2018 Healthy Farms Conference
Breakouts Sessions!
Friday, February
9th
10:30 am
A. The
Feasibility of Hops Production in Nebraska: Hops are a growing specialty crop in Nebraska and the
surrounding Midwestern region. As the interest increases to establish acres, an
understanding of the agronomics, economics, climatic, processing, and diseases
challenges must be taken into consideration. I’ll be on hand to discuss why
hops can be grown in Nebraska, and the different efforts of the UNL Hops
program.
Katie Kreuser is the
Hop Program Coordinator for University of Nebraska Extension. She is a native
of Bristol, Tennessee, and is a graduate of Samford University in Birmingham,
Alabama with a B.S. in Biology, and Cornell University in Ithaca, New York with
a masters degree in horticulture and non-profit management. Katie became
involved in hops three years ago as a research technician, focusing on
buffalograss and hop breeding projects in the Agronomy & Horticulture
Department at UNL. Early in 2017, she began her role with Nebraska Extension,
focusing on direct communication with hop growers in Nebraska and the
surrounding areas in the Midwest region, helping them address questions and
challenges in hop production, providing timely educational resources, including
written publications, workshops and hands on learning events, and managing the
annual Nebraska Grower and Brewer Conference.
B. Holistic Financial Planning: Financial success is not something we
typically just “stumble into”. There are far more ways to lose money than make
it. Holistic Management has successfully helped people focus on their
aspirations and reach their goals profitably. This workshop introduces you to
some of the key aspects of Holistic Management
Financial Planning, with an emphasis on Gross Profit Analysis. Planning is a
skill that is honed with practice. Come join us and see where your financial
planning skills need to be honed!
Ralph
Tate: Ralph is an engineer, served a career in the Air Force and worked in the
aerospace industry for over 12 years. Ralph became interested in sustainable
agriculture after a friend shared Joel Salatin’s book, You Can Farm. Since
then, Ralph has read extensively on sustainable agriculture, health and
nutrition, and the importance of nutrient dense foods, such as grassfed beef.
Ralph and his wife, Carolyn, are graduates of the first Nebraska Farm
Beginnings class in 2006. He became a Holistic Management Certified Educator in
2010. During his CE training, he developed grazing planning software following
Allan Savory’s approach to planned grazing. This software is now offered
through Holistic Management International and has been purchased around the
world. Ralph is currently a member of the Nebraska Sustainable Agriculture
Society and a beekeeper. Carolyn comes from a family who has farmed in
Jefferson County for over three generations. Ralph and Carolyn bought part of
her family’s farm, had it certified organic in 2008, and use it to custom graze
cattle. They have four children and four grandsons.
C. Understanding
Soil Health and dual purpose cover crops, By Aaron Hird, NRCS/USDA.
Soil Health is a broad concept that encompasses biological, chemical, and
physical soil properties that sustain productivity, environmental quality, and
support healthy organisms. The four Soil Health Management Principles are
to keep the soil covered, disturb the soil less or not at all, keep a living
root in the soil 10 or more months, and allow for lots of plant and root
diversity. Integrating these principles with a livestock grazing
management system can create an opportunity for a dual purpose cover crops.
Discover multiple short and long term benefits for yourself.
Aaron Hird:
Is the State Soil Health Specialist in Nebraska and have worked for the
USDA/NRCS for 10 years. I grew up on a ranch, near Litchfield, in central
Nebraska. I attended Chadron State College in western Nebraska where I
graduated with a Bachelors of Environmental Biology, and minors in Plant
Sciences and Wildlife Management in 2006. I primarily worked with the State
Range. In 2016 I was selected for the new position of State Soil Health
Specialist and am now located in Lincoln, NE. Initially I have guided the
development, administration and inventory of 12 EQIP Cover Crop Adaptive
Management Demonstration Farms across the state, as well as the worked to build
partnerships with others promoting Soil Health in Nebraska
12:00pm
Lunch
1:30 pm
A. Exploring New Ideas In Sustainable
Agriculture: Including Novel Crops, Fungi Cultivation, Education, Outreach,
and Future Goals through Pangea Nursery. Pangea Nursery: An Experience
Exploring and Implementing New Ideas in Sustainable Agriculture from Novel
Crops to Fungi. Contact Information: Andy Waltke, ajwaltke@gmail.com or pangeanursery@gmail.com
B. HM Biological Monitoring: Gaining a solid understanding of soil
health and fertility is foundational to successful agriculture. This workshop
explores the writings of one of America’s greatest soil scientists, Dr William
Albrecht. Come listen to some of the key findings Dr Albrecht discovered over
50 years ago that are just as relevant today!
