31st Annual Eco Farm Day conference in Cornwall, ON

Healthy Land, Healthy People, Healthy Profits

A winter day full of food, friendship and inspiration – it’s Eco Farm Day 2015 and it’s a highlight of the season for organic (and organic-curious) farmers and gardeners in eastern Ontario and western Quebec. As a matter of fact, Eco Farm Day is on of the largest agricultural conferences in the region, save the Ottawa Valley Farm Show!

Eco Farm Day takes place on Saturday, February 28, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Ramada Inn in Cornwall. This is the 31^st annual conference presented by the Ottawa-St Lawrence-Outaouais chapter of Canadian Organic Growers (COG-OSO), this year with the cooperation of Organic Meadow and the Bauta Initiative on Seed Security.

Keynoter Tony McQuail presents Healthy Land, Healthy People, Healthy Profits: Holistic Management for Sustainable Agriculture. A farmer since 1970, Tony has extensive experience with agricultural and government programs, and is an educator with the Holistic Management Institute. Holistic Management is a planning methodology used by farm families to help make short term and long term decisions on the farm that are ecologically, economically and socially sustainable.

After the keynote presentation, conference attendees have a number of interactive workshops to choose from, a buffet feast of organic foods (many also local) to enjoy for lunch, and plenty of opportunity to visit with old friends and new, as well as investigate the products and services of the exhibitors and sponsors.

Workshops focus on practical techniques and management skills that work in our area and emphasize sustainable organic stewardship of land, food and fibre. Most presenters are producers, most from Ontario and Quebec, with knowledge and passion to share. Topics include:

Scaling up the market farm - increasing profits and sustainability
Organic certification - proposed alternative models for small-scale farmers
Crop rotations, cover crops and weed management in organic field crops
Organic pasture management optimizing animal health AND farm profits
Root cellars - modern profits from traditional root cellaring
Organic pastured pork - adding breeding stock to your organic farm
Open pollinated corn - growing and adapting varieties for organic farms
Don't sell the sprayer - Things you can do with a sprayer on organic farms
Growing and marketing organic medicinal herbs in the Outaouais region
Pasturing laying hens and ducks - balancing ecological, economical and animal welfare issues
Organic beehive management techniques

There is simultaneous translation from English to French of the keynote presentation and three workshops.

Registration, including lunch, is $60 (before Feb 14) or $75 at the door, with a $10 discount for COG and Organic Meadows members. A sliding scale down to $25 is available for limited-income individuals. Register online at ecofarmday.ca

Eco Farm Day is your best opportunity all year to learn from the experiences of other farmers in the region. Join us in Cornwall on February 28^th!

More information and updates at:

internet: ecofarmday.ca

facebook: facebook.com/cogosochapter

twitter: @EcoFarmDay

email: ecofarmday@cog.ca

phone: 613-244-4000 ext.4

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