Tag: food

Dr. Kris Nichols, Soil Microbiologist, KRIS systems Education and Consulting Services Joins MOFFA Speaker Lineup

I am really looking forward to the MOFFA, the Maryland Organic Food and Farming Association’s 27th Annual Winter Meeting on Saturday February 17, 2018 from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm at the Maryland Department of Agriculture Building, 50 Harry S. Truman Parkway in Annapolis. The meeting is open to the public. Snow date is Feb. 24, 2018.

Dr. Kris Nichols, Soil Microbiologist, KRIS systems Education and Consulting Services, will speak at the MOFFA 2018 Winter Meeting in Annapolis, MD
Dr. Kris Nichols, Soil Microbiologist, KRIS systems Education and Consulting Services, will speak at the MOFFA 2018 Winter Meeting in Annapolis, MD

Dr. Kris Nichols, Soil Microbiologist, KRIS Systems Education and Consulting Services, will join our great lineup of speakers.

Dr. Kris Nichols is a leader in the movement to regenerate soils for healthy food, people and a planet. She is currently the founder and principle scientist of KRIS (Knowledge for Regeneration In Soils) Systems Education & Consulting Services and a sub-contractor with Soil Health Consulting, Inc. Her current focus is to address current and future agricultural needs by exploring the similarities between the soil and gut microbomes by looking at the carbon key. Kris builds upon a soil health foundation to identify biological methods for agricultural production and tools and practices to reduce pest issues, soil erosion, fossil fuel use, and greenhouse gas emissions. These systems are resilient and adapt to climatic uncertainty by increasing nutrient and water use efficiencies; improving pollinator activity and food security; and providing long-term solutions to agricultural economic viability, food insecurity, and the loss of ecosystem services. Kris continues to develop and evolve methodology and tools farmers, home-owners, and students may use to examine and appreciate their soil. Throughout her career, Kris has given over 250 invited presentations to a wide variety of audiences, authored or co-authored more than 25 peer-reviewed publications, been cited or interviewed for more than 50 magazine or newspaper articles, highlighted in five books, and has numerous videos on-line. Dr. Nichols was the Chief Scientist at Rodale Institute from July 7, 2014-January 12, 2018 where she oversaw approximately fifteen research trials on organic agriculture, including the Farming Systems Trial®, the longest-running side-by-side U.S. study comparing conventional chemical agriculture with organic, biologically-based methods and the initiation of the Vegetable Systems Trial. She was also instrumental in obtaining funding for these projects including recently being primarily responsible for the receipt of a ~$6 million, six year project to explore the impacts of agricultural management practices on water quality in the Delaware River Watershed. Prior to joining Rodale Institute, Dr. Nichols was a Research Soil Microbiologist with the USDA, Agricultural Research Service (ARS) in North Dakota for 11 years and a Biological Laboratory Technician with ARS in Beltsville, MD for 3 years. During her time with USDA, she focused on mycorrhizal fungi and the investigation of glomalin – a substance produced by AM fungi. Glomalin contributes to nutrient cycling by protecting AM hyphae transporting nutrients from the soil to the plant and to soil structure and plant health by helping to form and stabilize soil aggregates. Kris received Bachelor of Science degrees in Plant Biology and in Genetics and Cell Biology from the University of Minnesota in 1995, a Master’s degree in Environmental Microbiology from West Virginia University in 1999, and a Ph.D. in Soil Science from the University of Maryland in 2003. In recognition of her work, Dr. Nichols has received several awards including the 2012 Conservation Research Award from the International Soil and Water Conservation Society.

 Keynote Speaker Ben Friton of Can YA Love & Forested will discuss the History of Agriculture and Going Back to the Fundamentals of Thriving Ecosystems. Friton leads seminars and lectures around the world focusing on restoring ecosystems using biomimicry. He has worked in densely populated communities and has patented vertical garden systems and currently is trying to develop the most ecologically beneficial agricultural systems possible.

