The Northeast, particularly Pennsylvania and New York, have been East Coast hotbeds of growth in the U.S. organic industry. According to USDA, Pennsylvania ranks second behind California in organic sales.

Crops, primarily food crops, account for 56% of certified organic sales, followed by milk and eggs. Top commodities by sales volume in 2016 were milk up 18% from 2015, eggs up 11% from 2015, and broiler chickens up 78%. At that growth rate, organic broiler sales may pass organic eggs on the sales list this year or in 2018.

This double-digit growth spells opportunity. But any new or changing venture requires study and planning. That’s why the upcoming fourth annual Growing Pennsylvania’s Organic Farms Conference may prove to be an invaluable opportunity, say GPOF co-chairs Jim Travis of Travis Organics and Darlene Livingston, executive director of Pennsylvania Farm Link.

The GPOF conference will be Dec. 12-13 at the Sheraton Harrisburg Hershey Hotel in Harrisburg, Pa.

It targets Northeast and Mid-Atlantic farmers with the best organic farming information available. Attendees include beginning and existing organic farmers, conventional farmers, and those transitioning from conventional farming practices to organic. It’s a place to learn about growing vegetables, hydroponics and even animal welfare rules.

Jennifer Tucker, associate director of the National Organic Program, will be the keynote speaker. She’ll cover the latest on organic regulations and standards.

Featured farmer-experts include 12-year organic farming veterans Tricia Borneman and Tom Murtha. They operate Blooming Glen Farm, a Pennsylvania Certified Organic operation near Blooming Glen, Pa.

“Our presentation is about delegating, handing out responsibility and inspiring people to stay committed to efficiency,” says Murtha. “After 12 years of farming, we have effective processes in place to keep our employees moving because every hour is worth money. This also contributes to our paper trail to maintain organic certification.”

What’s inside the 5 tracks
Based on available preliminary details, there’ll be five commodity track programs — dairy, field crops, fruit, poultry and vegetables. Here’s what’s slotted:

• Dairy. This tract includes sessions on organic grass milk production, organic dairy economics and converting tie stalls to a parlor.

• Field crops. These sessions will cover organic production and processing of fiber and oilseed crops (hemp, flax, sunflower, etc.), organic crop financing and marketing, production equipment and storage, and an inside look at a large-scale organic farm.

• Fruit. They’ll explore organic Concord grape production, organic blueberry production, “compost tea” for winegrape disease management, winegrape growing, stinkbug control tactics, and new cultural and fungicidal control options for Concord grapes.

• Vegetables. Planned sessions include organic disease management in tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers; expanding profit margins via mechanization; biological pest management; disease diagnosis; problem-solving via variety selection; and labor efficiency strategies.

• Poultry. These sessions include an update from organic poultry integrators, a poultry certification primer, pasture poultry nutrition, pasture flock scale and marketing of pasture poultry.

Visit gpofconference.org for the latest schedule update and to register. The full two-day conference with meals costs $160; without meals, $80. There are also one-day rates. Deadline for the discounted conference rate is Dec. 4. Walk-in registration is available.

Deadline for hotel registration is Nov. 20. Call 866-837-5181. Still got questions? Contact Michele Brookins at 717-787-5319 or email [email protected].

This conference is a collaborative effort of Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, Pennsylvania Certified Organic, Pennsylvania Farm Link, Organic Valley Dairy, Rodale Institute, USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service and consumer advocacy groups.

What’s blooming at Blooming Glen
Blooming Glen Farm’s certified organic vegetables, fruits, flowers and herbs are grown and harvested on 40 acres of preserved farmland in Upper Bucks County — the urban edge of Philadelphia. They lease their land from Tussock Sedge Farm, also of Blooming Glen.

Murtha and Borneman began farming together in 2000, working on organic farms in Connecticut, Oregon, New Jersey and Pennsylvania before returning to Bucks County. Their produce is marketed through their road stand at the farm, to local restaurants and food stores, three seasonal farmers markets and their Community Supported Agriculture enterprise. They offer a 10-week pick-your-own flower share.

“We’re driven by a passion for food and community, and committed to preserving the rich agricultural heritage of this region,” says Borneman. “We live our values through the daily work of the farm, and share the bounty of our labor with our community of eaters.”