SISA 2012 will include workshops and presentations by students and farmers from Lawrence University, University of Minnesota, Utah State University, UW-Madison, Evergreen College, Riverview Gardens, Trust Local Foods and Gourmet Grassfed.
Presentations - Discussions - Workshops
Session I
The Basics: Establishing a Garden & Business Plan
Saturday March 31 - 11:10am-Noon
Sophie Patterson - SISA Conference Co-Director/SLUG Alumni
Whether on a personal, institutional, or community level, every farm or garden can greatly benefit from proper planning. Using the Sustainable Lawrence University Garden as a model, this presentation will take a sustainable and economical approach to the necessary components of establishing and maintaining a flourishing garden: location, initial layout, crop rotation, and long-term maintenance as well as building social interest and community. An overview of applicable production models will be given as well as guidelines for setting up a sustainable business plan catered to your garden and community's needs.
Perennial Planting
Saturday March 31st - 11:10am-Noon
Evan Bombardier - Evergreen Organic Farm - Evergreen College
Established in 1974, the Evergreen Organic Farm in Olympia, Washington is one of the longest running opportunities for students and faculty to work in and co-manage a small-scale organic farm backed by a college institution. Initiated by interested students, the farm began to establish an orchard in 2000 and today a fourth acre of Evergreen's two-acre farm consists of fruit trees and other perennial plants. On the farm, students learn to graft and prune multiple varieties of apple and pear trees as well as propagate and properly harvest strawberries, raspberries, rhubarb, and kiwi. Students are also relied upon for maintenance and upkeep, giving them the opportunity to experience, research, and combat yearly disease and pest pressures. This presentation will cover the benefits and general upkeep of perennial plants as executed by the Evergreen Farm in hopes to educate and inspire other farms and gardens to provide these unique educational opportunities (and the resulting delicious food) to their communities.
The Transition from Academia to Reality...Putting Collegiate Skills to Use in the Messy World of Food Systems Post-College - Saturday March 31st - 11:10am-Noon
Sophie Leppanen - Trust Local Foods
Come hear a recent graduate speak about her experience diving into a grassroots local foods distribution company right out of college. Learn about the exciting challenges her company has overcome, the daunting tasks that lie ahead of them, and the funny stories that have happened along the way.
The second part of her presentation will discuss very concrete projects that need to be taken on by young, creative, intelligent, entrepreneurial spirits like yourself in order to propel the local foods movement forward. Listen to where your developed skill sets are lusted after in the world of food sovereignty advocacy!
Session II
City Bees: Starting and Maintaining an Apiary on Your Campus
Saturday March 31st - 1:40pm-2:30pm
Hava Blair, SLUG Garden Manager
Students from the Sustainable Lawrence University Gardens (SLUG) have joined the growing number of urban beekeepers in the United States. Over the last 2 years, SLUG has legalized urban beekeeping in Appleton, established an apiary, and harvested its first crop of honey. This presentation will outline the process of establishing an apiary, from initial discussions with local government and campus administration to installing hives on campus. After discussing the key steps in gaining approval to start SLUG’s apiary, we will go through a timeline of the yearly management of our hives and describe the basic activities involved in caring for honeybees. We will also describe our campus education efforts and our experiences extracting and selling our first honey crop.
Free Enterprise: Readopting a Forgotten System to Create The New America
Saturday March 31st - 1:40pm-2:30pm
Ben Kramlich - Gourmet Grassfed
Instead of focusing on whether this is legal or profitable, it's time for us to start asking the more important questions. That means asking "Is this right?" before "Is this legal?' and "Is this good?" before "Is this profitable?" This is the difference between capitalistic society and one of free enterprise.
Currently, our country is in a transitory stage and I believe our generation can propel the nation into a state of free enterprise where true freedom and prosperity abound.
At Gourmet Grassfed, we are big believers in free enterprise. In our talk we will share a bit about why and how we got started as well as illuminate what is possible with a bit of courage and a new definition of success.
