SAVE THE DATE
NODPA’s 8th Annual Field Days Event & Annual Producer Meeting

From 5 pm on Sunday October 26th to noon on Tuesday October 28th
Holiday Inn, Auburn/Fingerlakes
New York 13021

REGISTER ONLINE NOW!

Field Days are sponsored by Horizon Organic, Organic Cow, Lakeview Organic Grain, NOFA New York Inc, NOFA New York Certified Organic, LLC, Organic Dairy Farmers Cooperative and Organic Valley/CROPP Cooperative.

Trade show will be open from 5:30 to 10:00 pm on Sunday; from 7:30 am to 10:00 pm on Monday and from 7:30 -11:00 am on Tuesday.

Sunday evening, October 26th

5:00 pm: Socialize with NODPA Board members and state representatives over snacks and cash bar in McMurphy’s Authentic Irish Pub, Holiday Inn

Monday October 27th

7:30-9:00 am Registration and Continental Breakfast Buffet

9:00 am Welcome by NODPA President Kathie Arnold and introduction to Board members and state representatives

9:15 – Threat or Opportunity - Insights into the Organic Dairy Retail Market with a special emphasis on store brand milk– Clark Driftmier, President of the Fairhaven Strategy Group, who has over 25 years of management experience in the natural and organic products industry. He has participated in the start-up of several natural and organic companies, including Pet Promise natural pet food and Aurora Organic Dairy. Clark has served as Senior Vice President of Marketing at Horizon Organic Holdings, Inc., Vice President of Marketing for Small Planet Foods, and marketing manager for Ralston Purina Company.

10:30:  Setting the National Scene for Producers – a panel of organic dairy producers will lead a discussion on the future of organic dairy in the US:

• Arden Nelson and his wife, Dr. Meg Cattell, operate a certified organic dairy, cheesemaking and bottling facility in Windsor, CO., and Arden is Vice President of WODPA.
• Darlene Coehoorn is MODPA president, a member of the MOSES Board of Directors, and a dairy farmer from Rosendale, Wisconsin. With her husband, Dan, they have a 50-cow organic dairy, and raise about 500 acres of organic hay and diverse crops, including corn, soybeans, wheat, barley, rye and oats, and sweet corn and peas as canning crops.
• Craig Russell (NODPA Board member) and his wife Angela own 15 acres and rent their dairy farm from Craig’s father, which includes the barns plus 40 acres in Brookfield VT.  Craig started organically certified production with their 60+ milking cows approximately two years ago.
• Ed Zimba and his wife Melanie have farmed over 2,000 acres organically near Deford, MI, since the early 1990’s and they milk over 300 cows.
• Jerome Walker is a third generation farmer from Franklinton, LA . Jerome and three other producers started by selling their organic milk directly to Publix supermarket and now receive a farmgate price of $35.75, but their contract with Publix is threatened by other processors.

11:30:  Retail Milk Buyers will talk about buying organic milk and the factors that influence their decision-making.

Noon -1:00 pm: Heartland Pot Roast Lunch and door prize drawings

1:00 to 2:00 pm: Travel to the Martens’ Farm (45 minute drive)--directions will be provided

2:00 – 4:00  Farm tour at Mary-Howell and Klaas Martens’ farm and Lakeview Organic Grain, LLC

Klaas and Mary-Howell Martens, their three children, Peter, Elizabeth and Daniel, and several employees farm 1,400 acres of organic grains in the Finger Lakes area of western New York, approximately 60 miles southeast of Rochester, NY.  They have farmed organically since 1993 and produce corn, soybeans, spelt, wheat, barley, oats, triticale, red kidney beans, edamame and other seed crops.  They raise organic replacement heifers, pigs and chickens.  They also own and operate Lakeview Organic Grain LLC, an organic feed and seed business in Penn Yan, NY, primarily serving organic dairy farmers throughout New York and northern PA.   Most of the farm’s corn & small grains are sold to Lakeview Organic Grain LLC, while the soybeans, red kidney beans, and spelt are sold to other processors.  The spelt is dehulled on the farm with some handled as kosher organic spelt.

Klaas and Mary-Howell practice diverse, long-term crop rotations that actively incorporate soil building and cover crops to improve soil fertility and health.   They enjoy experimenting with different crops, rotations and weed control machinery, and cooperate with faculty from Cornell University and others on several research projects, which they will discuss.  

5:00-10:00 pm: Dinner and NODPA’s Annual Meeting at the Holiday Inn, Auburn, NY
All organic and transitioning dairy producers and their families are welcome, as well as all those interested in supporting certified organic dairies. Dinner is free for transitioning organic dairy farmers and their families. 

5:00 to 6:30: Social Hour and Trade Show with light refreshments and beverages

6:30 to 7:30: Roasted Turkey Dinner with all of the trimmings

7:30: NODPA annual meeting:

• Welcome from Kathie Arnold, NODPA President and President annual report
• NODPA Year in Review – Ed Maltby, NODPA Executive Director
• Reports from other regions and on the activities of FOOD Farmers

Followed by a Producer-Only meeting, with the following suggested topics:

• NODPA’s scorecard—how well are we doing?
• What is NODPA’s future role?
• What services should NODPA supply for organic dairy farmers in the future?
• Pay Price
• Organic standards

7:30 – 10:00 am: Continental Breakfast Buffet 

7:30 - 9:00: Continuation of the producer-only meeting

9:00 –11:30: Round table discussion(s) facilitated by Ed Maltby and Sarah Flack.
Suggested topics:

• Pay prices –strategies for a future approach that is based on defined criteria.
• Best cost cutting ideas: what one thing did you change this year that positively affected the bottom line?
• Will diversification be essential for future economic viability? When the milk check isn't enough to pay the bills anymore, what can we do to take advantage of other skills and resources? 
• Health issues - feeding enough minerals on reduced grain diets, getting serious about Johne's, other issues

11:30 Deli Buffet: lunch and socializing

Directions to Holiday Inn
75 North Street, Auburn, NY 13021, 315-253-4531

• Exit 40, New York State Thruway, located at the intersection of Route 34 and Routes 5 & 20

Holiday Inn Accommodations

Room rates, Sunday to Wednesday:

• $80.00 Single/Double Occupancy, Standard 2-Bed Room/per night  
• $90.00 Single/Double Occupancy, King Bed Room/per night

Saturday night:

• $109.00 Single/Double Occupancy, Standard 2-Bed Room
• $119.00 Single/Double Occupancy, King Bed Room

For reservations, please call: (315) 253-4531 and identify yourselves as participants with the Northeast Organic Dairy Producers Alliance conference