organic Food: Is Enough Being Done?
As organic food has grown, so has genetic engineering. Like it or not, the two different paradigms for food production and processing have evolved in an uneasy co-existence. Organic food may be exposed to contamination in the field from transgenic crops, with corn perhaps most at risk of all crops. However, many applications of genetic engineering — such as enzymes, yeasts, and vitamins — have also been introduced into processed food with less fanfare and less known about them. The organic community needs to address this question head-on instead of hoping it will go away. Farmers and consumers who wish to avoid such products need to be prepared to ask tough questions and make difficult choices.
Presenters: Brian Baker, Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI), Eugene, OR; Ignacio Chapela, Division of Ecosystem Sciences, UC Berkeley, CA; Claire Hope Cummings, journalist, San Rafael, CA; Arran Stephens, Nature’s Path Foods, Richmond, BC.

Organic Dairy Issues East and West
The standards for organic dairy production have been the subject of controversy ever since the USDA rules were published in 2000. Lack of clarity over requirements for pasture has fueled a major debate about how much pasture is required and whether operations without year-round pasture access can be certified. Most Eastern and Midwestern certification agencies require that all replacement animals are from organic sources, and that all young animals born on-farm must be managed organically. A number of Western agencies interpret the rule differently. The NOP issued a rule change last June that did not solve the animal replacement issue, although they have further clarified that young organic stock cannot be treated with antibiotics on-farm. Given that rule-making will eventually clarify the standards, how can California farmers prepare?
Presenters: Blake Alexandre, Alexandre EcoDairy Farms, Crescent City, CA; Tony Azevedo, Double T Acres, Stevinson, CA; Emily Brown Rosen, Pennsylvania Certified Organic, Titusville, NJ; Lisa McCrory, Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont, Randolph, VT.

Plant Centrics: Fixing Stressed Plants from the Plant’s Point of View *
Love your crops? Got sick crops? Ever lose hope? Be inspired with new thinking about fixing stressed plants — coming from the plant’s point of view and empowered with rich personal experience. Learn insights into how plants really operate and how 12 major stresses affect your crops internally. Plant Centrics is a holistic system that reverses the effects of stress or plant decline from the inside-out. Find out how partnership with plants can benefit you and your crop — and restore hope.
Presenters: Dr. Jim Conroy, Plant Health Alternatives, LLC, Morris Plains, NJ; Ms. Basia Alexander, Plant Health Alternatives, LLC, Morris Plains, NJ.

Quality Farm Internships: Teaching the Skills of Small Farming
Farmers from Oregon have recently developed a curriculum designed to enhance the experience of farm interns at their five-farm cooperative in the Applegate Valley. A coastal California farmer has honed an internship program for over 30 years where interns take on major responsibilities including running a CSA marketing program, educational programs, special events, and a plant sale. From the perspective of both interns and farmers, presenters will share their curriculum, experiences building successful internships, and how to address the common pitfalls of internships.
Presenters: Mookie Moss, Boones Farm, Jacksonville, OR; Jim Nelson, Camp Joy Farm, Boulder Creek, CA; Maud and Tom Powell, Wolf Gulch Farm, Jacksonville.

Sustainable Agriculture and Ending Hunger
As we look to change the agriculture system, how can we link more effectively with anti-hunger and anti-poverty advocates to champion a new food system? Such an alliance would broaden all of our power — so what are our common goals and how do we work through differing interests? Hear from leaders at both the state and local levels as they address the links between the policy efforts and community approaches.
Presenters: Brahm Ahmadi, People’s Grocery, Oakland, CA; Heather Fenney, California Food and Justice Coalition, Venice, CA; Kim McCoy Wade, California Association of Food Banks, San Francisco, CA.

Wholesalers Are Interested in Improving the Certification Process
An effort is building on behalf of a consortium of produce wholesalers to make certification systems work better for the produce sector. The wholesalers say they can’t get timely information about the certification status of specific farms. Because the time is so limited to bring the product to market, the situation contributes to the refusal to market products, the sale of fraudulent organic products, and even an amazing number of counterfeit certificates! A couple of certifiers and a couple of distributors will discuss their issues in this session.
Presenters: Kristie Korb, Oregon Tilth, Salem, OR; Jake Lewin, CA Certified Organic Farmers, Santa Cruz, CA; David Lively, Organically Grown Company, Eugene, OR; Melody Meyer, Source Organics, Soquel, CA.

