PRE-CONFERENCE TRACKS THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 7
Track 9 • Profitable Production & Parasite Resilient Stock in Small Ruminants
Track 11 • Soils, Grazing & Grass-Based Land Management with Abe Collins Graziers deal with the most complex systems imaginable microorganisms, plants and animals, soil and society. Move beyond “formula grazing” and begin to more deeply understand how the complexities of rest, impact and disruption on the land work in synergy over time to produce meat, milk, increased forage, topsoil, carbon sequestration and diversity. Abe Collins will lead attendees through a day that will combine practical grazing experience with functional lessons in land and water management, including the use of Keyline plowing. He will explore in-depth aspects of soil building from the dynamic perspective, translating it to action on the land. This track will have lots of hands-on, farm-centric information for active graziers of all species and classes of stock.
Learn how to build a profitable and parasite resilient group of animals by establishing a solid base of techniques and tactics. Attendees will learn ways to take their small ruminant management to the next level through selection and management tactics. Speakers will explore options for providing species appropriate browse and grazing. Participants will sharpen their skills at the microscope with hands-on demonstrations, as well as get pointers on how to tighten up their record keeping and build realistic benchmarks that will move their herds or flocks ahead. Presenters: Susan Schoenian & Jeff Semler, University of Maryland Extension; Sandra K. Miller, Painted Hand Farm; Kim Lott, Kings Gap Environmental Education Center; Melanie Barkley, Maple Hollow Farm; Susan Beal, PASA
Presenter: Abe Collins, Collins Grazing, LLC
• Strategies, Techniques & Experiences to Foster Parasite Resilience
• Elevating Grazing
• Copper: Deficiencies & Excesses
• Keyline Soil Formation & Landscape Design
• Goats & Invasive Plant Management
• Topsoil is the Mother of All Environmental Services
• Hands-On Preparation & Interpretation of Fecal Samples
• Scaling Regenerative Farmer & Grazier Achievement in the Soil Age
• Accelerating Soil Formation
• Functional Stock for Profit & Goals: Selection Strategies, Benchmarks & Record Keeping Basics
Track 12 • Behind the Hype of Genetic Engineering: Science, Policy & Alternatives
Track 10 • Hogs Alive! This day is all about pigs — in the woods and on pasture — and will burrow into the nitty gritty of working with pigs on the land. Learn about creating a smorgasbord for hogs through the use of a rich medley of annuals selected for graze and browse, capped by using the bounty of the forest as seasonal finishing fodder. Follow pigs — and the work of the farm — through the seasons. Attendees will figure out what breed or type of animal bests suits the character of their farm and capitalizes on the final use of their meat. Join Eliza MacLean, whose mixed hogs share their space with the largest herd of Ossabow hogs in the country, and Chuck Talbott, who has been finishing hogs on mast from oak woodlots, for a “no holds barred” interactive day that will be sure to generate food for both thought and action.
Genetic engineering (GE) has been touted as being able to produce crops that can withstand drought, reduce pesticide use, reduce pollution from fertilizers, improve nutrition and greatly increase productivity. Speakers will assess the accumulated data from 16 years of commercialization to see how GE crops have lived up to their alleged potential and the problems they face. The track will also examine how GE compares with alternatives like conventional breeding and agroecology, and explore whether these alternatives can meet the needs of sustainable agriculture and food productions. Attendees will leave with a strong understanding of the impacts of GE, its potential and how they may influence the course of agricultural policy that affects its use. Presenters: Julie C. Dawson, Cornell University; Bill Freese, Center for Food Safety; Margaret Mellon & Doug GurianSherman, Union of Concerned Scientists; David Mortensen, Penn State University
Presenters: Eliza MacLean, Cane Creek Farm & Chuck Talbott, WVU Extension Service & Black Oak Holler Farm • Rotating Pigs on Pasture, into the Woods & onto Next Year’s Garden Plot
• The Impact of GE on Productivity, Pollution Reduction, Drought Tolerance & Pesticide Use
• Four Seasons of Supervision & Activity at Cane Creek Farm
• Glyphosate Herbicide Resistant Weeds: What They Are, the Biotechnology Industry Response & Its Implications
• Pig Planning: A Pig for Every Purpose & Possibility • Paper to Pigs to Paper: How to Make This Profitable?
• Comparing Alternatives: Crop Breeding & Agroecology
• Hog Health: The Basics
• How Policy Decisions in Washington Affect the Direction of Agriculture & the Use of GE
Youth in Farming Track: Create Your Own Farm Ventures (6th–12th Grade) Registration limited to 25 Discover the key concepts of developing a farm venture to have fun, make a difference and earn recognition. The extra spending money is a motivator too! Learn how ownership, collaboration, support and inquiry are the beneficial tools to equip you in developing your farm interests. The theory of building your farm venture will be applied in hands-on classes led by Quiet Creek’s youth, Walker (9th grade) and Ashton (6th grade) with the guidance of their mentors, Claire and Rusty. Not only will they help you strengthen your present-day and future ventures, they will also share their tried and true successes of growing shiitake mushrooms, making herbal soap and hand-carving wooden ornaments. Presenters: Claire, Rusty, Walker & Ashton Orner, Quiet Creek Herb Farm & Education Center • Discovering Your Farm Venture Passions • Examples of Youth-Led Farm Ventures: Carving Wooden Ornaments, Growing Shiitake • Tools to Make Your Farm Venture Successful Mushrooms & Making Herbal Soap • Pitching Your Youth-Led Farm Ventures
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