 2007 Sustainable Agriculture Conference
Fr i d ay Co n f e re n c e Ac t i v i t i e s
Farm Tours
Farm Tour 1: Local Sustainability in Chatham County
Depart Durham at 8:30 a.m return by 4 p.m.
First stop in Chatham County will be Harland’s Creek Farm to meet farmer Judy Lessler and learn about the Chatham
Farmers Alliance, a CSA where several local farmers pool their products to offer a more diverse CSA package. Judy’s
farm is an historic property that is now a certified organic farm. Then visit Pittsboro’s new Co-op Grocery, the Chatham
Marketplace. Marketplace Manager Mary DeMare will discuss the Co-op’s role in sustaining the community and
how it works successfully to provide locally-produced food. The last stop will be at the Piedmont Biofuels Industrial
Plant to visit this biofuels Co-op and learn how to distill your own biodiesel. You’ll also visit Piedmont Biofarm with
master farmer Doug Jones, and view some of his many variety trials of peppers, sweet potatoes, garlic, root crops,
salad greens, etc., as well as his season extension devices and commercial vermicomposting operation. The Piedmont
Biofuels “campus” also is home to the offices and storage warehouse of Eastern Carolina Organics (ECO). Tour includes a
boxed lunch served at Chatham Marketplace.
Farm Tour 2: Pastured Livestock
Depart Durham at 8:30 a.m. return by 4 p.m.
The first stop on the tour will be Coon Rock Farm where owner Richard Holcomb is also co-owner of the restaurant
Zely and Ritz in Raleigh, where much of his farm product is used. This family farm of 55 acres along the Eno River
produces goat, lamb, eggs and chicken, all without hormones or antibiotics, along with produce and sustainably
harvested firewood and custom sawn lumber. The next stop on the tour, Fickle Creek Farm, is another multispecies
operation that features goats, lambs, chickens, and a few steers. The farm recently obtained a conservation
easement for its land, and includes a passive solar B&B. Then you’ll enjoy a late lunch of burgers, hot dogs or sausage
at Braeburn Farm, which produces 100% grass fed beef. You will learn how Braeburn transitioned from Angus to New
Zealand Red Devon in record time, and see how the farm manages pasture year-round through intensive rotations,
and with 8,000 feet of creek on the property under a conservation easement. Time permitting, the tour will also
include Eliza MacLean’s pastured hogs, also on the Braeburn Farm grounds.
Farm Tour 3: Agriculture and Community Interface: Urban, Rural and Suburban Growing
Depart Durham 8:30 a.m. return by 4 p.m.
This tour shows that no matter where you live, you can get involved in growing food. First stop is an organic farm
within a neighborhood now under development in NC’s fast-growing Triangle region. You’ll get an overview of the
project’s goals, plans, and challenges, and an in-depth discussion of soil improvement strategies, crop plans, the irrigation
system, and project budgeting. The next stop is Anathoth Community Garden in rural Cedar Grove, a ministry
of Cedar Grove United Methodist Church. Anathoth is a 5-acre “mini-farm” with one-and-a-half acres in production,
and uses a combination of lasagna-bed and biointensive techniques to produce fresh vegetables, fruit, and cut flowers.
You’ll enjoy a boxed lunch here from a local source. Finally, you will see the urban demonstration garden created
and maintained by SEEDS (Southeastern Efforts Developing Sustainable Spaces) and the Durham Inner City Gardeners
(DIG). SEEDS serves as a gathering space for community, offers after-school programs for Durham youth, and maintains
a 1 1/2 acre multi-use garden with fruit trees and bushes, perennials, herbs, community garden plots, compost
bins, a hoop house and a greenhouse. The DIG youth grow their produce in a 1/2 acre Market Garden.
Farm Tour 4: Duke Forest Carbon Sequestration Experiment, local lunch and the Sarah P. Duke Garden
Depart Hotel 8:30 a.m. return by 3:30 p.m.
Duke University’s research forest, comprised of over 7,000 acres in three counties, is the site of the FACE (Free Air CO2
Enrichment ) prototype and several other projects (visit http://c-h2oecology.env.duke.edu/site/ for more details).
