Kingston hosting Ecological Farmers Conference

Nov 29, 2016

Event takes place Nov. 30 to Dec. 2

By Diego Flammini
Assistant Editor, North American Content
Farms.com

More than 250 people are expected to attend the 3^rd Annual Ecological Farmers of Ontario Conference, taking place in Kingston, Ont. from Wednesday, Nov. 30 to Friday, Dec. 2.

The conference’s theme is building resilient and sustainable farms while facing climate change and other agricultural challenges.

Over the three-day conference, farmers can take advantage of more than 30 information sessions on a variety of topics, including field crops, low-till vegetables, mob grazing and local food infrastructure.

In addition to the information sessions, a number of guest speakers will be on hand to share their expertise and experiences with farmers.

Speakers include Bruno Fallodor, a biodynamic compost expert from New York, and Paula Anderson, a Peterborough-area farmer and professor with Trent University’s Indigenous Environmental Studies Program.

Anderson’s presentation will focus on the history of placing farming systems over food systems that First Nations people have cultivated.

Organizers say the event allows farmers to discuss a wide range of issues related to agriculture.

“This event brings farmers together to navigate tough questions and issues. Not only is it practical and cutting-edge farmer training, it also provides unique opportunities for community building and examination of issues facing the ecological agricultural movement across Ontario,” Angie Koch, board president of Ecological Farmers of Ontario, said on the organization’s website.

“These farmers encounter the effects of climate change every day, and are constantly engaged with the development of creative mitigation strategies to work towards a sustainable future.”

Farmers interested in attending the conference are required to register.

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.