6th Annual “Farming for Profit and Stewardship” Conference in Hagerstown, MD Jan. 14-15, 2005 - Farmers and Ag Experts to Share Ideas on Building Farm Enterprises - Keynote Speaker - World Renowned Livestock Handling Expert
The meeting, presented by Future Harvest - a Chesapeake Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture, will be held at the Four Points Sheraton in Hagerstown, MD. The two-day event is helpful for farmers and agri-business leaders.
Hagerstown, MD (PRWEB) December 25, 2004
The 2005 “Farming for Profit and Stewardship” Conference is being held in Hagerstown on January 14 and 15. The meeting, presented by Future Harvest - a Chesapeake Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture, will be held at the Four Points Sheraton in Hagerstown. An estimated 300 attendees will participate in the two-day event.
Future Harvest-CASA is an educational non-profit organization dedicated to promoting profitable and environmentally sustainable food and farming systems with membership in Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Delaware.
According to Future Harvest – CASA Executive Director Bruce Mertz, the event has annually increased in attendance and in significance. “New speakers, new ideas and new information on increasing the profitability of farms will be introduced at this sixth annual conference. We welcome anyone who is interested to attend the information-packed workshops and farm panels.”
“This is an exciting event to be held in Washington County,” said Tom Riford, the President of the Hagerstown-Washington County Convention and Visitors Bureau. “Washington County has a rich agricultural heritage, and our community welcomes the conference attendees from throughout the Mid-Atlantic for this significant event.” Riford said that many of the activities include sessions covering value-adding activities for farms, alternative crops, profitable agricultural enterprises, farmers markets, Internet marketing, and several other pertinent topics.
Dr. Temple Grandin, perhaps the worldÂ’s foremost authority on humane livestock facilities and handling methods to reduce animal stress, will be the eventÂ’s keynote speaker. Dr. Grandin, an Associate Professor of Animal Science at Colorado State University, will speak Saturday January 15th. Dr. Grandin will also offer a workshop on animal handling. Dr. Grandin has had significant influence on the livestock industry, creating new systems for humane animal transport and slaughter, and has consulted for many big name corporations, including for McDonalds.
The conference will also bring together many outstanding farmers in sustainable agriculture, as well as nationally known researchers. The meeting will open Friday January 14th with talks by Bob Muth of Muth Family Farm in Williamstown, NJ, and Jerry Brunetti, of Agri-Dynamics, a company specializing in developing ecological systems approaches to livestock, crop and horticultural programs. Muth, who farms under the pressures of rural development, will talk on “Taking Advantage of Your Changing Landscape;” Brunetti will speak on “Marketing the Health Benefits of Food.”
Friday January 14thÂ’s evening events include dinner and farmer panel. The panel discussion will include Kathy Evans of Evans Knob Farm, Bruceton Mills, WV, Ian Seletsky of Richfield Farm, Manchester, MD and Beverly Eggleston of Emerald Family Farms, Moneta, VA.
Sixteen separate workshops are scheduled for Saturday January 15th on marketing, specialty crop production and risk management. Featured speakers include Elizabeth Henderson of Peacework Organic Farm in Newark, NY, who will present a workshop on “Marketing Models for Community Supported Agriculture Farms (CSAs) and Subscription Services” A Northeast SARE Sustainable Farmer-Educator, Henderson will present a second workshop on organic production and certification issues.
Dr. Ray Weil of the University of Maryland will present a workshop on Brassica cover crops and lead a farmer discussion group on farm research. A “Graziers Forum” is also scheduled with Maryland farmers Ron Holter of Holterholm Farms in Jefferson; Bobby Prigel of Bellvale Farm in Glen Arm, and Glenn Shirley of Shirley Farms in Westminster.
The conference will also feature foods produced by farms in the region. A networking social on Friday will feature cheeses from BroomÂ’s Bloom Dairy in Bel Air, Maryland and from two Virginia producers, Ladybug MicroCreamery in Willis and Meadow Creek Dairy in Galax.
Keynote Speaker, Dr. Grandin has appeared on television shows such as 20/20, 48 hours, CNN Larry King Live and been featured in People Magazine, the New York Times, Forbes, U. S. News and World Report and Time magazine. She is the author of Livestock Handling and Transport, Genetics and the Behavior of Domestic Animals, as well as a new book, Animals in Translation, due to be published in January by Scribner.
Additional program information on the conference may be found at www. futureharvestcasa. org. To receive registration information please email: fhcasa@friend. ly. net or call 410-604-2681.
Conference planning and assistance has been provided by the Hagerstown-Washington County CVB. Conference Sponsors include:
• USDA-Risk Management Agency
• Henry A. Wallace Beltsville Agricultural Research Center
• Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program
• Wallace Genetic Foundation
• Nature’s Best Organic Feeds
• Maryland Cooperative Extension
• Lancaster Farming
Future Harvest-CASA is a network of farmers, agricultural professionals, landowners and consumers living and working in the Chesapeake region. Future Harvest-CASA promotes profitable, environmentally sound and socially acceptable food and farming systems that work to sustain communities. Members of the Board of Directors include representatives from the USDA, private farms, the Maryland Cooperative Extension, AgLife (Boonsboro), Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Humane Society of the United States, Loudon County Economic Development, Virginia Cooperative Extension, Howard County Economic Development Authority, and the University of Maryland Dept. of Natural Resource Sciences.
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Future Harvest-CASA
P. O. Box 337
106 Market Court
Stevensville, MD 21666
Phone: 410-604-2681
Contact: Dawn Stephenson, Future Harvest, 410-604-2681
Tom Riford, Hagerstown-Washington County CVB, 301-791-3246
