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Workshops & Keynotes
Conference Year: 2018
Select a track below or feel free to download our 1-page PDF conference schedule https://eco-farm.org/sites/default/files/EcoFarm%202020%201-page%20confe...
Wednesday
Wednesday 
Session: Keynote | 8:00 pm
Regenerating our Soils: Hope for Farming and Climate
Some 30 years ago, the late Robert Rodale challenged an EcoFarm audience to embrace his “...
Presenter(s): Gabe Brown, Ray Archuleta, David Johnson
Location: Merrill Hall
Thursday
Thursday Session: A | 8:30 am
Discussion Group - White Folks in Food: Unpacking Your Privilege
How can folks with white-skin privilege contribute to food justice, participating in multi-racial...
Track:
Equity, Food Justice & Sovereignty
Location: Scripps
Conserving and Distributing Delicious, Adapted Fruit Trees
As supermarket fruit disappoints many people who want more flavor, efforts are underway to evaluate...
Presenter(s): Todd Kennedy, Gary Nabhan
Track:
Crops, Seed, Tools, & Technology
Location: Heather
Farming Together: Lessons from Worker Cooperative Farms
Learn about cooperatives and the realities of worker cooperative farming – from how to get started...
Presenter(s): Cody Curtis
Track:
Farm Business & Labor
Location: Nautilus
Organic Integrity in a Global Marketplace
Incredible growth in the organic marketplace is driving demand for organic crops sourced from...
Presenter(s): Jake Lewin, Scott Rice, Gwendolyn Wyard
Track:
Certifications, Organics, & Regulations
Location: Chapel
Great Farm Camps for Kids
Farm camps that connect children and families to nature have been successful in northern California...
Presenter(s): Maika Llorens Gulati, Josh Seitchik
Track:
Farmer to Farmer
Location: Evergreen
Discussion Group & Presentation: Say Yes to a Pesticide-Free Future!
Using the precautionary principle, direct democracy, and out-of-the-box activism, the citizens of...
Presenter(s): Philip Ackerman-Leist, Douglas Gayeton
Track:
Activism, Policy, Community
Location: Toyon
Dedicating Land to Agriculture: Agricultural Conservation Easements
Farmland is disappearing, fast. Luckily, land trusts increasingly use agricultural conservation...
Presenter(s): Tamara Galanter, Allison Johnson, Benjamin Wright, Jered Lawson
Track:
Activism, Policy, Community
Location: Oak Shelter
What Makes a Healthy Soil?
Despite all the hoopla about healthy soils, there are still great gaps in our knowledge about what...
Presenter(s): Will Brinton, Ray Archuleta
Track:
Regenerative Agriculture, Soil, Fertility, & Production
Location: Merrill
Greenhouse and Hoophouse Organic Production
Growing organic crops in protected environments such as greenhouses and hoophouses has a unique set...
Presenter(s): Andrew Mefford
Track:
Production / Tools / Equipment
Location: Fred Farr
Advances in Organic Insect, Disease and Nematode Management
A prime opportunity to learn of advances in organic management of pests and disease, this session...
Presenter(s): Larry Parker, Tim Johnson
Track:
Pests, Beneficials, Habitat
Location: Kiln
Thursday Session: B | 10:30 am
Utilizing Social Media
Whether we like it or not, social media are becoming more and more the preferred methods of...
Presenter(s): Andrea Davis-Cetina, Lennie Larkin, Helena Sylvester
Track:
Marketing, Retail, & Wholesale
Location: Heather
Discussion Group: The Middle Path
The Middle Path vision for the organic trade and movement is to transform agriculture to...
Track:
Marketing, Retail, & Wholesale
Location: Toyon
Cultural Revitalization Through Restoring Indigenous Land Stewardship Pract...
For centuries California Indians managed and sustained cultural ecosystems with traditional...
