Small Farms/Alternative Enterprise Conference

To Everyone Interested in Florida’s Small Farms,


Become an active part of the fastest growing segment of all Florida agriculture, that is....the small farms industry. If you desire local food systems that support family farms, conserve natural resources and provide affordable, healthy and delicious food for your family's table, stand up and be counted! Never before has the future looked brighter, but your participation is critical to make progress. Don't sit on the sidelines and watch, be a player! Great things are happening so fast for small farmers throughout the state. Come and be a part of the signature event for Florida small farms. We hope you can participate all three days, but did you know you we offer a special one-day only registration for Saturday? That's right! Gather your friends, rise from your own bed early, attend the full day's event and return to your own bed that night for only a $110 registration fee! It is not as fully rewarding as the entire conference, but rather than sitting on the sidelines, it is a choice you will be glad you made.

What the Registration Fees Include:

Full Conference Attendee ($130 by June 27): Provides full participation in all Saturday and Sunday educational conference activities. It also includes all conference networking and social functions with exhibitors, attendees and speakers. Functions begin with the Friday evening Exhibit Preview and Opening Reception, the Saturday morning, midday and afternoon refreshment breaks, Saturday lunch featuring locally-produced food, Saturday evening Networking Social, the Sunday breakfast and end with the farmer to farmer roundtable.

One Day Fee - Saturday ($110 by June 27, includes the Friday Evening Exhibitor Preview and Reception): Provides full participation in all Saturday educational conference activities. It also includes all Friday and Saturday networking and social functions with exhibitors, attendees and speakers. Functions begin with the Friday evening Exhibit Preview and Opening Reception, the Saturday morning, midday and afternoon refreshment breaks, Saturday lunch featuring locally-produced food, and end with the Saturday evening Networking Social.

One Day Fee - Sunday ($50 by June 27): Provides full participation in Sunday educational conference activities. It also includes Sunday’s networking functions, the Sunday breakfast and the farmer to farmer roundtable.

A wide variety of businesses and organizations will be showcasing their information and products during the conference. Take a moment to preview our conference exhibitors! http://conference.ifas.ufl.edu/smallfarms/exhibitor_lst.html

Conference Attendees will have the opportunity to interact with exhibitors Friday evening during the exhibit preview and conference opening reception, and all day Saturday. See the conference agenda for details.
http://conference.ifas.ufl.edu/smallfarms/agenda_glance.html

Conference Details and Quick Links
Use the below links to view session details, agenda-at-a-glance and the optional pre-conference activities.

Conference Educational Sessions http://conference.ifas.ufl.edu/smallfarms/sess_desc.html

Agenda-at-a-Glance http://conference.ifas.ufl.edu/smallfarms/agenda_glance.html

Optional Food Safety Plan Workshop http://conference.ifas.ufl.edu/smallfarms/fsp_workshop.html
Limited availability, early registration advisable.

Optional Beginning Farmer Workshop http://conference.ifas.ufl.edu/smallfarms/ibf_workshop.html
Limited availability, early registration advisable.

Optional Horticulture Tour http://conference.ifas.ufl.edu/smallfarms/hort_tour.html
Visit two farms: Kissimmee's Green Place for Natural and Organic Vegetables and Organic Country Farms; Limited availability, early registration advisable.

Optional Livestock Tour http://conference.ifas.ufl.edu/smallfarms/ls_tour.html
Visit two farms: Foshee Farms and Lake Meadow Naturals, Limited availability, early registration advisable.

Registration Information http://conference.ifas.ufl.edu/smallfarms/registration.html
Save $50 by registering before June 27.

Additional Conference Highlights
In addition to the educational sessions and optional pre-conference activities, highlights include:
· Featured Florida farmers
· Livestock Arena with Live Animal Exhibits
· Lunch Featuring Local Foods
· Saturday Social with Music and Local Foods
· Large Exhibition Showcasing Products and Technologies

For More Information, You may contact Bob Hochmuth directly (see below)
Bob Hochmuth
Multi County Extension Agent
North Florida REC - Suwannee Valley
7580 County Road 136
Live Oak FL 32060

386-362-1725 x103

386-362-3067 fax

bobhoch@ufl.edu

Farm to Fuel Update

This just in from the Farm To Fuel Folks.

