Virginia Biological Farming Conference and Trade Show

February 17 & 18, 2006

The Eagle Eyrie Conference Center
Lynchburg, VA

• What this Conference is About ...
• About our Speakers ...
• Program Schedule ...
• Youth Program ...

What this Conference is About ...

The seventh annual Virginia Biological Farming Conference is being held once again near Lynchburg, right in the center of Virginia. The conference planning committee has tried to develop a program that will meet the needs of both horticultural crop producers and livestock farmers. The primary reason we have this conference is to provide information to farmers about the growing market demand for organically-grown foods.

We have Steve Moore talking about earning $20,000 net income from one-fourth acre of vegetable crops grown in unheated greenhouses. We have a pasture-based dairy farmer from Pennsylvania who sells his certified organic milk for $20 per cwt. and practically takes the winter off. We have several presentations on biological control systems for insects, diseases and weeds that not only work very well but cost much less than conventional controls. We have presentations on specialty crops that may increase farm profits, such as sprouts, exotic mushrooms, heirloom vegetables, heritage turkeys and cut flowers. We have a great program for kids. We invite parents to bring their children to this conference.

At many sustainable agriculture conferences, farmers learn about systems that reduce the use of agricultural pesticides, antibiotics, growth hormones, petroleum-based fertilizers and other synthetic chemicals. At this conference, we only provide education about farming systems that have absolutely no use of these synthetic products. The standard for certified organic is zero use of disallowed synthetic chemicals. These marketing opportunities do not allow moderation or compromise. In the United States sales of certified-organic foods have experienced growth of about ten percent each year for the past fifteen years. Organic is the fastest growing consumer food trend in this nation.

Our theme this year is Local Food Systems. In the food system that Americans currently embrace, our fruit, vegetables and livestock products often travel thousands of miles. This system is terribly wasteful of fossil fuels, causes pollution and increases consumer food costs. These are not however not the best reasons for everyone to become interested in local food systems. The best reason for consumers to buy their foods from local farmers is to take care of those local farmers. The best reason for farmers to provide safe, nutritious and affordable foods for local consumers is to take care of those local consumers. The food system Americans currently embrace is impersonal and completely uncaring about anybody or anything except corporate profit. Many members of the Virginia Association for Biological Farming believe that we can all treat ourselves in more civilized ways by building local food systems.

Who Should Attend?

Any interested farmer or farm manager
Livestock producers
Market gardeners
Extension educators and teachers
Government agricultural professionals
Homeowners interested in pesticide-free gardening
Youth who like to garden and learn about the environment

About Our Speakers

Margie Bender has served as a Technical Program Manager with the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy (ALBC) for over five years. The American Livestock Breeds Conservancy is a nonprofit membership organization working to protect over 150 breeds of livestock and poultry from extinction. Included are asses, cattle, goats, horses, sheep, pigs, rabbits, chickens, ducks, geese and turkeys. Margie is currently managing a USDA-SARE grant to increase production and marketing of Heritage Turkeys in our Southern region. She previously served as the Director of Carolina Farm Stewardship Association.

Dr. Mark Boudreau is a plant pathologist who owns and operates a private company called Hebert Green Agroecology in Asheville, North Carolina. Hebert Green Agroecology is a research and education company specializing in organic and sustainable agriculture. The mission is to provide supportive collaboration and contract services to farmers, potential farmers, scientists, educators, extension agents, organizations and agencies concerning organic and sustainable agriculture. Dr. Boudreau has conducted research in biological control of diseases in vegetables, peanuts, corn, beans and tree fruits. He has developed a proven system for organic disease suppression in tomatoes.

Dr. Mark Brown has worked as a Research Entomologist at the Appalachian Fruit Research Station in Kearneysville, West Virginia for the past 23 years. His research program is focused on modifying the tree fruit orchard management system to improve biological control. The Appalachian Fruit Research Station currently has 350 acres of apple, peach and pear trees. Over 25 papers from field studies conducted by Dr. Brown have been published in scientific journals such as Environmental Entomology and Biological Control.

Glenn Clayton owns 69 acres of woodland and pastureland in Shipman in Nelson County. Glenn and Joan Shipman have managed their Hungry Hill Farm since moving to Virginia in 1983. Before becoming a Virginia farmer, Glenn served for 25 years as a fire fighter with the Dept. of Defense in New Jersey. The Claytons have tried several enterprises at Hungry Hill Farm. They have grazed Angus beef cattle. They currently manage 2000 oak logs for shiitake mushroom production. Glenn also manages 150 hives of honeybees. He says that the market for honey is very strong.

