Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association (OEFFA) Events Calendar

Stockport, Ohio

Friday, June 9, 2023
1-4 p.m.

http://www.eventbrite.com/e/pasture-walk-at-shew-family-farm-registration-585915598327?utm-campaign

Join Rural Action for a pasture walk at Shew Family Farm where Pete and Marjie have been raising 100% grass fed & grass finished angus beef since 1979. We will be joined by Bob Hendershot, who is retired from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) as the state grassland conservationist and state (GLCI) Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative coordinator.

The pasture walk will cover topics including...
Shew Family Farm and its history
Managing pasture to grow more forage in the summer
Planning for fall and winter grazing
Weed control -- to clip or not to clip?
"Manage your pasture so they never have a bad day."
Other income streams such as agritourism

AGENDA:
Welcome and overview of Rural Action
Group Introductions
Introduction to Shew Family Farm
Overview of pasture and livestock management
Pasture walk with open conversation
On-farm cabin visit - discussion on agritourism
Closing

Remember to bring shoes that you can walk in and plenty of water! Parking is plentiful. Please keep an eye out for Rural Action event signs to direct you towards the farm.

Location:
Shew Family Farm
3915 South Elliott Road
Stockport, OH 43787

Contact:
Rural Action / (740) 677-4047 x610 /

Urban Flower Farm Tour

Columbus, Ohio

Sunday, June 11, 2023
Noon

http://www.commongreensohio.org/

Wild Prairie Flower Farm grows specialty cut flowers using small-scale, no-till market farming practices.

This tour will explore the ⅛-acre active production site, as well as two scattered urban lots that are under development. The tour will focus on systems for bed preparation, planting, harvesting, and weather mitigation. It will also touch on methods for improving soil health, preventing animal pests, and managing disease.

Location:
Wild Prairie Flower Farm
595 Stambaugh Ave.
Columbus, OH 43207

Street parking only.

Contact:
Common Greens / (000) 00-0000 /

Shaping Change

Delaware, Ohio

Monday, June 12, 2023
10 a.m.

Bringing about positive change in something as comprehensive as the food and farming system isn't quick or easy. But every five years we have a unique opportunity to work toward that change together. Join OEFFA staff, farmers, and other advocacy leaders to hear about the 2023 Farm Bill, sharpen your advocacy skills, and learn how, working together, we can make sure it meets the needs of our communities.

This event is a part of OEFFA's 2023 Farm Tour and Workshop Series. Visit oeffa.org/farmtours to learn more.

Location:
Methodist Theological School in Ohio
3081 Columbus Pike
Delaware, OH 43015

Contact:
OEFFA / (614) 421-2022 /

Trillions of Invisible Beings: Microbial Compost Workshop

Wooster, Ohio

Tuesday, June 13, 2023
9 a.m.-4 p.m.

Organic Apple Orchard Tour

Join Rust Belt Riders at Secrest Arboretum at Ohio State Wooster with Keisha Wheeler and Casey Ernst of Catalyst BioAmendments and Brian Vagg of Sprouting Soil for a deep dive into biological focused compost! It will be a full day of presentations, hands-on activities, and conversation about the microbes that make the magic happen.

It will start off by going over what we mean by "bio focused" compost. We will have a look at what goes into our processes, how we came to our price point, and look at the results our clients are seeing.

After the morning talk, we will venture to the compost lot where Dr. Fred Michel will show us around and introduce us to the bio-focused compost pile built before the workshop. We will address different composting realities and bring up possible barriers to overcome and places where cultivating diverse inoculum could be a help.

In the second part of the day, we will look at different kinds of compost under the microscope and focus on how to use data to build the best recipes for your situation. We will share all the tips and tricks we use to create compost that is full of diverse microbial life.

We will end the day with a group Q&A session where Dr Fred Michel, Rust Belt Riders, Catalyst, and Brian can talk about the specifics of their industry.

Location:
Secrest Welcome Center
2122 Williams Rd.
Wooster, OH 44691

Contact:
Rust Belt Riders / (216) 800-4651 /

http://bit.ly/3BOja4m

Newark, Ohio

Friday, June 16, 2023
1 p.m.

Walk through a start-to-finish experience of Charlie's Apples' yearly operations. Attendees will see and hear about their barn, orchard equipment, processing and packing facility, pollinator habitat, the orchard itself, as well as pest-management, nutrient application, and biological fungicide program. This tour will also have a conversation about the operation's challenges with Marssonina Leaf Blotch and how they are implementing a research project in partnership with North Central Region Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (NCR-SARE) to reduce its impacts.

