PLEASE PASS ON QUICKLY - POST AS HARDCOPY AS WELL.
Thanks!
1/16/96 POSTED SANET
Contact: Glenda Neff phone: (315) 422-9376 ext. 267. Sorry no e-mail
=Organic Farming Workshops in Dryden, NY on March 9&10, 1996=
More than thirty workshops for farmers, gardeners and food activists will be
offered at a conference of the Northeast Organic Farming Association
(NOFA-NY) on Saturday, March 9 and Sunday, March 10, 1996 at Tompkins
Cortland
Community College in Dryden, New York.
The conference is open to the public through pre-registration or walk-in.
For the beginning gardener there will be workshops on the basics of
greenhouses, compost, and companion planting;
the market gardener and farmer can learn about biological controls, guidelines
for purchasing used farm equipment, and holistic resource management.
Creative marketing events, designing promotional materials, and marketing
cooperatives will address the business of growing. Other workshops include
restoring old apple trees, livestock health care, CSA's and inner city
connections, and an update on the 1995 Farm Bill.
Special guest lecturer Dr. Eloy Rodriguez, Professor of Environmental Studies
at Cornell University will speak on "Agromedicinals: Integrating Herbs in
Organic Farming" on Saturday morning. Dr. Rodriguez tracks wild apes and
monkeys in the rain forests of Latin American and Africa, and studies the plants
they use as a source of natural medicine.
There's an "early bird discount" and child care service offered for registration
by February 1. All meals at the conference are prepared with New York-grown
ingredients and encompass a variety of dietary options. For program
information and a
registration form call NOFA-NY at (315)365-2299.
Dr. Eloy Rodriguez has a background in zoology, chemistry, and biology. His
breadth of inquiries ranges from the minute details of plant and insect cellular
chemistry, through cancer and allergies in humans, to ecosystems of deserts
and tropics. In The New York Times Magazine (12/18/94) primatologist Karen
Strier described Rodriguez this way: "It's as if Eloy has a vision. . . an
all-encompassing vision. It ranges from birds to primates to people, and it
embraces a huge continuum, from the behavior of animals to chemical
structures."
Rodriguez tracks wild apes and monkeys in the rain forests of Latin American
and Africa, and studies the plants they use as a source of natural medicine. A
project of special interest to organic farmers is his work with other scientists
and local farmers in the Yucatan to reconstruct the agriculture of the Mayans,
who used weeds to stimulate crop growth and fend off pests. His courses
include medicinal natural products, biochemistry and medicinal diversity, and
ecology. From a farm worker background himself, he is devoted to providing
opportunities in science to Hispanic and minority youngsters. Since 1990
Rodriguez has been the Director of Science Education for KIDS, Kids
Investigating and Discovering Science, a program designed to introduce
bilingual minority children to the natural and physical sciences.
Contact: Glenda Neff (315) 422-9376 ext. 267. Sorry, no e-mail.
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Nancy Grudens Schuck
Kennedy Hall
Dept. Education
Cornell University
Ithaca, NY 14853
ng13@cornell.edu
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