Ralph Tate
C. Impacts
of Soil Health in Livestock & Cropping Farms
Larry Strite is a the Founder/CEO of Restora-Life Minerals
Inc. which was established in 2004. Their main objective is sustainable
approaches for farming and landscaping. Mr. Strite's expertise lies in
examining the depths of soil to make determinations regarding sustainability.
Restora-Life manufactures products for soil, animals and poultry to attain
healthier crops. This is accomplished by using the Albrect Theory of
complete soil testing to determine the best type of soil for their clients'
crop planning. Additionally, the use of higher protein, more minerals and
plant tissue testing are essential to this process. The products sold by
Restora-Life also help to keep the immune systems of farm animals at peak
levels. Mr. Strite's experience prior to Restora-Life was with
Strite's Waterhouse which was established in 2004. He credits his three
mentors, Dr. Dale Schurter, Dr. Sheldon Norris and Dr. Norman Curtis with the success of his career. They were
instrumental in his training for the programs of the day regarding his
industry.
3:00 pm
A. A visit to Slow Food Nations Denver 2017:
Collectively, American food values need to change, both for our bodies and the
planet. On the Slow Food ‘Menu for Change’, what’s the role of the
Producer, Retailer, and Consumer? Slow Food Nations highlights the joy of Good,
Clean and Fair food for all by combining the energy of a street food festival,
the rigor of an academic conference, and the inspiration of a cultural
exchange. Jerry and Renee will walk you through their observations
and experiences at the event, as producers, culinarians, and eaters.
We’ll wrap up with a discussion of potential paths forward in Nebraska.
Renee Cornett, Chef/Owner grew up in Maryland and was commissioned an
Ensign in the US Navy in 1990 upon graduation from the US Naval Academy with a
BS in Mathematics. She completed flight training in 1993 earning her
designation as a Naval Aviator. She flew the H-46 helicopter in HC-5
based in Guam and deployed to numerous locations in the Pacific. She
served in various squadron and staff positions through her 11+ years of service
concluding with an honorable discharge in 2001. After several tours as a
military spouse, she graduated with an Associates Degree in Culinary Arts with
Honors from Metropolitan Community College, Omaha NE in May 2008. Most
recently the family was stationed at the US Embassy in Tirana, Albania. The many travel experiences throughout the world
allowed her to experience flavors and ingredients in their native environment –
from fresh mangoes in the groves of Indonesia to Ono grilled and served
pier-side in Guam, and young wines out of the cask in Tuscany. These
opportunities reinforced her appreciation for the ‘terroir’ of ingredients and
culminated in a month-long ‘stage’ at a
restaurant in northern Italy.
Jerry Cornett, Farm Manager/Owner of Lakehouse Farm, grew up in Omaha, Nebraska and
graduated from University of Nebraska, Omaha in 1990 with a BS in Political
Science. He was commissioned an Ensign in the US Navy upon completion of
Aviation Officer Candidate School and earned his designation as a Naval Aviator
in 1992. He proceeded to fly the H-60 Seahawk helicopter for 10 years and over
2800 flight hours. During his 21-year career he served in San Diego, CA;
Vicenza, Italy; Yokohama, Japan; Bellevue, NE and his final tour was Defense
Attaché/Senior Defense Official at the US Embassy in Tirana, Albania. He
retired from active service in August 2011 with the rank of Commander.
