NOFA/RI

Organic Land Care Seminar
2012-11-03 10:00 - 2020-11-03 14:00 (America/New_York) | South Kingstown Land Trust Barn. 17 Matunuck Beach Rd. South Kingstown, RI 02879, 17 Matunuck Beach Rd., South Kingstown, RI, 02879, United States
NOFA/RI is pleased to announce an Organic Land Care Seminar with NOFA Organic Land Care Professionals & Instructors Michael Nadeau and Frank Crandall. Michael Nadeau’s forty plus year in the organic landscaping business has positioned him as one of the leading authorities in the field of sustainable organic and ethical land care. Frank Crandall, NOFA Accredited Organic Land Care Professional and NOFA OLC Instructor has used his experience to author several books including “The Essential Horticultural Business Handbook” which has become a textbook at North shore Community College.
Please note we have partnered with our friends at CT NOFA and to register, you do not need to have or create an account, click the X to close the account window.
$25 NOFA Members / $35 Non-Members

Tri-State NOFA Bulk Order Opening Day
2021-01-01 - 2021-01-31
Save the date: NOFA Tri-State Bulk Order Opens January 1st!
Mark your calendars! The annual NOFA Tri-State Bulk Order will open on January 1st, 2021. Plan to shop our great selection of supplies for growers of all sizes and skill levels. By buying your supplies through us, you’ll help fund critical programming and activities at participating NOFA chapters while getting great products at affordable prices.
The bulk order period is open from January 1st-31st. Browse the catalog and order online (or via printable order form), or get in touch with me at bulkorder@nofamass.org to request a paper catalog. We recommend that you plan to shop early this year, to help your Bulk Order team and our suppliers best manage any COVID-related impacts on product availability and shipping that may occur.
This year we’re planning a catalog full of the products you loved last year – harvest crates from Organic Growers Supply, compost and potting soil from Vermont Compost, AEA liquid amendments, Fertrell livestock supplements, and Certified Organic seed potatoes from Fedco Moose Tubers – as well as exciting new products selected with the input of the passionate growers on our staff and board, in the hopes of setting you up for next season’s success.
Pick up for most items will take place on Saturday March 13, 2021. Tubers, onion sets and backordered items can be picked up on Saturday April 17.
Concerned about COVID? We are, too – and we’ll make this year’s pickup plans with the health and safety of our site coordinators, volunteers, customers and our broader communities in mind.
Questions? Comments? Email bulkorder@nofamass.org.
Pickup Sites for 2021

Belchertown, MA: NESFI, 275 Jackson St
Barre, MA: Many Hands Organic Farm, 411 Sheldon Rd
Charlestown, RI: Earth Care Farm LLC, 89 Country Drive
Dalton, MA: Holiday Farm, 100 Holiday Cottage Rd
Meriden, CT: High Hill Orchard, 86 Fleming Rd
Seekonk, MA: Early Dawn Farm, 521 Prospect St
Natick, MA: Natick Community Organic Farm, 117 Eliot St NEW
Springfield, MA: Gardening The Community, 200 Walnut St.
West Wareham, MA: Progressive Grower, 81 Charlotte Furnace Rd

Our Bulk Order Suppliers for 2021 include:

Vermont Compost Company
Earth Care Farm, LLC
Organic Growers Supply
North Country Organics
Progressive Grower
Fertrell
Moose Tubers

Road to Organic Certification - Session 1
2021-02-24 12:00 - 13:30
Are you a farmer who wants to obtain organic certification?
Are you thinking of starting a farm and wondering if organic certification makes sense for you?
This multi-course workshop will guide you through the organic crop and livestock certification process.
We’ll start with an overview of the certification process including a description of what’s allowed, prohibited and restricted under the organic standards. Next we’ll cover how to find a certifying agent and work with them to complete your organic system plan. Finally, we’ll walk through the on-farm organic inspection and your ongoing responsibilities as a certified organic farmer.
This workshop will provide you all the tools you need to have your farm certified organic.