These lands provide forestry and
environmental studies students with a
physical real-world lab. The next stop will
be on the Duke campus for a presentation
on Carbon Sequestration and Agriculture
and a boxed lunch from the Divinity
School’s Refectory. The Refectory, a small
eatery on campus, is committed to using
local produce and is an example of Duke’s
university-wide initiative to use more local
food. The tour will then visit the Sarah P.
Duke Garden, which demonstrates
excellence in garden design, horticulture,
and plant collections. The Garden also
provides diverse learning opportunities to
further understanding and appreciation of
the natural world, plant life, and
conservation. You will learn some of the
history of the gardens and enjoy a Friday
afternoon stroll in this mini-haven of
vegetation.
Pre-conference Workshops (Depart Durham 8:30 a.m. return by 4 p.m.)
Demonstration of Earth Tools at Land Lab at Central Carolina Community College,
with Discussion of Crop Rotations and Cover Crop Use
9:30 a.m. -12:00 p.m.
Come see the Land Lab at CCCC where students in the sustainable agriculture certificate program (and some
continuing ed courses) learn on the ground by doing. You will see a demonstration of some of the implements carried
by Earth Tools that can be used with a BCS walk-behind tractor to manage your beds, cut and incorporate cover crops,
and make cultivation easier. The morning will include discussion of different cover crops used in rotation with animals
and how to tailor it for best soil management.Instructors include Cheryl McNeill and Bryan Green, as well as Joel
Dufour. A boxed lunch will be provided on site at noon before the afternoon session.
Business Planning Tools for the Diversified Farm
1:00 p.m. -3:15 p.m.
Learn how to “crunch numbers” to figure out how your farm is doing financially, to project how it will do in the future,
and to assess whether new products or new markets could work for you. Peter Marks of Appalachian Sustainable
Agriculture Project will guide you through: figuring out which farm products and which customers actually pay your
bills, planning to pay yourself for your hard work as farm operator, and making the choices you need to make for that
to happen, shaping a long-term model for a financially viable farm business.
Organic Certification Workshop
9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Thinking about getting certified but haven’t taken the next step? Wondering what it really means to get certified?
This 6-hour hands-on workshop will get you to the next level by walking you through the entire certification process.
Items covered include an overview of the National Organic Program standards, the certification process, the organic
farm plan, how to pick a certifier, record-keeping templates, approved materials, and cost-share opportunities.
Participants are encouraged to bring their field histories, farm maps, input labels, and specific questions about the
certification process, organic standards, and approved materials, so that they can leave the workshop confident that
they can complete an organic farm plan and apply for certification. Nationally-known organic expert Jim Riddle and
North Carolina Crop Improvement specialist Amy Griner will be the lead instructors. Registration fee
includes six hours of instruction and lunch. There is a materials charge for the notebook. Space is limited and
pre-registration is required by October 30th. For more information contact Elizabeth Gibbs, (828) 675-4739.
NEW! Extension Track sponsored by North Carolina SARE
North Carolina SARE Professional Development Program (NC SARE PDP) is presenting an Extension track developed for Cooperative Extension Agents and other agriculture professionals and producers. The three workshops and an online sustainable agriculture module focus on resources and funding for sustainable agriculture leaders and instructors, and will provide critical information and expertise available in the field. The SARE Sustainable Agriculture Module 1 is an online course introducing sustainability. At this Friday morning walk-in session, computers and instructions for registering and completing the course will be available; it usually requires 45 min to 1 hour to complete. Free publications will be awarded for the completion of the course by Friday afternoon.
North Carolina agents: To be eligible for scholarship funding, which includes registration and travel expenses, you must contact Carol Moore, NC SARE PDP Program Assistant, (919) 731 2077, moore6827@bellsouth.net, BEFORE registering.
This is an in-service training opportunity!
South Carolina agents: You are eligible to receive a state SARE travel scholarship to attend the Conference. For more information, contact Dr.
Geoff Zehnder, (864) 656-6644 or zehnder@clemson.edu. |
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