Geeks like me

I was happy to find a group called The Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association last year. They were the group that organized a couple of the farm tours we went on last year.

But I was downright ecstatic when I got the flyer for their annual conference this year. Why? Because it's like somebody went out and custom designed a conference just for me.

Think of all the goofy topics I ramble on about for four thousand words at a time. Then imagine all the goofier topics I read library books on but never get around to writing about.

With that in your mind, read this list of workshops at the conference:

• Farmers' Markets
  
• Tree Grafting
• Strawbale Design
  
• The Oiling of America
• Mead: Making the Drink of the Gods
  
• Organic Grain Production
• Building a Solar Oven
  
• Dairy Nutrition and Holistic Medicine
  
• Low-input Sustainable Apple Orcharding
• Season Extension for Home Gardeners
• Experiences with Compost in Organic Vegetables
• Organic No-Till Row Crops
• So Easy to Preserve
  
• Forage and Pasture Species and Their Uses in Organic & Sustainable Farming
  
• Wind and Solar Power
  
• Net Metering with Energy Co-ops
  
• Design Your Nourising Traditions Farm
  
• A Campaign for Raw Milk
  
• Maximizing Pasture
• Pastured Poultry
  
• Agriculture in Nature's Image
• and a bunch of others...
  

Throw in local, organic meals, Waldorf pre-school sponsored child care, permaculture expert Mark Shepard, Nourishing Traditions author Sally Fallon, and a copy of the Good Earth Guide to Organic & Ecological Farms & Gardens in Ohio, which is a directory of all member farms, cross-referenced by county, by family name, by farm name, by products... and, well... they had me at, "Hello."

So next weekend we're going to go geek out on sustainability and natural agriculture. At least now we know we're not the only crazy people around here...

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Update: As though I wasn't unnaturally enthusiastic about this already, I just discovered that my all-time favorite agricuture writer (maybe even my all-time favorite author), Contrary Farmer Gene Logsdon will be speaking at the conference! I'm telling you, they've been reading my thoughts.