Presenter(s): Rick Flores, Valentin Lopez
Track:
Equity, Food Justice & Sovereignty
Location: Scripps
Apples: Old and New Varieties for Organic Orchards
Inspired foodies and growers alike know that apples are among the most stable and diverse of crop...
Presenter(s): Freddy Menge, Zea Sonnabend, Terence Welch
Track:
Crops, Seed, Tools, & Technology
Location: Acacia
Botany of Produce: Understanding the Plants We Grow and Eat
Food is necessary for life to exist. Much of our time on this planet is devoted to thinking about...
Presenter(s): Tom Lively
Track:
Permaculture, Gardening, Food, Health
Location: Nautilus
Tips and Tools from Experienced Seed Cleaners
Whether you’re interested in producing seed on a commercial scale, or just saving enough for your...
Presenter(s): John DeRosier, Laurie McKenzie
Track:
Crops, Seed, Tools, & Technology
Location: Oak Shelter
Balancing Fair Wages, Farm Viability and Affordable Prices
We are faced with a wicked equation. When advocates for workers propose raising the minimum wage...
Presenter(s): Marty Mesh, Leah Cohen
Track:
Farm Business & Labor
Location: Chapel
Nature Connection, Permaculture & Ecological Responsibility
What practices help to deepen our connection to the natural world? How does connection to the...
Presenter(s): Will Scott
Track:
Permaculture, Gardening, Food, Health
Location: Kiln
Food Safety Hot Topics
Don’t miss this interactive overview of the hottest topics in food safety. Sign up to get the...
Presenter(s): Kali Feiereisel, Jacob Guth, Javier Zamora
Track:
Certifications, Organics, & Regulations
Location: Evergreen
How Plant Nutrition Affects Diseases and Pests
For integrated pest & disease management to be effective, cultural conditions (especially soils...
Presenter(s): Gregg Young
Track:
Soil, Fertility, & Production
Location: Fred Farr
Discussion Group: Activating Ecological Farmers' Voices in California...
A surprising amount of policy that affects farmers – including labor, farmers markets, pesticides...
Track:
Activism, Policy, Community
Location: Sanderling
Growing Soil – from North Dakota to California
Gabe Brown of Brown’s Ranch in North Dakota and Elizabeth and Paul Kaiser of Singing Frog Farm in...
Presenter(s): Gabe Brown, Elizabeth Kaiser, Paul Kaiser
Track:
Regenerative Agriculture, Soil, Fertility, & Production
Location: Merrill
Electric Tractors and Equipment: The Age Of Adaptive Agriculture
It's no secret that food production is energy intensive. With finite resources and a changing...
Presenter(s): Steve Heckeroth, Ruthie King
Track:
Production / Tools / Equipment
Location: Triton
Thursday Session: Special Session | 12:45pm
Hot Topic Session: From the Ground Up
This fall, the NOSB reversed its 2010 ruling to not allow soilless, hydroponic crops to be...
Presenter(s): Steve Sprinkel, Paul Muller, Tom Willey
Track:
Certifications, Organics, & Regulations
Location: Fred Farr
Thursday Session: Keynote | 1:30 pm
Eliminating Hunger: The First Requisite of Agricultural Sustainability
Doria Robinson and John Ikerd will address the “first requisite of agricultural sustainability:”...
Presenter(s): Doria Robinson, John Ikerd
Location: Merrill Hall
Thursday Session: C | 3:30 pm
Appropriate Tools and Technologies for the Emerging Small-Scale Market Gard...
Jean-Martin Fortier is an internationally recognized successful farmer who has written the popular...
Presenter(s): Jean-Martin Fortier
Track:
Production / Tools / Equipment
Location: Chapel
Farm Friends and Foes: Managing for Pest Control and Damage from Birds
Some birds benefit farms by eating pest insects or rodents, while others cause severe damage by...
Presenter(s): Sacha Heath, Sara Kross
Track:
Pests, Beneficials, Habitat
Location: Nautilus
Choosing Crops & Varieties for Greenhouse/Hoophouse Production
In this sequel to the earlier Greenhouse/Hoophouse session, Mr. Mefferd will cover the top crops...
