Where: Adams Mark Hotel-Airport, Indianapolis, IN

The sessions will run from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on January 21, with an organic dinner at 7 p.m. The day will begin with a presentation entitled, “Transition Wisdom: What I have learned and what I would change.” Other session topics will include: the Farm Bill; Organics 101: certification; Market Maker; cover crops, soil fertility, compost; high tunnels; and local food demand and food safety-post handling.

Day one will include a presentation from University of Illinois Extension small farms specialist Deborah Cavanaugh-Grant on organic agriculture’s new national resource - eOrganic.

“This resource, created by the eOrganic Community of Practice, provides resources and solutions to organic producers, agricultural professionals, educators, and researchers,” says Cavanaugh-Grant. The Web site will be launched in early 2009 at www.eXtension.org.

Sessions on January 22 will begin at 8:00 a.m. and conclude at 4:30 p.m. Day two will begin with presentations on the marketing and economics of organic grain; composting, cover crops, soil fertility; and food regulations for processing.

Other topics throughout the day will include: organic beef production; organic dairy, marketing, value added, and agri-tourism; Traders Point Dairy Indianapolis; feed processing, hogs, grain cleaning; post harvest handling; and processing flour. The day will end with a panel on organic markets and marketing.

“The trade show will open from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. on the first day of the conference and during breaks and lunch on day two,” says U of I Extension’s Dan Anderson. Anderson will be presenting information in the exhibit hall about the University of Illinois farmer research project on perennial weed control in organic farming systems.

For a complete listing of conference speakers and sessions and online registration, visit orgconf.sustainability.uiuc.edu.