The Missouri Organic Association will
be hosting the 2014 Annual Conference from Feb 6-8, 2014 at the University
Plaza Hotel in Springfield MO. This conference
will provide the best education needed
to impart successful farming procedures – whether your focus is on
grain and row crop production, livestock production, horticultural production vegetables,
fruits & berries; on sustainable production and living techniques, or
perhaps looking to add skills in tractor mechanics or Welding 101 to reduce maintenance
costs. Maybe you need some tips on successful marketing with training provided
by some of the nation’s experts on marketing; or perhaps you are looking for
new ideas for adding value to hands-on workshops.
For the first time,
MOA will be hosting a 3-day Advanced Year-Round Vegetable Production Workshop
with such nationally known experts as Greg Garbos & Mike
Bollinger, Four Seasons Tools; Adam
Montri, Michigan State University; Edwin Marty, Eat South; Joel Dufour, Earth
Tools; Ben Flanner, Brooklyn
Grange Farms, & Michael Kilpatrick,
Kilpatrick Family Farms. Learn their tried and true methods for year round
vegetable production.
Grain farmers will
increase their knowledge on soil fertility, cover crops and crop rotation
systems with international experts Gary
Zimmer and Joel
Gruver. Friday & Saturday will be focused on Alternative Crops with
brokers coming to present their contracts for the upcoming year. Come network
with the brokers and plan your crops and talk grain contracts for the upcoming
year.
MOA will offer a
Livestock Track this year with Thursday focused on organic dairy production
with such international names as Dr.
Hugh Karreman teaching organic holistic health treatments, Dan Giacomini
presenting on nutrition and grain rations, Dr.
Francis Thicke sharing his knowledge of rotational grazing systems, and Perry Clutts sharing the
farmer’s perspective. Friday is particularly exciting with Dr. Fred
Provenza coming from Utah to teach his internationally acclaimed methods
for training cows, sheep and goats to eat weeds. Saturday is a hands-on
workshop for goats and sheep farmers - with such topics as Genetic Selections, AMACHA,
Body Conditioning Scoring, Foot Trimming, and Vaccinations followed by a Farmer
Panel discussing ways to market goat and sheep products to the consumers.
Sustainable
production methods will have its own 3-day track with such diverse subjects as
Hugelkulture, Small Scale Aquaponics, Saving Heirloom Seeds, Native Plants and
Essences for Health, Permaculture, Straw Bale Gardening, Grape Vine
Propagation, and Food Forests.
Perhaps you are an
informed consumer who is looking to become more informed about how the food you
eat impacts your community’s economic viability and the correlation between the
food you consume and the resulting health (or not health) of your body. If so,
you won’t want to miss Dr. Don M Huber’s
full-day Thursday workshop as he shares his many years of research on the
correlation between GMOs and Glysophates and plant, livestock and human health.
Follow that with Friday’s all day Food Policy workshop which will teach the
correlation of the food we consume to the health of the body and how to be
effective advocates for networking local communities with local food sources.
This workshop will feature Mark Winne,
a 40-year activist for local food systems and author of “Closing the Food Gap: Resetting the Table in the Land
of Plenty.”
During the days, if
your mind is on overload and you need to take a break, there will be
consecutively scheduled movie showings of such timely documentaries as: “The
Vanishing Bees”; “The Genetic Roulette” with Jeffery Smith; “Living Downstream”
by Sandra Steingraber, Ph.D; “What’s Organic About
Organic?;”and “The Idiot Cycle.” End each day with the special events - Thursday
Night is Meet the Farmer Reception and Ask the Experts night; Friday Night is a
Wine Tasting and Book Signing with several well-known authors, followed by our
annual Benefit Dinner and Auction -
Always a load of fun while helping to support the conference expenses. All the
special events and meals are included in the price of the conference
registration.
There is an Early
Bird Special for registration which will end on December 15. After that the
prices will go back to the original prices.
Early Bird Pricing- Ends Dec 15,
2013
Three-Day Registration - $175
Single Day Registration - $65
Buy 1 Registration - full price, 2nd registration - ½ price
After Dec, 15, 2013
Three-Day Registration - $195
Single Day Registration - $75
Children under 12 - Registration free,
except for meal costs of $35 for all 3 days.
Register by clicking here or by contacting Renae Wilson, MOA
Secretary/Treasurer, 141 North Street, Branson, MO, 417.598.0975.
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