Join farmers, consumers, advocates, and researchers at this public meeting and potluck lunch.

MOFFA Board Member, Claudia Raskin said:  “We will have information you can use, dynamic presentations and workshops for farmers, gardeners, and folks who are interested in organic food, food justice, and more. You can learn something new or share your experience. Our organic potluck lunch is Legendary!  Book sale!  Auction!”

Hear from Farmers and Activists:

  • Nick Maravell Facilitator, Public Policy Update – with Mike Tabor, and Alexis Baden-Mayer
  • Susan Frick Payne, from the Maryland Department of Agriculture, will discuss the  Maryland Healthy Soils Consortium.
  • Rachael Childress Nagle, Fermentation – Microbes & How they Impact Our Health
  • Eric Rice, Willow Oaks Craft Cider, Opportunities & Questions – Hard Ciders & Beyond
  • Mike Klein, Simplifying accounting, tax preparation and taxes for the farmer
  • Roger Williams, George Washington Carver Agricultural Institute and New Incubator Farm Training Initiative at Tufts, Are Value-Added Farm Products a Good Choice for You?
  • Erik de Guzman & Meghan Ochal, Dicot Farm, Dominic Hosack, THEARC Farm, Peter Scott, Fields 4 Valor, Panel Discussion: New Voices in Organic Agriculture

 

Learn from University of Maryland Extension Specialists and Scientists:

  • Cerruti RR Hooks, UMD, Can spiders contribute to organic pest management?
  • Alan W. Leslie, UMD, Controlling weeds in organic vegetables with living mulches
  • Andrew G. Ristvey, UMD, Extension, Growing Hops
  • Gerald Brust, UMD Extension, Using plant biostimulants
  • Neith Little, UMD Extension, What is urban agriculture?
  • Galen Dively, UMD, Organic insecticides: what works and what doesn’t

Check the MOFFA events page, marylandorganic.org/events, for he agenda.

Attendees please bring a dish to share for the Potluck Lunch, one of the highlights of the meeting. You are encouraged to donate an item for the Auction to support MOFFA. Members may bring display materials. Table space will be available in exchange for auction item donations.
Registration 1s $20 for non-members and $5 for members. Membership is $25 for one year, $45 for two years and $12 for students. Registration is at the door or online.

More information and Registration at https://marylandorganic.org/events/

You can also RSVP on Facebook or to marylandorganic@gmail.com

Ben Friton of Can YA Love and Forested will be Keynote Speaker at MOFFA 2018 Winter Meeting

Keynote Speaker Ben Friton of Can YA Love & Forested will discuss the History of Agriculture and Going Back to the Fundamentals of Thriving Ecosystems at the Maryland Organic Food and Farming Association 2018 Winter Meeting.Ben Friton of Can YA Love and Forested

Friton leads seminars and lectures around the world focusing on restoring ecosystems using biomimicry. He has worked in densely populated communities and has patented vertical garden systems and currently is trying to develop the most ecologically beneficial agricultural systems possible.

The 27th Annual MOFFA Winter Meeting is on Saturday February 17, 2018 from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm at the Maryland Department of Agriculture Building, 50 Harry S. Truman Parkway in Annapolis. The meeting is open to the public. Snow date is Feb. 24, 2018.

Join farmers, consumers, advocates, and researchers at this public meeting and potluck lunch. MOFFA Board Member, Claudia Raskin said:

“We will have information you can use,  dynamic presentations and workshops for farmers, gardeners, and folks who are interested in organic food, food justice, and more.  You can learn something new or share your experience.  Our organic potluck lunch is Legendary!  Book sale!  Auction!”