Lakehouse Farm started growing certified organic fruits and vegetables in 2012
and provides most of the produce for Prairie Plate Restaurant, as well as
selling at the Old Cheney Road Farmer’s Market in Lincoln and other restaurants
in the Omaha and Lincoln area.
B. Estate Planning for Sustainable Planning
for Farming & Ranching: An hour-long
discussion of estate planning basics, including triggering issues and concerns,
incapacity planning, taxation, transfer timing and tools, forms of ownership,
asset protection, and complicating factors. Time permitting, there will
be an estate planning decision-tree discussion.
Joe
Hawbaker is an agricultural law attorney in the Law Offices of Joe M. Hawbaker
in Omaha, Nebraska. Joe has been representing farmers and ranchers in
Nebraska since 1994, primarily in the areas of estate, business and succession
planning, commercial transactions, debtor/creditor law, and administrative
law. He also works as a consultant to the Nebraska Farm Mediation Service
and the Nebraska Rural Response Hotline. Joe regularly conducts legal
clinics and succession planning workshops for farmers and ranchers throughout
the state. He is the author of numerous articles on topics of farm and
ranch interest. A native Iowan, Joe received his BA from Grinnell
College, an MA from the University of Chicago and his JD from the University of
Michigan Law School
C. Impact
of Soil Health on Market Gardening
Larry
Strite
Saturday,
February 10th
9:30
am
A. Increasing
Farm Productivity: Do you find your biggest limit is lack of time?
Does the end of the day come before the end of the work? As
entrepreneurs, farmers and ranchers have to wear so many hats it can become
overwhelming. The initial joy and passion that brought you into this
business can be lost under a wave of burnout and frustration. When it ALL
has to get done, what can you do? In this presentation we will look at
some planning techniques and online tools that can help you track your
priorities, eliminate unnecessary work, and use your time more efficiently.
B. How the
application of a biological solution, sea minerals, or a product containing
both, contributes to the health of soil in pastures: We have been raising bison south
of Broken Bow since 1994. We direct market the meat through our log cabin
mobile store. Several years ago we converted to 100% grass-fed. We
are certified through A Greener World (formerly Animal Welfare Approved) for
grass-fed bison. In 2015 we applied for and received a grant from
NCR-SARE. The purpose of the grant was to compare the effects of applying
a biological solution (fish emulsion and raw milk), sea minerals, or a combination
product on pasture production. This was a 2 year study; these products
were applied in 2016 & 2017 along with a portion of the pasture left
untreated for a control.
Martin & Karen Bredhauer, Straight Arrow Bison
Ranch
B. II. Veterinary Feed Directives; FFA
Presentations
B. III. Diversified Livestock
SAE; FFA Presentations
C. Biochar
for Soil Health: Biochar is a
simple solution to complex environmental issues. It offers a unique opportunity
for long term soil improvement using locally sourced and appropriate materials.
Produced from waste (agricultural or forestry), it can be used alone or in
combination with compost, manure, or agrochemicals to enhance local soil
conditions. The resistance of biochar to decomposition also serves as a carbon
sink, sequestering carbon in the soil long into the future. The presentation
will cover biochar basics as well as the Nebraska
Forest Service’s initiative to expand biochar production and utilization in the
Great Plains Region.
Heather
Nobert is the Forest Products Marketing Coordinator for the Nebraska Forest
Service. She received a Master of Science degree in forestry from West Virginia
University and her bachelor’s degree in biology from Albion College, in
Michigan. Heather’s primary professional interest is in the field of biochar.
She has five years’ experience in the United States and Peru using biochar for
mine land reclamation, sustainable agriculture, and forest management. In addition
to soil health, she is also interested in the capacity of biochar to improve
water quality and sequester carbon as a way to combat climate change.
11:00 am
A. Farm
Accounting: Accurate financial records are important to the success of
a small farm. Being able to track cash flow and know what your bottom
line is, are crucial skills that help you make intelligent decisions about your
operation. Accounting software need not be daunting, and there are now
some good online options that weren't available just a few years ago. In
this presentation we will walk through how to use Wave, a free, online
accounting package that let's you securely access your records anywhere you
have an Internet connection.