Session 1 – February 24th, 2021
We will delve into a short history of organic farming and its history as an agricultural movement and how it came to be expressed in the process of certification, whose purpose and components will be explored. We will discuss the applicability of the Federal Regulations including what has to be certified, record keeping requirements and allowed and prohibited substances and methods.
Session 2 – March 3rd, 2021
We will cover production and record-keeping requirements and provide you with resources to develop an “Organic System Plan”, a written record of how you will manage your farm. Key components include soil and crop management and protecting the organic integrity of your farm and products. We expect to be joined by several certified organic farmers who will tell their stories and answer your questions.
Session 3 – March 10th, 2021
Our discussion will continue by covering the management of greenhouses and buffers. We’ll delve into record-keeping options and the certification process including farm management during the transition process. A guest from a regional certification agency will join our discussion and answer questions.

Al Johnson farmed & market gardened organically for 12 years and has been an organic inspector for the past 32 years. The original organic certification standards for NOFA-NJ were written around his kitchen table. He is currently the VP of NOFA-NJ and Co-President of the 7-chapter NOFA Interstate Council. He has taught farming and gardening workshops throughout the northeast for many years.

Road to Organic Certification - Session 2
2021-03-03 12:00 - 13:30
Are you a farmer who wants to obtain organic certification?
Are you thinking of starting a farm and wondering if organic certification makes sense for you?
This multi-course workshop will guide you through the organic crop and livestock certification process.
We’ll start with an overview of the certification process including a description of what’s allowed, prohibited and restricted under the organic standards. Next we’ll cover how to find a certifying agent and work with them to complete your organic system plan. Finally, we’ll walk through the on-farm organic inspection and your ongoing responsibilities as a certified organic farmer.
This workshop will provide you all the tools you need to have your farm certified organic.

Session 1 – February 24th, 2021
We will delve into a short history of organic farming and its history as an agricultural movement and how it came to be expressed in the process of certification, whose purpose and components will be explored. We will discuss the applicability of the Federal Regulations including what has to be certified, record keeping requirements and allowed and prohibited substances and methods.
Session 2 – March 3rd, 2021
We will cover production and record keeping requirements and provide you with resources to develop an “Organic System Plan”, a written record of how you will manage your farm. Key components include soil and crop management and protecting the organic integrity of your farm and products. We expect to be joined by several certified organic farmer who will tell their stories and answer your questions.
Session 3 – March 10th, 2021
Our discussion will continue by covering the management of greenhouses and buffers. We’ll delve into record keeping options and the certification process including farm management during the transition process. A guest from a regional certification agency will join our discussion and answer questions.

Al Johnson farmed & market gardened organically for 12 years and has been an organic inspector for the past 32 years. The original organic certification standards for NOFA-NJ were written around his kitchen table. He is currently the VP of NOFA-NJ and Co-President of the 7-chapter NOFA Interstate Council. He has taught farming and gardening workshops throughout the northeast for many years.

2021 Winter Conference
2021-03-05 10:00 - 2021-03-13 19:00 | Online
First the first time, CT NOFA and NOFA RI are joining forces to put together a remarkable, virtual, regional, organic gathering! Karen Washington will open the conference for a Friday night keynote event. The workshops will be held on the first two Saturdays of March, 9am-1pm.
Registration is open. See the conference website for details.

Road to Organic Certification - Session 3
2021-03-10 12:00 - 13:30

10th Annual Soil, Plant, Organic Methods Course: John Kenney, Big Train Farm
2021-03-20 13:00 | Online
A two day, four-class spring course for farmers, gardeners, and others interested in the world of soil, plant biology, and organic methods.
The goal of this class to to demystify the natural processes that govern your farming or gardening system. Have you ever been befuddled by why your farm or garden behaves the way it does? Have you ever felt uncertain about how the fertilizer or compost you’re using may or may not benefit your farm and bottom line?
Would you like a deeper understanding of how soil actually functions to facilitate the growth of healthy crops and communities?
This course has been helpful to many growers over the years in getting a richer understanding of their farm’s natural systems.
In class one we will explore the physical, chemical, and biological nature of our soils in close detail. We will discuss the mineral and organic nature of soil by going step by step through it’s macro and micro structures, exploring it’s ecological constituents, and discussing how nutirents are cycled within the system. We will use soil test analysis to demonstrate the concepts we discuss.
In class two we will focus on the plant/soil relationship. For example, how do micronutrients such as molybdenum interact with macronutrients such as nitrogen to faciliate plant growth? What do we need to understand about these relationships as farmers? We will take a look at how to conceptualize plant disease, how to examine a plant in the field, and how we can avoid large scale problems through organic/holisitc management.
In class three we will discuss the biological component of soil in greater detail, explore food web dynamics, nutrient flows, and the ecological role plants, animals, and microorganisms play. Again, using soil tests to illuminate some of the rhetoric that is out there we will take a balanced look at the controversy between a biological approach versus a chemical approach to dealing with nutrient availability.
In class four we will assess management techniques and philosophies in the organic/regenerative/alternative agricultural world. John will bring his own experiences of over twenty years of organic farming to the table while highlighting some of the more successful growers/soil managers he is aware of. The entire course is strongly influenced by question and answer opportunities and we will encourage attendees to bring their own experiences with them.
Course is taught by John Kenny of Big Train Farm.

