EcoFarm is committed to fostering new leadership in ecological agriculture by providing financial assistance through our scholarship and work trade programs. W e've extended the application deadline until Tuesday, November 7, 2017! EcoFarm Work Trade: Work Trade is an opportunity to attend the EcoFarm Conference at a reduced rate by providing volunteer support for conference activities and logistics. Work Trade is also a great way to gain event production experience and engage with the EcoFarm community. Click here to apply for Work Trade EcoFarm Scholarships: We're...Read more
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THIS EVENT HAS BEEN POSTPONED. Join EcoFarm for a hands-on introduction to growing and saving your own seed supply! Community members are welcome. This FREE workshop will be taught by Jesse Hersh, owner of the small seed company start-up Con Semilla . After sharing a brief history of today's seed production industry, basic flower morphology and seed terminology, Jesse will demonstrate various processing techniques with seasonal plant materials. Participants will have the opportunity to learn through hands-on experience about processing and storing of seeds for farm...Read more
Earl's Organic Produce is an all-organic produce handler and a long-time sponsor of the EcoFarm Conference. Rodger Wasson of Farm to Table Talk along with two EcoFarm staff members journeyed over to Earl's warehouse to learn about their operation and the reasons why Earl sends over 30 of his employees (himself included) to the EcoFarm Conference every year. "It [EcoFarm Conference] sparks...a passion...and continues to re-affirm why I am in this industry." "The seminars are incredible...It [EcoFarm] is incredibly diverse and is continually broadening its stretch into...Read more
In preparation for the 38th EcoFarm Conference, staff member Deborah Yashar interviewed Mark Mulcahy, creator of the altar of produce that is set up on the main stage each year for the duration of the conference. Read on for a unique and inspiriting perspective from this organic retail pioneer. How did you get started with organic produce? “In the late 70’s and early 80’s I was reading Rachel Carson, Wendell Berry and Edward Abbey which peaked my interest in a better world. I started working at a coop that didn’t sell any organic food, which was curious to me. ‘...Read more
At EcoFarm Conference, people both young and old bring together their ideas to revolutionize the way agriculture works, from the field all the way to the checkout line. Today we kick off our scholarship campaign to fund the next wave of EcoFarmers eager to shape that conversation. Will you support them by donating today? Your gift will help us reach our goal of raising $20,000 to create a more inclusive EcoFarm Conference. Let's support beginning farmers and ranchers who are working to "SOW GOOD"! Interested in applying for a scholarship? Click hereRead more
Join EcoFarm and Santa Cruz CRAFT for an exclusive tour of ALBA's Organic Farm Incubator in Salinas, and learn about Aggrigator's new e-commerce marketplace! Attendance is free, community members welcome. ALBA (Agriculture and Land-Based Training Association) is a non-profit organization with a 100 acre training facility based in the heart of the Salinas Valley. ALBA provides a bilingual and college-accredited Farmer Education Course for aspiring farmers, the majority of which are current or former farm workers. After graduation, participants can qualify to lease land...Read more
Come one, come all to the Hoes Down Harvest Festival, October 7 & 8 at Full Belly Farm! Join revelers, agricultural enthusiasts, families, artists, and musicians to celebrate our 30th birthday - We're still dirty at thirty! Along with dancing, smiles, and hugging arms, e njoy yummy organic food and drinks, live music, farm tours, children's activities, farmers' markets, and crafts. Special highlights include a Seed Swap, Circus Bella, Nighttime Storywalk, and a screening of Evolution of Organic. Don't forget there's always camping, storytelling, and glowing...Read more
Congratulations to Patricia Larenas and Ellen Cavalli - they each won a Dirt First tee for participating in our #dirtfirstselfie social media contest! About our prize winners... Baby Dean , Next Gen environmental protector, is the grandson of Patricia Larenas, the founder of Urban Artichoke where she writes about seeds, growing edibles, and responsible, earth-friendly garden design. Originally from Chile, Patricia lives in California where she specializes in replacing lawns with water-wise, earth-friendly designs, and edible gardens. A passionate seed keeper, Patricia...Read more
EcoFarm is thrilled to announce keynote speakers Gabe Brown, Ray Archuleta, and David Johnson to speak on EcoFarm opening night, introduced here by farmer emeritus Tom Willey of TD Willey Farms. North Dakota farmer Gabe Brown is the celebrated poster kid for a new breed of no-till practitioners, who by embracing high-species-diversity cover crops, broadened rotations and mob grazing have vastly improved their farms’ productivity, soil function and carbon carrying capacity, while reducing all chemical inputs, fertilizers, herbicide and pesticides by 80%. Photo caption...Read more
EcoFarm's July CRAFT workshop is a rare opportunity to learn about humane animal husbandry. Attendance is free, RSVP required, community members welcome! Fiesta Farm is a first-generation family farm located north of Salinas near Watsonville, California. Farmers Aurelio and Sarah Lopez' main focus is pasture-raised eggs and meat, primarily chicken and pork. The pasture based production system is very different from conventional poultry and pork production, and involves daily or weekly rotation of all animals across grass pastures and through oak forests. Fiesta Farm's...Read more