This two-day intensive offered by the ORGANIC GRAIN RESOURCES AND
INFORMATION NETWORK (OGRAIN)at UW-MADISON features expert farmers,
researchers and industry representatives sharing information about
ORGANIC GRAIN PRODUCTION IN THE UPPER MIDWEST. This fifth annual
CONFERENCE FEATURES 15 WORKSHOPS, two keynotes and ample opportunity
for networking and discussion. The 2020 ORGANIC GRAIN WINTER
CONFERENCE WILL BE HELD FRIDAY AND SATURDAY, January 24-25, 2020 on
the UW-MADISON campus. The event will begin Friday at 7:30 AM,
conclude for the day at 6:30 PM, and resume again from 7:30 AM through
4 PM on Saturday. Keynote presentations will be offered this year by
Thor Oechsner of south central New York, sharing insights gained from
raising a diversity of ORGANIC GRAINS FOR FOOD-grade and craft
beverage markets on 1,200 acres, and Iowa farmer and philosopher Fred
Kirschenmann bringing inspirational thoughts on building resiliency
when times are tough. Workshops, including farmer panels, will discuss
ORGANIC SOIL HEALTH, fertility, cover crops, alternative grain crops,
quality control, habitat enhancement, implements, weed management,
economics of transition, strategies for working through troubled
times, and more. The event is available to anyone with an interest in
learning more about ORGANIC GRAIN PRODUCTION. We offer sessions
specific to the needs of beginning farmers (farming for fewer than 10
years)as well as sessions relevant to those already engaged in ORGANIC
PRODUCTION.
SCHEDULE:
Complete
workshop descriptions and more information is available at
visit
this pageHOTEL INFORMATION:
For hotels near UW-MADISON,
visit
this page PARKING
INFORMATION:
The event will be held in UW-MADISON Gordon Dining
and Event Center. Please reference this map
to identify lots where you can park. PAYMENT INFORMATION:
Cost for the
CONFERENCE IS $80 for the two days if paid through January 10, and $90
if paid between Jan 11 and 20. A light breakfast, snack, and lunch are
included. Evening meal is on your own and not included in the
registration fee. Online registration with payment by credit card is
available via this website. Those wishing to register using a mail-in
form and check can contact Harriet Behar at harriet.organic@gmail.com
or 608-872-2164 to receive instructions. We expect some walk-in
registrations will be available, but the price will increase to
$100.00. Refunds will be honored before Jan. 20. There will be no
weather-related refunds for the event. Contact Harriet with any refund
questions.
This conference is 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).