Workshop at OARDC: “Organics 201: Organic Farm Certification”
Get help preparing an organic farm plan in “Organics 201: Organic Farm Certification,” a workshop on Thursday, December 3rd at the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC. Hours are 9am - 4pm in the Arden Shisler Center for Education and Economic Development on the OARDC campus, 1680 Madison Ave., Wooster.
Experts from the Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association (OEFFA) and OARDC’s Organic Food and Farming Education and Research (OFFER) Program will cover organic production standards, the organic certification process and the latest recommendations for developing a successful organic production system.
Participants will have the chance to work on their own organic farm plan — a detailed description of their farm production system and a key requirement for achieving organic certification.
“You’ll leave with a virtually complete organic farm plan, a better understanding of the record-keeping requirements and a clear view of the options that are available for designing a profitable organic farm,” said OFFER Leader Deb Stinner.
Registration costs $35 for OEFFA members and $40 for non-members and includes lunch and materials.
Send your name, contact information and check payable to “OSU” to Kathy Bielek, OARDC/OFFER, 201 Thorne Hall, 1680 Madison Ave., Wooster, OH 44691.
For more information, contact Bielek at 330-202-3528 or bielek.4@osu.edu.
Sales of organic farm products have increased 15 percent to 20 percent every year over the past decade, with 2008 seeing a 17-percent increase over 2007, according to the Organic Trade Association.
“Organic farm products from Ohio farms represent a value-added production option,” Stinner said. “Price premiums for organic products may provide Ohio farmers with increased revenue and access to a growing organic marketplace.”
OFFER (http://www.oardc.ohio-state.edu/offer/) is dedicated to providing outstanding research and educational support for sustainable production, processing and marketing of organic foods from the field to the table for farmers, gardeners, processors, retailers and consumers.
OEFFA (http://www.oeffa.org), formed in 1979, is a membership-based organization dedicated to promoting and supporting sustainable, ecological and healthful food systems.
Funding support for the workshop comes from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program.
OARDC (http://www.oardc.ohio-state.edu/) is the research arm of Ohio State University’s College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences and is the largest university agbioscience research center in the United States.