Lunchtime Microscope Series
2021-04-07 12:00 - 13:30, 2021-04-14 12:00 - 13:30, 2021-04-21 12:00 - 13:30
Join us at noon on Wednesdays in April, as we zoom in on ‘Microbes Having Lunch’, under the microscope.
Week 1 (April 7): Learn about the diversity of organisms that make up the ‘soil food web’. From the tiniest one-celled bacteria, algae, fungi, and protozoa, to the more complex nematodes and micro-arthropods.
Week 2 (April 14): Learn how to keep microbes in your soil ‘alive and well’. In return, these soil organisms will provide nutrients for the plants, build organic matter, aggregate soil particles together, and help plants resist ‘stress’.
Week 3 (April 21): Learn how to make healthy, living compost, compost tea, and extractions, then how to use a microscope to identify the microbes, and quality.

Healthy Living Soil Grows Healthy Nutritious Food.

Weed Management without a Tractor
2021-06-27 13:00 - 15:00

A Midsummer Night's Crop Walk at Brandon Family Farm
2021-07-07 04:30 - 18:30
July 7, 2021, 4:30 to 6:30 PM
592 Fairgrounds Road, West Kingston, RI 02892
MAP LOCATION:
https://goo.gl/maps/gEfo6FBAJZBwFRfv5
Take a walk through the fields as we discuss
production successes and issues with farmer
Alby Brandon, and with Heather Faubert and Andy Radin
of URI Cooperative Extension.
Register Now!
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeoeuPJuZCL7gu4eLl19ftmyfXV6KhPf2V3hjE8AMuX-B2Qfg/viewform
Topics Include:
Pest and Disease Management: ID, Prevention using Cultural Practices and Variety Selection, and Organic Control Options
Weed Control
Soil Amendments and Fertilization
Watering Practices
Cover Cropping
Questions? Contact Andy Radin andy_radin@uri.edu

NOTE: THIS EVENT IS GEARED TOWARDS PRODUCERS,
HOWEVER, ALL ARE INVITED TO ATTEND!

Farming for Flavor: A tasting night with Julia Sweet & Bill Braun at the Gilded Tomato
2021-07-27 17:30 - 19:00 | The Guilded Tomato, 2 Peckham St, Rehoboth, MA, 02769, United States
Bill Braun from the Freed Seed Federation will join us to discuss vegetable variety selection and the importance of growers selecting, saving, and breeding crops that are better adapted to their locations than what is available commercially. Bill has championed local MA/RI varieties like the Macomber turnip and local corn varieties like the Rhode Island White Cap Flint corn as well as, of course, some exquisite new tomato varieties just ready for taste testing!
Bill Braun, farmer at Ivory Silo Farm in Westport and executive director of Freed Seed Federation, will discuss the crucial role of growers in the preservation, improvement, and breeding of regional seed varieties. He will bring some samples to taste tomato selections from a farmer/breeder participatory breeding project. Freed Seed Federation is a farmer-run nonprofit dedicated to place-based seed for the people. We partner farmers and breeders in the meaningful preservation, creation, and diversification of regional public domain seed, in an effort to foster mosaics of alternative community-based seed systems.

