Day 1 did not disappoint at beautiful Freeman Prairie Arboretum. Superb service from their staff and a delicious home cooked lunched by Deb B. Marbleseed speakers Mercedes Talvitie and Tom Manley presented on Climate Smart Project and standards following by Nicole Tautges from Michael Fields Agricultural Institute who educated on carbon cycling from the how to, the why's and the benefits. Subsequently, OFARM member and organic farmer Will Ortman provided a tour of his family's egg farm, sharing stories and demonstrating their egg production process. The tour continued to his Climate Smart field, where he discussed his crop practices and rotations. The day concluded with a treat of Berry Brook's homemade ice cream. Will and his wife, Sheryl, craft their ice cream under the philosophy of "Small batch. Original recipes. Clean label," using eggs from their farm and fruit they've grown themselves. A heartfelt thank you to everyone who participated and contributed to the day's enjoyment and success.
Day 2 of OFARM's REGIONAL MEETING was a full day of education. People traveled up to 7 hours to attend!! We started with a panel discussion "What's the Story Behind Low Organic Prices". Attendees engaged with questions and conversations. We heard from organic grain buyer, Kay Heine, Carmen Fernholz, Tim Cada, Allison Walent, Roz Lehman, Kathleen Delate, Erin Healy, Lily Hawkins, and Abby Youngblood. The day ended with a social hour and a delicious organic chicken BBQ dinner.
Friday's meeting and field day was outstanding! Starting with lunch at the Whiskey Throttle Conference, Ethan Book from Iowa Organic Association started the meeting with an overview of CPS 823 and how local farmers can participate. Allison Walent from MW TOPP led discussions on mentor/mentee opportunities and benefits through the TOPP grant program. Carmen Fernholz from OFARM then led discussions on cooperative marketing. The group journeyed a whopping two miles to reach Travis Otto's family farm, where he mentees under his mentor, Paul Mugge. Travis demonstrated his resourcefulness and inventiveness with various tools and concepts that simplify his work. Subsequently, we embarked on a hayride for a field tour, which featured detailed descriptions of the research corn plots interspersed within his soybean fields.
Email MARKETING@OFARM.ORG if you wish to receive a recording of Thursday’s business meetings.