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Friday, January 22, 2010
Session E: 2:00 - 3:30 pm

 

Biological Control of Crop Diseases

This session will feature presentations on the effective use of microorganisms to control common crop diseases. Included will be an overview of the concepts and principles of biocontrol of diseases, practices that improve this phenomenon, and products containing microbial biocontrol agents used on fruits, vegetables, herbs, and ornamentals. Some of the pathogens controlled by these beneficial microbes include pythium, rhizoctonia, fusarium, botrytis, erwinia, phytophthora, sclerotinia, alternaria, and powdery and downy mildew.
Presenters: Keith Giertych, Growth Products, San Jose, CA; Tim Lichatowich, Natural Industries, Houston, TX; Matt Needham, Bio Works, Linden, CA.

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Challenging Some Organic Myths

People who like to criticize organic tend to bring out the same arguments year after year, and as organics becomes more widespread and successful these points are less and less valid. Since we all need ammunition for arguing with that ornery uncle or stubborn colleague, our organic experts can refute some of the misconceptions about organic that are still out there. Such issues as, “Organic farming yields are less than conventional”, “the Organic price premium is not worth it”, and “the environmental footprint of a conventional dairy cow given rBGH is less than an organic dairy cow” will be addressed with valid evidence, compelling arguments and rigorous scrutiny.
Presenters: Laura Batcha, Organic Trade Association, Greenfield, MA; Chuck Benbrook, The Organic Center,
Enterprise, OR.

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Classical Plant Breeding for Improving Vegetable Crops

This session offers a practical hands-on explanation of plant breeding methods. These techniques are within the reach of any dedicated gardener or farmer to achieve real, lasting improvements for some of the most important vegetable crops. The fundamentals of successful plant breeding will be covered: understanding the objectives, selecting for genetic elasticity, adapting plants to organic systems, and fulfilling specific market needs. Basic breeding methods involve growing plants in challenging environments that expose a plant’s weakness, maintaining sufficiently large populations to avoid in-breeding depression, and conducting several years of recurrent selection and progeny testing. Emphasis will be placed on selection for durable, multi-genic plant traits and the importance of the human interactions involved. Detailed discussion of selected vegetable case studies—squash, tomato, beet, sweet corn, and onion—will show to what extent the breeding goals were achieved.
Presenters: Steve Peters and Joel Reiten, Seeds of Change, Santa Fe, NM.

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Digg It! How to be a New Media Insider (Double session: continues in Session F)

This two-part workshop will explore how to use new media most effectively in communication and marketing projects. In the first half we will survey new media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, iTunes, and YouTube. Participants will learn about framing messages to maximize impact, along with learning tips and tricks for delivering successful interviews, nailing that spectacular quote, delivering that perfect sound bite, and keeping journalists coming back for more. In the second half, attendees will work in small groups to turn the messages they crafted in the previous session into a short audio or video clip. They will learn how to create the clips, convert files to a digital format, and download them onto iTunes or YouTube. Audio and visual files from this session will be showcased on the EcoFarm website and on Facebook and YouTube when approved by the producers.
Moderator: Bob Scowcroft, Organic Farming Research Foundation, Santa Cruz, CA.
Presenters: Haven Bourque, Straus Communications, Oakland, CA; Scott Dick, The Tasty Planet Show, Carmel Valley, CA; Steve Cowan, Habitat Media, Portland, OR.

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High Hopes for the National Organic Program and USDA

The election of a new president has ushered in an opportunity for change in many areas of government. We have seen the creation of gardens at the White House and USDA headquarters, the appointment of a USDA Deputy Secretary with a lot of experience in organics, and now the elevation of the National Organic Program (NOP) to an independent program area of AMS instead of submersion under Transportation and Marketing. There is never a shortage of issues at the USDA that directly affect our community. We are very pleased to have the Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan and the newly hired director of the NOP, Miles McEvoy, give us an update on the "Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food" initiative and other issues from the NOP and USDA.
Moderator: Mark Lipson, Organic Farming Research Foundation, Santa Cruz, CA.
Presenters: Kathleen Merrigan, Deputy Secretary of the USDA; Miles McEvoy, National Organic Program, Washington, DC.