NOFA/MA Summer Conference
2021-07-30 - 2021-08-06

No-till Cultivation and Soil Fertility
2021-08-13 17:00 - 19:00

Recommendations for the Organic Orchardist and Backyard Grower
2021-08-14 16:30 - 18:30 | Elmwood Orchard, 58 Snake Hill Road, North Scituate, RI, 02857, United States
Al and Jean Fuoroli from Elwood Orchard have grown certified organic apples since 2012. Al will discuss and recommend apple varieties that will allow the grower to avoid some of the major apple diseases in southern New England. Also discussed will be how they manage weeds in a perennial planting and insect and disease control.

Transitioning from the summer to winter, efficiencies and regenerative agriculture
2021-08-31 16:30 - 2021-10-31 18:30 | Little RIver Farm, 125 William Reynolds Rd, Exeter, RI, 02822, United States
Join us at Little River Farm

Growing a Farm to Feed a Restaurant
2021-10-01 16:00 - 18:00 | Matunuck Vegetable Farm, 2236 Comd Oliver Hazard Perry Highway, South Kingston, RI, 02879, United States
Perry Ruso, the owner of Matunuck Oyster Bar, will give an introduction about why he started the Matunuch vegetable far and how it has worked out. Tim Cheng, the manager of the farm, will share his expertise and give a tour.
The tour will touch on a multitude of subjects ranging from micro green and sunflower shoot production, developing efficient wash-pack systems and summer and winter cover cropping. Come learn about organic weed control techniques and specific tools used! Tim will also speak about certification, how to manage your system plan and navigate the system without fear.
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

NOFA Tri-state Bulk Order Deadline
2022-01-31 | Online
The NOFA Tri-State Bulk Order opens on January 1st of each year.

Thanks in advance for buying your farm and garden supplies through the NOFA Tri-State Bulk Order. By buying with us, you’ll help fund critical programming and activities at participating NOFA chapters while getting great products at affordable prices.

To Participate:

Order online at www.nofamass.store/bulkorder between January 1-31.

Note: for special orders, sling orders and drop ships, you will need to order by mail using the Order Form

The bulk order period is open from January 1st-31st. Browse the catalog and order online (or via printable order form), or get in touch with us at bulkorder@nofamass.org to request a paper catalog. We recommend that you plan to shop early this year, to help your Bulk Order team and our suppliers best manage any COVID-related impacts on product availability and shipping that may occur.
Concerned about COVID? We are, too – and we’ll make this year’s pickup plans with the health and safety of our site coordinators, volunteers, customers and our broader communities in mind.
Questions? Comments? Email bulkorder@nofamass.org.
Our Bulk Order Suppliers for 2021 include:

Vermont Compost Company
Earth Care Farm, LLC
Organic Growers Supply
North Country Organics
Progressive Grower
Fertrell
Moose Tubers

2022 Winter Conference
2022-03-06
Register Here

Join NOFA/RI for our 10th Annual Winter Conference, an all-day virtual event featuring a deep dive into the promises and practices of regenerative agriculture.
Regenerative Agriculture claims to offer solutions to our agricultural and land care problems, including soil erosion and depletion, weed and pest abundance, and nutrient supply and availability. Regenerative Ag also proposes solutions to wider global crises such as climate change and ocean acidification through carbon sequestration into soils, less reliance on chemicals and mined minerals, and less fossil fuel consumption.
Can it deliver on these promises? We will explore these issues with several leaders in sustainable agriculture over the course of two panel discussions moderated by Rhode Island farmer John Kenny.
To request a scholarship, email us at nofari@live.com.

Schedule of Events

Annual Meeting | Year in review, and what’s in the works for 2022

11am-1pm: Panel 1 | Regenerative Agriculture, Big Promises
What is regenerative agriculture? Why is it so relevant to our future? A discussion of agriculture’s historic relationships to fuel, water, and soil, its displacement of Black farmers and Indigenous nations, and ways that regenerative agriculture proposes to transform these relationships. 20 minutes reserved for Q&A at the end.

Lunch Screening | Organic Roots: NOFA’s First 50 Years and a Vision for the Future

3pm-5pm: Panel 2 | Regenerative Agriculture in Practice
In the afternoon session, we dig in on the practice of regenerative ag. Our guest experts share their experience with soil-building, handling pests and diseases, nurturing biodiversity, and general best practices. 40 minutes reserved for Q&A at the end.

