Full Schedule by Track
9:15 AM - 10:30 AM | Hear from NRCS agent and state Organic Champion, Jose Pagan, as he discusses NRCS’ eligibility requirements, conservation plans, conservation activities, and the overlap between NRCS and organic production. Bryan Hager of Crager Hager Farm will talk about how he partners with NRCS to increase biodiversity, soil health, and climate resiliency on his farm. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2:15 PM - 3:30 PM | The Farm Bill is the most important piece of legislation in all of agriculture, sending billions of dollars of support and programming to farmers. It is the foundation of the U.S. food and farming system, and it must be improved. Learn from representatives of the Organic Trade Association, National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, and the Georgia Organics Director of Advocacy about all of the Farm Bill’s 10 titles, and the areas where improvements could and should be made. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
3:45 PM - 5:00 PM | As Georgia Organics (GO) births its advocacy efforts, educated, empowered, and activated farmers will serve as the backbone of any progress. Join this session to hear from representatives of the Organic Trade Association, National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, and the Georgia Organics Director of Advocacy to learn about GO’s advocacy priorities, and to be trained on how to best speak up for the change you want to see in the national and local food system. |
9:15 AM - 10:30 AM | The recent pandemic showed us the severe weaknesses in local food value chains. Hundreds of millions of dollars are being allocated to address this problem, opening up new opportunities for Black farmers to own parts of the value chain beyond the farmgate. This workshop will cover new programs to fund meat and poultry processing facilities, certified kitchens, produce processing plants, and cold storage. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
10:45 AM - 12:00 PM | Our current agri-food system relies on a large pool of young workers: farmers, farm workers, processors, distributors and retailers. In this session veteran farmers will learn how to engage and keep the youth on the farm. Hear the perspectives of a visionary/historian, a recent UGA graduate, and a farmer. Gain insight into how to keep young people engaged in agriculture for decades to come and get practical strategies to keep them engaged in farming. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
11:00 AM - 12:15 PM | The old system of labor was built on exploitation, enslavement and injustice. What will the labor force of a reparative, just food system look like? Charles Greenlea, founder of ECO-PARADIGM, LLC shares best practices in workforce development and agribusiness training and his experiences providing labor support and infrastructure services to over 20 farms across the state. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2:15 PM - 3:30 PM | Please join us for an informative session with Dr. James Brown of Fort Valley State University College of Agriculture and Ben Sterling of McIntosh SEED about resources for Black farmers. Learn about the educational projects available at FVSU and how McIntosh SEED can help coastal farmers and those interested in forestry. | Join Musa and Micole Hasan, two multi-generational farmers, for a conversation about the ways in which they have made farming a lifestyle for their family. Learn about how they address the complexity of balancing business demands and domestic life in this fascinating session about the history and legacy of Bread and Butter Farms. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
3:45 PM - 5:00 PM | Land access continues to be one of the most significant barriers to successful farm growth and building a healthy, resilient local food system, especially for BIPOC farmers denied access to farm support programs and lending opportunities critical to owning farmland. In this session Pride Road and The Conservation Fund will discuss the realities of transitioning farms to the next generation, creating pathways to land ownership, and working on lands with conservation easements. This session provides attendees a robust understanding of the Buy-Protect-Sell model and how a farmer can access farmland through the Working Farms Fund. | With a rapidly disappearing rural landscape, the legal protection of heirs' property is a concern for aging and land-owning farmers. Learn how the Bugg family has managed to pass down Bugg Farm to six generations of successors while Veronica McClendon, the land lawyer, will focus on the legal strategies necessary to ensure the land remains your family's hands. |
9:15 AM - 10:30 AM | This interactive workshop will give participants tools needed to transition from an understanding of what a commitment to justice, diversity, equity and inclusion is to implementing strategies that support the change they wish to see. Social justice activists and educators Sagdrina Jalal and Rukia Rogers will pull from their combined experience supporting leaders in increasing their impact through storytelling and other acts of authentic engagement. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
