Organic farming conference set for Torrington

The latest information for reduced inputs for sustainable, organic farming will be offered at the Organic Farmers Conference on Wednesday, Feb. 11 in Torrington, Wyo.

The second annual conference, presented by the University of Wyoming Extension and Nebraska Extension, is 9 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Rendezvous Center on the Goshen County Fairgrounds.

“Eliminating pesticides and altering fertilizer sources are key factors for growing organic products for the modern society,” said Alex Pavlista, UNL Crop Physiologist at the UNL Panhandle Research and Extension Center at Scottsbluff. “Alternative methods for pest control, exploring potential markets for processed organic products, and practices such as cover crops, legume rotations and weed ecology are among the topics that will be discussed.”

Topics are:

• Soil fertility and cover crops

• Compost in dryland crop production

• Organic approaches to insect pest control

• Organic weed control

• Growing potatoes for organic starch

• Organic livestock production

The conference will conclude with a producer panel discussion on dryland wheat, grass-fed beef and community supported agriculture vegetables.

“Sales of organic products is a great opportunity for Wyoming and Nebraska farmers, one that more and more take advantage of each year,” said Jay Norton, UWY Soil Specialist. “Almost 20 percent of winter wheat producers in Wyoming are organic certified, and total organic sales in 2012 amounted to nearly $9.5 million.”

For more information, go to the website or contact Norton at (307) 766-5082 or [email protected], or Emmanuel Omondi at (307) 703-0167 or [email protected]. There is a registration cost and can be done online at https://theorganicfarmersconference.eventbrite.com