Vegetable sessions provide detailed production information from variety selection to post-harvest handling enhanced by photos from the field and specific to various scales. There are two farmer presenters, working at different scales, for each session.  Participants receive handouts detailing the systems of each of the presenters, including everything from germination techniques to crop spacing, equipment used, disease and pest control, and more.

Favorite Mistakes

Though mistakes can really knock us down when they happen, learning from them can do so much to lift us up in the long-run.  Three experienced farmers will share the stories of their favorite mistakes, how they felt at the time, and how those mistakes lead to positive or negative impacts on their farms.  This session will also set the stage for the favorite mistakes story slam on Saturday.

Linda Halley, Gwenyn Hill Farm, WI

Beth Kazmar, Tipi Produce, WI

Dana Jokela, Sogn Valley Farm, MN

Cover Crop Varieties and Why They Matter

Are you ready to give up on winter rye because it is so hard to terminate?  Or do you want more biomass from your spring rye stand? And what is the real difference between all those clover options?  This session will focus on named cover crop varieties, what they can do, and why they might be worth the extra cost over the VNS (variety not stated) options.  Hear from both a farmer using named varieties and a researcher working on developing more of them.

Kat Becker, Cattail Organics, WI

Lisa Kissing Kucek, USDA, Agriculture Research Service

Climate Change: Predicting Impacts and Making Plans

How do we expect the climate of the Upper Midwest to change in the next 30-40 years, and how can we begin to make adaptations on our farms today to prepare for the future? First learn about detailed climate projections for our region and how they may impact vegetable growers. Then hear from a farmer who recently completed a climate resilience plan for her farm through the Risk2Resiliency cohort series led by Laura Lengnick (Cultivating Resilience), the Land Stewardship Project, and University of Minnesota Extension. Climate reliance planning can go well beyond production and some of the plan elements may surprise you.

Natalie Hoidal, University of Minnesota Extension, MN

Jody Lenz, Threshing Table Farm, WI

Organic Vegetable No-Till

Have you wondered what would happen if you were to plant directly into a standing clover cover crop?  Are you curious about landscape fabric and silage plastic and how they might help you reduce tillage and control weeds?  This session will focus on two unique organic no-till systems in use by the farmer speakers and will include results from an on-farm trial looking at cover crop termination techniques for organic no-till.

Rue Genger, UW Madison, WI

Lincoln Fishman, Sawyer Farm, MA

Les Macare, Racing Heart Farm, MN

Attracting, Compensating, and Retaining Workers

Rare is the organic vegetable farm that can run on the owner’s labor alone.  This session will present the results of a 2022 study of organic vegetable farm employees in the U.S.  Data was gathered from nearly 200 employees through an online survey and several focus group discussions.  The results include what attracts employees to a far, what they expect to be paid, and what keeps them coming back. This session will include time to discuss some of the more controversial results.

Sarah Janes Ugoretz, FairShare CSA Coalition, WI

Favorite Mistakes Story Slam

As a follow-up to the Favorite Mistakes general session on Friday, we will open the mic for as many mistakes as we can fit in an hour!  Bring your funny, sad, uplifting, or tragic story to this supportive crowd of vegetable farmers who will cheer you on and thank you for sharing your mistakes so that others can learn!

Farmer to Farmer Round Tables

Topics include these and more

• Vegetable Varieties
• Preparing for Climate Change
• Reducing Tillage
• Farmer Resiliency and Health
• Weeds