RECAP: Georgia Organics Conference

The Georgia Organics conference took place this past week in Athens, GA (home of the Bulldogs!) at the Classic Center, a beautiful event venue on the University of Georgia Campus. There was a chill outside, but kind smiles and warm conversation inside, fueled by catered meals featuring food generously donated from local Farms.

On Friday, off-site sessions at nearby Farms brought shivering conference-goers back to the venue excited to meet old friends and discuss new ideas. After a Farmer social at nearby Creature Comforts brewery on Friday night, the conference picked up again Saturday morning with Community and Farmer Workshops. Snow flurries started mid-morning, and elated attendees snapped snow selfies in between sessions. 

At noon on Saturday, the Expo closed its doors and all 600+ attendees herded into the dining hall at long lunch-room style tables. Alice Waters lead the group in an exercise to demonstrate the future of school lunch— where local Farms provide the food, students collaborate to set the table, and the fare is educational. CheFarmer Mathew Raiford cooked and coordinated a beautiful, nutritious, and delicious meal; highlights included a roasted root vegetable medley and an apple crisp with to-die-for vanilla ice cream. The incredible food fueled attention to informative sessions throughout the conference. 

Session: Principles of Regenerative Agriculture 

Speaker: Dr. Andrew (Drew) Smith, PhD

Takeaways: 

• Regenerative Agriculture is a critical concept, but in danger of being diluted 

• Priority #1 is to stop spraying chemical additives that endanger global health

• Regenerative Agriculture can produce similar yields to conventional, with an added labor cost. The bright side? It creates more jobs. 

Session: Rotational Grazing for Pest and Disease Management

Speaker: Will Powers of The Pastures of Rose Creek and Philip Brown of NRCS

Takeaways: 

• Farms are able to transition to rotational grazing. First, you will need to lower your herd. Keep grazing in a circular rotation. 

• Keep paddocks as a square. It takes less fence to enclose a square paddock as to a rectangle or triangle of the same acreage. 

• Impacts of grazing on management of roots

  • 21 days vs. 7 days - healthy roots have more nutrients and water 

  • Longer the roots = healthier grass = healthier, happier cows

• Use chickens to graze! Once you move the cows to another paddock, allow 2 days for the dung beetles to die from the feces, and then bring your chicken tractor through and let your chickens graze. They will eat the flies/larva. You’ll have healthier cows when they are moved back to the paddock! 

At The Barn2Door booth, we enjoyed conversation with passersby and expo neighbors, as well as Barn2Door customers who came to say hello and discuss marketing strategies for selling direct. In all, the Georgia Organics Conference was a joy to attend and participate in. 

What Emma and Abby had to say: 

Emma: “This conference was a highlight from the season. Everyone was so eager to chat and engage with what we’re doing, and share about their Farms and businesses. There was an electricity that made anyone in the room eager to learn and improve.”
Abby: “I loved seeing the passion these Farmers have for their operations. I loved hearing their stories, what their goals were, and hearing them affirm Barn2Door’s mission. As I passed a beautiful salad and cornbread to Farmers (and now friends), who sat across from me, I felt a deep sense of stewardship and community.”

If you’re curious to learn about Barn2Door’s services for your own Farm, you can learn how it works with a short video demo.