Presenter(s): Andrew Mefford
Track:
Production / Tools / Equipment
Location: Scripps
Presentation & Discussion: Food Sovereignty in Indian Country
Presenters will explore how a community garden can improve a tribal communities’ mental, physical,...
Track:
Equity, Food Justice & Sovereignty
Location: Triton
Distribution: Restoring Integrity to the Food System
John Ikerd’s essay, “Restoring Integrity to the Food System” in his book Small Farms Are Real Farms...
Presenter(s): Hank Herrera, John Ikerd, Doria Robinson
Track:
Marketing, Retail, & Wholesale
Location: Kiln
Discussion Group: The Changing Face of CSA
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is continually evolving in response to market trends – or is...
Track:
Marketing, Retail, & Wholesale
Location: Toyon
Discussion Group: Communication and Legal Strategies for Farm & Ranch S...
Changes to the management or operations of a farm or ranch can be overwhelming. Even more so when...
Location: Sanderling
Fruit Tree Propagation
There are few fruit trees that produce from seed, and a few that can be grown by rooting cuttings...
Presenter(s): Michael Kusiak, John Valenzuela
Track:
Crops, Seed, Tools, & Technology
Location: Oak Shelter
Knowing Your Worth: Setting Prices and Keeping Them
Setting prices, whether at market or for wholesale, can be daunting. When you're at market, and...
Presenter(s): Chris Hay, Lily Schneider
Track:
Farm Business & Labor
Location: Fred Farr
A New Model for On-Farm Internships
In 2016 the National Ag Apprenticeship Learning Network was formed to strengthen the capacity of...
Presenter(s): Marisa Alcorta, Megan Fehrman
Track:
Farmer to Farmer
Location: Acacia
The New Normal: Farmers Adapt to Climate Change
New pests, loss of winter chill hours, heat waves, and more extreme drought/deluge cycles are among...
Presenter(s): Al Courchesne, Kathryn Lyddan
Track:
Farmer to Farmer, Regenerative Agriculture
Location: Evergreen
A Farm Bill for an Organic Future 2018
Farm Bill is coming, and it will affect you! The Farm Bill is a defining piece of federal...
Presenter(s): Laura Batcha, Kelly Damewood, Brise Tencer
Track:
Activism, Policy, Community
Location: Heather
Thursday Session: Special Session | 5:10 pm
Discussion & Short Presentation: Dawn Again: Tracking the Wisdom of the...
Doniga Markegard, author and regenerative rancher will be sharing about her new book Dawn Again:...
Presenter(s): Doniga Markegard
Track:
Regenerative Agriculture
Location: Triton
Friday
Friday Session: Keynote | 7:45 am
Successful Organic Farmers
An EcoFarm tradition! Learn what these farmers do, why they do it, and what they’ve learned along...
Presenter(s): Jean-Martin Fortier, Dee Harley, Javier Zamora
Location: Merrill Hall
Friday Session: D | 10:30 am
Investing in Local Ag/Food Economy for Regional Resilience
The Bay Area’s rich and diverse food system is an integral part of the region’s economic prosperity...
Presenter(s): Sibella Kraus, Amie MacPhee, Serena Unger
Track:
Activism, Policy, Community
Location: Triton
The Real Roots Story
This presentation illustrates the way roots really grow, revealing amazing facts such as these:...
Presenter(s): Robert Kourik
Track:
Soil, Fertility, & Production
Location: Toyon
Hot Topic Session: Organic Farmers Association
How can farmers regain control of the organic agriculture movement and the market that they built?...
Track:
Certifications, Organics, & Regulations
Location: Sanderling
Decolonizing the Food System
Academic and activist Dr. Gail Myers has done a great deal to support Black farmers and other...
Presenter(s): Dr. Gail Myers, Mr. Will Scott
Track:
Equity, Food Justice & Sovereignty
Location: Scripps
Community Supported but Outside the Box
While the theory behind CSAs is sound, the reality in current times is that a weekly box without...
