For Immediate Release: January 22, 2018 Contact: Amalie Lipstreu, OEFFA Policy Program Coordinator, (614) 421-2022, amalie@oeffa.org Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association Urges Farmers to Apply Before the March 2018 Deadline Columbus, Ohio—On January 19, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) announced that farmers have until March 2, 2018 to submit an initial FY 2018 application for the nation’s largest working lands program, the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP). More than 72 million acres across the country—roughly 8 percent of all agricultural land—and more than 300,000 acres in Ohio are currently enrolled in whole-farm conservation contracts. The significant amount of working lands already enrolled in CSP,…

For Immediate Release: January 3, 2018 Contact: Lauren Ketcham, Communications Coordinator, (614) 421-2022, lauren@oeffa.org Sabrina Pritchett, CSU Associate Director of Public Relations and Marketing, (937) 376-6323, spritchett@centralstate.edu . Urban agriculture offers accessible opportunities for individuals to make a living farming, gain practical educational and job training, and provide communities with healthy, local food. Empowering urban farmers to take advantage of these opportunities and helping them succeed in urban agriculture is the focus of a six-part workshop track presented by Ohio’s newest 1890 land-grant institution, Central State University Extension (CSUE). The workshop track is part of the Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association’s (OEFFA) 39th annual conference, A Taste for Change,…

For Immediate Release: December 21, 2017 Contact: Kelly Henderson, Begin Farming Program Coordinator, (614) 421-2022, kelly@oeffa.org Lauren Ketcham, Communications Coordinator, (614) 421-2022, lauren@oeffa.org    Early career farmers and those considering a farming vocation will get the information they need during a dedicated begin farming workshop track and networking opportunities that are part of the Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association’s (OEFFA) 39th annual conference, A Taste for Change, February 15-17 at the Dayton Convention Center. “Our goal is to help people increase their knowledge and skills, find leads on farmland, and make business and professional connections,” said OEFFA Begin Farming Program Coordinator Kelly Henderson.  . On February 16-17, six 90-minute…

For Immediate Release: December 14, 2017 Contact: Renee Hunt, Program Director, (614) 421-2022 Ext. 205, renee@oeffa.org Lauren Ketcham, Communications Coordinator, (614) 421-2022 Ext. 203, lauren@oeffa.org    As evidence mounts about the health and environmental harms associated with pesticides, some corporations are responding with tobacco-style propaganda campaigns designed to undermine organic and non-genetically modified agriculture. .  Who’s behind these attacks and how they are doing it will be the focus of a keynote address by author, journalist, and leading consumer advocate Stacy Malkan at the Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association’s (OEFFA) 39th annual conference, A Taste for Change, this February in Dayton. In her Saturday, February 17 talk, “Fake News,…

For Immediate Release: December 11, 2017 Contact: Renee Hunt, Program Director, (614) 421-2022 Ext. 205, renee@oeffa.org Lauren Ketcham, Communications Coordinator, (614) 421-2022 Ext. 203, lauren@oeffa.org    The role that technology, biology, consumers, and farmers play in changing agriculture and food will be the focus of a keynote address by long-time organic farmer and advocate Jeff Moyer at the Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association’s (OEFFA) 39th annual conference, A Taste for Change, this February in Dayton, Ohio. In his Friday, February 16 keynote address, “Welcome to the Future of Change!,” Moyer, Executive Director of the Rodale Institute, will share his perspective on the organic movement and organic agriculture’s role in…

For Immediate Release: November 29, 2017 Contact: Renee Hunt, Program Director, (614) 421-2022 Ext. 205, renee@oeffa.org Lauren Ketcham, Communications Coordinator, (614) 421-2022 Ext. 203, lauren@oeffa.org    Registration is now open for Ohio’s premier educational and networking event for ecological farmers, backyard growers, and others committed to sustainable agriculture, local food, and green living.  . The Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association’s (OEFFA) 39th annual conference, A Taste for Change, will run Thursday, February 15 through Saturday, February 17 at the Dayton Convention Center in Dayton, Ohio.  . “The conference is three days of learning, networking, sharing, and breaking bread with an inspiring and growing community of farmers and local food…

For Immediate Release: November 10, 2017 Contact: Amalie Lipstreu, OEFFA Policy Program Coordinator—(614) 421-2022, amalie@oeffa.org Lauren Ketcham, OEFFA Communications Coordinator—(614) 421-2022, lauren@oeffa.org COLUMBUS, OH—Yesterday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) released notice that they are delaying, for the third time, implementation of the Organic Livestock and Poultry Practices (OLPP) rule. “The USDA’s move this week should be seen for what it is: a clear attempt to let industrial agriculture interests usurp the legitimacy of the organic label,” said OEFFA Policy Program Coordinator Amalie Lipstreu. “This rule has been in the making for more than 10 years and has been fully vetted.” The OLPP final rule would amend…

A publication released today by the Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association (OEFFA) will help produce farmers understand what it means to develop a farm food safety plan and meet new federal food safety rules.     . Food Safety Planning Down on the Farm: Examples from Ohio Certified Organic Farms features eight vegetable and fruit farms of various scales and serving diverse markets.     . “Our hope is that farmers, whether or not they are certified organic, will see themselves in these profiles,” said OEFFA Education Program Director Renee Hunt.  “We want these case studies to give produce growers ideas of what they can do and make food safety…

Contact: Amalie Lipstreu, Policy Program Coordinator, (614) 421-2022, amalie@oeffa.org Lauren Ketcham, Communications Coordinator, (614) 421-2022, lauren@oeffa.org . Columbus, OH—A government survey of U.S. organic farms shows that Ohio ranks 7th in the nation in its number of organic farms. Ohio is seeing double digit growth in the number of organic farms, organic land in production, and organic sales, illustrating the role of organic production in economic development.  . The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Agriculture Statistics Service’s “2016 Certified Organic Survey,” showed Ohio’s organic sales increased by more than 30 percent since 2015 and the number of certified organic farms in Ohio is up by 24 percent. Since…

Statement from Amalie Lipstreu, OEFFA Policy Program Coordinator      For Immediate Release: October 5, 2017 Contact: Amalie Lipstreu, OEFFA Policy Program Coordinator, (614) 421-2022, amalie@oeffa.org Lauren Ketcham, OEFFA Communications Coordinator, (614) 421-2022, lauren@oeffa.org Columbus, OH—Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH), a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, introduced the Local Food and Regional Market Supply (FARMS) Act (HR 3941) yesterday. This legislation directs the U.S. Department of Agriculture to continue positive investments in local food systems, community economic development, and public health. Ohio Ecological Food and Farming Association (OEFFA) Policy Coordinator Amalie Lipstreu, released the following statement: “The bill introduced by Senator Brown makes important investments that will allow farmers to reach…