OEFFA News

For Immediate Release: February 19, 2018 . Contact: Carol Goland, OEFFA Executive Director—(614) 421-2022 Ext. 202, cgoland@oeffa.org Lauren Ketcham, OEFFA Communications Coordinator—(614) 421-2022 Ext. 203, lauren@oeffa.org  . Press Release    . COLUMBUS, OH—The Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association (OEFFA) has named the 2018 recipients for the Stewardship and Service awards. . Larry and Cynthia Ringer of Stark County received the Stewardship Award, which recognizes outstanding contributions to the sustainable agriculture community, and Sean McGovern of Franklin County received the Service Award, which recognizes extraordinary service in support of sustainable agriculture. . The announcements were made on Saturday, February 17 in Dayton as part of OEFFA’s 39th annual conference, A…

Contact: Amalie Lipstreu, OEFFA Policy Program Coordinator, (614) 947-1607, amalie@oeffa.org Lauren Ketcham, OEFFA Communications Coordinator, (614) 947-1643, lauren@oeffa.org   Media Advisory  . What: Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) will provide remarks and receive the OEFFA Food and Farm Champion Award from the Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association, as part of OEFFA’s 39th annual conference, A Taste for Change. The award will recognize Senator Brown’s commitment to sustainable agriculture and his leadership in making positive investments in local food systems, community economic development, and public health. When: Friday, February 16—3:45 p.m. If you would like to attend to see the award presentation and remarks, please contact lauren@oeffa.org by February 9 to…

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…