Presenter(s): Becky Herbert, Vernon Peterson
Track:
Marketing, Retail, & Wholesale
Location: Evergreen
Tectonic Shift Shakes Up Traditional Organic Produce Distribution
A handful of longtime specialty-organic produce distributors, dedicated to ethics beyond the “...
Presenter(s): Rick Lejeune, David Lively, Karen Salinger
Track:
Marketing, Retail, & Wholesale
Location: Heather
Organic Flower Production / La producción orgánica de flores
Flowers are one of the most profitable crops in agriculture. The demand for organically grown...
Presenter(s): Joanna Letz, Courtney Mellblom
Track:
Crops, Seed, Tools, & Technology
Location: Chapel
Ag Labor Challenges and Opportunities
A significantly decreased number of farm workers combined with increased wages for labor has put a...
Presenter(s): Al Courchesne, Wesley Van Camp
Track:
Farm Business & Labor
Location: Nautilus
Quack & Coo: Unusual Poultry Enterprises
Duck eggs, quail and squab are all poultry, but making a success of an enterprise with these...
Presenter(s): Anthony Bordessa, Molly Myerson
Track:
Livestock
Location: Acacia
Out in the Field: Queer Farmers Share Experiences
Queer farmers are integral – but historically under-celebrated – members of the ecological farming...
Presenter(s): Brandon Pugh, Hail Stiers
Track:
Farmer to Farmer
Location: Oak Shelter
Placing Carbon Back Into Our Soils
Experts will compare and contrast a number of tools and policies being considered by governments at...
Presenter(s): David Johnson, Brian Shobe
Track:
Activism, Policy, Community, Regenerative Agriculture
Location: Fred Farr
Controlling Pest Animals Without Poisons on Farms
It has been estimated that vertebrate pests cause $944 million in annual damage to U.S. agriculture...
Presenter(s): Thomas Wittman
Track:
Pests, Beneficials, Habitat
Location: Kiln
Wise Words From Well Seasoned Farmers
Please join us as we learn about the legacy of two long time farmer activists. A chance to learn...
Presenter(s): Chris Bunn, Wendy Johnson
Track:
Farmer to Farmer
Location: Merrill
Friday Session: Special Session | 12:00 pm
Discussion Group: QUEER FARMERS UNITE
We hope this is: An opportunity for queer farmer’s from all walks of life, from everywhere along...
Track:
Farmer to Farmer
Location: Oak Shelter
Friday Session: E | 1:30 pm
Call Me a Farmer Not a Farmer’s Wife
This workshop will feature women farmers discussing skills they have honed over time on their farms...
Presenter(s): Dee Harley, Hannah Muller, Maya Blow
Track:
Farmer to Farmer
Location: Scripps
Conservation You Can Taste: Healing the Urban-Rural Divide
This is a forum on how farmers are helping to bridge the urban-rural divide, providing public...
Presenter(s): Gary Nabhan
Track:
Activism, Policy, Community
Location: Chapel
Winona's Hempire
Supporters of fossil fuels claim that nearly everything in our daily life is made from oil. While...
Presenter(s): Winona LaDuke
Track:
Crops, Seed, Tools, & Technology
Location: Merrill
Improving Your Soil Quality for the Urban Food Grower
This workshop will provide tools to evaluate soils and manage risk, focusing on the physical,...
Presenter(s): Rob Bennaton
Track:
Soil, Fertility, & Production
Location: Sanderling
Pathways to Latinx Farm Ownership in California / Caminos a ser propietario...
Latinx (Latino and Latina) farmworkers and farmers play a crucial role in California agriculture,...
Presenter(s): Roberto Gonzalez, Kate Greenberg, Brett Melone, Eddie Gonzalez
Track:
Activism, Policy, Community
Location: Triton
Tools and Techniques for Improving Irrigation Efficiency
With water becoming increasingly scarce and expensive, farmers are learning how to increase the...
