La Crosse, WI – A record attendance in excess of 3,300 people saw the close of the 2012 Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service (MOSES) Organic Farming Conference, the largest organic farming conference in the United States. The event ran from Feb. 23 through Feb. 25
According to MOSES Executive Director Faye Jones, the 2012 conference was marked by an emphasis on youth: “It was satisfying to see the number of young people who want to farm. It is a diverse group, which is key since the average age of an American farmer is 57 years. This bodes well for our country’s agricultural future.”
The Young Organic Stewards (YOS) played a key role at the conference. MOSES and Renewing the Countryside coordinate the YOS project, with partial funding provided by the USDA Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program. Youth will be served, as evidenced by the large number of Tweets being constantly posted on Twitter, which also were posted in real-time feed on the MOSES website, http://www.mosesorganic.org.
Saturday’s keynote speaker award-winning filmmaker Curt Ellis discussed an initiative he’s leading called Food Corps, aimed at improving nutrition education for our youth, encouraging school gardens, and bringing high-quality local food into public schools. More on Food Corps at http://www.foodcorps.org
Senator Herb Kohl, D-WI, made an appearance at the conference and expressed his views on organic farming. “I believe really strongly in organic farming, I think it represents a great movement in our country and in our state.” As Sen. Kohl has announced his intent not to run for reelection, he quipped: “Maybe I’ll be an organic farmer.” To watch the video interview with Sen. Kohl, visit http://tinyurl.com/7jry38y
Other conference highlights included:
* Francis and Susan Thicke, owners and operators of Radiance Dairy in Fairfield, IA, were honored with the 2012 MOSES Organic Farmer of the Year award. tinyurl.com/6nkg7ga
* Friday keynote speaker Margaret Krome, Public Policy Program Director at Michael Fields Agricultural Institute, discussed how social and political policies affect our food system. tinyurl.com/7v22v4l
* Twelve military veterans were granted scholarships to attend the OFC through the Farmer-Veteran Coalition http://www.farmvetco.org
Next year’s conference, which will be the 24th annual OFC, will be held Feb. 21 to Feb. 23, 2013, in La Crosse.
MOSES is a non-profit organization working to promote sustainable and organic agriculture through trainings, workshops, educational initiatives, and by providing free resources to farmers striving to produce high-quality, healthful food using organic and sustainable techniques.
Media contacts:
Eric Hatling
715-778-5775
eric@mosesorganic.org
Greg Leaf
651-271-2511
greg@groupleaf.com
