Online Organic Field Days this Summer

Posted on June 7, 2020 by Taylor in Dairy, Farming Practices, Farming Resources, Management, Organic, Small Farms, Sustainable Agriculture, Workshops // 0 Comments

Online Organic Field Days from the Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service (MOSES)

We’re pivoting from on-farm to virtual field days this summer. Each one will include related videos, podcasts, or other content posted in advance followed by a virtual field day via Zoom on the dates listed below. The 90-minute Zoom meetings will start with presentations from the farmers and other experts and include time for participants to ask questions and join in the discussion. Please register to participate in the Zoom virtual field days you’d like to attend:

Do The Numbers: Organic Dairy
June 24 | Bossie Cow Farm | Random Lake, Wis.

Thelma Heidel-Baker and Ricky Baker have a small, family-run, diversified organic dairy farm in the rolling hills of southeastern Wisconsin.

For this first of the MOSES organic online field days, they’ll share how they manage their grass-based, organic dairy. They’ll cover:

Pasture management
Conservation practices
Pollinator habitat
Livestock health
Some of the financials to think about when running a grass-based dairy farm

In addition, Dr. Jon Winsten will talk about the economics of grazing. Jon is an ag economist with the Pasture Project, part of the Resilient Agriculture & Ecosystems initiative of the Wallace Center at Winrock International. He is working on a project examining Upper Midwest dairy farm financial case studies—from confinement to pasture-based operations.

Do the Numbers: Organic Crop Transition
July 8 | Jovaag Family Farm | Austin, Minn.

Jon and Ruth Jovaag have been gradually transitioning their crop and livestock farm to organic since 2014, aiming to have their entire 400-acre farm certified organic by 2022. In 2014, they took a 12-acre hayfield where they hadn’t used inputs and planted organic corn.

“I didn’t do much correctly that first year,” Jon said. “My yield was really poor—maybe 100 bu/ac—but I sold it for $10 per bushel. I made more on that land than I did on conventional corn per acre. I did many things wrong, and I still turned a profit. Imagine if I did something right!”

They transitioned another 10-12 acres the next year. They’ve been slowly transitioning more acres and adding equipment.

Field Day Topics:

Rotation for soil-building and weed control
Equipment the Jovaags needed to add
Challenges they faced

Paul Dietmann, Compeer Senior Lending Officer and co-author of Turning Grain into Dough and Fearless Farm Finances, will talk about the numbers to help you get a better understanding of everything involved in the transition to organic row crops.

Kernza Trial Results
July 22 | A-Frame Farm | Madison, Minn.

Since 2011, farmer and MOSES Organic Specialist Carmen Fernholz has been growing Kernza®, the perennial grain being developed by researchers at the Land Institute and the Forever Green Initiative at the University of Minnesota.

For this virtual field day, Carmen and the researchers will explain the characteristics and production of this unique perennial wheatgrass. We’ll post video chapters here in the weeks leading up to the live Zoom meeting. Watch the videos in advance and then join us July 22 to get answers to your questions about Kernza®. Register now and we’ll send you a notice when we post new chapters.

Field Day Chapters:

Chapter 1: History of Kernza® Development
Chapter 2: Ecological Benefits of Kernza®
Chapter 3: How to Use Kernza® in Organic Production
Chapter 4: The Farmer’s Experience with Kernza® Production
Chapter 5: Grazing Kernza®
Chapter 6: Supply Chain, Economics, and Market Development

Medicinal Herb Production
August 1 | Four Elements Organic Herbals | North Freedom, Wis.

MOSES Organic Farmers of the Year Jane Hawley Stevens and David Stevens grow herbs and flowers for a variety of wellness products. They have been certified organic since 1989.

For this last in the series of MOSES online organic field days, Jane will take you on a tour of their farm, which has about three acres of herbs in production—Jane estimates the number of varieties at over 200.

Field Day Topics:

Medicinal herb plant identification
Wellness applications of the herbs
Production in the field
Demonstration of small-hand tools they use
Drying herbs
Wellness products created with medicinal herbs

MOSES events and podcasts are sponsored by Gempler’s, the online farm and home store providing professional-grade tools, equipment, and supplies to make hard work easier. To support farmers in these challenging times, Gempler’s has added free shipping on clothing & footwear orders over $50.