A farm vision focused on animal welfare, regenerative land practices, and rural revival will be the focus of a keynote address by fourth-generation cattleman Will Harris at the Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association’s (OEFFA) 42nd annual conference, Our Time: Essential Links in a Strong Food Chain. In his Wednesday, February 10 keynote address, presented by Turner Farm, “Regenerating Land with Livestock,” Harris will describe how the farm’s holistic, polyculture production system for 10 species of livestock, zero-waste model, and on-farm meat processing have made White Oak Pastures the largest private employer in the county, while regenerating the land. “Our farm is creating more in terms of organic matter in…

Registration is now open for an interactive educational online conference 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) 42nd annual conference, Our Time: Essential Links for a Strong Food Chain, will run Wednesday, February 10-Monday, February 15, 2021 and be accessible anywhere by phone and computer. “Through these challenging times of physical distance, more than ever, we need to be socially close,” said OEFFA Program Director Renee Hunt. “In that spirit, the online conference will be different, but with the same intent and result: sharing information so that we can all succeed, moving our food…

Columbus, Ohio—Today, the Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association (OEFFA), the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC), and farmers and ranchers from across the country delivered a letter to the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis, urging Congress to support and invest in farming and rural communities to address the climate crisis. More than 2,100 independent farmers and ranchers in all 50 states— including more than 150 OEFFA farmers—signed the letter, representing farm families producing fruits and vegetables, dairy, livestock, grain, and more. The letter stresses the fundamental threat that the climate crisis poses to the viability of agriculture and the livelihoods of farmers and ranchers. “For a full month…

A coalition of statewide food and farm organizations has released a new 18 page report, Opportunity in a Time of Crisis: Recommendations for Building a More Resilient Ohio Food System. The report by the Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association (OEFFA), Ohio Farmers Market Network (OFMN), Ohio Food Policy Network (OFPN), and Produce Perks Midwest (PPM) captures how local and regional food systems and nutrition assistance were impacted by COVID-19. It offers eight policy recommendations Ohio’s decision-makers can implement to invest in the capacity of Ohio’s farmers and farmers markets and build food security for vulnerable families. “COVID-19 paralyzed our country and broke many links in the centralized global food…

The coronavirus or COVID-19 pandemic is having far-reaching repercussions on Ohio’s food and farm system. Four organizations, the Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association (OEFFA), Produce Perks Midwest (PPM), the Ohio Farmers Market Network (OFMN), and the Ohio Food Policy Network (OFPN) are calling on Ohio’s leaders to implement six important policies that will help small and mid-size farmers, farmers markets, and families who rely on nutrition assistance to access affordable, healthy food. “Ohio leaders can take decisive action and ensure the survival of small and mid-scale family farmers that feed their communities and make sure the public can access much needed fresh food in a way that protects public…

Recognizing that farmers are trying to reach consumers during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association (OEFFA) is taking steps to get the word out and is making its online searchable database available to all sustainable and organic farmers to list their products for sale. The Good Earth Guide gives consumers an online tool to search for farms and food businesses by product, name, county (Ohio only), and additional options such as community supported agriculture (CSA) and certified organic. Consumers can find out what farms and businesses in Ohio and beyond offer and how to contact them.  “We know farmers, farmers’ markets, and farm-related businesses are scrambling…

The Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association (OEFFA) has named the 2020 recipients of its Stewardship and Service awards.  David Bell of Logan County received the Stewardship Award, which recognizes outstanding contributions to the sustainable agriculture community, and Alan Sundermeier of Wood County received the Service Award, which recognizes extraordinary service in support of sustainable agriculture. The announcements were made February 14-15 in Dayton as part of OEFFA’s 41st annual conference, “A Climate for Change.”  2020 Stewardship Award Winner—David Bell David Bell started a farming business with his brother Kevin in 1968, and has owned and operated Paul Bell & Sons, a 450 acre organic farm near Bellefontaine, Ohio with…

The Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association (OEFFA) was awarded a $7,000 grant from Farm Aid to support policy advocacy on behalf of sustainable and organic family-scaled farms, in recognition of the benefits they provide to the environment and rural communities. This is OEFFA’s eleventh grant from Farm Aid. “We are both grateful and proud to receive this support from Farm Aid, with whom we share a passion for keeping family farmers on the land,” said OEFFA Executive Director Carol Goland. Farm Aid’s grantmaking is focused on work that enhances the viability of family farm agriculture in the United States. They issue grants to qualifying nonprofit organizations that are growing…

Uniting farm, food, and climate movements to demand equitable solutions to the climate crisis will be the focus of a keynote address by agroecologist, political economist, activist, and author Eric Holt-Giménez at the Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association’s (OEFFA) 41st annual conference, A Climate for Change, this February in Dayton, Ohio. In his Saturday, February 15 keynote address, “Food, Farm, and Climate Justice: A New Deal for a Just Transition,” Holt-Giménez will explore the ways in which extreme weather events, environmental contamination, industrial agriculture, energy infrastructure, and other factors have unleashed a perfect storm on our food system, worsening food insecurity and disproportionately affecting family farmers, farmworkers, and people…