Are you getting excited for CT NOFA's Winter Conference on Saturday, March 5th? We hope so! In the meantime, here are some more confirmed speakers for the day...
1. Wayne and Marilyn Hanson - How We Grow Garlic at Wayne's Organic Garden / My First Year Using a Heated Greenhouse
Basic information on their garlic growing methods, in details with a few laughs, garlic types, planting, culture, harvest, curing and storage.
Pleasures and pitfalls, success and failures of in-ground growing of greens in winter and early production of tender vegetables in spring and summer.
Wayne and his wife and partner Marilyn have been struggling to make a living at growing certified organic vegetables on one-and-a-half acres for over twenty years. We ain't rich, but we feel good, eat well, and have lots of great friends.
2. Tom Morris - Reduced Tillage for Increased Soil Tilth
Learn about tillage implements, types of reduced tillage, effects of tillage on soil structure, soil fertility, plant growth, weed control, and water use efficiency. If you use a rototiller or rotovator, you should attend and learn how to minimize damage to your soil from those implements.
Tom Morris is an associate professor of soil fertility at the University of Connecticut. His research and extension work are dedicated to the efficient use of nutrients, mainly nitrogen and phosphorus, applied to landscapes managed by humans. In a former life he was the Research Farm Manager at the Rodale Research Institute.
3. John Kriz - Making Mead and Wines from Non-Grapes at Home
Learn all about making mead, and wines from fruits, flowers and even vegetables: Recipes, equipment, yeasts, bottling, corks and labels. With an emphasis on practical knowledge, you will know all you need to make your first batch of home-made wine.
John J. Kriz, a beekeeper and organic gardener when he is not at his day job, is a home winemaker, with much practical, hands-on knowledge from many years of trial-and-error experience.
4. Joyce Purcell - Conservation Practices on Small Farms
This presentation will cover conservation measures that are most commonly used on small farms in CT. Specific examples of where practices are used will be shown. An overview of the USDA Farm Bill Programs, practices and producer eligibility will be provided.
Joyce Purcell is the Assistant State Conservationist for Connecticut, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. She is the program manager for Conservation Programs, Stewardship Programs and the Resource Conservation and Development (RC&D) Program. Coming from a farm family her interest in farming, particularly locally grown agricultural products complements many USDA agricultural viability and sustainability initiatives.
5. Paul Trubey - Raising Dairy Goats and Making Cheese
A beginner’s overview of raising dairy goats including health, nutrition, breeding, goat behavior and personality, heard management, kidding, and milking. We will also focus on the various products that goat milk can produce including various cheeses and yogurt. Also included -a demonstration of making of a simple cheese.
Paul Trubey, a social worker by profession, began working with goats in 1996 and then started a commercial dairy making farmstead cheese in 1999. At that time Paul made about 20 pounds of cheese every three days from the milk of ten goats at Highwater Farm in Glastonbury, CT. In 2002, the operation moved to Beltane Farm in Lebanon, Ct and now produces about 85 pounds of cheese per day during high season in partnership with its partner farm Oak Leaf Dairy n Lebanon, CT. The focus of Beltane Farm is to maintain a sustainable human-animal partnership while providing humane care, excellent health and high quality of life for the goats.
You can now register for the Winter Conference online - click here!
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