Gary Fehr
is co-owner of Green School Farms, now entering its third year of production.
The farm supplies food grown with organic principles through several
channels including CSA, direct school sales, and online distributors.
Gary's involvement in local food and related groups include: active in
organizing Farm to School activities, Steering Committee of Lincoln Lancaster
County Food Policy Council, President of Wachiska Audubon, member of Nebraska
Sustainable Agriculture Society, member of Nebraska Farmers Union, and a former
officer of the Nebraska Food Cooperative. In 2014 he completed the Farm
Beginnings course sponsored by Nebraska Sustainable Agriculture Society.
That same year he also completed an internship on an area organic farm.
His plan is underway to transition from a previous career in software
engineering to full-time organic farming.
B. Healthy
Livestock from the ground up! Creating
a holistic health plan for your farm. In this session we will cover how to
create a farm environment that fosters health and an overview of the major
alternative remedies to turn to first to reduce your vet bill. We will discuss
the importance of a healthy microbiome and the connection between our soils and
our animals, framework for natural parasite control, and overview of
probiotics, herbal, homeopathy, and chiropractic.
Crystal Powers
is co-owner of Darby Springs Farm near Ceresco. They raise 100% grassfed Guernsey
dairy and pastured poultry. They have used natural remedies as their primary
care for eight years. She also works as an environmental engineer with a
focus on livestock impacts on air and water quality.
C. "Getting City Folks To Be More Than Just 'Eaters' --
The Importance of Urban Agriculture to Food Security": Seventy years ago,
98% of the food Americans ate was local and organic and home gardening was a
given. Today, 98% of the food we eat is non-local, non-organic and city
dwellers in particular wouldn't dream of growing food when you can get it from
'The Store.' With the onset of climate change and the peril it poses to
the security of our food supply, though, urbanites' days of just being 'eaters'
are numbered. Growing fresh produce inside the city limits -- from edible
landscapes to neighborhood gardens (like Lincoln's "Hawley Hamlet")
to commercial urban farms -- is now front and center in the drive to re-localize
our food system.
Nebraska native and 1979 UNL alum Tim Rinne has
spent his entire career in the field of politics, working variously as a
community organizer, political party official, legislative aide, campaign
manager and the state coordinator of Nebraskans for Peace — the country's
oldest statewide Peace & Justice organization. Long interested in
environmental and climate issues, from 2004-2013 he was the Political and
Legislative Chair for the Nebraska Sierra Club. His interest in food
security issues was instrumental in the creation with his neighbors of the
"Hawley Hamlet" — a neighborhood garden in his city block that was
featured in the April-May 2014 issue of Mother Earth News and
the subject of his TEDxLincoln talk, "Growing Food, Growing Community: The
Example of the Hawley Hamlet" which was broadcast statewide on NET
Television. A founding member of the Lincoln-Lancaster County Food Policy
Council, he has delivered talks dealing with climate change and the importance
of rebuilding our local food supply for the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the
University of Nebraska-Kearney, the University of Nebraska Medical Center and
Creighton University.
1:30 pm
A. Purchasing a Small Farm; You're thinking about
buying a small farm to pursue your dream. That's great, but how to find
it and how to purchase? We will cover how to locate land, but more
importantly, once located, what steps to take to make a successful purchase.
This includes aspects such as negotiating a price, preparing a legal purchase
contract without expensive realtor commissions, proper transition if it is
currently leased to tenants, drilling a well, and many other considerations.
The presenters have recently completed a several-year search and closed
on a small farm in 2016 that will allow them to take their vegetable operation
to a permanent home.