10:45 AM - 12:00 PM | This session will be a hands-on gardening workshop to help school and community gardeners and farmers to develop a planting plan for the quantity and variety of vegetables they will grow through the spring, summer, and fall, as well as a discussion about developing partnerships and collaborations to increase access, student engagement opportunities, and cross-curricular experiences. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2:15 PM - 3:30 PM | The American Heart Association in Metro Atlanta will highlight how they have utilized policy and local partnerships to ensure access to healthy food options. The session will offer a policy primer, review past opportunities, and provide recommendations for engaging in policy and partnership implementation efforts. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
3:45 PM - 5:00 PM | Community Farmers Markets' Director of Education and Programs, Jenna Mobley will walk attendees through a practical Farmers Market Engagement Toolkit while sharing her experience with implementing the toolkit's various components to increase family engagement at local farmers markets. Jenna will coach participants as they brainstorm ways to use the toolkit to increase student and family engagement and customer retention at their own farmers markets. Participants will walk away with action plans that help them reach their unique goals. Audience: Farmers Market Managers/Coordinators and Staff |
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM | Georgia Certified Organic Network (G-CON) provides a platform for Certified Organic growers in GA to connect and engage in virtual and in-person discussions to collectively define challenges, share best practices, and identify needed resources We will use this breakout to establish the goals of this network. | Farm employees have experiences and challenges unique from farm owners. The seasonal nature of farm employee positions can leave employees feeling isolated. This informal networking space is meant to connect farm employees to each other and begin building community. Farm employees have experiences and challenges unique from farm owners. The seasonal nature of farm employee positions can leave employees feeling isolated. This informal networking space is meant to connect farm employees to each other and begin building community. | Do you work with farmers providing them support? Come meet other folks doing work in this unique field. Farmer Services organizations do not often get opportunities to learn from each other about what is and isn't working for their organizations. This will be a space for folks who work in farmer services to connect with each other, share best practices and learn about what each other's organizations have going on in 2023. Additionally, Wayne Swanson of Swanson Family Farms will share his insights on best practices for farmer services and the power of connection. | Join Community Farmers Markets for an informal networking session—an opportunity to share resources and strategies with farmers market staff across Georgia. |
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM | Farming on rented land has unique challenges and benefits. From legality to planning for your farm's future to daily decisions, it may feel impossible. Andy Friedberg of Aluma Farm, an Atlanta-based farm on rented land, will share his experience. Chloe Johnson, an attorney with Farm Commons, will also share her legal knowledge for renters. Attendees will have the chance to discuss their own challenges and ask questions. | Georgia Organics is proud to welcome the third cohort of Accelerator Farmers! This networking session will count towards the current cohort's 4 mandatory sessions throughout the program. This space will serve as a place to connect with each other, ask any questions about the program, and learn about each other's plans and goals for the program. Past cohort members are also welcome to attend. | Georgia's farmers and farm families experience high levels of stress, resulting in increased accidents, health and relationship problems, and even suicide. This session will provide general information on stress and its effects and will provide specific data on stress levels and suicide among Georgia farmers and farm families. This discussion will provide pragmatic steps everyone can take to support farmers' and their families' wellbeing and emotional health. | Georgia Organics has recently awarded $13,500 in mini grants to nine Georgia School Nutrition Departments to support Farm to School innovation projects. In this informal breakout session, awardees will share their progress and challenges while getting support and coaching to achieve their projects. The cohort will engage in a creative activity to develop their unique “Farm to School Vision,” and will brainstorm strategies for making their goals a reality. All current and past Farm to School Mini Grant Awardees are welcome. | Farmers market managers play very important roles in farmers market success. During this one-hour interactive session, participants will 1) explore the roles that farmers market managers have running farmers markets; 2) brainstorm and share ways that market managers contribute to and perhaps hinder vendor success at markets, and 3) compare their responses with each other. The purpose of the session is to learn how different farmers market stakeholders (managers, vendors, shoppers, partners) understand the role of market managers. This session is connected to a larger project designed to identify best practices that help market managers better serve the producers that sell at their markets. |
