Virginia Biological Farming Conference and Trade Show

February 15 & 16, 2008

Sheraton Richmond West Hotel
Richmond, VA

About Our Speakers

Denise Anderson and her husband Cameron, own and mind the day to day operation of 2Silos Farm in Mt. Gilead, Ohio. 2Silos is an all natural family farm in Morrow County. The Andersons specialize in producing all natural pastured poultry products. They have three laying flocks for a total of 550 hens. They also produce 5000 broilers, both certified organic and chemical-free, all natural chickens.

Dr. Michel Cavigelli is a Soil Scientist at the USDA Agricultural Research Service in Beltsville, Maryland (since 1999) where he is Lead Scientist of the Beltsville Farming Systems Project (FSP), a long-term cropping systems trial evaluating the sustainability of organic and conventional grain cropping systems. Dr. Cavigelli has a PhD in Soil Microbial Ecology from Michigan State University, an MS in Soil Science from Kansas State University, and a BA in Biology from Oberlin College. Dr. Cavigelli has worked at Michigan State University Extension, helping to incorporate ecological concepts into Extension publications and presentations. He was an intern at The Land Institute in Salina, Kansas and worked for two years at the Kansas Rural Center, a non-profit organization supporting sustainable agriculture in Kansas. Michel and his wife, Martha, garden organically and commute to work by bike.

Cherise Cobb currently serves as Administrative and Program Specialist at Virginia State University – Cooperative Extension. She is the liaison to 11 specialists and several agents throughout the counties. She also provides leadership in coordinating, facilitating and implementing youth programs for the Agriculture Department at Virginia State University Cooperative Extension. Ms. Cobb has a degree in Early Childhood Education and is a Certified Proposal and Grant Writer from Virginia Union University.

Charlie Collins, Owner/Operator of Victory Farms, Inc., a family-run farm in Hanover, Virginia. Charlie has been farming for a living since 1994. With a degree in Botany, he has spent years developing methods for growing finequality produce on a small urban farm. The acre of land is compost-fed and pesticides are never used. Artisanally grown produce is hand-harvested and tended to daily by Charlie himself and arrives at the markets freshly picked, thoroughly cleaned, and ready to enjoy.

Kevin Damian has grown mixed vegetables at Chile Llama Farm in Hanover County for the past 11 years. He is an organic grower who is not certified. Kevin sells lettuce, leafy greens, tomatoes, garlic, herbs, cut flowers and a wide variety of other specialty crops at the Ashland Farmers Market. He collects the manure from nine llamas for production of compost. He is famous for bringing a bag of “llama beans” as a raffle prize every year at our annual conference. By using unheated greenhouses with careful applications of shade, Kevin Damian has developed a production system which allows him to grow and sell leaf lettuce and Romaine lettuce throughout the summer and winter months. He will also describe the way he uses collected rain water to irrigate his crops without electricity.

Keith Dix and Bev Lacey are co-owners of Blue Heron Farm. They grow a large variety of fruits, vegetables, cut flowers and herbs on two and a half acres, and do it without using chemical pesticides or commercial fertilizers. The farm is located two miles South of Basic Necessities, just off of Rt. 151. Keith had been farming organically on a part-time basis before he retired from West Virginia University where he was Director of the Center for Sustainable Agriculture. In the ten years since 1995, he has devoted his full time to farming. Bev had many years of gardening experience before moving from Ohio to Nelson County in 2004. She brings to Blue Heron Farm an extensive knowledge of, and love for, flower growing.

Paul Estabrook and his wife YoungSuk own Virginia Gold Orchards. Together with their two children, they started an Asian pear orchard from scratch in 1990, growing it to an internationally known orchard featured by Gourmet Magazine in 2001. Not only are their Asian pears unique, they are certified organic and meet “Virginia’s Finest” standards. The 20-acre orchard features 4,000 trees from 16 pear varieties. They have a testing area, containing 25+ different named varieties & several original hybrids bred by YoungSuk. They ship worldwide.

Sharon Funderburk is a Field and Crop Manager for Burch Farms in Faison, North Carolina which has 2500 acres of crops. The farm is proud to grow sweet potatoes and butternut squash which are not only organic, but high in Vitamins A & C and a good source of fiber. Burch Farms grows collards, cabbage and spinach as well. In recent years, Burch Farms has entered into contract production of certified organic sweet potatoes and butternut squash for Earth’s Best Company for processing into baby food.

