Some 3400 organic farm conference goers
descended upon the city of La Crosse this past weekend for the 26th annual
MOSES Organic Farming Conference, the largest such conference in the nation with attendees from 25-30 states and 4 foreign countries bringing about a million dollars of economic impact to our area.We happened to offer overnight lodging for one participant through Couchsurfing and although our visit was short, it was refreshing to hear from one attendee in particular who has embraced the idea of a sustainable lifestyle. At 37 years of age he serves upon a board for Land Stewardship up in the Twin Cities area. He spent his first day listening to a lot about policy and viewing one of the film offerings (Mysteries of Driftless Region.)
In addition to round tables, possibilities of over 67 workshops and and 6 general sessions, an exhibit hall, poster gallery and Book Shop, the conference had both musical and film entertainment. (Film trailer links below), there was even childcare for families traveling with children ages 3-12 which included breakfast, lunch and activities with a $45/diem.
On Thursday there were Organic University course offerings which included: Soil Biology, Health-Dairy Cattle, Storage Options, Farmscale Permaculture In Her Boots, Farming with Beneficial Insects, Farming for More $-Less Work, Profitable Fruit Processing Successful Grass-Fed Beef and Small Grains.
The Keynote Speaker Friday John Jeavons spoke on:Farming for the Future Now: "Optimizing Organic Farming" The Farmer of the Year was also announced that afternoon.
Workshop categories were in Field Crops | Healthy Soils & Farming Systems | Livestock Market Farming and Specialty Crops | Business, Marketing & Certification Education, Environment and Emerging Issues.
There was something for everybody. Maybe we'll see you here next year. Mark your calendars for the end of February!
Here are some of those film links:Food Chains
TERRA FIRMA, a film about Women, War and Healing
He has no idea how fortunate he was to land up on your couch during his stay!
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