Press Release: Organic Market Conference

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, January 17, 2000

CONTACT: Mike Schommer, MDA Communications Coordinator, 651-297-1629
Prescott Bergh, MDA Organic Program, 651-215-0367
Minnesota Organic Farming Conference, February 15-16th, 2000

St. Paul, MN -- With the organic market growing at 20-30% per year in the US, and mainstream food companies such as General Mills entering the market, how does a farmer get into the game? A good first move would be to attend the annual Minnesota Organic Conference, scheduled on February 15th and 16th at the Best Western Kelly Inn, in downtown in St. Cloud. Workshop presenters are farmers and others who will share their first hand experience in organic production, processing, marketing and promotion.

"This conference is a good opportunity for Minnesota farmers who want to capture extra value from the organic market to learn about production and make connections to the market. We are proud to be a major co-sponsor," said Gene Hugoson, Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Agriculture.

Production and marketing workshops will be offered, including topics such as; Saving Seeds in Times of Change, Basics of Organic Herbs and Vegetable Production, Producing Organic Pork and Beef, Flame Weeding, Organic Dairy, the "How To" of Meat Marketing, Marketing Research, Creating Your Package Label and many others.

Highlights of the conference will include keynote speeches by Kathleen Merrigan, Administrator of the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) and Mark Ritchie, President of the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy. Ms. Merrigan helped draft the National Organic Program section of the 1990 Farm Bill and served on the USDA's National Organic Standards Board from 1995-1999. An organic advocate working within the USDA, Ms. Merrigan will speak on "Future Opportunities and Obstacles of Organics". Mr. Ritchie, an internationally recognized leader in agricultural policy, will speak on "Genetic Engineering, Irradiation and Biotechnology".

In addition to producer workshops and marketing perspectives, this conference will provide an opportunity to visit trade show vendors who include input suppliers and buyers of organic products.

Registration is $65 for both days in advance, or $40 for a single day. Meals are $10 each in advance. Advance registrations are due by February 4th. To receive a conference flyer, with complete information on the Minnesota Organic Conference, call 651-296-7673 or visit the conference web site at http://www.mda.state.mn.us/

Disclaimer
Reference to products in this publication is not intended to be an endorsement to the exclusion of others which may have similar uses. Any person using products listed in this publication assumes full responsibility for their use in accordance with current directions of the manufacturer

Last Revised January 20, 2000.