Brad and Lindsey Constable grow vegetables with OM at Yogaville in Buckingham County. Before moving to Virginia, they had many years of experience in organic vegetable production in South Carolina. In South Carolina they were active members of the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association. During the growing season they produce enough vegetables along the James River at Yogaville, to feed about 80 members of the Ashram and have surplus produce to sell to customers from the local community.

Swami Gitananda is a yoga teacher and program manager at Yogaville. She started the vegetable gardening program at the Ashram and is currently developing a beautiful healing garden full of medicinal herbs. Under the guidance of Hugh Courtney, Swami Gitananda has used biodynamic practices, with excellent success, in the gardens at Yogaville. TheYogaville Ashram was founded by Sri Swami Satchidananda to help persons of all faiths learn about the benefits of yoga and meditation.

Bev Eggleston is a Sales and Marketing Agent for EcoFriendly Foods and Polyface, Inc. Bev has worked with Joel Salatin since 1990 in production, processing and distribution of pasture raised food products. During this time, Bev came to recognize the need for expanded marketing and distribution opportunities for livestock farmers throughout Virginia who wanted to develop direct marketing of meats. Three years ago Bev and his wife Janelle, purchased a meat processing facility in Moneta, Virginia in Bedford County. EcoFriendly Foods offers custom, USDA inspected and certified organic meat processing. Bev Eggleston also assists small-scale livestock farmers with sales and distribution through his network of markets, buying clubs and restaurant accounts.

Dr. Jon Eisenback operates the nematode assay laboratory in the Department of Plant Pathology, Physiology and Weed Science at Virginia Tech. He provides a constant service to Virginia farmers by identifying nematodes from soil samples submitted to his lab and helping farmers understand whether or not these organisms are affecting their crops. Dr. Jon Eisenback has participated in many field research programs, throughout Virginia, concerning nematode populations affecting cotton, peanuts, tobacco and vegetable crops. Dr. Eisenback has received national recognition for his photographs of nematodes under microscopy. Many of his photographs are published in the Nemapix – Journal of Nematological Images. Before coming to Virginia Tech, Dr. Eisenback worked for the Dept. of Plant Pathology at North Carolina State University.

Paul Goland operates Hardscrabble Enterprises, Inc. near Franklin, West Virginia. Paul and Nan Goland have been growing and selling shiitake mushrooms since 1982. They were early leaders in development of the log-grown shiitake mushroom industry and have helped thousands of landowners get started. Over the years Paul efforts to develop marketing channels for both fresh and dried shiitakes have enabled many rural growers to sell their mushrooms. In recent years Paul Goland has learned how to grow and sell many other species of delicious edible and medicinal mushrooms. Paul has been a constant supporter of the Virginia Biological Farming Conference, operating his mushroom resources vendor booth in our trade show. He is an active member of the Mycological Association of Washington D. C.

Harry Groot is a Partner in SunriseValley Farm, operations manager of Next Generation Woods, Inc, and president and CEO of Blue Ridge Forest Cooperative, a forest landownermarketing cooperative in southwestern Virginia. SunriseValley Farm is a diversified family farm that has direct-marketed value-added agricultural and forest products since 1977. The farm’s operating strategy is based on permaculture principles and is an evolving experiment dedicated to sustainability. The current primary livestock are heritage poultry, dairy goats, and livestock guardian dogs. Over the years the Farm has experimented with draft horses, wool sheep, meat goats, commercial breed poultry, produce, nuts and berries, wild, and handicrafts.

Joel Gruver is a doctoral student in Soil Science at North Carolina State University. His PhD research is an investigation of the combined effects of management and inherent soil properties on soil organic matter. While earning his Masters Degree in Agronomy at the University of Maryland, Joel became highly involved in soil studies with Dr. Ray Weil. Practical training included fifteen years of small scale organic fruit and vegetable production on his family homestead, eight years of seasonal work on a rotation grazing beef operation in Maryland, one year managing a 70 member CSA in Amherst, MA and two years managing an educational farm in NC. He came to Goldsboro, North Carolina in 2000 to manage the student farm component of the Center for Environmental Farming Systems. His teaching experience includes courses in soil science, environmental chemistry and agroecology at Tufts University, Principia College, NCSU and Central Carolina Community College.