Dr. Elaine Ingham is President of Soil Foodweb Incorporated in Corvallis, Oregon. She is an energetic, easy-to-understand speaker who explains what life in the soil is all about. Behind this "user-friendly" approach lies a wealth of knowledge gained from years of intensive research into the organisms which make up the soil food web. Elaine not only understands the soil food web, she has knowledge on how to ensure a healthy food web to promote plant growth and reduce reliance on inorganic chemicals. While truly an academic, Elaine is also passionate about sharing her knowledge and research findings with those at the grass roots level of working with soils. That includes not just farmers who grow crops, but also those who graze cattle, sheep and other livestock, fruit and vegetable growers, greens keepers, parks and gardens workers, nursery operators - in fact anyone who grows things, even if it's just plain old lawn grass. Elaine offers a way forward for sustainable farming. A way of improving the soils we work with now and a way to keep soils in this healthier state without damaging any other eco-system.

Tim Johnson is Operations Manager for Ozark Pasture Beef, a northwestern Arkansas group of nine multi-generational family farms. Ozark Pasture Beef was incorporated in 2003 as a sustainable, grass-finished beef group. Sales have increased about 50% per year over the four years. They market their beef both directly to consumers and in retail establishments. Tim and Ozark Pasture Beef have worked with several Universities, SARE and ATTRA to investigate the constraints of economically producing quality grass-fed beef. Tim will discuss these constrains, marketing options and business issues of running a small corporation.

Tony Lagana is the manager of Ploughshare Community Farm CSA in Louisa, Virginia. This ten acre CSA farm grows vegetables and poultry products for 55 families. They manage their crops organically. They also use biodynamic practices.

Mr. Richard Moyer grew up in Augusta, Georgia, on the former site of Fruitland Nursery, one of the great Southern Nurseries from ~1850-1950. He teaches Biology at King College in Bristol, TN, continuing his family interest in fruit production. There they have planted hundreds of fruits on two acres, identifying carefree plants for fruit production in urban and rural settings. Using variety choice, season extension techniques and various preservation methods, they provide fruit for their family of 8, one to two meals each day. Dr. Moyer also has conducted research on the antioxidant levels in a range of small fruits. The Moyers recently moved to Russell County, SW VA, in order to grow more food for their table and for market.

Paul Mugge is a third generation farmer from northwestern Iowa. He is very active in a group called the Practical Farmers of Iowa which has promoted sustainable agriculture practices since the 1980s. Paul also serves on an Advisory Committee for the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture at Iowa State University. Paul raises hogs and grows a variety of grain crops, including corn, which is primarily used as feed for his hogs. His soybeans are sold to local processors and made into hog feed, which he then buys back for his hogs. Paul produces 50 acres of food grade soybeans that are grown without the use of synthetic pesticides and are sold at a premium price. He also occasionally grows oats and alfalfa hay in rotation with corn and soybeans and both are sold as cash crops for livestock feed.

David O’Neill operates Radical Roots Community Farm which is catalyzing positive change by growing high quality organic vegetables and educating about sustainable agriculture. The farm sells produce and plants at the Staunton/Augusta Farmers Market, Charlottesville City market, and has a 100 member CSA. Dave has a background in public horticulture was formerly the Director of the Arboretum at James Madison University. Dave teaches permaculture design and organic gardening classes to community groups and college classes and has experience in landscape design.

Bo Page and Jimmy Landry operate Planet Positive Organic Farm out of Gainesville, Florida. In 2007, Mr. Page grew 40 acres of certified organic vegetables on plastic with trickle irrigation in Georgia. He is an expert in water management. While Georgia was experiencing the worst drought in a century, Bo Page was growing and selling crops. He used to be a crop manager in Florida with one of the largest conventional plasticulture farming operations in the U. S. Mr. Page has adapted much of the technology he learned to an organic production system for wholesale market of certified organic crops. Jimmy Landry works with Bo Page as sales manager for Planet Positive. He will discuss wholesale marketing of certified organic produce.

Lisa Reagan is the President of Families for Natural Living, a non-profit organization that facilitates a network of self-directed community groups and learning programs for parents. Lisa has worked as an investigative journalist for 16 years. She lives with her family on their organic farm in Toano, Virginia. In 2007 Lisa operated a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) organization for 15 families. She learned a great deal from her first year in operating a CSA.