Hear from Farmers and Activists:

  • Nick Maravell Facilitator, Public Policy Update – with Mike Tabor, and Alexis Badenmyer
  • Susan Frick Payne, from the Maryland Department of Agriculture will discuss the  Maryland Healthy Soils Consortium.
  • Rachael Childress Nagle, Fermentation – Microbes & How they Impact Our Health
  • Eric Rice, Willow Oaks Craft Cider, Opportunities & Questions – Hard Ciders & Beyond
  • Mike Klein, Simplifying accounting, tax preparation and taxes for the farmer
  • Roger Williams, George Washington Carver Agricultural Institute and New Incubator Farm Training Initiative at Tufts, Are Value-Added Farm Products a Good Choice for You?
  • Erik de Guzman & Meghan Ochal, Dicot Farm, Dominic Hosack, THEARC Farm, Peter Scott, Fields 4 Valor, Panel Discussion: New Voices in Organic Agriculture

Learn from University of Maryland Extension Specialists and Scientists:

  • Cerruti RR Hooks, UMD, Can spiders contribute to organic pest management?
  • Alan W. Leslie, UMD, Controlling weeds in organic vegetables with living mulches
  • Andrew G. Ristvey, UMD Extension, Growing Hops
  • Gerald Brust, UMD Extension, Using plant biostimulants
  • Neith Little, UMD Extension, What is urban agriculture?
  • Galen Dively, UMD, Organic insecticides: what works and what doesn’t

Check the MOFFA events page, marylandorganic.org/events, for updates on the agenda.

Attendees please bring a dish to share for the Potluck Lunch, one of the highlights of the meeting. You are encouraged to donate an item for the Auction to support MOFFA. Members may bring display materials. Table space will be available in exchange for auction item donations.

Registration is $20 for non-members and $5 for members. Membership is $25 for one year, $45 for two years and $12 for students. Registration is at the door or online.

Maryland Organic Food and Farming Association (MOFFA) was established in 1991 as a non-profit organization. MOFFA strives to build a sustainable network of individuals and organizations that support small farms, family gardens and ecologically sound businesses.

MOFFA has a Great Variety of Speakers Lined Up for Winter Meeting

MOFFA 2017 WINTER MEETING SPEAKERS

Kirsten S. Traynor, PhD, Flickerwood Apiary– studies how pesticides impact honey bee health for the University of Maryland in the lab of Dr. Dennis vanEngelsdorp and is the editor of Bee World, published by the International Bee Research Association.

Bernie Fowler, Jr., Farming 4 Hunger (F4H) is a non-profit organization formed in 2012 to serve those in need of fresh food in Southern Maryland. The organization grows and distributes over a million pounds of locally grown, fresh food each year. Bernie Fowler Jr., founder, had a vision through his own personal struggles to help people in his hometown gain better access to fresh fruits and vegetables. F4H accomplishes its mission through unique partnerships with 27 local farms, 20+ churches, local businesses and schools, the Maryland Food Bank, the Department of Corrections, and a great network of community volunteers.

Jason King: Unsun.org UNSUNG,  is the app for ending hunger in America, creating everyday superheroes. The “sharing economy” has never been this awesome. A a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

Alan Leslie, Postdoctoral Research Associate UMD Department of Entomology Alan Leslie earned his Ph.D. in Entomology from the University of Maryland, and is currently a Postdoctoral Associate in the Hooks Lab at UMD. His research focuses on cultural practices such as plant diversification and cover cropping that promote beneficial insects and suppress pests that can be applied to organic farming systems. Alan has also conducted research on aquatic invertebrates in agricultural drainage ditches and insects in restored salt marshes in the Chesapeake Bay. His talk is entitled “Managing cover crops to suppress weeds in organic vegetables”.

Bonnie Raindrop, Chair of Central Maryland Beekeepers Association, Maryland Pesticide Education Network The Central Maryland Beekeepers Association,Strive to educate our members on the best methods and practices for successful beekeeping, and to educate the public on the importance and value of honeybees in our ecosystem.