Presenter(s): Jacob Moreno, Tom Shapland
Track:
Soil, Fertility, & Production
Location: Acacia
Discussion Group: Agroecology: What's it to you?
“Agroecology” is not a common term in U.S. food movements. Yet it is gaining legitimacy globally...
Track:
Production / Tools / Equipment
Location: Oak Shelter
To Market, to Market: Fruitful Relationships with Small-Scale Farmers
Learn the latest strategies of retail buyers and department managers who support small-scale...
Presenter(s): Juanita Bruton, Janet Nagamine, Lucy Norris
Track:
Marketing, Retail, & Wholesale
Location: Heather
Create Ecosystems of Abundance with Productive Perennial Polycultures
Perennials can be successfully combined in space and time with annuals and animals in mixed...
Presenter(s): John Valenzuela
Track:
Permaculture, Gardening, Food, Health
Location: Fred Farr
Seed Saving for Crops that Suit You Best
Saving seeds was once an essential part of the culture of farming, but most modern vegetable...
Presenter(s): Harald Hoven
Track:
Crops, Seed, Tools, & Technology
Location: Toyon
Carbon Farm Planning for Multiple Benefits
Learn how developing a carbon farm plan can identify practices to increase carbon sequestration and...
Presenter(s): Jeff Creque, Mel Preston
Track:
Livestock, Regenerative Agriculture
Location: Evergreen
Composting on Your Farm: New Rules and Regulations
Federal law, the Food Safety Modernization Act, now dictates how on-farm compost is to be made...
Presenter(s): Dave Runsten, Willy Reid, Ryan Flaherty
Track:
Certifications, Organics, & Regulations
Location: Kiln
What's So Cool About Landrace Grains?
The past few years have seen a surge in interest in historical, landrace and heirloom grains from...
Presenter(s): Sally Fox, Mai Nguyen
Track:
Crops, Seed, Tools, & Technology
Location: Nautilus
Friday Session: F | 3:30 pm
Bank on It: Hedgerows Reliably Pay for Themselves
Hedgerows provide habitat for natural enemies and pollinators, dust and wind protection, and...
Presenter(s): Rachael Long
Track:
Pests, Beneficials, Habitat
Location: Kiln
Discussion Group: Women in Food and Ag Round Table
Come and connect with your fellow female farmers and foodies and share your stories and experience...
Track:
Farmer to Farmer
Location: Scripps
No-Till Vegetable Farming
This session will feature two organic vegetable growers who are making no-till systems work – one...
Presenter(s): Will Allen, Kristyn Leach
Track:
Production / Tools / Equipment
Location: Merrill
What's REALLY Happening to Pollinators? It’s Systemic Neonics!
This workshop will take a deep look into pesticide industry-sponsored "Pollinator Protection" and...
Presenter(s): Susan Kegley, Stacy Malkan, Terry Oxford
Track:
Activism, Policy, Community
Location: Nautilus
Daily Drip Irrigation for Greater Yields
How often to irrigate is a topic of great debate. Perhaps the most controversial question concerns...
Presenter(s): Robert Kourik
Track:
Soil, Fertility, & Production
Location: Toyon
Tools and Equipment For Market Gardeners and Farmers / Las herramientas y e...
Small, diversified farms are labor intensive by nature. Managing dozens of different crops in...
Presenter(s): Jack Algiere, Josh Volk
Track:
Production / Tools / Equipment
Location: Chapel
Sequencing the Soil Biome: The Future Is Here
The understanding of complex soil biology has taken a giant leap forward with the development of...
Presenter(s): Adrian Ferrero, Poornima Parameswaran
Track:
Soil, Fertility, & Production
Location: Evergreen
Discussion Group: Biodynamic Farming and Gardening for the Future
The deep principles and innovative practices of biodynamic agriculture can help anyone to grow...