B. Grazing
Management: Raising Cattle on Grass!: In this session Paul will share what has learned in over 37 years and
also focus on questions the group may have
Paul Rohrbaugh: I started farming in 1980. We started with
12 bred heifers and 6 old, but pregnant ewes. We also did about 160 acres
of diversified cropping. It didn’t take us long to decide that we loved
grazing and grassland management. I have three sons and a wife that share
my passion. My grazing management over the first 8-10 years was kind of
rotational grazing, w/o regard to what I was doing to my pasture. In 1990 I
along with one of my sons we attended our first grazing school, taught by Jim
Gerrish in Linneas, Missouri. That lit our fire. We came home and
started laying out paddocks, trying to provide water but without a large
financial commitment, and trying to respect the plants in our pasture and
observe their recovers. This worked well for us and we proceeded to seed
our marginal land to grass. The rest is history. Our land is now
all in grass, water in each paddock, and we are using kind of a modified, high
intensity, short duration grazing. We started direct marketing of pasture
poultry, lamb and grassfed beef in 1991. To us this is a good and
satisfying way of life.
C. Food, Farm, Faith:
Patterns and Tools for Transformation: This session will give you a framework
and grounding center for the internal and external hard work of restoring people
and place. Metaphors and symbols ground and awaken us for the celebration,
labor, and rest necessary for a fruitful and sustainable life. If you are
someone working towards a better world, you are a person of faith no matter
what your background. Come ready to learn and leave empowered to heal your
world.
Jonathan Dodd is the executive director of Kepios, a non-profit focused
on restoring people and place, and is the owner at New Earth Farm & Goods,
in Papillion, NE. After completing his MDiv at Regent College, he began
working with the rural coffee farming community of Santa Martha de Loma Azul,
Nicaragua where his heart of mercy and justice for the poor met agriculture,
sustainability and community development. Jonathan is an entrepreneur who
has started and managed 2 farms, started a permanent organic market, a coffee
company (twice), and a non-profit. Over the past 6 years he has worked in three
different bioregions, including: tropic, sub-tropic and temperate climates.
During that time he has continued to teach workshops on soil, gardening and
design. After completing a PDC course at Midwest Permaculture, Jonathan has
sought to create sustainable and replicable models of abundance at New Earth
Farm, inner city Omaha, and Nicaragua, as well as all the other fanciful models
in his head. He loves homesteading with his spouse Catherine and 3
children, where they have planted thousands of trees, grow lots of food, and
manage a diversity of animals.
3:00 pm
A. Food Safety 101 What to Know and How to Stay Safe: Almost daily we here of a food recall or food safety making
headlines. It’s impossible not to worry about food poisoning, whether it is
caused by ecoli or salmonella. Recent food recalls leave us vulnerable to a
food born illness. What can you do? The best defense is an offensive. Attend
this workshop and educate yourself about different infections, symptoms, how
long they last, and what you steps you can do to protect yourself and your
family whether at home, or dinning out.
Chef Fraire is a certified Proctor and Instructor for Serv Safe, a
National Restaurant Association Education Foundation.
B. Pigs and Pasture: Learn how pigs can turn grass into
meat.
Chris Marlowe is a
father of 2, graduate of Wayne State College, Master Carpenter and Cabinet
Builder and of course, Grass Farmer and NSAS Board Member. On the farm they
have raised grass finished beef, pasture raised pork and poultry, grass
finished lamb, and kept bees.
C. Graze
Master Genetics:
Del Ficke
is the manager of Ficke Cattle Company – Graze Master Genetics® and the Green
Acres Cover Crops Dryland Research Manager. He is also managing-partner of the
Nebraska Region Modern Woodmen. With more than 35 years of experience as both
an agriculturist and cattleman, Del has developed a one-of- a-kind trademarked
breed of composite cattle, the Graze Master. Del has spent the last several
years transitioning his farming operation back to what he calls, “a more
holistic, sensible and profitable approach that is both modern and historically-based
in both concept and philosophy.” He is restoring the soils to their more
natural state and has transformed commodity-driven cropland back into native
pastures as well as adopted a mob-grazing approach to cattle raising.Del and
his wife Brenda live on the fifth-generation farm near Pleasant Dale, Neb. with
their daughter Emily, son Austin and his wife Alyssa and their daughter Attley.
Register
online today!
www.universe.com/2018HealthyFarmsConference
