OUR WINTER CONFERENCE SPONSORS
Workshops
REQUEST FOR WORKSHOP PROPOSALS
The CT NOFA Winter Conference educational slate of workshops is made possible thanks to the interest and enthusiasm of our knowledgeable community members. Are you an expert on a topic that would be of interest to conference attendees? We'd love to hear from you. Presenters are provided with free admission to the conference, as well as a $150 honorarium.
We welcome all submissions for workshops that capture CT NOFA's mission of fostering organic and regenerative agriculture, including topics such as:
- Food Equity and Access
- Seed Saving
- Urban Agriculture
- Regenerative Agriculture and Ecological Restoration
- Farm Improvement and Innovation
- Black and Indigenous Farming Practices and Resources
- LGBTQ+ Farming Resources and Support
- Homesteading Topics
- Mental Health and Well-Being for Farmers
- Beginning Farmer Funding and Resources
- Organic Certification Resources
- Organic Land Care
- Soil Health and Permaculture
- Policy and Advocacy Issues
Workshop details
CT NOFA is proud to offer a variety of workshops, both virtually and in-person, at our winter conference. Workshops will cover topics such as organic farming, organic land care, government policy, homesteading and gardening, and more. See our current roster of workshops, below. This list will be updated as more workshops are added.
march 3 (online)
Soil Health 3-Ways: Physical
TIME TBA
Monique Bosch | CT NOFA
Tracks: Soil Health
This workshop will look at the physical properties of soil. You will learn to interpret what type of soil and conditions you are working with, using simple tools and methods. We will explore management practices for best structure, texture, and tilth.
Understanding the physical properties of soil will help with many aspects of soil health that are often ignored. Rather than relying just on a chemical soil test, physical testing will give us a better understanding of the actual make-up of our soils. You will learn what texture and structure you are working with, how water moves through soil, as well as how our soils change within different horizon layers. This course will give you the ability to use simple tools to perform physical tests on soil to determine compaction, soil texture, structure and permeability.
This workshop is part of a 4-course series that will run as virtual workshops on March 3, 4, and 5, as well as a final, interactive workshop on March 7, in-person.
march 4 (online)
Soil Health 3-Ways: Chemical
TIME TBA
Monique Bosch | CT NOFA
Tracks: Soil Health
We will learn how to interpret a chemical soil test, analyzing macro and micro-nutrients, pH, Cation Exchange Capacity and Organic Matter content, and how these values affect our soil’s ability to grow healthy plants and nutritious food. Using regenerative farming methods, we will address issues of nutrient deficiency, chemical imbalance, and excesses.
This workshop is part of a 4-course series that will run as virtual workshops on March 3, 4, and 5, as well as a final, interactive workshop on March 7, in-person.
march 5 (online)
Soil Health 3-Ways: Biological
TIME TBA
Monique Bosch | CT NOFA
Tracks: Soil Health
We will study the ‘Soil Food Web,’ learning about the living organisms in our soil, from the visible to the microscopic. Using a microscope, we will zoom in to study the microbial communities that live in our soils and compost. With an understanding of the complex trophic structure of life in our soils, we can determine aggregate structure, fungal/bacterial ratios, as well as nutrient cycling, all influenced by our soil management practices, as well as the chemical and physical make-up of our soils.
This workshop is part of a 4-course series that will run as virtual workshops on March 3, 4, and 5, as well as a final, interactive workshop on March 7, in-person.
March 7 (in-person at wesleyan University)
session 1 (9:45am-11:00am)
Soil Health 3-Ways: Interactive
TIME TBA
Monique Bosch | CT NOFA
Tracks: Soil Health
This is-person session at CT NOFA’s Winter Conference will be a culmination of all topics covered in the virtual sessions. There will be a microscope ‘in the room,’ to offer views of students’ soil/compost samples. We will also demonstrate methods to determine physical properties, as well as chemical analysis, using an ‘at-home’ soil test. This interactive session promises to offer valuable tools and information that you can use back in the field.
This workshop is part of a 4-course series that will run as virtual workshops on March 3, 4, and 5, as well as a final, interactive workshop on March 7, in-person.
Policy for an Organic Connecticut
TIME TBA
Dr. Kimberly Stoner | CT NOFA
Tracks: Policy & Advocacy
CT NOFA’s policy vision includes the following:
- A clean and healthy environment for everyone, regardless of where they live, with special emphasis on protecting vulnerable people and communities.
- Organic farming, gardening, and land care to protect human and environmental health, and as essential solutions to our climate and biodiversity crises.
- Funding for rapid agricultural disaster assistance in the face of the changing climate.
- Land access and opportunity for new and beginning farmers, centering racial justice.
- Fresh, healthy, and locally grown food available to everyone, regardless of income, and across the life cycle, from childhood to old age.
- Support for Connecticut’s unique agriculture, with smaller and more diversified farms compared to other regions of the country.
I want to hear from you – what policies do we need to change to get to where we want to go? How can we organize to change policy and realize our vision? What are the systems that keep us from moving forward, and how can we change them?
In addition to providing an opportunity for CT NOFA members to network and help inform our future advocacy efforts, attendees will hear about:
- Specific policy proposals that apply to our vision and that have been proposed for the 2026 legislative session in Connecticut.
- The current state of the Federal Farm Bill, including what has been changed since the Farm Bill coalition was disassembled.
session 2 (11:15am-12:30pm)
Sorry there are no workshops posted yet.
session 3 (4:15pm-5:30pm)
Sorry there are no workshops posted yet.