9:15 AM - 10:30 AM | Hear from a regionally known diversified vegetable farm out of North Carolina about how they scaled their CSA to over 350 members. For the last two years, they have focused on creating more efficiencies within their CSA program and production planning. Business manager, Peanut, and Harvest and Crew Manager, Mary (Wild Hope Farm) will cover best practices (and mistakes!) around communication, quality control, logistics, record keeping, and production planning of scaling a CSA. For any diversified fruit and veg farm looking to scale up, this is the session you won’t want to miss. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2:15 PM - 3:30 PM | Financing through traditional lenders and even the USDA isn't a great fit for every farm business. Look into one alternative financing method to learn how one Georgia farm used the Invest Georgia Exemption to finance their capital expenditures. Attendees will walk away with considerations for crowd-sourcing to build investment capital, creating a timeline for expansion, and things to consider in adapting it to their specific farm operations. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
3:45 PM - 5:00 PM | What are the challenges, and inspirations, for a farmers’ cooperative? Are you ready to get started? Grappling with the collaborative structure? Challenged in the business. Explore these questions more deeply with a Cooperative founder and leader, and the experts who support cooperative development. This session provides participants with guidelines on how to form a cooperative and more importantly, delves into the finer details of how farmers work together to make a cooperative successful. | The wash/pack area on a farm can either be a dream come true or a long, simmering nightmare. Hear from Tianna Neal (Starlit Roots) and Russell Honderd (Love is Love Cooperative Farm) about how they decided to build out their farm’s wash stations with two distinctly different budgets and capacity goals. They will share the tools (like squeegees, brushes, and signs), infrastructure (like salad spinners, spray tables, and shade), and design tips (you can do a lot with post-it notes, graph paper, and scissors) that have saved them time and reduced stress on their backs, brains, and bodies, and brought joy to their wash/packs. There will be a competition, giveaways, show and tell, and plenty of time for questions and sharing stories. |
10:45 AM - 12:00 PM | Steve O'Shea, co-owner of 3 Porch Farm with Mandy O'Shea, has a background in construction and sustainable technologies. He has installed over 36 Kilowatts of solar at 3 Porch and is keen on sharing the basics of how you can make a return on investment on a solar install on your farm in as little as two years. Hear from Mike Harrell from Ag Solar as he provides an overview of the REAP program, contracting solar installations, and the federal tax credit process for farmers looking to boost their farm's energy efficiency. Ben Sterling from McIntosh SEED, in partnership with Georgia Organics in the Drawdown GA climate solutions effort, will introduce the Climate Smart Farmer Program, a new opportunity for farmers in Georgia that want to implement climate-smart strategies on their farm. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
11:00 AM - 12:15 PM | Dive into the history of the world's river basins with Gary Granata from Rivers Connect, an ongoing project to explore and share stories of the world’s river basins and coastal regions to study their natural evolution and examine how native flora, fauna and cultures arose in these fertile regions. Hear stories of how land, cultures, native ecosystems, and waterways have been globally impacted by colonialism and industrialization. Learn from Catherine Reuter, a farmer educator at the Oxford College Organic Farm, who will discuss historical agricultural impacts on Georgia's rivers and biodiversity, and the current challenges farmers face today. She will discuss Oxford Farm's water management practices and how agricultural land use choices are vital in conservation efforts. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2:15 PM - 3:30 PM | Come learn from these innovative creators, designers, farmers, and educators as they discuss practical takeaways for incorporating biodynamics and native ecological habitats as a climate solution on your farm. Daron "Farmer D" Joffe is a biodynamic farmer that designs and builds community farms and gardens, from agrihood communities to non-profit projects. Eugene Cooke, of Grow Where You Are, is a veganic farmer focusing on regenerative practices that gather in local community members to relearn timeless land stewardship practices. Keren Giovengo, Program Manager of the University of Georgia EcoScapes Sustainable Land Use Program, advocates for responsible stewardship of healthy ecosystems, native insect habitats, and natural resource-based sustainable land use practices. |
11:00 AM - 12:15 PM | Join members of Atlanta Neighborhood Charter School's nutrition and farm teams for a panel discussion about growing food in 122 raised beds across two urban campuses. Hear from the school's executive director, farmer partners, school chef, and farm-based educator about the glows and grows of managing and utilizing crops, integrating into the existing curriculum, and funding this approach to edible education. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2:15 PM - 3:30 PM | “Pop-up” farm stands are a high-impact strategy that can include connections to SNAP/EBT, school gardens, and more. Hear how two community-based organizations bring fresh, local food to schools and early learning and education facilities. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