Women in Sustainable Agriculture
Powerful organizing efforts are developing for women in sustainable agriculture with conferences and networks taking place in Iowa, Vermont, Pennsylvania, Arkansas, North Dakota, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, and more. Is it time for this out West? This will be a lively discussion of women’s issues and whether there should be more of an organized structure for western organic and sustainable farm women.
Presenters: Janie Burns, Meadowlark Farm & Homegrown Poultry, Nampa & New Plymouth, ID; Amy Courtney, Freewheelin’ Farm, Santa Cruz, CA; Sharon Grossi, Valley End Farm, Santa Rosa, CA; Harlyn Meyer, Cascadian Home Farm, Rockport, WA; Denise O’Brien, Women Food and Agriculture Network and candidate for Iowa Secretary of Agriculture, Atlantic, IA (invited).

back to top

Workshop Session F: 4:00- 5:30 pm
Can Smaller Retailers Compete with Corporate Stores?
Do these new players have an unfair advantage with their buying power? Come hear what some of the small to midsized organic food stores are doing to keep customers, grow sales, and distinguish themselves in these Megastore-driven times.
Moderator: Mark Mulcahy, Host of “For the Love of Produce” radio show, Glen Ellen, CA.
Presenters: Bob Locatelli, New Leaf Community Markets, Felton/Boulder Creek, CA; Jeff Fairchild, New Seasons Market, Portland, OR; Fran McManus, Whole Earth Center, Princeton, NJ.

Cover Crops for the 21st Century *
Our speakers will discuss the practical aspects of using cover crops to improve soil fertility, break disease cycles, suppress weeds, add organic matter, and build soil biomass. Cindy brings decades of experience with cover cropping in orchards, row crops, and vines in the San Joaquin Valley. Richard will discuss his extensive research and the application of cover crops in vegetables and other row crops on California’s Central Coast. Bring your questions about selecting and using annual and perennial cover crops.
Presenters: Cindy Lashbrook, Four Seasons Ag Consulting, Livingston, CA; Richard Smith, UC Cooperative Extension, Salinas, CA.

Engaging Youth in Agriculture
Over the past 15 years, The Food Project has been integrating youth development with sustainable food systems through growing food on our 31-acre farm in suburban Lincoln, Massachusetts and 2-1/2 acres of city farmland in Boston. All of the produce we grow goes to communities within the greater Boston area. Young people are at the center of this operation in our 300-member CSA, our farmers’ markets in Boston, and our donations to shelters and soup kitchens in the Boston area. Through real and vital work on the land, young people are brought together to experience a method of living that is productive and worthwhile. In this workshop we will discuss how to engage, motivate, and retain young people in agriculture. We will also address differences in farming with youth in the city and on more rural or suburban land. This presentation will be a combination of hands-on learning and discussions. We hope to give a greater understanding of the challenges and benefits of working with youth on a farm.
Presenter: Elise LeClair, Food Project Farmer; and a young person from The Food Project, Lincoln, MA.

Genetic Engineering Update
The 2006 legislative session in California brought a lot of action on the Genetic Engineering (GE) front, with two attempts at pre-emption of local ordinances regulating GE crops. On the national level, contamination of the U.S. long-grain rice supply with an unapproved GE variety provided a vivid example of the holes in the national regulatory structure governing GE crops. Since this terrain is changing so quickly, we are reserving this workshop space for updates on the latest happenings on the GE front. Probable topics include developments in the rice contamination scandal and legislative strategies for 2007.
Presenters: TBA

Making Organic Wild: Biodiversity Conservation on Farms
Biodiversity in organic farming is evolving into a national effort. Although most farmers recognize the benefits of working with nature, there is still much room for marketing biodiversity to gain wider public recognition and appreciation for organic products. There are also opportunities to learn new ways to measure biodiversity on the farm, implement effective predator-friendly practices, and develop long-term biodiversity farm plans that benefit broad conservation goals and farm objectives.
Presenters: Stacey Carlsen, Marin County Agriculture Commissioner’s Office, Novato, CA; Helge Hellberg, Marin Organic, Pt. Reyes Station, CA; Janelle Holden, Predator Conservation Alliance, Bozeman, MT.

