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This project proposes to make relevant organic research accessible to farmers through a Midwest Organic Research Symposium on February 21-23, 2008. The primary audience will be farmers who have collected to attend the Upper Midwest Organic Farming Conference (UMOFC) in La Crosse, WI. A diversity of presentation and discussion options will allow participants access to important information relevant to their organic production systems through formats that are most effective for them.
Non-Technical Summary: A. Quality research on organic systems is becoming more common. B. Access to research results is difficult for working farmers. c. Researchers have limited contact with farmers to understand their most immediate research needs. D. Researchers and students have limited venues for communication with each other about research initiatives, collaboration and funding possibilities. A. This project will bring together researchers, students and farmers interested in organic systems in order to allow them to learn from each other. <P> Approach: Two days of roundtable research discussions will allow researchers to explain the results and implications of their work to interested organic farmers and others. Small group discussion will encourage engaged participation and a customized approach to explaining result relevance or research findings to individual farming systems. Farmer reaction and comment to research results may be used to improve and direct follow up research. Written project summaries collected into a proceedings publication and distributed to the anticipated 2400 attendees of the UMOFC and also made accessible through the MOSES and partner websites will significantly improve farmer and other access to important organic farming research results. Posters explaining organic research will additionally enhance farmer access to information. A facilitated meeting on Thursday afternoon will bring together graduate students, experienced researchers and others to discuss research funding opportunities, priorities and potential collaborations. An Organic Growers Social and Economic Research Priority session on Thursday evening will allow farmers and others to offer researchers suggestions for priority organic research areas in the Midwest. This Symposium will be a joint project between the Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service (MOSES) and the Organic Farming Research Foundation (OFRF).