GROWING GREEN 2020: Investing in Conservation and Local Food Conference
Friday-Sunday, March 13th-15th, Yellow Springs, Ohio
Come to Growing Green 2020 to hear from climate experts and farmers about the impacts of climate change and what can be done to overcome these challenges, regional successes in food systems and Farm-to-School activities, funding and support for farmers to implement conservation practices, and discussions on strengthening our local food system and healing the climate using healthy soil. Hosted by Tecumseh Land Trust and Community Solutions.
Conference Registration
Friday’s events are free and open to all!
Friday, March 13, 2020
2:30pm – 5:00pm “A Family Farm in Transition”
Pre-conference field trip to Reinhold Finkes Farm in Xenia Township
Location: Finch Creek Farm, 1477 US Route 68 South, Xenia, Ohio
- Organic Grazing Practices
- Business Model
- Future Plans
7:00pm Aaron Wilson – “Climate Change, Agriculture and Adaptation in Ohio”
Location: Antioch College, McGregor Hall, 1 Morgan Place, Yellow Springs, OH
7:40pm Panel – “How We are Experiencing and Coping with Climate Change”
Location: Antioch College, McGregor Hall, 1 Morgan Place, Yellow Springs, OH
Panelists: Aaron Wilson, Bryan Thompson, Doug Christen
Saturday, March 14, 2020
Location: Antioch College, McGregor Hall, 1 Morgan Place, Yellow Springs, OH
9:30am Registration, coffee, and tea.
10:00am Welcomes from Susan Jennings and Krista Magaw
10:15am John Ikerd – “Shifting the Food and Farming System”
With the Shifting Economics of Commodity Farming, plus climate change, how can we leverage better conservation and local agricultural diversity at the community, region, and state levels?
Break
11:15am Panel – “Being the Change in Ohio Farming”
Panelists: Vic Thorne of Origin Malt, Jason Ward, Matthew Keener & John Ikerd
Each panelist will describe their local project, the challenges they have faces, and the changes they have had to make to shift their agricultural practices.
12:15pm Lunch
1:15pm Leslie Shaller – “Changing our Food and Farming Systems”
What is needed to shift food and farming at the community, regional, and state levels in Ohio and where do we start? Linking land and production to markets.
1:50pm Break
2:00pm – “Farm to School Success Stories Panel”
Panelists: Cincinnati Schools Distribution Success Story; Sherri Chen and Springfield Schools Food Innovations, Benjamin Logan Local Schools, Yellow Springs Schools’ Student Services Coordinator Donna First and Michelle Martin from YS Nutrition Group.
Each panelist will describe their farm to school project, name their challenges, speak to how they overcame/are overcoming barriers, and what the next steps are.
3:00pm Break
3:15pm – “Local Food Distribution Success Stories Panel”
Panelists: Terry Traster from Food Fort (Economic and Community Development Institute) in Columbus; Fred Weaver on Bainbridge Wholesale Market; and John Ikerd.
Panelists will describe their community project, what the challenges have been, how they met the challenges, and what their next steps are.
4:15pm Wrap up
Sunday, March 15, 2020
Location: Agraria, 131 E Dayton Yellow Springs Rd, Yellow Springs, OH
10:00am – Dana Hilfinger “Mansfield Microfarm: A model for Urban Farming, Aggregation and Marketing”
- Origins and scale of the project
- How the “Richland Gro-op” links farmers to land, supports and markets
- Next Steps in the project
- What learning we can transfer to other areas?
11:00am – Susan Jennings “Agraria business model”
- Agraria farmland and relationships with farmers on the land
- Compost operations
- Farm Store
- Connector for local food innovations
12:00pm Jason Ward – “Cover Crop and Organic Transition Tour of Agraria”
1:00pm Lunch
2:00pm Cheryl Rice of NRCS – “Tools in the Tool Box: Using the Environmental Quality Incentive Program”
3:00pm Dr. Sakthi Subburayalu, Research Assistant Professor of Soil Science and Agronomy at Central State University — “Researching the Soil and Water Quality Outcomes of Conservation Practices”
3:30pm Wrap-up