Politically – What’s in Play in 2007?
Good policy can be a driving force to support the invaluable work of farmers, processors, distributors, marketers, and retailers in changing how our food is grown, produced, and consumed. Bad policy throws up barriers. In 2007 both the federal Farm Bill and key state policies will be enacted — as well as critical funding decisions — so now is the time to get active! Hear from sustainable agriculture policy leaders about important changes that are up for grabs and learn how you can get involved.
Presenters: Deb Burd, National Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture, Portland, ME; Ferd Hoefner, Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, Washington, DC; Loni Kemp, Minnesota Project, St. Paul, MN; TBA, California Coalition for Food and Farming.

Self Sufficiency: An Antidote to Globalization
What is self sufficiency? Some may say it is carrying snow chains in winter. Perhaps it is a selfless attitude to benefit others. This workshop will hear from some thoughtful practitioners of self sufficiency who will discuss self sufficiency on farms from a practical, organizational, and spiritual viewpoint. Come soar with David Henson from Occidental Arts and Ecology Center, Michael O’Gorman — formerly the head of the farming crew at The Farm in Tennessee and now an organic farmer in Baja California — and Michael Tortorice and Kathryn Strippel of Lighthouse in Oregon. Warning: This will be a very positive workshop!
Presenters: Dave Henson, Occidental Arts and Ecology Center, Occidental, CA; Michael O’Gorman, Farmer, Baja California Norte; Michael Tortorice and Kathryn Strippel, Lighthouse Center, Umpqua, OR.

Terra Madre; What we can learn from our global farm community.
Can we produce rare specialized organic regional products that are fair to all and allow us to thrive as farmers and communities? What does this kind of farm look like? In October of 2006, 6000 food producers,chefs, educators and co-producers from 150 countries converged in Italy for Slow Food's second world gathering of food communities known as Terra Madre. What happened and what truly is slow food all about? Presenters will share their first hand experience of this international gathering and connections that were made, including a great example of a exemplary farmer from Umbria. Alfredo is a organic pioneer outside Perugia, whose diverse farm grows a variety of grains that he processes into his own line of flours, pasta, and packaged whole grains, He also grows flax and Hungarian heirloom sunflowers that he presses and bottles for their rich oils. An incredible example of field to product cottage industry. Come get a taste of this international alliance and groundswell that is our reclaiming the future of food and agriculture.
Presenters: Alfredo Fasola, Torre Colombaia, Umbria Province, Italy; Benjamin Fahrer, Oceansong Farm, Occidental, CA; more TBA.

What Does “Certified Organic” Mean on Personal Care Products?
Join us to discuss the newly proposed Organic Cosmetic Standard from ANSI, the American National Standards Institute. Find out what a “certified organic” personal care product can consist of, what labeling is allowed, and what materials and processes are unique to personal care and cosmetic products. Can these products be “organic”? Consumer and industry opinions are sought by the panelists, who will help finalize these standards.
Presenters: Ray Green, California Department of Food and Agriculture, Sacramento, CA; Gay Timmons, Oh, Oh Organic, Los Gatos, CA; TBA

Celebrate the Sabbath: 5:30 pm
Explore the holyday’s teachings about sacred energy flow and caring for the earth and each other. Celebration will be led by Terry Gips, a Jewish Renewal leader and sustainability consultant.

Organic Banquet: 6:30 pm
SUSTIE Awards - Stewards of Sustainable Agriculture
JUSTIE Awards - Advocates for Social Justice in Sustainable Agriculture
Feast on delicious, fresh, seasonal organic food while we celebrate the farming community and honor long-term stewards of sustainable agriculture and advocates of social justice in sustainable agriculture

Dance! Dance! Dance! : 9:30 pm

Thursday Schedule

Saturday Schedule

 

back to top

* indicates DPR credits have been applied for

Ecological Farming Association • 406 Main Street Ste. 313 • Watsonville, CA 95076
ph. 831-763-2111 • fax. 831-763-2112 • info@eco-farm.org