Guest Speakers

Ray Archuleta, the Soils Guy himself, has worked for over 25 years with NRCS as a Conservation Agronomist and has been a leading spokesperson for regenerative agriculture. (Panels 1 and 2)
Leah Penniman is a farmer, activist, author, co-founder and co-director of Soul Fire Farm in Petersburg NY. Leah brings the perspective of a Black woman who has helped many, many Black and Brown people reconnect with the land. (Panel 1)
Dr. Vern Grubinger is the Extension Professor and Vegetable and Berry Specialist at the University of Vermont. Vern has been helping farmers for over thirty years reach sustainable solutions to agricultural challenges. (Panels 1 and 2)
Dr. Jonathan Lundgren is the founder of Ecdysis Foundation and Blue Dasher Farm. Jonathan left a career at the USDA over the agency’s attempts to suppress his research around neonicotinoid pesticides and their ecological impacts. He has since dedicated himself to research around regenerative practices and is an advocate of their promises. (Panels 1 and 2)
Jody Bolluyt is one of the farmers at Roxbury Farm CSA in Kinderhook, NY. Roxbury Farm CSA grows 25 acres of organic vegetables and raises grass fed beef and pastured pork for their CSA members. An additional 25 to 30 acres is planted in cover crops each year. (Panel 2)

Composting, Worms & Gardening with Monique Bosch
2022-06-28 17:00 - 18:00 | Online
Composting, Worms & Gardening with Monique Bosch
June 28, 2022 5:00 – 6:00 PM
Virtual via Zoom | Wiggle Room, Lafayette St, Bridgeport, CT 06604
Monique Bosch, the owner of Wiggle Room, will give a presentation on the benefits of vermicomposting. The presentation will also compare and contrast other compost practices, and how to know which style to choose. BONUS: Presentation will include under-the-microscope analysis of various forms of compost!
Wiggle Room is a vermicomposting business based in Connecticut.
The workshop was recorded, and you can watch it here.

NOFA Summer Conference
2022-08-05 - 2022-08-07 | Hampshire College, 893 West Street, Amherst, MA, 01002, United States
48th NOFA Summer Conference

The NOFA Summer Conference is a dynamic and diverse gathering of people working at the intersections of organic agriculture, gardening, food justice, land management, education, carbon sequestration, environment and health.
The 48th annual NOFA Summer Conference is slated for the weekend of August 5-7, 2022 at Hampshire College in Amherst, MA. Over 60 educational workshops, panel discussions, roundtables and a keynote session, a conference for children, entertainment opportunities and more.
We’ve appreciated the expansion of community and accessibility that meeting online has offered us, and we will continue to offer an online option for those who prefer to attend remotely. Agenda and details available here.
The 2022 NOFA Summer Conference will be happening in person at Hampshire College in Amherst, MA August 5-7, 2022. This year’s conference theme is Decolonizing and Regrowing Food Systems – The Work of Our Time and we hope you’ll join us to explore this and many other rich topics with your peers.
We feel confident that we’ll be able to gather in person this August. We’ve appreciated the expansion of community and accessibility that meeting online has offered us, and will continue to offer some workshop material online. We will make preparations during our planning process to shift to a fully online conference if circumstances change.
Registration Now Open

More information, please visit www.nofasummerconference.org

Transitioning to Organic Apple Growing + Building a Small Barn & Retail Farm Stand with Small Wonder Farm
2022-08-23 18:00 - 19:30 | small wonder farm, 229 Long Highway, Little Compton, RI, 02837, United States
Small World Farm began in the Spring of 2021. Claire Bowen and her husband Patrick purchased the 2-acre orchard of approximately 700 trees from Warren Wetzel of Old Stone Orchard in Little Compton, RI. Originally planted in 1988, it contains seven cultivars, including Honeycrisp, Idared, Cortland, Macoun, Empire, Fuji, and Granny Smith.

