MOFGA Day at the Maine Agricultural Trades Show

Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Augusta Civic Center

Each year at Maine's Agricultural Trades Show, MOFGA offers a series of presentations and discussion groups covering a wide range of sustainable agriculture subjects. All presentations are free and open to the public.

MOFGA has an information exhibit during all three days of the Trades Show. Staff and Committee members are available to answer questions about MOFGA's ongoing programs. There is no pre-registration for the day's events.

MOFGA members are encouraged to attend the Association's Annual Meeting, which will be held at 1:30pm in the Piscataquis/Sagadahoc Rooms.

*Eligible for 1 credit toward Pesticides Applicator Recertification
For more information visit: http://www.maine.gov/agriculture/pesticides/cert/creditreq.htm

MOFGA Agricultural Trades Show Schedule 2009

All talks are 1 hour unless otherwise noted

9:10 AM Systems & Approaches to Soil Fertility & Pest Suppression- Stellos Tavantzis
Stellos Tavantzis, Robert Larken, Andrei Alyokhin, and Sue Erich, are part of a team of researchers and graduate students at the University of Maine and the USDA-ARS Lab in Orono studying how organic management including a rapeseed cover crop,
compost, and biocontrol organisms affect the soil, crop, and pest complex of farm systems. Two different potato rotations are being studied, but the results are expected to be relevant to all organic crop production. They will present the results from their second year of the study, which are promising, and look for comments as they prepare for next year’s field trials.

9:10 AM Weather & Climate for Farmers CANCELLED
Farmers have a special interest in understanding Maine’s weather and climate, especially since it seems to be becoming increasingly unpredictable. This session will be an overview of basic meteorology with a special emphasis on those phenomena that affect our crops and livestock.

10:00 AM Organic Certification Information Session
Interested in becoming certified? Get an overview of the federal regulations. Learn how to apply for organic certification. Bring your questions and we’ll try to provide answers. MOFGA Certification Services staff will be on hand; Director, Mary Yurlina and Certification Assistant, Jaco schravesande-Gardei.

10:00 AM (Androscoggin)- Resources for New & Beginning Farmers

This special 2-hour session will feature representatives from organizations that provide services to help and support new and beginning farmers.

10am: Farm Leasing with Kathy Ruhf, Land for Good. Non-traditional land tenure models are becoming increasingly common. Kathy Ruhf has been at the forefront of Northeast farmland tenure and transfer issues for many years. She will share strategies for crafting secure and workable farm leasing agreements and building lasting, mutually beneficial relationships among owners and farmers.

11:00 am: Making farmland affordable with creative approaches to land tenure and community support, with Ellie Kastanopolous, Equity Trust. Equity Trust is a national organization working to develop innovative land tenure and farm financing models that harness community support for small-scale sustainable agriculture.

11:20 am: Maine FarmLink with Nina Young, Maine Farmland Trust. Maine FarmLink is a statewide clearinghouse and matching service that connects farmland seekers with farmland owners. Nina will give an overview of the program and discuss some examples of what is available.

11:40 am: MOFGA’s Journeyperson Program and Organic Farmers Loan Fund with Andrew Marshall and Russell Libby, MOFGA. The Journeyperson program provides support and mentorship for new farmers. We are looking for participants in the program for 2009-10. The organic loan fund is a new MOFGA program designed to fund short-term capital and operating investments. Come learn what MOFGA has to offer for new farmers.

11:00 AM Intro to Food Processing & Marketing Value Added Products
Interested in increasing your revenue stream? Our panel of producers will share their experiences, highlighting the benefits of food processing and marketing value-added products, and tips for success. Moderated by Cheryl Wixson, MOFGA’s agricultural engineer and resident chef.

1:30 PM MOFGA Annual Meeting (Piscataquis/Sagadahoc)
Hear from Executive Director, Russell Libby and from committee chairs about MOFGA’s activities and accomplishments in 2008 and our plans for the future. Participate in elections for MOFGA’s Board of Directors, vote on bylaw changes, and network with MOFGA staff, members, and certified growers.

3:00 PM Slow Food
Nearly 7000 people from over 150 countries came together for Slow Food’s international Terra Madre conference in Turin, Italy to talk about shared values, concerns and challenges. It's true that our conversations were ignited by a passion for food and what should be an inherent right to nourishment produced in a way that respects the earth and each other, but hand in hand with this conversation was also that of the importance of building community, and solidarity between communities, locally and globally. Join several of the attendees from Maine for highlights of the conference.

3:00 PM Some Like It Wet: Pests & Diseases of 2008
There are always a few pests and diseases but when it is a wet year there is a flurry of activity. Come hear about this year's pests, especially some emerging garlic issues.

4:00 PM Passing it on- The basics of breeding goats & beef cattle
Interested in starting your own herd? Join Diane Schivera and Maine producers for an introduction to buying quality breed stock, herd record keeping, AI, and more!

4:00 PM Updates from Researchers
Join Ellen Mallory, Lauren Kolb, Eric Gallandt, Rick Kersbergen, Frank Wertheim and others as they discuss recent research at the University of Maine. Topics will include nitrogen fertility for organic crops, organic grain production, weed control strategies in small grains, and scale appropriate weed management tools.