Healthy soil and sustainable growing

["Tradingpost" <tradingpost@gilanet.com>]

1/20/04

Tenth annual meeting of the Western Sustainable Agricultural Working Group

Contact: Jeff Schahczenski, Executive Director, WSAWG, 406-494-8636 or
<mailto:wsawg@ncat.org> or http://www.westernsawg.org

The tenth annual meeting of the Western Sustainable Agricultural Working
Group will take place February 20-22 on the campus of Utah State University
in Logan Utah. The theme of the meeting is "The Western Sustainable
Agriculture Movement: Building Relationships and Wielding Power".  The
meeting will include a keynote address by Karl Kupers, a dryland crop
farmer and leader in the sustainable agriculture movement in the region.
Karl co-founded the Pacific Northwest Direct Seed Association, is a
certified Food Alliance eco-label grower, and a member of the advisory
council for Western Sustainable Agriculture, Research and Education (WSARE)
program. Karl also has the distinction of having negotiated the first ever
agriculture land carbon lease agreement with a major energy company for the
Pacific Northwest Direct Seed Association grower members.

The meeting will also include a series of workshops, round table
discussions and a conservation farm tour.

Workshops include:

Grants for Sustainable Agriculture: with Margaret Krome, Michael Fields
Institute, Bill Murphy, Director of the California office of the USDA Risk
Management Agency and Dr. Phil Rasmussen, Coordinator of the WSARE program.

Innovations in Risk Management: Organics, Specialty Crops and Adjusted
Gross Revenue Insurance Programs: with Bill Murphy, Director of the
California office of the USDA Risk Management Agency.

State Food Policy Councils- What They Are and Why They're Important: with
Jim Dyer, Project Director, Southwest Marketing Network

Round Table Discussions include:

Local and Regional Sustainable Food Systems: with Jonda Crosby, Alternative
Energy Resource Organization, Jim Dyer, Southwest Marketing Network, Karl
Kupers, The Food Alliance.

A New Revolution in Working Lands Conservation: with Jeff Schahczenski,
WSAWG; Penny Trinca, SAABRA and Joan Quinn, New Mexico Organic Commodities
Commission.

Agriculture, Transgenics and Modifying Life: with Jill Davies, Montana
Organic Association; Bill Aal, Washington Sustainable Food and Farming
Network, and Jim Barngrover, Alternative Energy Resources Organization (AERO)

Beyond Organics: with Richard Parrot, WSAWG; Nancy Matheson, National
Center for Appropriate Technology; Chris Shreiner, Oregon Tilth

Conservation Farm Tour: hosted by Penny Trinca, Sustainable Agriculture
Association of the Bear River Area (SAABRA). Half day tour including lunch.
Tour will visit USU low water-use plant material farm, grass-based dairy,
visit Bear River Kitchen Incubator and several farms using EQIP and 319
federal support to clean up 32 animal feeding operations and other sites.

Closing Banquet with local Pheasant and Trout and other goodies---- Music
to follow...

Full registration information and agenda available on WSAWG website:
http://www.westernsawg.org or contact Jeff Schahczenski, 406-494-8636



Chrys Ostrander
Chrysalis Farm at Tolstoy
Grower of Organic Produce & Botanicals
33495 Mill Canyon Rd.
Davenport, WA 99122
(509) 725-0610
chrys@thefutureisorganic.net
http://www.thefutureisorganic.net

"The purpose of agriculture is not the production of food, but the
perfection of human beings"
Masanobu Fukuoka - "One Straw Revolution"