For Immediate Release
For more information contact:
Herman Beck-Chenoweth
Resilience, Inc.
26328 Locust Grove Road
Creola, OH 45622
740-596-4379
Fax 740-596-3079
LOCUST GROVE FARM TOUR AND RESILIENCE FALL CONFERENCE SET FOR OCTOBER
10.
"Local Food Systems--A Positive Alternative for Profitable Family Farms"
is the theme for Resilience's first Annual Fall Conference to be held in
conjunction with a tour of Locust Grove Farm in Southeastern Ohio from
10 am to 5 pm on Saturday October 10, 1998.
Herman Beck-Chenoweth, farmer and Executive Director of Resilience said
that keynoters William D. Heffernan and John Ikerd, both from the
University of Missouri, will outline the ongoing consolidation of the
global food industry and the implications for family farmers and
consumers. Then the program will address changes producers will need to
make to stay profitable and stay on the farm in the coming century. It
is the intent of the program to bring farmers, consumers, educators,
regulators and researchers together for a discussion that will result in
the introduction of new food products produced by regional-scale
processing plants operated on farms or in nearby towns.
Division heads from the Ohio Department of Agriculture will discuss how
their departments can assist farmers in getting products approved and
plants up and running while Winston Bash, Director of the Food
Industries Center at Ohio State University and June Holley from the
Community Kitchen Incubator in Athens will discuss services available
for research, testing and plant design. Jouh Steinberger, Executive
Director of the Ohio Rural Development Partnership will discuss the
Family Farm Loan Guarantee Program.
John Hirzel, President of Hirzel Farms, a family owned, Ohio based
vertically integrated farm and cannery (producers of Silver Fleece
Sauerkraut) will discuss how further processing has helped his family's
farm thrive for over 75 years. Farmers who are currently producing and
selling products will host breakout sessions, along with the other
presenters, to answer questions from attendees. There will be a trade
show with locally produced farm products available for purchase.
The conference will take place at Locust Grove Farm, located sixty miles
southeast of Columbus. Locust Grove is nationally known for developing
the modern-day U.S. free-range poultry system for chickens and turkeys.
Lunch will be served featuring fresh farm products and field tours will
take place throughout the day. Tours will include chicken and turkey
paddocks, the market garden featuring mechanized raised bed production
methods and a new cistern water system for livestock use.
To deal with the question of who will farm in the next century, a
"student tour" will be held simultaneously with the conference and will
give 7 to 14-year-olds the opportunity to check out the farming
lifestyle as a possible career choice.
Herman Beck-Chenoweth will speak about the Resilience Farmers Institute
which offers continuing education courses for farmers and aspiring
farmers. He will also outline future appropriate farm technology
research and development activities at Locust Grove Farm.
Pre-registration is required. The conference and tour is limited to 200
participants. A farm tour/conference brochure and registration form may
be obtained by sending a self addressed, stamped long envelop to
Resilience, 26328 Locust Grove Road, Creola, Oh 45622, or by calling
740-596-4379 between 8-9 am weekday mornings. Adult registration is
$35.00 and the student tour is $15.00. Both fees include lunch. Day
care will also be available.
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