Connecticut NOFA: NOFA Summer Conference

Ever wish that you could attend a three-day event that includes a conference, exhibitions, concerts, a Country Fair, farmer’s markets, camping, farm tours, silent and live auctions, workshops for adults, teens and children and more? Now in its 37^th year, the Northeast Organic Farming Association’s Summer Conference will be held August 12-14, 2011 at UMass Amherst. With Northeast Animal-Power Field Days, the NOFA Summer Conference looks to host 1,500 attendees from all over the Northeast.

Keynote Speakers:

Eric Toensmeir - Friday, August 12th at 7:30pm

Regenerative and Perennial Agriculture for Climate Stabilization

Award-winning author promoting food forestry to sequester carbon worldwide.

Dr. Ignacio Chapela - Saturday, August 13th at 7:00pm

Food Sovereignty Against the Financial, Climatic and Transgenic Disruptions of Agriculture

Scientist and activist on GMOs, agri-fuels, and the global food crisis.

For more information, including bio's for this year's keynoters, please click here!

Workshops:

With 225+ workshops, there is something for everyone in the family! Tracks include:

Beginning Farmer
Community Supported Agriculture
Northeast Animal-Power Field Days
Nutrient Density
Organic Land Care
Permaculture
Transition Towns
Winter Growing and Season Extension

Meet Carl Russell, a horse-logger, forestry consultant, and timberland owner from Bethel, Vermont. He has operated Russell Forestry Services since 1986, specializing in ecological forestry and low-impact timber harvest with draft animals. Carl and his wife Lisa McCrory own and operate Earthwise Farm & Forest, a 150 acre diversified enterprise, where they raise organic vegetables and grass fed livestock, use draft animals for logging and field work, and offer workshops on skills for sustainable livelihoods. Carl and Lisa were the original organizers and producers in of Northeast Animal-Power Field Days, and the founders of Draft Animal Power Network. Carl will be teaching two workshops at the NOFA Summer Conference on Animal-Powered Forestry Tools & Techniques.

Meet Brittany Wood Nickerson. She is a community herbalist, homesteader and food activist. She teaches introductory and advanced apprenticeships in herbal medicine as well as seasonal classes in herbal medicine, nutrition and herbal homesteading. She is the founder and owner of Thyme Herbal, producing a line of handmade natural body care products that she sells locally. Brittany grows herbs, teaches classes and sees clients out of her homestead in North Amherst Ma, Misty Meadow Farm. Brittany will be leading a Medicinal Herb Walk at the NOFA Summer Conference.

Mark Krawczyk juggles a multi-faceted livelihood along the shores of Lake Champlain in Burlington, Vermont. After discovering permaculture design at the University of Vermont in 1999, he spent four years traveling and apprenticing with leaders in the fields of agroforestry and forest gardening, natural building, coppice forestry and traditional woodworking. Today, he owns and operates Keyline Vermont LLC, a permaculture and keyline design, consultation and installation business, provides custom keyline subsoil plowing for farmers; teaches workshops on natural building with Seven Generations Natural Builders; makes chairs and other wooden products using traditional tools and techniques (RivenWoodCrafts) and maintains the grassroots community non-profitBurlington Permaculture that he helped co-found in 2006. Mark will be teaching Coppice Agroforestry, as part of our permaculture track.

Ellen Kamhi, The Natural Nurse®, has been involved in Natural Medicine since 1973, when she directed a program in Ethnobotany at Cochise College in Douglas, Arizona. Dr. Kamhi attended Rutgers and Cornell Universities, sat on the Panel of Traditional Medicine at Columbia Presbyterian Medical School, and is a Medical School Professor and teaches Botanical Pharmacology. Ellen will be teaching a workshop at the Summer Conference on Natural Energy and Vitality Enhancers.

For a full list of workshops, scroll down to the bottom of the page!

Registration is now open!

To find out more information about NOFA's Summer Conference, please visit www.nofasummerconference.org