COLUMBIA CITY, Ind. — Purdue Extension in Whitley County is offering farmers who wish to diversify the opportunity to learn what it takes to transition to organic production at a program offered February 5, from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. at the Extension office, 115 South Line Street, Columbia City, IN.
“According to the Organic Trade Association, U.S. organic sales have grown from $3.6 billion in 1997 to nearly $50 billion in 2017, presenting U.S. farmers with new market opportunities,” said Michael O’Donnell, Purdue Extension organic and diversified agriculture educator. “Some of the low hanging fruit for Indiana farmers includes transitioning acreage to organic grain production.” O’Donnell will be teaching the workshop on Feb. 5 entitled, “Is there an opportunity in organic production for me?”
O’Donnell will be covering the following topics:
-National Organic Program (NOP) in USDA
-Organic transition and certification process
-Overview of organic agriculture in Indiana and the US (markets, acreage, etc.)
-Opportunities and considerations in organic transition, with an emphasis on grain markets/production, and dairy, poultry, and eggs
-When certification may not make sense for an enterprise
The program is free, but pre-registration is requested by Feb. 1. To register, call 260-244-7615 with your name and phone number. If you need a reasonable accommodation to participate in this program, call Purdue Extension in Whitley County at the number above by June 8.
Participants will also learn about the upcoming 2019 Indiana Organic Grain Farmer Meeting, Indiana’s only conference focused on organic grain production. The conference is scheduled for March 6-7, 2019 at the Beck Agricultural Center in West Lafayette, Ind.
For more information on organic agriculture, go to www.purdue.edu/dffs/organicag.
— John E. Woodmansee, Purdue Extension Educator, Agriculture/Natural Resources
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