By all accounts the 2010 Farm to Fuel Summit was a huge success. If you were unable to attend the Summit, or would like to see it again, sessions from the Sebastian L Ballroom will be aired on The Florida Channel beginning on Saturday, August 21, at 8 a.m. and again at 8 p.m. The agenda is posted at http://www.floridafarmtofuel.com/summit_2010.htm for your reference. There may be additional airings, but they have not been scheduled yet. Viewers can check The Florida Channel web site for the channels in your area by visiting www.wfsu.org and clicking on "The Florida Channel" in the upper right corner. In the left margin, click "Where to Watch" and select the "Display All" button for a list of cable systems around the state and when they carry The Florida Channel. You may also watch us on the Web by clicking on Webstream 1 on The Florida Channel web site at the designated times.

In addition, PowerPoint presentations from the Summit can be viewed at http://www.floridafarmtofuel.com/summit_2010.htm.

Small Farms Conference

Did you know that the majority of farms in the State of Florida are small farms? A small farm is defined as farms that generate less than $250,000 per year. I just wanted to share with you that the Small Farms Alternative Enterprises Conference will be taking place in Kissimmee on July 31 - Aug 1, 2010. This is a great conference for those that are thinking about diversification of their operations. I know that many of our producers have been dabbling in food production. This is a good conference for ideas and networking. Also, Will Allen the CEO of Growing Power will be giving the keynote address to kick off the conference.

Here is a link to the flyer on the conference.

http://hillsborough.extension.ufl.edu/Ag/AgOrnProd/CalendarPubs/FL%20Small%20Farms%20Flyer%20update%205-20-10.pdf

Early registration is $110.00 and will increase to $160.00 on July 16, 2010.

If you would like to register...here is a link: https://mail.ufl.edu/OWA/redir.aspx?C=812cbbfa58ba472aa72caf254169c1ff&URL=http%3a%2f%2fsmallfarms.ifas.ufl.edu%2ffloridasmallfarmsconference%2f2010%2fregistration.shtml

FNGLA Financial Management Conference

Growers should check this message out from the FNGLA.

The FNGLA Tampa Chapter also will be meeting this Monday 4/5/10 at the extension office at 18:30. The FNGLA Lake Region Chapter will meet Tuesday 4/6/10 at Bok Tower at 18:30 with a tour from 16:00-18:15.

We would like to take a moment of your time to share the details of the upcoming Florida Agriculture Financial Management Conference. This is a brand new, educational program designed to help Florida ag producers weather the challenges of our economy. This program has been made affordable in large part by a 2009 USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant awarded to FNGLA. Information is relevant to all agriculture commodities so a special invitation has been extended to all ag producers in Florida.
Times are tough and providing industry members with proper financial planning is critical. FNGLA has partnered with team members from Farm Credit, McGladrey & Pullen, and the University of Florida to gather key financial gurus from across the country. The stars must have been aligned during our planning process because we have an awesome line-up of speakers.
The 1½ day conference will be held at the Rosen Plaza in Orlando, FL on May 20-21, 2010. It is open to all Florida agricultural commodities and the cost of registration is $90 per person if you register before May 3, 2010. Hotel rate for the conference is $89 plus tax and reservations can be made by calling 1-800-627-8258.
Visit the FNGLA web page where you can download the brochure. http://www.fngla.org/shows/financial/index.asp
We know industry members who are financially strong will be the driving force that helps return Florida’s economy to brighter days. Please help spread the word throughout Florida!

Great Southern Tree Conference

Just wanted to remind you of the UF's Great Southern Tree Conference that takes place on 12/3 - 12/4 in Gainesville. Topics will be about marketing, fertilizer, weeds, tree quality, and all things trees. Here is a link to more information.

www.greatsoutherntreeconference.org

Extension - Rooted In Science

I spent the day in Gainesville, FL at the Environmental Horticulture Tree Unit with Dr. Ed Gilman. We spent most of the day discussing the latest and greatest research from his program with trees and their maintenance. He is looking at different methods of pruning trees and the effects of wind on those trees. He is also spending a great deal of time characterising roots and different production techniques to arrive a what should be considered a "good" root structure.

Bad roots!

Along with the many contributions he has made in this area, he will have some interesting findings in the next few years as his research advances. Experiments with trees and roots takes a while to conduct. Obviously roots like any other organism flourish where they are the happiest. Unfortunately in containers, that is in a circle around the sides and bottoms of pots; mostly on the shaded side. Some of the take home messages are that if you prune about an inch to two inches from around the sides and bottom of a produced container tree, this will eliminate most of the undesirable roots from the container. If this is done at every stage for stepping up trees and if they are planted at the right depth, root pruning should provide for a superior root structure. I learned that it is the absence of turf competition that has a greater affect on how a planted tree does, than the addition of mulch. I learned that trees settle from the breakdown of potting media and the weight of the tree itself on a planted site. I also learned that if a tree is planted too deep, the roots will first start growing up to get near the surface of the soil to where conditions are optimal.

