This past February, February 24-26, over 3000 individuals from all over the world attended the 22nd annual Organic Farming Conference, sponsored by MOSES Organic, a nonprofit focused on promotion of organic farming. MOSES stands for Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service. Their annual conference has been growing in attendance steadily over the past twenty years, but this year's 3000 was a record.
Conference attendees participated in over 150 workshops, Organic University classes and seminars ranging from business topics such as employee management, to soil fertility and soil microbiology.
Every year the conference recognizes a leader in the Organic Farming arena, and this years' recipient was the Vetter family, of Marquette. Nebraska.
The Vetters started an organic farm operation in 1953--long before organic farming was a popular idea, but about the same time as Rodale started their operations. The Vetters' 280 acre farm, called The Grain Place, produces grass fed organic beef, organic cereals and popcorn, and organic petfood.
Interestingly, 90% of their farm revenue comes from the organic grain processing plant that they opened in 1980--testament to the growing consumer demand for organic food--and the growing business acumen of organic farming.
In addition to the Organic Farming Conference, held annually in Le Crosse, Wisconsin, MOSES provides a variety of support for Organic farming, to include resource lists, an organic certification guide, and most recently, and highly promoted at the conference, a "Young Organic Stewardship" program, to assist young people interested in careers in Organic Farming.
According to MOSES, the Young Organic Stewardship initiative awarded 235 scholarships at the conference to young people interested in organic farming.
Organic food sales reached $29 million in 2010, according to the Organic Trade Assocation. The size/scale of the MOSES Organic Farming Conference demonstrates organic farming's professionalism and growth. Sponsors of the 2011 conference included the very famiiar corporate names, Whole Foods and Horizon (organic milk producers).
The Vetter Family's farm website has a header that says "Where your food is produced does matter." Apparently more of us are in agreement with that statement!
Next year's conference will be held February 23-25, again in La Crosse and hotels are already booking up.
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