Big THANK YOU to everyone that joined us for the 2026 OGRAIN Winter Conference! Save the date: January 28-30th, 2027
Join us January 22nd through 24th, 2026 at the Monona Terrace in Madison, WI! The annual OGRAIN Conference is an opportunity to learn from local organic grain growers, hear about the latest research, and connect with other organic, transitioning-to-organic, or inquisitive-about-organic grain growers and end-users.
The 10th annual OGRAIN Winter Conference will feature cutting edge ideas from farmers, researchers and industry experts. Farm and research-focused success strategies will be discussed by a range of speakers leading sessions on organic grain production in the Upper Midwest.
Event Details
January 23-24th, 2026
WIth an optional gathering
**Thursday gathering is
SOLD OUT**
The Future of
organic row crops:
Balancing technology & ecology
3-8 PM
Thursday, January 22nd
Monona Terrace
Convention Center
in
Madison, WI
Additional details To come.
check back here or join our listServ by emailing
ograin+subscribe@g-groups.wisc.edu
Conference Details
Thursday, January 22, 2026: *Thursday event is SOLD OUT* There will be an evening gathering, The Future of Organic Row Crops: Balancing Technology & Ecology, led by Erin Silva at the Monona Terrace from 3:00 – 8:00 pm. Join us for an evening of dinner and discussion led by farmers, researchers, and industry professionals (this requires an additional registration).
Friday, January 23, 2026: Breakfast at 8:00 am; Sessions and trade show from 8:30 am – 4:00 pm; Exhibit hall & roundtables from 4:00 pm – 5:30 pm (breakfast & lunch included).
Saturday, January 24, 2026: Breakfast at 7:30 am; Sessions and trade show from 8:00 am – 4:00 pm (breakfast & lunch included).
We are pleased to welcome Philip Taylor as this year’s keynote speaker
Philip Taylor, Ph.D. is the CEO and Co-Founder of Mad Agriculture and its two sister organizations, Mad Capital and Mad Markets. He co-founded the organization in 2016 with his life partner, Nicole Brinks, to reimagine and restore our relationship to the land, sea, and each other through good agriculture. Prior to founding MAD!, Phil was a career global ecologist who specialized in rainforest ecosystems. His research ranged widely, from understanding soil ecology and ecosystem biogeochemistry to exploring solutions to the sustainability challenges of agriculture. Most importantly, Phil grew up on an old farm in Maryland and has spent countless hours in fields, hay barns and milking parlors.
Register here
$110 for a single day, $220 for the full conference, $60 for the Thursday organic gathering.
Travel, Parking and Hotel Details
Looking for more details? Download our full conference program!
Featuring 12 Roundtable Sessions to Choose From
Organic Grain Buyer-Seller Mixer
Friday, January 23, 2026
6:30 pm to 8:30 pm
at Giant Jones Brewing
FREE
Join OGRAIN, the Artisan Grain Collaborative, and the Rodale Institute for an engaging evening designed to spark new connections and strengthen relationships across the organic supply chain.
Hop on the free shuttle at the Hilton Madison Monona Terrace or join us at the brewery.
The mixer is free, but separate registration is required.
Session Previews
Have a question for our speakers?
As a first-time attendee to the OGRAIN Conference, making connections with other producers, other end users, other organic people has been the most beneficial to me.
So, every year I come to OGRAIN and I really like the networking and seeing people that I haven’t seen in a year and catching up on what went well, what didn’t go well this year. I always appreciate a good balance between farmers’ perspectives on the farmer panels and also the research perspective, usually from Erin or from other people from other states.
A big thank you to our 2026 conference sponsors & partners!
Sponsor & Exhibitor Registration is Closed for 2026
Interested in being a sponsor and/or exhibitor at next year’s 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 9th, 2026. No refunds will be issued for cancellations received after January 9th. Contact registration@cerc.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 – registration@cerc.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).
Check out the OGRAIN Winter Conference programs from previous years to see the breadth and depth of topics covered.
Conversations started at the OGRAIN conference continue year-round.
Join the listserv by emailing ograin+subscribe@g-groups.wisc.edu