This event is a part of OEFFA's 2023 Farm Tour and Workshop Series. Visit oeffa.org/farmtours to learn more.

Location:
Charlie's Apples
1740 Sportsman Club Rd
Newark, OH 43055

Parking is available at the top of the driveway once you enter the farm. There will be signs indicating where to park.

Contact:
OEFFA / (614) 421-2022 /

Dairy Farm Tour and Pasture Walk

Dundee, Ohio

Saturday, June 17, 2023
10 a.m.

Bear Cave Farm is an OEFFA certified, grass-based, Organic Valley dairy farm focusing on growing pasture and hay with some additional corn. They have been practicing foliar feeding of their grass crops, recently beginning to apply a dry blend of time-released trace minerals to increase fertility. This tour will highlight the benefits of the trace minerals on pastures and hay, along with a comprehensive tour of their dairy operation.

This event is a part of OEFFA's 2023 Farm Tour and Workshop Series. Visit oeffa.org/farmtours to learn more.

Location:
Bear Cave Farm
7328 Township Rd. 664
Dundee, OH 44624

Contact:
OEFFA / (614) 421-2022 /

Elderberry Farm Tour

Peebles, Ohio

Saturday, June 24, 2023
10 a.m.

Mucky Boots Farm is a small, woman-owned elderberry orchard and farm in southern Ohio. They grow the berries for their elderberry syrup business, selling at markets and online. This tour will explore their elderberry field, visit with the ducks, and enjoy a syrup sample.

This event is a part of OEFFA's 2023 Farm Tour and Workshop Series. Visit oeffa.org/farmtours to learn more.

Location:
Mucky Boots Farm
630 Davis Memorial Rd.
Peebles, OH 45660

Contact:
OEFFA / (614) 421-2022 /

Food Systems Finance Series

webinars

Online

Tuesday, June 27, 2023
2 p.m.

http://www.cdfa.net/e/2023fsfws

The CDFA Food Systems Finance Webinar Series is a free online series demonstrating how businesses and projects within the food system can be connected to development finance tools, such as bonds, tax increment finance, tax credits, and revolving loan funds, to create equitable local and regional food systems. This series will showcase how development finance agencies from across the country are investing in local food systems. Speakers will present case studies on a range of food systems projects – including production, processing, distribution, retail, storage, and more – to explain why various financing tools were chosen for the specific project and how those financing tools work. Each installment of this series will explore how the development finance toolbox can be used to drive investment across the food supply chain.

With funding from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, CDFA is researching how development finance agencies can become more engaged in developing localized food systems through traditional finance approaches. The premise of this project is to suggest and then prove that, if organized and defined properly, the food system can become a defined asset class worthy of traditional investment. Through this work, CDFA aims to advance opportunities and leverage existing capital financing streams that scale local and regional food systems and increase access to better food while creating new living wage jobs in communities across the country.

Click the link below to register.

Location:
Online

Contact:
CDFA / (614) 705-1300 /

Growing Oyster Mushrooms in Buckets

Wheelersburg, Ohio

Tuesday, June 27, 2023
6-8 p.m.

http://www.centralstate.edu/academics/cse/agriculture/index.php?num=28

Learn how to grow and care for oyster mushrooms indoors in buckets.

To register, contact the email below.

Location:
Wheelersburg Baptist Church Community Center
11725 Gallia Pike
Wheelersburg, OH 45694

Contact:
Marc Amante / 937-376-6209 /

Making Money with Regenerative Grazing Using Holistic Management

Cincinnati, Ohio

Friday, June 30, 2023
8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.

https://holisticmanagement.org/%20greenacresfd/

Greenacres Foundation raises a variety of animals using humane and lowstress handling techniques. They produce grass-finished Black Angus cattle and lamb, woodland-raised pork, pastured poultry, and vegetables free of chemical fertilizers and pesticides.

This farm field day will show how working with nature can improve your land and generate more wealth. Discussion will revolve around the role of animals in healthy ecosystem functions, soil health, infrastructure, grazing planning, and animal investments. You will be presented with case studies, a tour of the farm, and Holistic Management® tools to help you determine your next steps and priorities.

Cost and Registration: $30. This includes lunch. Register at holisticmanagement.org/ greenacresfd. Registration closes June 27 .

