Producing High Quality Organic Bread Wheat
Tuesday, June 8 from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm
Gleason Grains
Bridport, VT

Download a pdf version of the brochure.

Ben and his wife Theresa have been growing organic grain and milling on their farm in Bridport for over 28 years! Join us as we tour their farm and milling facility.

Ben will talk about his experiences growing organic grain including; crop rotation, weed control, and plant fertility. One of the most challenging aspects of growing organic wheat is providing the crop with enough fertility at the right time. UVM Extension is currently collaborating with Ben on a SARE Partnership grant to address this issue. We’ll take a look at this organic fertility trial, investigating topdressing strategies and how they relate to wheat growth, production and quality.
We will then have the opportunity to tour Ben’s wheat processing facility, where he’ll discuss grain harvest, storage, seed cleaning, and his milling operation.
The workshop fee is $10.00 per person

Lunch will be provided by the NOFA pizza oven

For more information or to register by June 1, please contact:

Phone: 802-524-6501
Heather Darby or Erica Cummings

Please join us at the 6th annual grain growing conference. This daylong event will provide you with a diverse array of educational topics. This year the conference has been expanded to include 3 concurrent sessions throughout the day. This new format will have something for everyone!

Download the Brochure (pdf)

LOCATION: The University of Vermont’s Davis Center, Burlington

DATE: March 9, 2010

TIME: 9:30 am to 4:00 pm

CONFERENCE FEE: $40.00

CONFERENCE HIGHLIGHTS:

We are excited to have Dr. Paul Hepperly in Vermont for our 2010 conference! Dr. Hepperly is a Fullbright scholar who has spent his career working with farmers to create sustainable food systems. He has worked with farmers from India, Africa, Europe, and South America to solve critical agricultural sustainability issues. Paul grew up on a family farm in Illinois and holds a Ph.D. in plant pathology and an M.S. in agronomy from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana. He has worked for the USDA Agricultural Research Service, in academia, and most recently for the Rodale Institute. Dr. Hepperly has been a champion of sustainable agricultural systems throughout his career. He has received the Rachel Carson Council Sense of Science Award and the da Vinci Community Award from the da Vinci Discovery Center of Science and Technology.

We are grateful that Ron Rosmann, a pioneer organic farmer, will provide a practical outlook on strategies for successful grain production. Ron and his family operate a 600 acre diversified certified organic grain and livestock farm west of Harlan, Iowa. Crops include corn, soybeans, flax, oats, barley, hay and pasture. Livestock includes 90 certified organic stock cows utilizing intensive grazing management practices and a 50 sow farrow-to-finish hog operation. In 1986, he helped found the Practical Farmers of Iowa (PFI), whose mission is to “research, develop and promote profitable, ecologically sound, and community-enhancing approaches to agriculture”. He has been an on-farm research cooperator with PFI, Iowa State University, and the USDA. Ron was the board president of the Organic Farming Research Foundation.
New this year, we will offer a series of baking and cooking demonstrations throughout the day. The goal is to learn how to integrate local grains into local products. We are honored to have local bakers join us in the grain movement.

Registration Form 2009