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Independent Distributors, Retailers and Growers Work Together for Better Food Choices

With Monsanto at one end of the food chain and Walmart at the other, independent businesses have to really distinguish themselves to stay alive. This often means targeting the consumers who have enough food awareness to seek out local organic food from smaller producers. How can a distributor feature such growers and still compete? How can a retailer promote such products in their stores? And how can growers make their crops stand out in the marketplace in the impersonal world of food distribution? Cooperation, that’s how! Innovative panelists will share their insights on staying independent and thriving.
Presenters: Rick Christianson, Co-op Partners Warehouse, St. Paul, MN; Denesse Willey, T & D Willey Farms, Madera, CA; Mark Squire, Good Earth Natural Foods, Fairfax, CA.

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Mama Mia! It’s An Italian Farmer Invasion

We are thrilled to again host a contingent of organic farmers from Umbria and Tuscany, Italy. Our Italian friends will make presentations about their farming specialties, including olive oil, vegetables, fruit, sheep, cheese making, wine making, grains, agrotourism, family farms, the state of organics in Italy, and more. Our friends would love to converse with you about farming and living, Italian style.
Presenters: Alfredo Fasola, Torre Colombaia Holidays Farm, Perugia, Umbria; Omero Moretti, Az. Agricola Moretti, Perugia, Umbria; Marjatta Heliste, Camazzetto Farm, Perugia, Umbria.

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Taking the Bite Out of Global Warming

Global warming has become one of the defining scientific, political and social issues of our era. Interest in reducing heat-trapping gases has spurred both environmentalists and entrepreneurs toward reducing carbon “foot-prints,” but little focus has been placed on reducing carbon “food-prints;” the effect that agriculture and our industrial food system have on global warming. This workshop focuses on food—where it comes from, how to cook with it, and how what you eat impacts climate change. The authors of Cool Cuisine: Taking the Bite Out of Global Warming will examine connections between food, energy use, and the new economy, offering ways to reduce our carbon “foodprint” through revised business models and food choices. Atmospheric scientist Eugene Cordero will present research on the energy efficiency of our food system in relation to our changing climate and economic system. Chef Stec introduces the concept of “soil as a seasoning agent,” and highlights regional food system leaders and the new business and investment models emerging to accommodate them.
Presenters: Laura Stec, Innovative Cuisine, Portola Valley, CA; Eugene Cordero, San Jose State University, San Jose, CA.

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Water and Wolves - Balancing Agriculture and Conservation (Double session: continues in Session F)

The conflict between agriculture and wildlife conservation has reached a critical point on many fronts. California is in its third year of a drought so severe that the governor has declared a statewide emergency. Making matters worse for farmers, court rulings have limited irrigation supplies for the San Joaquin Valley in order to protect endangered delta and river fish species. Farmers blame their losses on environmentalists and the Endangered Species Act (ESA), while fishermen and conservationists charge that a healthy Delta environment is a legal right. In another raging conflict, wolves were exterminated from many western states, but have come back recently because of the ESA and cooperative efforts between ranchers and environmentalists.

Join us for a provocative discussion where we will first consider the wolf. Becky Weed, a Montana Rancher, has been part of finding new, non-regulatory, solutions for the long-standing conflict between Western ranchers and the wolf. She will discuss some approaches that are working, and how the ongoing challenges surrounding wolves relate to farming/conservation conflicts elsewhere. Next, we will dive into the history and politics of water use in the San Joaquin Valley, the biology of California’s waterways, and the perspective of three California food producers who depend on Delta and San Joaquin water for their livelihoods. A facilitated discussion will follow.
Presenters: Glenn Anderson, Anderson Almonds, Hilmar, CA; Jacob Katz, UC, Davis, CA;  Jim Verboon, Verboon Farms/Familes Protecting the Valley, Laton, CA; Becky Weed, Thirteen Mile Lamb and Wool Company, Belgrade, Mt; TBA
Facilitator: Miriam Volat, Ag Innovations Network, Sebastopol, CA


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