With no experience farming apples, Claire and Patrick are committed to preserving the beautiful orchard and doing so through organic practices. In addition to apples, they have honeybees, chickens, sunflowers, pumpkins, squash, gourds, and other vegetables.
Claire and Patrick have benefitted from the generous advice of other farmers including Al and Jean Fuoroli from Elwood Orchard and local farmer Skip Paul of Wishingstone Farm. They are also grateful for the assistance and expertise of Heather Faubert of URI.
Claire and Patrick are in the process of building a small barn on the farm, to be used as a retail farm stand and processing area.
RSVP HERE

BIG TRAIN FARM On-Farm Workshop
2022-09-12 17:00 - 18:30 | Big Train Farm, 1012 Snake Hill Road, N. Scituate, RI, 02857, United States
On-farm Workshop with owner John Kenney
September 12th, 2022
N. Scituate, RI
Details forthcoming
(please check this space for time and location detail – please ignore the “time” that is listed here until closer to the event as it is subject to change)

ROOTS FARM On-Farm Workshop
2022-09-25 13:00 - 14:30 | Roots Farm, 17 East Rd, Tiverton, RI, 02878, United States
Roots Farm
On-farm Workshop with owners Kelli & Mike Roberts
September 25th, 2022
Tiverton, RI
On-Farm Workshop with owners Kelli & Mike Roberts. Tiverton, RI. Kelly and Mike Roberts of Roots Farm will share their expertise in No-Till farming methods. In addition, the workshop will delve into bed layout and shaping, weed management & cultivation, solarization & occultation, soil testing & amendments. RSVP HERE

Racial Equity at the NOFA Interstate Council: Where are we at and how can we grow?
2022-09-30 09:00 - 23:00
September 30, 2022, 9:00-11:00am
Racial Equity at the NOFA Interstate Council: Where are we at and how can we grow?
Audience: NOFA Interstate Council and IC Policy Committee Members
This is an introductory conversation to delve deeper into conversations around active racial equity work within the NOFA Interstate Council. Racism impacts our conferences, grant collaborations, and even our budget. In order to actively build a more equitable organization, we aim to draft some community agreements around equity, and discuss: What do we mean when we talk about racial equity? What is racism and white supremacy, and how does it show up at NOFA? How can the IC work to dismantle racism and white supremacy in our work? With each chapter doing their own equity work and growing at their own pace, how can we get on the same page and coordinate as a larger group? RSVP HERE
Please RSVP by 9/28 to help us plan ahead.

Soil Health and Microscopy with Monique Bosch
2022-10-03 16:00 - 17:30 | Hillandale Farm, 6 Haversham Road, Westerly, RI, 02891, United States
OCTOBER 3rd at 4pm
Join Monique Bosch as she takes us on a deep dive, zooming in 400X magnification, to check out the beneficial microbes that live in our healthy soils. We’ll learn how to identify these microbial critters, and how to increase their numbers in our soils, so that we can grow the healthiest plants and most nutritious food.

RSVP HERE

Racial Equity in Organic Certification
2022-10-14 09:00 - 11:00
October 14, 2022, 9:00-11:00am
Racial Equity in Organic Certification
Audience: All NOFA staff and board
As proponents of organic agriculture, we would like organic food and farming to be available to everyone, and our Farm Share program is a helpful start. However, a long history of systemic racism in the food system creates barriers to organic certification and products. This workshop will review racism in the food system, with a focus on organic certification and specifically decision making around NOFA’s Farm Share program. How are we promoting the Farm Share program to BIPOC communities, and is the program truly accessible? Are we leaving out BIPOC organic farmers if certification is a requirement to participation, and how can we include more BIPOC farmers? What changes can we advocate for in the NOP or in local certification agencies to make organic certification more equitable? RSVP here
Please RSVP by 9/28 to help us plan ahead.

Racial Equity On Your Farm
2022-11-18 09:00 - 11:00
November 18th, 2022, 9:00-11:00am
Racial Equity on your Farm
Audience: NOFA staff and board, Farm Share collaborators, organic farmers
As we plan for the 2023 season with an expanded Farm Share program across the 7 NOFA states, we aim to build racial equity into all aspects of the program. This workshop is an opportunity for farmers to talk with NOFA staff about integrating racial equity into their farm business. Whether customers are coming to the farm site or picking up shares at a dropoff location, each farm will have steps that they can take to make the experience welcoming and inclusive for all. This conversation will also provide tools for farmers to reach out to BIPOC communities in a way that is anti-racist and culturally sensitive.
RSVP here
Please RSVP by 9/28 to help us plan ahead.