Dr. Gilman will be conducting the Great Southern Tree Conference in Dec. 3 and 4 in Gainesville, so save the dates now. I think it will have a great deal of good information for those in the production side of things.

At left: Dr. Gilman, out-standing in his field.

His website for the findings of his research is http://hort.ifas.ufl.edu/faculty/gilman.shtml with selected literature and some other link to hurricanes and trees, powerlines and trees and landscape plants.

Here is a link to more than you could ever want to know or read about trees and their maintenance. http://hort.ifas.ufl.edu/woody/masterindex.shtml#R

Small Farms Alternative Enterprises Conference

Sustaining Small Farms; Strengthening Florida’s Communities”
Osceola Heritage Park, Kissimmee, Florida
August 1 & 2, 2009

If you are looking for some alternatives to your vacant land or are interested in diversifying your operation here is a great way to get the gears turning in your mind. Whether you are a small or large operation, the Small Farms Alternative Enterprises Conference is designed to promote different ideas for agricultural producers and a great networking opportunity. At the conference there will be a mini trade show with over 70 vendors with whom you may speak with and pick their brains as well. This conference is very timely, in a period where finding niche products and increasing the value of your operation is important in order to become economically sustainable.



Workshop Topics:
· Livestock: Grass-fed Beef, Pastured Poultry Production, Health Management, Honey Bees
· Alternative Energy: Farm Solar Energy Applications & Biofuels
· Organic and Sustainable Production: Pest Management, Inputs, Farm Bill Opportunities
· Horticulture: Blueberry, Strawberry, Stone Fruit, Producing High Value Vegetables & Herbs, Hydroponics
· Business/Marketing: Owning your Own Business, Cooperatives, Buying from You
· Policy/Regulations: Food Systems Policy, Changing Regulations: What you need to know

Including:
· National Keynote Speaker - John Ikerd
· Featured Speaker - Charles Bronson
· Air Conditioned Livestock Arena
· Network with other Small Farmers
· Local Foods Featured
For more information visit:
http://smallfarms.ifas.ufl.edu/ or call your local County Extension office.

Floriculture Field Day

The FNGLA Floriculture Field Day will take place at Gainesville's Best Western Hotel on May 14, 2009. The Field Day is will consist of nationally known speakers who will discuss the latest and greatest in the herbaceous plant world. Some of the topics will include "Tough Plants for Tough Times," "The New plant Showcase," and "Marketing New Plants and Concepts to Your Customers" among other interesting seminars.

This is a good place to generate ideas, hone your marketing concepts, network with others, and increase your overall knowledge on new varieties.

The website is : http://www.fngla.org/flori-seminar/events.asp

For further information regarding this annual seminar, contact Julie Markowitz at the FNGLA office, 800.375.3642.



http://www.fngla.org/flori-seminar/events.asp

South East Pest Management Conference

There will be a South East Pest Management Conference in Gainesville. There are a few things that growers might like to find out about. It starts on May 4 and will end on May 6 2009. The first two days are residential pests like ants, mosquitos, termites, etc. But the last day growers may glean some usefull information. Here is the rundown of the last day.

Wednesday, May 6: Landscape Maintenance (Turf & Ornamentals) Physics Bldg. Rm. 10018 am – 8:30 am Registration and Exhibitor Set-up8:30 am – 9:30 am Recruiting Class News: Newly Introduced Landscape Pests - Carrie Harmon, National Plant Diagnostic Network, Gainesville, Fla.9:30 am – 9:50 am
Break9:50 am – 10:40 am
Protect Your Turf: Landscape Nematode Management - Billy Crow, UF/IFAS10:40 am – 10:55 am
Break10:55 am – 11:45 am Best Control Strategies (BCS) for Newly Introduced Landscape Pests - Monica Elliot, UF/IFAS11:45 am – 1:15 pm
Lunch1:15 pm – 2:05 pm Cleaning Up the Playing Field: Products for Landscape Weed Management - Bob Stamps, UF/IFAS2:05 pm – 2:55 pm
Training from the Ground Up: Managing Tree and Shrub Root Health - Ed Gilman, UF/IFAS2:55 pm – 3:10 pm
Break3:10 pm – 4:50 pm
Best Control Strategies (BCS): Preventing the Movement of Fertilizer and Pesticides into Groundwater - Laurie Trenholm, UF/IFAS Management of Pesticide Poisoning - Phil Koehler and Roberto Pereira, UF/IFAS

If you are interested the entire brochure is found on this link:
http://entomology.ifas.ufl.edu/sepmc/