Texas Organic Farmers & Gardeners Association

TOUR & WORKSHOPS AT ACC ELGIN
1501 US-290, Elgin, TX 78621

$10- ACC Elgin Sustainable Student Farm Tour (11-11:45AM)
Savannah Rugg will guide you through 17 acres of student-run farmland! Come see the most happening thing in Elgin where students in the ACC Elgin Sustainable Ag program get hands-on instruction and a working knowledge of ecological farming practices and seasonal processes.

$20- Johnson-Su Compost Bioreactor Workshop (12-1:15PM)
Matt Batchelder of Fun-Guy Compost Company will demonstrate how to build a Johnson-Su Bioreactor used to make living, fungal-prominent compost. We will learn basic construction, material washing techniques, and daily maintenance required to produce a fungal-prominent compost. We will also include basic application techniques, the five principles of soil stewardship, and how microbial-rich soils increase the health of soils, plants, food and humans.

$20- Utilizing Powers of Nature: Working with Indigenous Microorganisms (1:30-2:45PM)
Jeremy Graves of Living Loving Legacy Austin will be exploring the power of Microbes and how they are used in a basic introduction to Korean Natural Farming. We will be diving into the 10 inputs that make KNF possible and learning how to make and simply apply them following Nature's cycle. These methods and theories are a practical guide for agriculture, forestry, and land restoration.

WORKSHOPS AT CONFERENCE HOTEL
16100 Impact Way, Pflugerville, TX 78660

$10- How-To's of Production Farming: Crop Planning and Management (9:30am-4:30pm) 
Lisa Attaway, farm manager with Green City Growers, will discuss the fundamentals of putting an effective crop plan together that ensures a successful growing operation. Whether you are market farming, selling in CSA’s, homesteading, or something else, this class will bring great success to growing journey! Please take a look here for information and overview of this workshop.

$50- Financial Literacy: Business and Taxation Issues for Farms (2pm - 5pm) 
Instructor: Greg Rickert with Hill Country Group: Two hours with an experienced Certified Public Accountant who's been farming and ranching alongside. One hour is reserved for Q&A. Yes, you will get your money's worth. Come ready with your questions!

$75- Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi: The Other Half of (Most) Plants (3:30-6:00 pm) Instructor: Matt Powers
Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) co-evolved with over 90% of plants including most of our food crops - our plants our dependent upon it, and so are we. Learn how AMF fungi can transform plant immunity, yields, drought tolerance, biomass, and nutrient density with author, educator, and citizen scientist, Matt Powers. You'll see how roots actually look, what AMF looks like throughout its life stages, and how you can generate your own AMF inoculant at home.

FARM TOURS- $20 EACH

Babka Farms- 1150 Co Rd 336, Granger, TX 76530 (11am-12pm)
Tour guide: Natalie Weber- We will start visiting the dairy goats discussing how livestock management, organically with minimal inputs, can benefit herd health and production. Next we will walk through the pastures visiting the kunekune pigs, chickens, and ducks discussing benefits of multi-species management, such as parasite prevention. We will complete the farm tour with a walk through the hay field and a discussion on how it's history of management by Betsy Ross impacted a very successful post-drought harvest.

Gabriel Valley Farms- 440 Old State Highway 29 E, Georgetown, TX  (12:30-2pm)
Tour guide: Cathy Slaughter - Certified Organic since 2006! Gabriel Valley Farms is a wholesale nursery specializing in culinary herbs and vegetable plants. They have been serving retail garden centers, landscape companies and farmers in the Central Texas area since 1989.

Greener Pastures Chicken- Elgin, exact address to be emailed the week of (10-10:45 am)

Tour guide: Cameron Molberg- Greener Pastures Chicken actualizes a vision of happy chickens, regenerative organic agriculture, and a better food system for all! 

Coyote Creek- 13817 Klaus Ln, Elgin, TX 78621 (12-1 pm)
Tour guide: Rob Cunningham