Cleo Braver:  Cottingham Farm Growers of certified organic heirloom vegetables and herbs on the banks of the Goldsborough Creek in Talbot County, Maryland Bee advocacy and  pesticide policy and legislation in Maryland

Galen Dively, Professor Emeritus and IPM Consultant, UMD.  Dr. Galen P. Dively is an emeritus professor in the Department of Entomology at the University of Maryland. He received his bachelor’s degree in biology at Juniata College and doctorate in entomology from Rutgers University. He worked as an Extension Specialist in agricultural IPM for 34 years, providing training and ways to reduce pesticide use in vegetable and field crops. Since his retirement in 2006, he continues to conduct research on transgenic Bt crops, sublethal effects of pesticides, efficacy evaluation of organic insecticides, and studies addressing information gaps in the biology and management of the invasive pests.  His talk is entitled “ How changes in conventional pest management practices are impacting organic farming”.

Mitchelle Stephenson, Fair Farms: Fair Farms Maryland is a movement of environmental and public health groups, businesses, consumers, and farmers committed to a sustainable food system. She will lead a discussion about the Atrazine legislation in Maryland that is being introduces by MD Senator Will Smith.

Justine Beaulieu, GAPs educator with UMD Plant Sciences Department The training will cover the basics of food safety for pre and post harvest.  Attendees will receive a certificate of training from MDA.

Nick Maravell, Nicks Organic Farm, Mike Tabor, Licking Creek Bend Farm, Rick Hood, Summer Creek Farm: Farmer discussion of Organic Issues

Marjory Hudson, Mitchelle Stephenson, Fair Farms, Mike Tabor: Workshop on Mobilizing Community Action. How one community is winning the fight a against concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFO).

Deana Baldwin, MDA:  The Maryland Produce Safety Program will provide outreach, education, inspection and enforcement of the federal Food Safety Modernization Act’s Produce Safety Rule.

Beckie Gurley Chesapeake Farm to Table, Veronica Cristo Chesapeake Bounty North Beach Market and Kitchen and Deena Kilmon, Chesapeake Harvest: Food Hub Aggregation

Michael Weese, Michael Weese is a Mycologist and fungal enthusiast in the Mid-Atlantic region.  His work involves being a local teacher, guide, consultant, mushroom cultivator, social sculptor, web administrator, operations manager, photographer, writer, soil engineer, permaculturist, ecologist, environmental steward, conservationist and friend to nearly all he meets. Michael has influenced many people across the globe to forage and cultivate their own mushrooms through sharing his knowledge and experience firsthand online, in the classroom, and field.

Lincoln Smith: Lincoln Smith runs Forested, a 10-acre forest garden in Bowie, MD. He tests forest farming methods, educates aspiring forest farmers, consults on new forest farms and brings forest products to market. He runs a forest garden CSA, designs edible landscapes, and holds forest-to-table events. Creating a Forest Garden Forest gardens produce food and supplies from thriving ecosystems. Learn how to create a layered, polycultural food forest. We’ll discuss forest garden methods, some of the great plants you can grow, and how to take care of them. Learn from Lincoln’s 10 years of forest garden successes and learning experiences.

MOFFA’s 26th Annual Winter Meeting, on Saturday February 11, 2017, from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, at the Maryland Department of Agriculture Building, 50 Harry S. Truman Parkway in Annapolis. The meeting is open to the public. Register and get more info at https://marylandorganic.org/events/.

moffa-winter-meeting-2017

Don’t forget our wonderful Potluck Lunch too! Bring a dish to share.

Maryland Organic Food and Farming Association Pollinator Farmer Survey

bee-pollinating-fruit-treeWe all need pollinators on our farms, but the pollinators need our help too.

MOFFA is working with the Smart on Pesticides Coalition to protect Maryland pollinators and we ask that you please take 5 minutes to complete this 5 question survey about your experience on the farm.

Thank you in advance for your timely survey response.

Urban Farming in Baltimore

Tyler Brown, Farm Manager at Real Food Farm, Baltimore Maryland, will be presenting about the urban farming collective and The Farm Alliance of Baltimore, at the MOFFA Winter Meeting on February 15, 2014.