Track:
Production / Tools / Equipment
Location: Dolphin
Advancing Food-System Social Justice: Funding to Field
This workshop will examine the underlying challenges and opportunities for advancing social justice...
Presenter(s): Tim Galarneau, Joann Lo
Track:
Equity, Food Justice & Sovereignty
Location: Heather
Chasm Widens Between California and Mexican Farm Wages
Our organic community is largely unaware that Mexico’s national minimum wage for an eight-hour-day...
Presenter(s): Jessie Gunn, Gail Wadsworth, Skye Ogden
Track:
Marketing, Retail, & Wholesale
Location: Fred Farr
Love Your Body Like You Love Your Farm!
Discover and practice a variety of stretches to keep your back, shoulders, neck, knees, hips, and...
Presenter(s): Patricia Becker
Track:
Permaculture, Gardening, Food, Health
Location: Triton
Regenerative Grazing: Managing Healthy Ecosystem Processes Using Livestock
Running a farm or ranch in a Western environment is an ever-challenging endeavor. Learn how a...
Presenter(s): Ann Adams, Spencer Smith
Track:
Livestock, Regenerative Agriculture
Location: Acacia
Discussion Group: Yes We Cann-abis!
When California legalized cannabis, for better or worse the direction of agriculture took a turn...
Presenter(s): Ian Rice, Michael Straus
Track:
Certifications, Organics, & Regulations
Location: Oak Shelter
Saturday
Saturday Session: G | 8:30 am
Fins & Feathers on Floodplain Farm Fields
California’s defining resource challenge is to reconcile ag and urban water supply with...
Presenter(s): Jacob Katz, Bryce Lundberg
Track:
Pests, Beneficials, Habitat
Location: Fred Farr
Habitat and Holistic Care for Honey Bees
Honey bee colonies are facing a crisis due in large part to conventional approaches to beekeeping...
Presenter(s): Emily Bondor, Michael Joshin Thiele
Track:
Pests, Beneficials, Habitat
Location: Heather
Technology to the Rescue? Will Robots Save The Day in Ag?
There has been a serious labor shortage in agriculture and it is getting worse. On a parallel...
Presenter(s): Anthony Duttle, Lalitha Visveswaran
Track:
Production / Tools / Equipment
Location: Evergreen
Indigenous Food Systems: Models of Food Sovereignty
First Nations Development Institute has funded and supported Indigenous Food Systems since the...
Presenter(s): A-dae Romero-Briones, Jackie Francke
Track:
Equity, Food Justice & Sovereignty
Location: Nautilus
Creative Strategies for Financing Sustainable Farmland Succession
Retiring and beginning farmers are encouraged to attend this workshop that explores succession-...
Presenter(s): Kendra Johnson, Mai Nguyen, Cameron Rhudy
Track:
Farm Business & Labor
Location: Chapel
The Farmer and the Chef: Utilizing Abundance
The “farm to table" dining trend is an opportunity for farmers and restaurants to work directly...
Presenter(s): Stuart Brioza, Jeff Dawson
Track:
Permaculture, Gardening, Food, Health
Location: Scripps
Growing and Marketing Healing Herbs
Kanchan Dawn Hunter is co-creator of the first annual Women of Color Herbal Symposium and co-...
Presenter(s): Maya Blow, Kanchan Dawn Hunter, Tatille Jackson
Track:
Crops, Seed, Tools, & Technology
Location: Merrill
Scaling Up Soil Health to Deliver Climate Solutions
There is a groundswell of interest in healthy soils and regenerative agriculture throughout the U.S...
Presenter(s): Birgit Cameron, David Bronner, Renata Brillinger
Track:
Regenerative Agriculture, Certifications, Organics, & Regulations
Location: Kiln
Saturday Session: Keynote | 10:30 am
Honoring Land, Food Systems, and Community
Winona LaDuke (Anishinaabe) is an internationally renowned activist, author, and orator working on...
Presenter(s): Winona LaDuke
Location: Merrill Hall
