Join OSA, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and the Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service (MOSES) at our upcoming workshops series to learn how to conduct your own on-farm variety trials. We’re hosting four on-farm workshops throughout the Midwest this summer.
Variety trials help manage risk by identifying the varieties that are optimal for your production systems and markets. You’ll have the opportunity to tour trials in the field and hear from the farm hosts why they chose the crop they did and how they decided to design the trial. All workshops are being offered free of charge and pre-registration is requested.
June 28 | 2p – 4:30p
We Grow LLC | Westboro, Wisconsin
This trial location features hoop house broccoli. We Grow LLC is a produce farm providing pastured heritage breed pork and free-range broiler chickens along with a wide-array of seasonal vegetables grown without the use of synthetic inputs in a community supported agricultural (CSA) system. They use certified organic seed. Register today
July 1 | 2p – 4:40p
PrairiErth Farm | Atlanta, Illinois
This trial location features yellow potatoes for early vigor and yield. PrairiErth Farm is a diversified operation producing corn, soybeans, oats, alfalfa, and grass hay, as well as 20 acres of vegetables, fruits, and flowers. In addition, they operate 40 acres of pasture-raised beef cattle, free-range chickens for eggs, and heritage breed pigs. PrairiErth farm also has an acre of restored native Illinois prairie. In 2017, Dave, Hans, and Katie were awarded the Midwest Organic & Sustainable Education Service Farmer of the Year Award. Register today
July 12 | 8:30a – 3:00p
Hughes Farm | Janesville, Wisconsin
This workshop will be held as part of the Practical Farmers of Iowa and Organic Grain Resources and Information Network’s Small Grains, Modest Gains field day. OSA staff will lead a workshop on managing risk through on-farm variety trials during the afternoon session of the field day, which will also include workshops on small grains production, organic transition, and cover cropping. This trial location features food-grade corn and cover crop combinations. Hughes Farm produces certified organic and conventional field crops on over 5,000 acres of owned and rented land. For lunch, RSVP to Debra Boekholder by email or at (515) 232-5661 by Friday, July 6.
August 7 | 2p – 4:30p
Riverbend Farm | Delano, Minnesota
This trial location features curly kale for mid-season palatability. Riverbend Farm is an organic vegetable farm that provides produce to a CSA, restaurants, food co-ops, and schools. Farmer Greg Reynolds also saves seed from, and works to improve, varieties of several crops. Register today
These workshops are part of a larger project that includes the newly published The Grower’s Guide to Conducting On-farm Variety Trials, an online tool for planning and managing on-farm trials, and a webinar series focused on conducting variety trials.
The workshops are intended for farmers, researchers, and agricultural students. Participants are encouraged to review OSA’s publications and tutorials before the course at www.seedalliance.org/all-publications.
This workshop series if funded in partnership by USDA, Risk Management Agency, under award number RM17RMEPP522C027.