3:45 PM - 5:00 PM | Join Asata Reid, of Georgia FoodCorps and Erin Croom of Small Bites Adventure Club and roll up your sleeves for hands-on activities to transform your students into life-long food explorers! |
2:15 PM - 3:30 PM | Labor is arguably the most crucial part of a farm. How do you recruit and retain quality employees? Once you’ve found your dream team, how do you effectively communicate expectations and ensure consistent quality work throughout your operation? What about employment law? Risks are present on any farm, regardless of size or type of operation. While pleasant working conditions can support a happy workforce, things can quickly change when someone gets injured or becomes disgruntled. Joe Reynolds (Love is Love Cooperative Farm) shares creative tools he’s implemented to effectively manage labor on a farm. Chloe Johnson (Farm Commons Attorney) will join Joe to explain the behind-the-scenes rules and regulations that you need to be aware of as an employer. Topics include: requirements around minimum wage and overtime, how to manage the risk of worker injury, and why volunteers and interns, though often used, aren’t actually a legally resilient solution for labor needs. Leave this workshop with a wide range of employment tips and tricks, from the interpersonal to the legal, as well as considerations in utilizing the H-2A visa program. | Season extension using high tunnels and covered spaces is often a key component of farms using intensive farming methods. Hear from two Certified Organic growers with over 40 years of collective experience and a focus on long-term sustainability about growing in various types of high tunnels. Celia Barss (Woodland Gardens) and Nicolas Donck (Crystal Organic Farm) will cover topics such as: infrastructure considerations for growing goals and longevity, soil management practices such as cover-cropping, solarization and soil steaming, trellising, fertility management and favorite crops and varieties. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
3:45 PM - 5:00 PM | Disease problems can be devastating for organic market growers in the south, and management of plant health starts with careful attention to soil characteristics, amendments and rotations. Dr. Little will discuss organic management principles for major disease problems, including soil borne diseases and root knot nematodes, in both high tunnels and in the field. Dr. Cassity-Duffey will provide information on how to manage soils to improve plant health and lessen the impacts of disease. |
9:15 AM - 10:30 AM | Marketing is an important part of any farm business whether rural or urban. It can be intuitive, strategic, an afterthought, or everything in between. Hear from Andy Friedberg (Aluma Farm) and Ilana Richards (Levity Farms) about how their farm models have incorporated innovative, equitable, and fun ways to engage their customer base based on their sales goals and farm models. Paula Seville, Director of Sales and Marketing for Fresh Harvest (Atlanta, GA) will share her insight and expertise on identifying sales channels, email marketing, activating your current customer base, and marketing through wholesale sellers. Session topics include: weekly communications and time management, automated emails, social media, sliding scale models, and understanding the ‘essential’ communications needed for your customer base. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
10:45 AM - 12:00 PM | Rahul Anand started Snapfinger Farm in 2016 on 14 acres just outside of Atlanta. Newly expanding to 200 acres and two growing sites with the Working Farms Fund, hear about Rahul and Snapfinger’s evolution as a farm business that now sells at four farmers markets, as well as 45 weekly customers via their CSA, and 10 Atlanta restaurants. Rahul will talk about his farming journey, the ins and outs of weekly business, how and what it looked like to move toward purchasing more land via the Working Farms Fund, and lessons learned along the way. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
11:00 AM - 12:15 PM | Having a strong crop rotation is important, no matter what size farm you manage. Whether you’re allocating space for different revenue streams, dealing with a wet section of farm property, expanding your growing footprint, or trying to tighten up your production methods and timing to yield more profit, standardization, strategy, and planning is key. Daniel Parson (Oxford College Farm) and Russell Brydson (Narrow Way Farm) will talk about their strategy and system for setting up rotations (including accounting for fruit and strategically placed perennials) along with seed varieties and seasonality considerations and days to harvest. They will also touch on essential considerations for folks to think about when balancing production in a crop rotation plan (cover crop versus cash crop and when, heavy feeders alternating with lighter feeders, cover crops, etc.). | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
3:45 PM - 5:00 PM | In this specialty production session, Lindsey Sorah (Hearts of Harvest) and Evan Neal (Chattahoochee Queen) will discuss the fundamentals of growing specialty cut flowers in the Southeast. Considerations such as site selection, choosing the right varieties for your operation, growing strategies, examining potential sales outlets (and more!) will be covered. If you're a beginning, intermediate, or future flower farmer, a grower interested in incorporating cut flowers into your current operation, or just plain curious to hear about these two successful flower farmers, this presentation is for you! |
