*CONTACT* Margaret Hart, Communications Coordinator, 651.201.6131,

ST. PAUL, Minn. – Farmers, buyers and curious consumers are encouraged to save the date for the annual Minnesota Organic Conference. Scheduled January 15-16 in St. Cloud, the conference will feature sessions on topics ranging from growing organic foods and enterprise planning to human nutrition.

Minnesota Department of Agriculture organizers expect 500 people to attend the event. Keynote speakers will be agricultural journalist Alan Guebert, whose “Farm and Food” opinion column is syndicated in more than 70 rural and farm publications, and Angie Tagtow, a registere dietician who helps audiences connect the dots between healthy soils, healthy foods, and healthy people.

The conference will also offer more than 35 breakout sessions for crop,
livestock, fruit and vegetable growers. A concurrent trade show will
feature seed companies, machinery dealers, fertilizer suppliers, grain
and dairy buyers, certifying agencies, and educational displays.

Watch the conference web site or call 651-201-6012 for
information about attending the conference or exhibiting at the trade
show.

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Don DeWeerd of Pipestone, MN is hosting an organic, on-farm demo on Monday, August 31, 2009 at 3:00pm. This event is being sponsored by the University of Minnesota and the USDA’s Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES). All are welcome and there is no cost to attend. We will be touring Don DeWeerd’s farm and discussing such topics as soil health and alternative crops. Don DeWeerd has been farming organically since 1977. The location is 1826 70th Avenue, Pipestone, MN (please meet in the yard). For more information, contact Don at 507-825-2077.

Adria Fernandez is currently conducting the first year of a project investigating the viability of lentils as an alternative crop for organic systems in Minnesota. Lentils, a drought-tolerant legume, are grown mostly in semi-arid environments, but could be a valuable addition to MN rotations if they prove adaptable to our climate. When properly inoculated, they should fix the nitrogen necessary for their own growth. Much of this will, of course, be removed in the grain, but some will be returned to the soil when the residue is incorporated. We expect that they will mature in July to early August, allowing plenty of time for establishment of a fall cover crop.

Read the entire project summary and view pictures taken at the SW Research & Outreach Center’s Organic Field Day held Thursday, July 9, 2009.