2015 Annual Conference Program

Organic 101 Program Tracks

Topic	Speaker
Financing Your Farm: Budgeting & Navigating the Loan Process	Cameron Molberg, Coyote Creek Raecene Randall and Judith Canales, FSA
Irrigation Infrastruction Basics	David Pitre, Tecolote Farm
Soil Endowment, Managing for Soil Wealth	Jonathan Cobb, Green Cover Seed
Greenhouse Managment 101	Sam & Cathy Slaughter, Gabriel Valley Farm
Crop Production Planning	Pedro Schambon, My Father's Farm & Diana Padilla, Yahweh Farm
Caprine and Chicken Egg Production, Marketing, and Brand Building	Ty Wolosin, Windy Hill Farm
Pushing Seasons with High Tunnels	Cypress Sigman, Engel Farms
Producing Profitable Poultry	Travis Krause, Parker Creek Ranch

Topic	Speaker
Bee Basics	Molly Keck, AgriLife Extension
Backyard Eco-systems - chickens & gardens	Glen Miracle, Kenan Rote (Laughing Frog Farm)
Good Bugs/Bad Bugs in the Vegetable Garden	Molly Keck, AgriLife Extension
Backyard Citrus	Dr. Larry Stein, AgriLife Extension
Compost Tea	Lou Kellogg, Bexar County Master Gardeners
Texas Fruit Growing-Organic and Earth Kind	Dr. Monte Nesbitt, AgriLife Extension
Soil Tests, Water Conservation, & Plant Nutrition	Dr. Juan Anciso, AgriLife Extension
Rainwater Harvesting for Plants, Animals and Humans	Billy Kniffen, the Rainman, Retired AgriLife Extension

Advanced Producer Program Tracks

Topic	Speaker
No-till Farming and Potential in Organic Farming	Jeff Moyer, Rodale Institute
Weed Control Options in Organic Agriculture	information coming
Optimal Crop Rotation for Improvement of Organic Soils Cover Crops	Jonathan Cob, Green Cover Seed
Management of Compost and Teas for Mid-size Organic Farms	Jeffery Moyer, Rodale Institute
Permaculture Design for Improvement of Organic Farming Soils	information coming
High Tunnel Production of Organic Vegetables in Texas - economic feasibility	Mark E. Uchanski, PhD, New Mexico State Univ and Mengmeng Gu, PhD, Texas A&M
Organic Fertilizer Comparisons	Jessica Davis, Colorado State University
Mob Grazing vs Serengheti Grazing - advantages in various parts of the state	Sabino Cortez, Erath Earth

Marketing & Distribution Program Tracks

Topic	Speaker
Farmers Market Management	Andrew Smiley, Sustainable Food Center
Farm to School: Institutional & Cafeteria Purchasing for Local Ag Products	Sonia White, Sonia White Consulting LLC
Meat Distribution Strategies: Opportunities & Barriers	Matt Hamilton, Local Yocal
Value-Added Production on Your Small Farm	Eva Greer, Greer Farms; Tony Grasso, Moontower Co-op; And Judith McGeary, FARFA
Marketing 101 for Small Farms	Sid Greer, Greer Farms
Evolution of the CSA: Next Steps	Adam Smith, City Sprout Katie Kraemer, Tecolote Farms; Brad Stufflebeam, Home Sweet Farm; Evan Driscoll, Sustainable Food Center; Moderator Andrew Smiley, Sustainable Food Center
Why Farms Fail	Scott Marlow, RAFI-USA

Research Program Tracks

Topic	Speaker
Organic Seed, Fruit & Vegetable Varieties	Daniel Leskovar, PhD & Kevin Crosby, PhD, Texas A&M AgriLife Research
Subtropical Organic Agriculture Research	Alex Racelis, PhD & Carlo Moreno, PhD, UT Pan American
Meat Quality of Organic and Grass Fed Beef	Sam Houston State University
Winter Cover Crops	Ken Mix, PhD, Texas State University
The Coming Water Crisis in Texas	Alyssa Burgin, Texas Drought Project
Ethnic Specialty Crops	Justin Duncan, Sustainable Ag Specialist NCAT
TAMU Specialty Crop Research: Heirloom Tomatoes and Strawberries	Joe Masabni, PhD, Texas A&M University

Texas Food Systems & Policy Program Tracks

Topic	Speaker
Land Conservation & Easements	information coming
Land Access Considerations	Edwin Marty, City of Austin
Defining Local	Erin Flynn, Green Gate Farm Chad Julka, Dallas Farmers Market Susie Marshall, GROW North Texas
Texas Legislative Update	Judith McGeary, FARFA
Rural Energy Program	Lillian Salerno, USDA Rural Development Jillian Seaman, USDA
Federal Policy Update	Judith McGeary, FARFA Stephen Carpenter, FLAG
Growing Community With Good Food: Producer's View	Brad Stufflebeam, Home Sweet Farm
Growing Community With Good Food: Organization's View	Green Spaces Alliance  Food Policy Council of San Antonio