Tag: MOSES Conference

Environment, Organic Policy and Regulations, What is Organic

Who Am I to Tell You About Organic Farming?

Melody Meyer
Dont know much about farming
Photo by Uta Scholl on Unsplash

When I tell people I make my career in organic agriculture, they assume I am a farmer. They ask me what I grow with a curious tilt of the head. Since I am in my sixth decade, they cannot imagine me tilling, hoeing, or harvesting anything but sweet peas.The truth is I know next to nothing about farming except that it takes a multitude of diverse skills, a strong constitution, and an affinity for working alone with the soil. At heart, you must be a gambler, tending the earth with no financial guarantees. The crop is either good or bad, and the market strikes just right or not.   

I have spent many a dusty hour bumping along fields and orchards with organic farmers across the rural globe. So, I do possess a few insights.

Continue reading “Who Am I to Tell You About Organic Farming?” →
Culinary Delights, Organic Policy and Regulations, Social Implications in Agriculture, What is Organic

MOSES Staff Awaits You

Melody Meyer

No, this isn’t a holy relic. The staff at the Midwest Organic & Sustainable Education Services (MOSES) awaits your attendance at the 29th annual MOSES conference. The deadline to register online is today February 8th, so if you don’t want to get left in the wilderness, sign up to attend today! Continue reading “MOSES Staff Awaits You” →

Culinary Delights, Environment, Organic Policy and Regulations, What is Organic

A New Year of Organic Occasions and Sustainable Summits: Hello Sweet Sixteen

Melody Meyer

2016It’s that time of the year when we set aside the champagne and brie, or beer and curds depending on your longitudinal coordinates. We pull our resolutions up by their proverbial boot straps and get back to work, turning another corner on our good food journey. Sweet sixteen is upon us and so too is a year full of congregations and confluences to satisfy our organic urges and sustainable impulses. Mark your calendars now so you don’t miss out! Continue reading “A New Year of Organic Occasions and Sustainable Summits: Hello Sweet Sixteen” →

What is Organic

Does Size really matter?

Melody Meyer

Organic farmLast week, I was lucky enough to be one of the 3,300 people who attended the 25th anniversary MOSES conference. This annual conference, held in La Crosse, Wisconsin, is the foremost organic and sustainable farming conference in North America (perhaps in the world).

The total number of farmers in the US is about 2.1 million, according to the latest government census of American agriculture. Organic farmland is approximately 1% of total US acreage, so it’s quite possible that many of the organic farmers representing that 1% attended MOSES as well. Among the crowd were many small organic producers. Throughout my week, I experienced an uncanny convergence of conversations about big organic and small organic and local farms, which led me to ask, does size really matter? Continue reading “Does Size really matter?” →