Amy Hicks and George Ferguson own and operate a certified organic horticulture operation called Amy’s Garden, now located in both New Kent County and in Charles City County. They manage four acres of vegetables and cut flowers. Amy says that displaying both of these products is a great way to increase sales at farmers markets. They currently sell vegetables and cut flowers at the Richmond Farmers Market and the Williamsburg Farmers Market. Amy and George have taken farmscaping for biological insect control to a higher level. Amy and George grow over 50 species of cut flowers and a lively mix of vegetable crops for their 65 member CSA. They have five hoop houses for season extension. This business has been growing since 1995.

Steve Hodges directs community development for Jubilee Project in Hancock County in East Tennessee. Jubilee Project is a United Methodist mission project begun to help community residents gain the skills, experience and hope needed to improve their lives in one of the lowest income areas of Appalachia. Steve is involved with economic development projects including Jubilee’s small business incubator. He has worked extensively on development of the Clinch-Powell Community Kitchens, a shared-use community kitchen in which farmers and small business people can create their own value-added food products. He also helped create Appalachian Spring Cooperative, an association of growers and processors using the Clinch-Powell Community Kitchens to produce gourmet food products for commercial sale. Steve Hodges and the members of Appalachian Spring Cooperative constantly collaborate with Anthony Flaccavento and Appalachian Sustainable Development for mutual benefit.

Dave Johnson owns and operates a certified organic, pasture-based dairy operation in Liberty, Pennsylvania. At Provident Farms, Dave manages 50-60 cows and 260 acres of land. He has been involved in organic dairy farming for 6 years. For 20 previous years he taught college courses in electronics. Dave Johnson serves as vice-president of the Northeast Organic Dairy Producers Association. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (PASA).

Dr. Tom Kuhar works as a vegetable crop entomologist at the Eastern Shore Agriculture Research and Extension Center in Painter, Virginia. He has provided research and extension support to Virginia vegetable growers, in controlling insect pests, since 2000. Tom has a very strong background in biological control of insect pests. He is currently conducting research in control of European corn borer in peppers and potatoes with Trichogramma ostriniae (tiny parasitoid wasps). He is also evaluating the pest management potential of the use of pheremones and plant attractants of Colorado potato beetle. Dr. Kuhar is also studying the ecology of wireworms and testing biological control of them using entomopathogenic nematodes. He is also studying the effectiveness of parasitoids in controlling Diamondback moth on collards.

Michael Lachance has served as an Agriculture Extension Agent in Nelson County since 1992. He provides Extension programs in commercial fruit and vegetable production for the Central Virginia area. Michael Lachance received his Master’s Degree in Entomology from the University of Missouri. Integrated pest management, local market development, plus farm and rural community sustainability issues are key components of his Extension programming efforts. Michael serves on the Board of Directors of the Virginia Association for Biological Farming. He has supported the Virginia Biological Farming Conferences and the Virginia Sustainable Agriculture Conferences for many years.

Steve Moore has gained national recognition for the innovative systems he has developed for growing organic vegetable crops in passive solar greenhouses. Steve developed these systems during the last fifteen years at Harmony Essentials Farm near Spring Grove, Pennsylvania. Steve and his wife Carol, sold their greenhouse vegetables through Sonnewald Natural Foods, which is billed as the oldest existing health food store in Pennsylvania. During the 1980s, Steve Moore was a conventional greenhouse vegetable grower. To produce tomatoes and other warm season crops in the winter, Steve found himself burning 1500 lbs. of propane every ten days in his range of conventional greenhouses. He was getting great prices for his crops but his costs were so high that his profits were only marginal. Steve stopped heating his greenhouses and began growing a wide variety of cool season crops during the cool and cold months. That was not as easy as it sounds. To do this successfully, he had to make many changes in his greenhouses. Through trial and error, Steve Moore discovered ways to accept as much natural energy as possible and to conserve that solar energy for his crops. The financial rewards have been impressive. In the late 1990s, Steve began explaining his system for growing crops in unheated greenhouses to audiences at farming conferences and he began holding two-day workshops at his farm. The audience response was tremendous. The demand for his teaching became so high that Steve has now accepted a research and teaching job at the Center for Environmental Farming Systems at Goldsboro, N. C. with North Carolina A&T University. At that sustainable agriculture teaching farm, Steve Moore will be able to share his hard-earned knowledge with many farmers.

