FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MONDAY, JANUARY 25, 1999
Cultivating the Harvest:
Inland Northwest Small Acreage Farming Conference
March 4-7, 1999
Contact: Peggy Adams
University of Idaho Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology
208-885-4636
Moscow, Idaho
The Inland Northwest Community Food Systems Task Force is coordinating a
regional conference geared toward small acreage farmers. Cultivating the
Harvest: Inland Northwest Small Acreage Farming Conference will take place
Thursday, March 4 through Sunday, March 7, 1999 at the University of
Idaho's Student Union Building. Cultivating the Harvest is sponsored by the
University of Idaho Cooperative Extension, the Palouse-Clearwater
Environmental Institute, and Washington State University's Center for
Sustaining Agriculture and Natural Resources.
Why a small acreage farming conference? At a time when conventional
farmers are struggling for survival, the number of non-traditional, Inland
Northwest small-scale, and organic producers is growing and profiting.
Although the scale and diversity of their production systems are often
outside conventional agricultural production norms, these entrepreneurs are
increasingly important members of community food systems. Not only do
these farmers contribute fresh and healthy alternatives to produce shipped
from other regions, they also add to local rural economies - keeping
grocery dollars local.
Small acreage farmers, conventional growers who are interested in
alternative production techniques or diversification opportunities,
agricultural researchers, support agency personnel, and others interested
in small-scale and organic food production are encouraged to attend the
conference which will highlight innovations in small-acreage production,
marketing, and financial risk management.
The event will begin with pre-conference tours on Thursday, March 4. The
tours will highlight sites at the University of Idaho and Washington State
University where small acreage farmers can find helpful people and
resources.
On Friday and Saturday, March 5-6, conference participants will be able to
choose from over thirty producer-oriented, marketing, management and
technical sessions. These will cover topics such as soil health and
microbiology, alternative weed and pest control, IPM, innovative marketing
approaches, financing and managing a small farm, and how to decide what to
produce.
Featured speakers include Bob and Bonnie Gregson, owners of Island Meadow
Farms on Vashon Island in Washington and co-authors of Rebirth of the Small
Family Farm; Jeff Rast, farmer and founder of the Center for Small Acreage
Farming, in Fairfield, ID; Larry Thompson, an Oregon farmer and chair of
the USDA Western Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE)
Administrative Council; and, Tim Blakley, of Frontier
Herbs and author of Medicinal Herbs in the Garden, Field and Marketplace.
On Sunday, March 7 Michael Shuman, a Fellow of the Institute for Policy
Studies and author of Going Local: Developing Self-Reliant Communities in a
Global Age, will lead a strategy session and discussion on how to develop
community-based economies that are
resilient and meet the needs of local residents. Shuman will share what he
has learned about communities around the US who are regaining control of
their economies by investing in locally owned businesses. Local speakers
will also discuss innovative community development programs and
community-based businesses within the Inland Northwest. This one-day
session can be registered for separately and will be of special interest to
Inland Northwest small-business owners, farmers, policy makers, economic
development professionals, students, educators and local activists.
Cultivating the Harvest has financial support from Patagonia, Inc., Jessie
Smith Noyes Foundation and USDA CSREES Risk Management Education
Initiative/WSU Cooperative Extension. For more information on this
conference or the INWCFS Task Force, contact Peggy Adams at 208-885-4636 or
(peggy931@uidaho.edu) or check
http://www.uidaho.edu/ag/environment/sustain/inwcfs/conference.html.
Colette DePhelps
Community Food Systems Program Coordinator
"...the more naps you take, the more awakenings you experience." ~Melanie
Karr
===================================================================
Palouse-Clearwater Environmental Institute
P O Box 8596; 112 West 4th St; Suite #1
Moscow ID 83843-1096
Phone (208)882-1444; Fax (208)882-8029
url: http://www.moscow.com/pcei
Celebrating twelve years of connecting people, place and community.
===================================================================
To Unsubscribe: Email majordomo@ces.ncsu.edu with the command
"unsubscribe sanet-mg".
To Subscribe to Digest: Email majordomo@ces.ncsu.edu with the command
"subscribe sanet-mg-digest".
All messages to sanet-mg are archived at:
http://www.sare.org/htdocs/hypermail