Conference Details

Thursday, January 23, 2025: There will be an evening regenerative organic gathering at the Monona Terrace led by Erin Silva. Join us for an evening of dinner and discussion (this requires an additional registration).  
Friday, January 24, 2025: Breakfast at 7:30 am; sessions and trade show (lunch included) from 8:00 am – 4:00 pm; roundtables and exhibit hall 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm.
Saturday, January 25, 2025: Breakfast at 7:30 am; sessions and trade show (lunch included) from 8:00 am – 1:00 pm; organic grain market update and buyer-seller mixer 1:00 pm – 4:30 pm.

Register now for early bird registration
$90 for a single day, $120 for the full conference, $60 for the regenerative organic gathering.

Organic Grain Market Update & Buyer-Seller Mixer

Saturday, January 25th 1:00 pm – 4:30 pm.
Join us for an insightful session dedicated to the ever-evolving landscape of organic grain markets, and the chance to discuss market conditions and explore potential partnerships in the organic grain sector! This session is free and open to the public.

Visit RodaleInstitute.org/OGRAIN to register if you’re interested in attending ONLY this Market Session.

Details:
This event will feature a presentation by economist Alexander Schultz from Argus Media, where he will delve into current and emerging market trends that are shaping the organic grain sector, and translate data into actionable intelligence, helping farmers navigate the future of organic grain pricing and markets fundamentals.

Following the presentation, we invite all attendees to participate in an organic buyer-seller mixer. This is an opportunity for farmers to connect directly with buyers, fostering relationships that can lead to future collaborations. Please bring your business cards to exchange contact information.

Have a question for our speakers?

We are thrilled to have Wendy Johnson as our keynote speaker!

Wendy is an organic and conventional grain farmer and grazier in Northeast Iowa. She and her husband Johnny own and operate Jóia Food & Fiber Farm, a diversified organic farm growing food-grade grains, grazing ewes, grass-finishing lambs and cattle, custom grazing cow/calves and selling direct to consumer meats and other edibles. They collaborate with other local farms to help build a robust food shed. She founded Counting Sheep Sleep Company in 2020, a wool bedding business utilizing their sheep’s wool. Wendy also co-manages her family farm with her father, currently a 1200 acre conventional row-crop farm. In the last five years, Wendy and Johnny have invested in agroforestry practices, adding trees and shrubs to enhance diversity and resiliency to the land and animals.

Wendy is an active advocate of all things organic, perennial and promoter of diverse enterprises and people on the land. Her curiosity, passions and experiences have led her to leadership opportunities as chair of the Iowa FSA state committee, former board member and chair of Practical Farmers of Iowa, steering committee member of the Rodale Institute Midwest Organic Center, farmer consultant and federal ag policy co-lead for Climate Land Leaders, Perennial Promise Growers Cooperative vice-President, Grist 50 list of 2024 climate leaders to watch and numerous other local, state and regional affiliations.

Click the arrow to the right to view the next session preview.

Thank you to this year’s sponsors!

Sponsors & Exhibitors
Interested in being a sponsor and/or exhibitor at the OGRAIN Conference? Send an email to kelly.debbink@wisc.edu to view our sponsorship options.

Refund Policy
Participants can receive a full refund minus a $15 processing fee for cancellations received on or prior to January 10th, 2025. No refunds will be issued for cancellations received after January 10th, 2025. Contact registrations@pyle.wisc.edu or (608)262-2451 for cancellations or registration questions.

Questions?
Event questions: Contact Kelly Debbink, OGRAIN Outreach Specialist – kelly.debbink@wisc.edu or (608)262-4592.
Registration questions: Contact the University of Wisconsin Registration Services – registrations@pyle.wisc.edu or (608)262-2451.

Stay tuned for additional details. Sign up for our listserv to receive event updates by emailing ograin+subscribe@g-groups.wisc.edu

Portions of the conference are supported through the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Transition to Organic Partnership Program (TOPP). TOPP is a program of the USDA Organic Transition Initiative and is administered by the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) National Organic Program (NOP).

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Check out the OGRAIN Winter Conference programs from previous years to see the breadth and depth of topics covered.