THURSDAY, MARCH 4, 2010 – ORGANIC BERRY SYMPOSIUM & ACORN CONFERENCE ANNIVERSARY KICK-OFF CELEBRATION

9 a.m. –9:30 a.m.

Introduction/Welcome to the Atlantic Organic Berry Symposium (Georgian) Host: Dr. Derek Lynch, Canada Organic Agriculture Chair

Recent

9:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

Wild blueberries: Battling pests and weeds, followed by grower discussion and Q&A with David Yarborough

9:30 a.m.-11:00 a.m.

Highbush Blueberries and grower discussion with Dr. David Handley

11:15 a.m. – 12:00 a.m.

Weed and fertility management of establishing black currants with the Organic Agriculture Centre of Canada

1:00 p.m.- 2:00 p.m.

Raspberries and Blackberries with David Handley

3:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Berries and Beyond: The best berries, shrubs and vines for Maritime climate with Ken Taylor, Green Barn Nursery

7 p.m. - 10 p.m.

10th Anniversary Kick-off Celebration:  Celebrating a Decade of Growth panel discussion with Atlantic Canada’s organic pioneers!  Following will be birthday cake and musical entertainment provided by members of the Smokin’ Contra Band

FRIDAY, MARCH 5, 2010

7:30 a.m. - 8:30 a.m.

·      Baking with a wood-fired oven – a workshop with Doug Brown, Oakhaven Bakery & Speerville Flour Mill

8:30 a.m. - 9 a.m.

·      Opening reception with talk.

9 a.m. – 10:15 a.m

·      Love, Money and your Small Farm Dream - Strategies for Getting Started with Jamey Coughlin and Roxanne Beavers

·      Beyond Expectation - Value, Value Added and the Value/Cost Ratio with Gwendolyn Simpson

·      Livestock Grower Discussion:  Poultry

·      Innovative Weed Management Strategies for organic cereal crops Dr. Ellen Mallory, U. of Maine

10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

·      Livestock Grower Discussion:  Sheep

·      Composting for Field Crops

·      Plant and Pick: Less work, more money - This hour long seminar will give you ideas on how to start or run a small or medium sized farm business with as little interference or input as possible.  Presented by Ken Taylor and Steve Leroux, Green Barn Nursery

·      Certifying your value-added operation

1:15 p.m. - 2:45 p.m.

·      New Solutions to perennial problems: Pasture & Fencing Management for Livestock Producers with Peter Maxner

·     OACC Organic Cereal Crop Research with Dr. Andy Hammermeister

·      Increasing Small Farm Capacity: Introduction to Small Scale Farm Machinery/Equipment with Rupert Jannasch (ACORN Organic Transition Specialist)

·      Value-Added Assessment:  Are you ready? with Steve Owen (NRC-IRAP)

3 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.

·      Solutions to increasing livestock profitability: Grass-Fed Beef with Ron Gargasz

·     Bringing Out the Best in Your Soil: Organic Soil and Fertility Management with Dr. Ellen Mallory, U. of Maine

·      Designing your farm with systems in mind: a look at how to incorporate organic foundational principles in lieu of input reliance with Av Singh and Rupert Jannasch

·      Running a Value-Added Business:  Making a Living on a Tiny Farm with Jude Major

4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.

·      OACC Forum

·      Audit Trail Workshop

6 p.m. - 10 p.m.

10th Annual ACORN Conference Celebratory Banquet and Keynote Talk:  Beyond Organic Standards: Where we go from here by Marty Mesh & Canadian Premiere Film screening of What’s “Organic” About Organic?

SATURDAY, MARCH 6, 2010

7:30 a.m.

Acorn Annual General Meeting

9: 45 a.m. - 11:30a.m.

·      Money DOES Grow on Trees: How to make a big profit with tree fruit (Part 1) with Ken Taylor and Steve Laroux

·      Do it yourself Cold Storage – Panel on root crop storage methods with Raymond Loo, Norbert Kungl and Allison Grant

·      Part One: Increasing and Diversifying Organic Greenhouse Vegetable Production with Dr. A.P. (Tom) Papadopoulos

·      Using New Media Technology to Capture Customers:  A facilitated discussion with Shelley Rogers, producer of What’s Organic About Organic”

·      Seedy Saturday in bar/foyer

1 p.m. - 2:15 p.m.

·      Working The Numbers – Challenges And Practicalities Of Running A Niche Ag Operation with Gwendolyn Simpson

·      Money DOES Grow on Trees (Part 2) Ken Taylor and Steve Leroux

·      Part 2: Organic Greenhouse Vegetable Production Continued with Dr. A.P. (Tom) Papadopoulos

·      Innovative Organic Landscape Management: The New Business Reality with Richard Eaton

·      Seedy Saturday in bar/foyer

2:45 p.m. - 4:45 p.m.

·      Agricultural Justice Project: Fair Trade for Farmers with Marty Mesh

·      Persuading the Public to Pay More…for Your Food with Gwendolyn Simpson