Powder River Examiner -

Submitted by Margaret Scoles, https://www.ioia.net

The National Center for Appropriate Technology, along with nationally recognized organic leaders, including the International Organic Inspectors Association of Broadus, will offer an Organic Academy Road Show (OARS) session in Billings, Montana, on December 6 and 7, 2022. Beginning farmers and ranchers in the northern Great Plains will have the opportunity to explore regenerative, certified organic production systems for grains, oilseeds, pulses, and ruminant livestock.

Thirty scholarships for beginning farmers and ranchers are available for up $200 each to defray costs of attending. There is no registration fee for anyone to attend. Anyone interested may attend, but registration is required by November 21, 2022. This is an excellent opportunity for learning for those planning to transition to organic, or those just interested in learning and hearing more about the opportunities in organic production. Online registration is available at https://www.ncat.org/events/#event=73721017

This event will host intensive training sessions and one-on-one technical assistance focused for beginning farmers and ranchers. Topics will include transitioning to organic production, an introduction to organic system planning, soil health, and more. Session leaders will include NCAT Sustainable Agriculture specialists and experienced Montana organic farmers and ranchers. The event schedule and speaker list can be found here (https://attra.ncat.org/preparing-a-resilient-future/#toggle-id-2).

The session begins Tuesday afternoon, Dec. 6, with an interactive “World Café” session. Question: Why are you interested in becoming an organic farmer/rancher? Doug and Anna Jones-Crabtree will next present the story of their farm near Havre. A light dinner follows with a public community night beginning at 7:00 p.m. in the same location. Jeff Schahczenski, NCAT, will lead “The Great, Good and Bad of Organic Farming and Ranching in Montana.” Participants can interact with civic leaders, county Extension agents, and staff from USDA’s Farm Service Agency and Natural Resources Conservation Service.

Day 2, Dec. 7, is an all-day event including a luncheon. It begins with “Introduction to the Organic System Plan,” by Margaret Scoles, Executive Director, International Organic Inspectors Association. This will give the overview of what the USDA requires to be certified organic. Nate Powell Palm, organic grain and livestock producer from Gallatin County will follow with, “Tillage Intensity Rotations and the Organic Pathway to Permanent Soil Health”. “Organic Grass-finished Ruminant Production,” is next with Jess Algers, Stanford, (beef) and Becky Weed, Gallatin Valley, (lamb and wool). The day winds up with “Federal Resources to make the Transition to an Organic Production System” by Jeff Schahczenski, Agriculture and Natural Resource Economist, National Center for Appropriate Technology.

“This series of educational opportunities is not just another farming training,” said Doug Crabtree and Anna Jones-Crabtree of Vilicus Farms. “It is about leveraging training to further build the network of beginning organic producers who are farming and ranching at a scale that will have a tremendous impact on land stewardship across the Northern Great Plains.”

The December event will be the first of 10 OARS sessions in the northern Great Plains states of Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Wyoming over the next two years.

The OARS sessions are part of the three-year federal Beginning Farmers and Rancher Development Program, Preparing a Resilient Future, in partnership with the Montana Organic Association, Northern Plains Sustainable Agriculture Society, Center for Rural Affairs, the Intertribal Agriculture Council, Nebraska Sustainable Agriculture Society, International Organic Inspectors Association, North Dakota State, and University of Wyoming.

The project targets medium to large-scale field crop and livestock operations. This project was selected in a national competition under the Beginning Farmers and Ranchers Development Program funded through the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

The Montana Organic Association will host its annual conference at the same location following the OARS session. Registration is separate for that event at MOA Conference.

Here's a link to the full press release: https://www.ncat.org/scholarships-available-for-beginning-farmers-and-ranchers-to-attend-organic-field-crop-training/