9:15 AM - 10:30 AM | Many consumers are willing to pay a premium price for grass-fed beef. Although this niche market offers cattlemen an opportunity to derive a higher income from their calves, producing good-quality grass-fed beef is not as easy as it sounds. Raising Grass finished beef is doctoral level soil, plant, and animal management. In this session we will give an overview of the business bullet points, the scientific considerations, and the art of a successful program. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
10:45 AM - 12:00 PM | Comfort Farms sells directly to customers, restaurants, and institutions. Each sales outlet has unique considerations, including price, type of cuts, and volume of product needed. Processing livestock can differ depending on the desired outcome so we want to explore how to talk to your processor and work with chefs to get them the best product. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
11:00 AM - 12:15 PM | Thinking of starting a pastured or forest-raised hog operation? Jon and Brandon will introduce the basics of raising hogs in woodlots, including fencing, food/water/shelter options, finding feeder pigs, breeding and more. This workshop will be geared towards folks who currently don't have pigs or those who may raise small numbers but are looking to scale up. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2:15 PM - 3:30 PM | Pastured poultry has the potential to be a profitable enterprise but must be executed precisely due to thin margins. Shaun and Brandon will talk through everything it takes to have a successful pasture poultry business including considerations like sourcing chicks and feed, building infrastructure, processing and direct market sales. Come learn the do’s and don'ts of pastured poultry. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
3:45 PM - 5:00 PM | How a 156-year-old farm came back full-circle to radically traditional farming? Over the past twenty years, White Oak Pastures has turned itself into one of the largest — if not the largest — pasture-raised livestock operation in the entire nation. But they’re not stopping there. The team at White Oak Pastures believes there should be at least one resilient food production system in every agricultural county in the United States of America. So in 2021, they launched The Center for Agricultural Resilience (CFAR) to educate thought leaders on the environmental, economic and social benefits of building resilient animal, plant and human ecosystems that can nourish communities. | The development of a value-added product depends mainly on three major inputs, technical knowledge about the development of the product, market demand of the product, and the economics of the preparation of the product. Keisha and Mary bring a wealth of knowledge to anyone looking to include value-added livestock products to their farm business. They will cover a variety of products created from goats, sheep, and rabbits, including goat’s milk soap, fleece and roving. |
11:00 AM - 12:15 PM | This Farmer Spotlight session will highlight Shaun Terry, who, along with his wife Sabrina, owns and operates Grateful Pastures Farm. Grateful Pastures raises Certified Organic pastured chickens and turkeys, and is starting a small raw milk dairy. Shaun will discuss many of the challenges that confront poultry growers who wish to become Certified Organic, and how Grateful Pastures overcomes these hurdles. Shaun will answer any specific questions the audience may have about the initial Organic certification process and procedures for maintaining certification. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2:15 PM - 3:30 PM | Hear from Jose Pagan, the state Organic Champion NRCS agent, as he discusses the EQIP program and the dozens of under-utilized conservation activities available for organic and sustainable farmers that’ll benefit your soil, the ecosystem, and your farm’s overall prosperity. Bryan Hager of Crager Hager farm will share his conservation plans as a case study to help you increase your chances of accessing NRCS support. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
3:45 PM - 5:00 PM | Dr. Philip Hinson, a scientist at Rodale Institute, will shed light on soil health, and crop yield and quality by leveraging research findings from Rodale Institute’s Farming System Trial—the longest-running side-by-side comparison of organic and conventional cropping systems in the U.S. The scientific data gathered from this research has established that organic management matches or outperforms conventional agriculture in ways that benefit farmers and lays a strong foundation for designing and refining agricultural systems that can improve the health of people and the planet. Hear from Herb Young, a former conventional ag-chem developer turned regenerative citrus grower in South Georgia. Learn about the results Herb has found from conducting trials comparing conventional, regenerative, and indigenous growing practices on his citrus groves. |
Move your body and ground yourself in this light vinyasa flow focused on the breath, stretching, counter postures for bending over, and opening your chest and proper posture. |