New Organic Farmer Business Training Confernce

Posted on January 11, 2012 by in Organic, Sustainable Agriculture // 0 Comments

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Melissa Gabso
January 9, 2012 melissa@ctnofa.org

New and transitioning organic farmers welcome at CT NOFA’s 2012
Getting Started in Organic Farming Conference

ROCKFALL – In Connecticut, where the average age of food producers is 57, and the demand for “Connecticut Grown” and for organic is increasing, beginning farmers require support in order to provide enough goods to meet local demand. Agriculture’s $2 billion contribution to the state’s economy alongside the value of local, sustainable foods has left a need in Connecticut to attract new farmers to the state. To this end, the Northeast Organic Farming Association of Connecticut (CT NOFA) offers an annual conference to help new and established farmers learn to run successful organic businesses.

CT NOFA’s 2012 Getting Started in Organic Farming Conference will teach the basics of developing and running a successful organic operation to both brand new farmers and farmers who are established but want to become certified organic. The conference aims to help provide new and transitioning organic farmers with the tools and knowledge necessary to be successful, and will feature experienced farmers and businesspeople who will discuss organic certification, green house planting, marketing, land access, and soil management techniques. Speakers include Dina Brewster from the Hickories in Ridgefield, Bryan O’Hara from Tobacco Road Farm in Lebanon, Jiff Martin and Jennifer McTiernan from the University of Connecticut Extension program, and Shannon Raider from Common Ground Farm in New Haven.

This year’s conference will be held in at the CT Forest and Park Association in Rockfall, CT on Saturday, January 28, 2012, from 8:30am to 4:00pm. For farmers who have been in business for less than 10 years, CT NOFA will be offering scholarships through the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, USDA, Grant #2011-49400-30510. There will also be a potluck lunch and built in time for attendees to network with one another. Registration for the conference is $30 for CT NOFA Members and $40 for Non-Members. To register, or for more information, visit www.ctnofa.org and click on Getting Started in Organic Farming, or call the CT NOFA office at 203.888.5146.

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CT NOFA is a growing community of organic farmers, gardeners, land care professionals, businesses and consumers. Since 1982, CT NOFA has been an independent non-profit organization dedicated to strengthening the practices of ecologically sound farming and gardening, and to the development of local sustainable agriculture