Real Food Farm is Civic Works’ innovative, multi-plot urban agricultural enterprise engaged in growing fresh produce on six acres of land in Clifton Park in northeast Baltimore. They broke ground in October 2009 and since then, have been busy growing food, educating youth, partnering with community organizations, and bringing more real food to Northeast Baltimore. Real Food Farm works toward a just and sustainable food system by improving neighborhood access to healthy food, providing experience-based education, and developing an economically viable, environmentally responsible local agriculture sector.

Tyler Brown is the Farm Manager at  Real Food Farm, a project of Civic Works, Inc. engaged in growing fresh produce on six acres of land in Clifton Park in northeast Baltimore. Since October 2009, Tyler and Real Food Farm  have been busy growing food, educating youth, partnering with community organizations, and bringing more real food to Northeast Baltimore. He is a Baltimore City Master Gardener and an Urban Trainer in the Future Harvest Beginning Farmer Training Program; currently an advisory board member for the Baltimore City Food Policy Advisory Committee, and Community Greening Resource Network; and a founding member of The Farm Alliance of Baltimore City.

MOFFA, the Maryland Organic Food and Farming Association 23rd Annual Winter Meeting, is on Saturday February 15, 2014, from 8 am to 5:00 pm, at the Maryland Department of Agriculture Building, 50 Harry S. Truman Parkway in Annapolis.

Registration is $20 for non-members and $5 for members. Membership is $25 for one year or $45 for two years. Registration is at the door.

MOFFA Members on the New Federal Regulations that could Threaten Local Farms

Bees love the sunflowers in my Maryland Garden
Bees love the sunflowers in my Maryland garden

Maryland Organic Food and Farming Members Mike Tabor and Nick Maravell speak out about how new federal regulations could threaten local farms.

“Each week at farm stands in the Maryland area, we try to explain a peculiar situation to our customers. On the one hand, they want to buy our fresh fruit and vegetables. However, I tell them, that in a few years, these will all be illegal to sell!

Why?

Because they have some degree of dirt and bacteria on them. The strawberries for instance, have some trace amount of straw and soil on them. As do the tomatoes, beans and cucumbers. We do rinse them before leaving the farm — but we won’t put them through a disinfectant bath nor pack them in antiseptic plastic containers and put “PLU” labels on them. That’s not what consumers want at a farm market — nor is it something we’ll ever be able to do.

Regulations for a new food law — FSMA, the Food Safety Modernization Act — administered by the FDA are currently in the process of being finalized. Although the act originally had protections for family farmers like myself, we see those being ignored or phased out over time.

Common sense and following the data of recent food safety scares lead us to a very strong conclusion: the further the food travels from the farm to the consumer, the more opportunities it has to become a food safety problem. The current cyclospora food poisoning problem in bagged salads is a good example.

This is one reason why 20 million consumers come to farmers markets like ours and want fresh produce from our fields — preferably grown without pesticides, herbicides or GMO seeds. And sadly, protecting consumers from these synthetic perils is not addressed by FSMA.”

Read the entire article in the Gazette.

Organic Vegetable Twilight Tour

University of Maryland Extension

What: Tours of University of Maryland organic research plots

  • The effect of cover crops, plastic and other parameters on soil CO2 emissions
  • Weed control in organic systems
  • Companion plantings for increased biocontrol
  • Cover crop effects on pests and natural enemies
  • Speakers include organic growers and University of Maryland researchers

Where: Upper Marlboro Research and Education Center
2005 Largo Rd Upper Marlboro, MD 20774

When: August 15, 2013. Dinner served from 5-6pm
Wagon tours start at 6pm

Who: All organic vegetable growers or those interested in organic vegetable production

There is no charge for the meeting, but registration is requested to help with meal planning.

Register for meeting by sending an email to Jerry Brust