Winter 20-21 Events
Learning Opportunities Winter 2020-21
This winter OGRAIN will be hosting several online learning activities, available to all
OGRAIN Friday Weekly Workshops
How to stay afloat in stormy waters – Managing for low organic commodity crop prices
Friday, noon-1:30 CST, Weekly, Nov 20-March 26. REGISTER here for each workshop session
Each week we’ll feature a topic related to organic grain production. Brief presentations will be followed by open discussion. Participation is free, but pre-registration will be required for each session.
| Date | Title | Speaker | zoom recording link | pdf of presentation slides |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 20 | 2020 Season round-up and market update | Ryan Koory, (Director of Econmics, Mercaris) Thanks Ryan for an interesting presentation! | ||
| Dec 4 | Creating a profitable organic grain rotation, through transition and beyond | Bryce Irlbeck (AgriSecure Co-Founder & Owner, B&B Irlbeck Farms, Manning, IA) and Michael Langmeier (Director of Cropping Systems, Purdue Univ.) Thanks Bryce and Michael! | ||
| Dec 11 | Organic pea agronomy and markets | Brent Reck (Agronomist, Puris) Thanks Brent! | Zoom meeting audio link | |
| Dec 18 | Managing through tough financial times and low organic grain prices | Paul Dietmann, (Senior Lending Officer, Compeer Financial) Thanks Paul! | Zoom meeting audio link | |
| Jan 8 | 60" corn in organic systems - what are we learning? | Sandy Syburg (White Oak Farm Organics, Oconomowoc, WI) Thanks Sandy! | Zoom meeting audio link | 60 in corn slides |
| Jan 15 | Harvesting and storing food-grade organic grain | Harold Wilken (Farmer, Janie’s Farm Organic, Danforth, IL) and Craig Tomera (Identity Preserved Crop Specialist, Grain Millers) Thanks Harold & Craig! | Zoom meeting audio link | Handling & storage of org grain slides |
| Jan 22 | Variety selection and disease management in organic food-grade grain production | Julie Dawson (UW-Madison), Darcy Telenko (Purdue University), John Wepking (Farmer, Meadowlark Organics, Ridgeway, WI) Thanks for a good discussion! | Zoom meeting audio link | |
| Jan 29 | Organic sunflower production | Josh Engel (Farmer, Driftless Organics, Soldiers Grove, WI) Thanks Josh! | Zoom meeting audio link | Sunflower slides |
| Feb 5 | Thinking through return on investment and partial budget analyses - balancing investments in times of low prices | Bryce Irlbeck (AgriSecure Co-Founder & Owner, B&B Irlbeck Farms, Manning, IA) and Paul Dietmann (Senior Lending Officer, Compeer Financial) Thanks Bryce and Paul! | Zoom meeting audio link | |
| Feb 12 | What is new in organic grain weed management? Organic herbicides, weed zappers, and other tools | Lynn Sosknowski, (Assistant Professor of Weed Science, Cornell University), Willie Hughes (Farmer, Hughes Farm, Janesville, WI) Thanks Lynn and Willie! | Zoom meeting audio link | |
| Feb 19 | Reducing tillage in organic grain productions - latest in agronomics and equipment | Erin Silva, Léa Vereecke, Brian Luck, Jessica Drewry (UW-Madison). Thanks Erin, Léa, Brian and Jessica! | Zoom meeting audio link | |
| March 5 | Adapting intercropping grain systems for organic systems | Jason Mauck (Farmer, Constant Canopy, Gaston, Indiana). Thanks Jason! | Zoom meeting audio link | |
| March 12 | OGRAIN Compass: Using a spreadsheet tool to calculate and project transitional and certified organic cost of production and profit | John Hendrickson (Outreach Specialist, Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems), and Jim Munsch (Consultant). Thanks John and Jim! | Zoom meeting audio link | |
| March 19 | Tillage and cultivation equipment round-up | Gary Zimmer, Lemken high speed disc; Ana Pelgrom, Matt Miller, Treffler Tine Harrow; Matt Ylitalo, camera guidance systems. Thanks Gary, Ana, Matt, and Matt! | No recorded audio available. | |
| March 26 | Organic grain soil fertility management – strategizing approaches and amendments | Mark Kopecky, (NM State Agronomist, NRCS) | ||
| April 2 | Prairie strips in organic grains: pollinator, pest, and water quality protection | Mark Doudlah (Doudlah Farms Organics), Matt O’Neal (Professor of Entomology, Iowa State University), and Craig Ficenec (Sand County Foundation) |
REGISTER here for each workshop session
Download printable poster OGRAIN Friday workshops
OGRAIN Information Exchanges
Facilitated informal discussions around organic grain-related themes, the first and third Tuesday of each month.
Each 1-hour session will start with a topic of interest, chosen by Information Exchange members, with plenty of time for conversation. Speakers may be invited occasionally, but this is primarily a chance for farmers to share knowledge and connect with one another. Depending on interest, we may break people into smaller, regionally based groups.
Information Exchanges, Tuesdays 12:30-1:30 CST
- 1st Tuesday of the month: Building carbon-positive organic systems with reduced tillage and cover crops (Dec 1, Jan 5, Feb 2, March 2)
- 3rd Tuesday of the month: Food-grade cereal grain production (Dec 15, Jan 19, Feb 16, March 16)
Sign up here to register for OGRAIN Information Exchanges
Sessions are free and will be hosted via Zoom with a phone-in option. Only one registration is required for the full discussion series related to each Information Exchange topic area. The Information Exchanges are intended to be a place where farmers can get to know one another and have meaningful discussions and learn together. For this reason, we ask that participants commit to attending all of the sessions related to your chosen topic, ie, every 1st Tuesday or every 3rd Tuesday. Farmers are welcome to join both topic groups.
Tuesday Information exchange sessions are typically discussion based and are not recorded. Occasional sessions with outside speakers are recorded and will be posted below.
- Dry bean production, Wesley Rieth, Granor Farm, Three Oaks, MI, Heather Darby, University of Vermont, and longtime WI-based breeder Ken Kmiecik. Listen to the audio file here.
2021 OGRAIN Conference
We will not be hosting an in-person OGRAIN conference this year but are excited to partner with MOSES and several other organizations on a virtual event, “Growing Stronger: Collaborative Conference on Organic & Sustainable Farming” with workshops spanning Feb 22-Feb 27. OGRAIN is hosting a track with information specific to organic grain operations.