Dr. Ron Morse is a research and emeritus research-teaching-outreach specialist in vegetable crops at Virginia Tech. His major research and outreach focus is minimum tillage in sustainable and organic vegetable production systems. Areas of specialization include (1) development and refinement of no-till transplanters and seeders, (2) selection and management of high-biomass cover crops for weed suppression, (3) integration of farmscaping and minimum-tillage systems for insect control, and (4) efficient and eco-friendly use of nutrients and water.

Theresa Nartea is an Agribusiness & Marketing Specialist with NC Agricultural & Technical State University's-Cooperative Extension Program. Her work focus is to develop socio-economically sustainable marketing strategies for family farms. She provides leadership and expertise to Extension personnel to help farm families to resourcefully re-invent their marketing approach and product offerings to target today's savvy consumers in a harmonious blend of farm nostalgia and internet technology. From 1993-1998, she worked with USDA county based programs and Washington State University-Cooperative Extension to provide technical support on farm preservation, environmental stewardship, nutrient management & farm profitability issues. She is a trained Soil Scientist (NC Department of Environment & Natural Resources, 1999-2002) and served as the Program Director of Education & Marketing of the Center for Environmental Farming Systems from 2002 to 2004.

Dr. Steven Pao conducts research in food safety at the Agriculture Research Station at Virginia State University in Petersburg. His areas of expertise include food safety and sanitation, fruit and vegetable processing, microbial detection and intervention and juice HACCP. Before coming to Virginia he provided food safety support to the orange juice industry in Florida. For the last four years Dr. Pao has conducted extensive research in the safety parameters concerning commercial production of sprouts. He has attended national conferences for sprout producers and marketers. Although raw sprouts are a wonderful health food, they are highly susceptible to contamination by bacteria which can cause illness. Dr. Pao will discuss the variety of seeds that an be sold as sprouts, recommended growing procedures and post-harvest handling procedures that can make sprout production both safe and profitable.

Dr. Bill Pierson has served as an avian veterinarian for the past fifteen years, with the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg. As an Associate Professor, Dr. Pierson provides clinical training for the veterinary students in infectious diseases of poultry. He constantly develops bio-security programs to protect Virginia poultry flocks from infections such as Newcastle disease and Avian Influenza. Concerning pastured turkeys, Dr. Pierson will specifically discuss controls for a disease called Blackhead.

Keith Richards is one of the most recognizable names in the Sustainable Agriculture Movement in the South. Since 1993 he served as Director, head fund raiser and program manager for Southern Sustainable Agriculture Working Group (SSAWG). SSAWG is an organization of farmers, interested individuals, non-government organizations and government agencies devoted to sustainable agriculture in our Southern region. Keith helped get the now famous SSAWG Conference started. For eight years Keith Richards was editor of the SSAWG newsletter. He has written hundreds of articles about farming families, farming associations and farming movements in the South. He is a prodigious grant writer. He has initiated several grant programs with funding from the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) of USDA, from Risk Management Agency (RME) of USDA and from other funding sources. He has collaborated in many special programs with ATTRA, Florida Organic Growers, RAFI, Heifer Project International and with organic farming associations in nearly every Southern state. Keith Richards currently serves as the Program Manager for Community Food Systems and Enterprise Development with SSAWG. He lives in Elkins, Arkansas.

Mark Schonbeck, jack of all trades, master of none, has done part time research, educational outreach and technical assistance in sustainable agriculture as an independent consultant for the past 15 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.

Susan Swales has managed Wild Oats Farm, for five years, starting with the goal of managing her 60 acres of land organically and raising natural meat products for niche markets. Her overall goal is to make the farm pay for itself. She came to agricultural production from an academic point of view and found out very quickly that the practical aspects of farming are not explored or explained through research. She wishes that she knew then what she knows now. Her livestock operation includes Murray Grey and Angus beef cattle (20 brood cows), Boer cross goats (15 does) and St. Croix sheep (25 ewes). She will add hogs soon to further diversify and add to complexity of management. Susan will talk about the lessons she has learned from experience in managing livestock, managing pastures, purchasing supplies, managing labor, paying for services, processing and marketing.