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Organic grain production - marketing, mindset, and weed management

  • Bishop Family Farm in Mount Blanchard, Ohio 06362 Township Highway 80 Mount Blanchard, OH, 45867 United States (map)

Organic grain production - marketing, mindset, and weed management

An in-person workshop by OATS

Organic grain can be profitable, but organic production and marketing is a lot different from conventional. Farmers look to ag advisors to offer guidance as they consider transitioning land to organic and in managing organic grain. This event will help ag advisors better understand organic grain production.

Join Greg and Blake Bishop on their farm, along with other organic grain experts for this event focused on the practice and profits of organic grain. The event is focused around the 3 M's crucial in organic transition - mindset, machinery, and marketing. The morning features talks and discussion from experienced farmers and grain marketers. After lunch, the focus is on organic weed management in grains, with machinery demonstrations and talks by farmers and experts.

Up to 4 hours of CCA credits available!


When: August 19th, 9:30am - 3:00pm ET

Where: Bishop Family Farms, 06362 Township Highway 80, Mount Blanchard, OH, 45867

Who: Ag professionals who would like to learn more about organic grain production.

How Much: $20.00

Registration Deadline: August 14th, 2024

Local Host Organizations: OSU Extension, Ohio Ecological Food and Farming Association, Bishop Family Farm


AGENDA

9:30 - 10:00 Registration

10:00-10:30 What makes organic organic - regulatory overview, Sam Oschwald Tilton (OATS)

10:30 - 11:25 Farmer panel - Organic Mindset: Overcoming Transition Barriers, with Shane Meyer, Jeff Dean, Greg and Blake Bishop, moderated by Cassy Brown (OSU OFFER Organic Program)

11:30 - 12:15 Farmer Panel - Organic Marketing, with Steve Turnow, Bridget Burgess, and Brad Johnson – moderated by Eric Richer (OSU Extension). 

12:15-1:00 Lunch 

1:10-1:40 Principles of Integrated Weed Management – Dr. Eugene Law (OSU)

1:45 - 3:15 Equipment Discussion and Demos - Blake Bishop, Dr. Law, Sam Oschwald Tilton

3:15 Adjourn


This is an on-farm event where you’ll learn from experienced organic farmers, organic grain buyers, and other experts so that you can be more effective in helping farmers grow organic grain.
— Sam Oschwald Tilton, event organizer

SPEAKERS & PANELISTS 

Greg and Blake Bishop

Bishop Family Farms has been certified organic since 2020. Greg and Beth Bishop and their son Blake manage 1,450 acres which includes corn, soybeans, wheat, and sunflowers.

Cassy Brown, The Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences - School of Environment and Natural Resources, Agroecosystems Management Program

Cassy Brown is a program manager and outreach specialist with Ohio State's Agroecosystem Management Program and the OFFER organic program. Her current projects focus on crop and livestock integration, fostering farmer-led organic research, and planning for the Ohio State Organic Grains Conference.

Bridget Burgess

Bridget is the farm manager at Hirzel Farms in Pemberville, OH. She manages sales, and the composting and seed cleaning facility. Hirzel Farms grows a variety of crops including corn, soybeans, small grains, sunflowers, and dry beans. The seed cleaning facility allows them some unique marketing opportunities.

Jeff Dean, Timberlane Organic Farms

Jeff Dean has been certified organic since 1993. He farms with his son Eli in Sandusky County, growing corn, soybeans, wheat, and clover. He is a charter member of the Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association's Grain Growers Chapter.

Brad Johnson, Kalmbach Feeds

Brad is the Director of Grain Procurement and Risk Management at Kalmbach Feeds, Inc. in Upper Sandusky, Ohio. Kalmbach Feeds is a family-owned company that provides high-quality animal nutrition products, which include both Organic and Non-GMO lines. During his 19 years in the grain and feed industry, Brad has gained experience in grain purchasing, merchandising, and hedging as well as extensive involvement in the company’s Organic program. Originally from central Ohio, Brad graduated from The University of Toledo and now resides in Findlay with his wife and three daughters.

Dr. Eugene Law, The Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences -Department of Horticulture and Crop Sciences, OSU Extension

Dr. Law joined Ohio State this year as assistant professor of weed ecology at Ohio State with a background in weed science, ecology, and precision technologies. His current research involves holistic impacts of crop management on weed populations, harvest weed seed control technology, and developing computer-vision tools for tracking weed populations.

Shane Meyer,

Countryside Land Management

Shane Meyer farms in Henry County, Ohio. He started transitioning his farm to organic production in 2019. Shane has a long-time interest in soil health and cover crops and is a Nature Conservancy Farmer Advocate for Conservation.

Eric Richer

In addition to being a statewide farm management field specialist for OSU Extension, Eric provides leadership at Ohio State to the Organic Grains Conference held in January. Eric enjoys tracking the organic vs conventional price ratio for feed grains and has led the effort to publish Ohio organic grain enterprise budgets.

Sam Oschwald Tilton

Sam Oschwald Tilton Is an expert on organic weed management and weeding tools, and the Training Specialist for OATS.

Steve Turnow

Steve Turnow is from Curtice, Ohio which is located on the southern shores of Lake Erie.  He is a 5th generation farmer.  He has been in the farming business since 1980 and began transitioning to organic farming in 1995.  Steve raises corn, soybeans, wheat, canola, sunflowers and hay. He currently farms in Lucas, Ottawa and Sandusky counties in Ohio.


Funding Acknowledgement

This material is based upon work that is supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, under agreement number 2022-38640-37486 through the North Central Region SARE program under project number ENC22-215. USDA is an equal opportunity employer and service provider. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

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