Debbie Roos is an Agricultural Extension Agent for North Carolina State University in Chatham County, NC. She works with organic farmers and beekeepers. “I didn't take my first entomology class until graduate school, or I surely would have majored in it! I teach workshops for farmers on a variety of topics, including organic pest management and farmscaping to create beneficial insect habitat. A few years ago I started collecting insects to build up a reference collection of pests and beneficials for my workshops. Now I am more focused on photography (thank goodness because I never enjoy killing bugs!).”

Dr. Mark Schonbeck has done part time research, educational outreach, and technical assistance in sustainable agriculture as an independent consultant for the past 20 years. He has worked with a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program at a farm in Floyd County (1991-2004), managed a homestead garden for the small community where he lives (0.1-0.25 acre, 6- 10 people), served on the VABF Board of Directors for several years, and has edited the VABF newsletter since fall 1997. His research has included cover cropping, mulching, soil nutrient balance and soil quality, organic vegetable horticulture, and most recently cover crop based organic no-till / reduced till systems for sustainable organic vegetable production. His research experience includes on-farm trials hosted by several VABF growers. Mark also serves on the Board of Directors of the Southern Sustainable Agriculture Working Group, and does some volunteer policy advocacy work with Southern SAWG and the National Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture.

Keith Tignor is a State Apiarist with the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. He believes that bees and beekeepers are currently facing problems which could severely affect crop production in Virginia. He conducted a study in 2006 which examined the annual loss of Virginia honey bees due to parasites and diseases. The study concluded that Virginia is currently losing valuable honey bee hives at an annual rate of 30 percent. The greatest concern now is the Varroa mite, which transmits diseases, reduces honey bee productivity and contributes to the mortality rate of honey bee hives in Virginia. Threats on the horizon include possible introduction of Africanized honey bees and a new disease called Colony Collapse Disorder. Mr. Tignor will discuss an incentive program which can help beginning beekeepers establish new hives and maintain these important pollinators.

Lee Sturgis operates Radical Roots Community Farm which is catalyzing positive change by growing high quality organic vegetables and educating about sustainable agriculture. The farm sells produce and plants at the Staunton/ Augusta Farmers Market, Charlottesville City market, and has a 100 member CSA. Lee manages the Radical Roots CSA and has a clinical herbalist practice.

Dr. Joe Tritschler, Extension Specialist in Small Ruminants at Virginia State University disseminates research-based, practical management information to assist small-scale farmers with meat goat and hair sheep production. Dr. Tritschler has held many workshops throughout Virginia concerning FAMACHA – learning how not to deworm small ruminants. He has helped a number of landowners, especially in Southwest Virginia, develop production and marketing of Katahdin sheep as a profitable new enterprise. These hair sheep are more profitable than the wool breeds for meat production because they do not need to be sheared. Dr. Tritschler has provided livestock management education for landowners in Hawaii, Latin America and has recently served as director of a major economic development program with small ruminants in East Africa.

Byron Vaughan is Vice President of A&L Eastern. He was raised on a cotton farm in Texas and completed his Ph.D. at Colorado State University. He worked at Harris Labs (soil testing lab) in Nebraska for 17 years prior to his current position at A&L Eastern. He has experience working with organic soybean growers in Nebraska, though he indicated that the organic movement is a lot stronger and more evident here in VA than it was in NE.

Jennifer Wilkins directs the Cornell Farm to School Program, Which provides information , analysis and technical assistance to K-12 public schools and colleges and universities in the state of New York. The goals of this work are to foster shifts in food procurement toward local producers, educate students of all ages about the local food and agriculture system, and develop economically viable markets for farmers. Since 1993, Jennifer has held the position of senior extension associate in the Division of Nutritional Sciences at Cornell University, where her extension and applied research program focuses on consumer issues related to community food systems. Jennifer initiated the Cornell Farm to School Program, for which she received a Dannon Institute Award for Excellence in Community Nutrition in 2003. She also conceptualized and developed the first regional good guide in the United States, the Northeast Regional Food Guide. Jennifer is the immediate past president of the Agriculture, Food and Human Values Society, and has served on the board of Directors for the Society for Nutrition Education.

John Wilson has been farming sustainably in Virginia Beach for fifteen years. At New Earth Farm, John grows vegetables, fruits and flowers, and sells eggs from free range Plymouth Rock hens on five acres. John and his wife, Kathleen Fogarty, began their CSA in 2006 with 30 sharers. The 2007 season had 37 members John and a team of paid workers and volunteers keep the produce thriving, while Kathleen takes care of membership, the weekly newsletter, E-mail communication and breakfast on CSA pick up day.