Location:
Greenacres Foundation Art Center
8400 Blome Rd.
Cincinnati, OH 45243

Contact:
Holistic Management International / (505) 842-5252 /

Chestnut, Blueberry, and Permaculture Projects Farm Tour

Loudonville, Ohio

Sunday, July 2, 2023
1 p.m.

http://www.commongreensohio.org/

Blueberried Alive! grows chestnuts and blueberries commercially, as well as an array of other things for fun and sustenance. These include chickens, pawpaws, hardy kiwi, a garden, elderberries, Croatian plums, hazelnuts, pecans, butternuts, hickories, grapes, and apples. Their chestnut farm is the largest in the Americas, constituting a multigenerational breeding project.

This tour will show their biochar and compost management, a batch of compost tea, as well as their mostly organic methods in blueberry production. Children and responsible dogs are welcome.

Directions: When approaching the farm, go down the longer of the two driveways.

Location:
Blueberried Alive!
532 County Rd . 2302
Loudonville, OH 44842

Contact:
Common Greens / (000) 000-0000 /

Organic Farmer Researcher Network Meeting

community

Online

Thursday, July 6, 2023
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

http://offer.osu.edu/news/events

Join farmers, researchers, educators, and other interested individuals on the first Thursday of each month to discuss a variety of topics related to organic production research.

Group leaders include: Julia Barton (OEFFA Organic Policy Specialist); Denise Natoli Brooks (Central State University); and Casey Brown (Ohio State). The event is hosted by The Ohio State University's Organic Food & Farming Education and Research (OFFER) project.

Location:
Zoom

Contact:
Cassandra Brown / 419-685-1159 /

Pick and Picnic with a Farmer

Bexley, Ohio

Thursday, July 13, 2023
5:30 p.m.

Nobody knows the farmers' market or seasonal eating better than a farmer! In this free outing and picnic, farmer and cheese maker Abbe Turner of Lucky Penny Creamery will share her insider strategies for getting the most out of a trip to the market at any time of year. After a chance to shop, convene for a picnic and enjoy your market bounty together. There will be a summer eating focused picnic at Bexley Farmers' Market and a fall focused picnic at Upper Arlington.

This event is a part of OEFFA's 2023 Farm Tour and Workshop Series. Visit oeffa.org/farmtours to learn more.

Location:
Bexley Farmers' Market
S. Dawson Ave. at E. Main St.
Bexley, OH 43209

Contact:
OEFFA / (614) 421-2022 /

Permaculture Design Certificate

Yellow Springs, Ohio

Friday, July 14, 2023 through Sunday, July 30, 2023
Held over three weekends. Fridays: 4 hr online sessions (4-8 p.m.) Saturdays and Sundays: on-site sessions (10 a.m.-6 p.m.)

https://antiochcollege.edu/academics/permaculture-design-certification/

Antioch College welcomes the Cincinnati Permaculture Institute (CPI) to lead and award the CPI's internationally recognized Permaculture Design Certification (PDC) training to be held over three weekends from July 14-30.

The accelerated training is structured with 72 hours of virtual and on-site learning on July 14-16, 21-23, and 28-30. An additional 12 hours of supplemental reading and videos will be provided.

The training covers the history of permaculture, methods of design and implementation, information about patterns, climate, trees, soils, renewable energy, food preservation, governance, and much more.

The PDC will be led by CPI Director Susan VonderHaar, Antioch College organic farmer Bruce Linebaugh, other faculty, and guest speakers.

Registration is $950 if paid by May 31, and $1,000 starting June 1, 2023.

Location:
Antioch Farm
One Morgan Place
Yellow Springs, Ohio 45387

Contact:
Eric Miller / (937) 319-6232 /

Keeping Outside the Box

Jackson, Michigan

Saturday, July 15, 2023
1-3 p.m.

http://www.moffa.net/farmtours-2023.html

Jessica and Keith Steller became interested in beekeeping through gardening and mead-making. Knowing their yields could be greater from the benefits of the bees' pollination, more dedication into the husbandry and natural life cycle of the bee evolved.

At this tour, you will see some of what they have learned over 15 years of alternative beekeeping methods. Jessica and Keith presented at the MOFFA Organic Intensives this past January.

Location:
Steller Apiaries
3342 Clinton Way
Jackson, MI 49201

Contact:
MOFFA / (248) 262-6826 /

Southeast Chapter: Farm Tour

chapter-meetings

New Marshfield, Ohio

Sunday, July 16, 2023
11 a.m.-1 p.m.