Season Extension and Community Engagement at Cornercopia
Saturday March 31st - 1:40pm-2:30pm
Sarah Halvorson-Fried Cornercopia Student Farm - UM-Twin Cities
At Cornercopia Student Organic Farm at the University of Minnesota, we use season extension techniques to keep our community involved throughout the year. In addition to traditional methods like growing micro-greens and pea shoots in our greenhouse space and utilizing high tunnels to extend the season further into the fall and spring, we make mini-"greenhouses," to start seeds and grow micro-greens inexpensively at home, both among students and with the larger community. This presentation will showcase these methods as well as our ideas for the coming season, including vertical space usage in greenhouses and high tunnels along with raised bed planting before the ground thaws.
Session III
Full Cycle Freight
Saturday March 31st - 2:40pm-3:30pm
Darin Ripp - F.H. King Students for Sustainable
Agriculture - UW-Madison
In 2010, FH King Students for Sustainable Agriculture began a composting
program that involved community, health, and practicality. Full Cycle
Freight, was implemented to collect food waste from the
isthmus area of Madison and deliver it to the F.H. King garden where it
would be composted and used for general farm operations. The catch--all
transportation of food waste has to be completed with a bicycle equipped with
a 400lb-capacity, 8-foot long bicycle trailer. This presentation will outline our
model for sustainability, how we use compost as an outreach channel, and how
Full Cycle Freight expanded to include the student body and the larger
Madison community in its entirety. We will also provide resources to you on
how to start a sustainable compost initiative in your town.
Creating Opportunities with Urban and Sustainable Agriculture
Saturday March 31st - 2:40pm-3:30pm
Oren Jakobson - Riverview Gardens
Everyone is attracted to Madison, Portland, Boulder, Seattle, and all of the other "progressive" cities where urban and sustainable agriculture are becoming a norm. These cities seem to hold countless opportunities to be a part of great projects. You won't even stand out in the crowd.
In every other place, where popular projects haven't yet happened, communities are ready for a new generation of leaders. Urban and sustainable agriculture are tools for community development and social change. They are tools to create opportunities. This presentation will follow the story of a new urban farming project that is transforming 70 acres of land in the heart of Appleton, WI into an urban farm, park and community center, and how this project has motivated community members, organizations, and businesses to come together in collaboration and partnership.
Student Organic Farm Community Supported Agriculture
Saturday March 31st - 2:40pm-3:30pm
Amanda Hawks - Student Organic Farm - Utah State University
In the spring of 2008, Utah State University’s Student Organic Farm was created to give students hands-on experience in growing and marketing organic produce; selling it at a small on-campus stand. Now the student-run farm operates a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program in which university faculty, staff, students and members of the community buy shares into the farm and receive vegetables each week during the growing season. This presentation will focus primarily on the CSA; detailing the vegetable planning process, the interaction between interns and customers, and the goals each season of the CSA. It will also briefly include a history of the farm, a description of our farming techniques in the northern Utah climate including early season production techniques, and an explanation of our adherence to the USDA Organic Standards.
Discussion Topics
Session I - Sunday April 1st - 9am-10:15am
Continuing the SISA Conference
Starting A Campus Garden
Accessing Land
Session II - Sunday April 1st - 1:10pm-2:30pm
Social Entrepreneurship: Where does farming fit in?
WInter Blues? Winter Greens!
Increasing involvement on Campus
Workshop Topics
*Workshop sign up will take place at the registration table on Saturday. Spots are limited.
BeeKeeping (Sunday April 1st 9am-10:15am, 10:15am-11:30am, and 1:10pm-2:30pm)
Put on a suit and get a first-hand look at the Lawrence University Apiary. Learn the basics of apiary management and setting up your own beehives.
Composting (Sunday April 1st 9am-10:15am and 1:10pm-2:30pm)
An introduction to institution-sized composting. Dig around in Lawrence University's compost piles and learn about sourcing materials, managing piles, and putting the good soil to use.
Grant Writing (Sunday April 1st 9am - 10:15am)
Discuss grant rhetoric and successful grant-writing tools. Learn how to organize a grant proposal and identify the right grant for your project.
Hoop House Construction (Sunday April 1st 9am -11:30am)
Learn the basics of hoop-house construction and design. Construct a hoop bending jig and put it to use. Discuss material lists and important construction logistics.