An upcoming organic farming conference will assist growers thinking about transitioning to organic farming and those that are newly certified organic farmers. This one-day conference will focus on the certification process, crop management, and marketing for organic grain farms. Panel discussions with organic producers are included in the program.
The event will take place on Tuesday, Dec. 2 at the University of Nebraska Eastern Nebraska Research, Extension and Education Center near Mead, Nebraska from 9 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. with registration beginning at 8:30 a.m.
University of Nebraska Statewide Soil Health Extension Educator, Katja Koehler-Cole says, “Interest in organic farming is growing. Successful implementation involves careful planning, thorough recordkeeping, and certification. Through this event, we aim to provide helpful information on the process of attaining organic farm certification. We hope that this gathering will foster connections and community among both novice and veteran farmers, alongside agricultural professionals and researchers.”
Registration, coffee, and vendor exhibits are open from 8:30 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. followed by the welcome with Katja Koehler-Cole. The first speaker is Karlin Warner with OneCert speaking on organic certification. Other topics include no-till organic corn production using a living mulch system with Ben Miller, Clear Frontier and a farmer panel featuring Nebraska farmers who will be sharing experiences from the transitional to the long-term organic farmer
Group discussions will allow participants to select what interests them most. The topics will be repeated allowing participants to choose two from: Co-ops in the organic sectors; No-till agronomic management; Help NRCS and FSA help you!; and Marketing organic grains.
The event will also include time for networking, vendor exhibits, and coffee at the end of the day.
There is no fee to attend, but please preregister by Nov. 25 for meal planning purposes (including lunch with locally sourced ingredients) and to ensure resource materials are available. Seating is limited. Registration and more information available at: https://enreec.unl.edu/2025-transition-to-organic-farming-conference/.
Please direct questions to Katja Koehler-Cole at kkoehlercole2@unl.edu or (402)624-8042
For those interested in participating as an exhibitor at the conference, a link is available on the web page for reserving a table by Nov. 25.
Sponsored by Nebraska Extension and the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service - National Organic Program - Transition to Organic Partnership Program.
