 | Monday, March 23, 2015 - RESCHEDULED TO 3/30/2015 Central City Civic Center and Buffalo Ridge Orchard Event Link: Post-Harvest Handling and Food Safety in Theory & Practice Organized By: Iowa Valley Resource Conservation & Development Presentation Summary As the demand for local produce has exploded in the last five years, so has the expectation on the part of consumers and institutional buyers for high quality fruits and vegetables with an extended shelf life. Join veteran farmer and consultant Chris Blanchard for a look at the theory and practice of keeping your produce in top condition while minimizing the risk of microbial contamination. This workshop includes a classroom component and and on-site demonstrations of post-harvest handling techniques at Buffalo Ridge Orchard and vegetable farm. |
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2014 Capturing and Organizing Data for Organic Certification, GAPs Compliance, and other Endeavors2/4/2014 Tuesday, February 4, 2014 Cedar Rapids, IA Event Link: Organized By: Chris' Presentations: Paperwork can be the bane of the certified-organic, GAPs-audited, and financially-aware farmer. Learn how to capture information, get on top of your paperwork, and wow your inspector, auditor, and banker. I will provide an overview of the theoretical underpinnings and the basic techniques he and his crew use to gather information and keep it organized for easy access with a minimum of effort. Friday, December 6, 2013 East Troy, Wisconsin Event Link: http://michaelfields.org/fearless-farm-finances-training/ Organized By: michaelfields.org Chris' Presentations: “Farm financial management isn’t as tough as it may seem but many farmers are intimidated by tracking and working with numbers,” says Paul Dietmann. “Learning the basics in this training will take away the fear and uncertainty and help farmers make more informed decisions about their farm businesses.” Friday, November 15, 2013 LaCrosse, Wisconsin Event Link: http://mosesorganic.org/events/community-calendar/ Organized By: Mosesorganic.org Chris' Presentations: Most of us didn't get into farming out of a love of numbers - but you have to understand the numbers to understand your farm. This two-day session with Chris Blanchard, Paul Dietmann, and Craig Chase covers setting goals and thinking about scale, financial statements and ratios, enterprise analysis, and getting to profitability. Friday, February 22, 2013 LaCrosse, Wisconsin Event Link: mosesorganic.org/conference.html Organized By: Mosesorganic.org Chris' Presentations: Capturing and Organizing Data for Organic Certification, GAPs Compliance, and Other Endeavors - Paperwork can be the bane of the certified-organic, GAPs-audited, and financially-aware farmer. Learn how to capture information, get on top of your paperwork, and wow your inspector, auditor, and banker. Rock Spring Farm's Chris Blanchard will provide an overview of the basic techniques he and his crew use to gather information and keep it organized for easy access with a minimum of effort. Transplant Production Systems - Greenhouse-grown vegetable transplants are an important part of a successful vegetable farm, and the systems you use for everything from transplant trays and benches to the transplanter you use to set your crop in the field have a significant impact on the quality of your transplants and the cost of producing them. Join Rock Spring Farm's Chris Blanchard for a review of transplant systems on farms throughout the Upper Midwest. Chris will also be available at the new "Ask the Expert" sessions on Friday from 8am - 9am, and Saturday from 4pm - 5pm. Friday, February 15 Columbus, Ohio Event Links:www.oeffa.org/conference2013.php Organizer By: oeffa.org Chris' Presentations: "I attended three of your workshops at the OEFFA conference this month. All were great, informative, and inspiring." Post-Harvest Handling, Food Safety, and GAPs: Making It Work on a Real Farm - (Pre-Conference session) As local and organic food demand has grown, so has the expectation for clean and safe produce. Institutions and even some farmers’ markets are demanding food safety certifications, and the Food Safety Modernization Act opens the door for Food and Drug Administration regulation of fresh produce production and handling. In this pre-conference workshop, farmer and food safety expert Chris Blanchard of Rock Spring Farm in Iowa will teach participants how to establish or improve food safety practices. Chris will review post-harvest handling practices and share methods for meeting Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) documentation and record-keeping requirements in a way that flows with the work on the farm, rather than existing as a separate set of tasks and requirements. Saving Labor on the Market Farm - Market farming is all about moving stuff around, whether you're moving vegetables from the soil to the packing house, water from the well to your transplants, or seeds from their packet to the soil. This session will explore systems for seeding crops in the field and greenhouses, transplanting sets, pruning and greenhouse crop maintenance, weeding tools, harvesters, post-harvest handling, materials handling, and record keeping. Transplant Production Systems - Greenhouse-grown vegetable transplants are an important part of a successful vegetable farm, and the systems you use for everything from transplant trays and benches to the transplanter you use to set your crop in the field have a significant impact on the quality of your transplants and the cost of producing them. Join Rock Spring Farm’s Chris Blanchard for a review of transplant systems on farms throughout the Upper Midwest. Tuesday, January 22, 2013 Indianapolis, Indiana Event Link: 2013 Indiana Horticultural Congress Organized By: Indiana Horticultural Congress Chris' Presentations: Capturing and Organizing Data for Organic Certification, GAPs Compliance, and Other Endeavors - Paperwork can be the bane of the certified-organic, GAPs-audited, and financially-aware farmer. Learn how to capture information, get on top of your paperwork, and wow your inspector, auditor, and banker. Rock Spring Farm’s Chris Blanchard will provide an overview of the basic techniques he and his crew use to gather information and keep it organized for easy access with a minimum of effort. Post Harvest Handling Tools and Techniques - As the demand for local and organic food has exploded in the last five years, so has the expectation on the part of consumers and institutional buyers for clean produce that lasts on the shelf and in the refrigerator. Join Rock Spring Farm's Chris Blanchard on a journey through packing houses in the Upper Midwest and beyond, with a look at the washing and packing facilities and tools used by farmers large and small. Thursday, January 10, 2013 Ames, Iowa Event Link: 2013 Practical Farmers of Iowa Annual Conference Organized By: Practical Farmers of Iowa Chris' Presentations: Chris Blanchard and Craig Chase lead this pre-conference short course designed to take the fear out of handling these essential topics. Farmers from all enterprises and any experience level can look forward to a better understanding of farm financial information as well as how to use that information to make short and long-term business decisions. |
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