Open to: Cornell faculty, staff, students, CCE agents, and invited guests

The Organic Program Work Team is sponsoring the first annual Cornell Organic Symposium, April 27 from 1:00 – 5:00 PM in Stocking Hall, Room 148.

1:00 -1:10 Welcome – Abby Seaman, NYS IPM Program

Featured Projects and Programs

1:10 – Organic Agriculture Research in the Cornell Sustainable Cropping Systems Lab

Matt Ryan – Soil and Crop Sciences Section, SIPS

1:30 – Farmer-Designed Systems to Reduce Tillage in Organic Vegetables

Anu Rangarajan – Horticulture Section, SIPS

1:50 – New York – State of Organic Dairy

Fay Benson – Project Manager, NY Organic Dairy Initiative, Cornell Cooperative Extension

2:10 – Breeding Organic Vegetables for the Northeast

Michael Mazourek – Plant Breeding & Genetics Section, SIPS

2:30 – 3:10 Breakout Discussions

Topics:

Strengthening research and extension connections

• What are the keys to successful collaborative relationships between campus researchers and extension field staff?
• What do researchers wish extension staff understood better about their work? What do extension staff wish researchers better understood?
• What would the impact of better collaborative relationships be on our organic programming?

Increasing organic research: writing successful OREI and ORG proposals and managing projects 

• Substantial funding opportunities exist with the USDA NIFA Organic Research and Extension Initiative (OREI) and the Organic Transitions Program (ORG). Participants will hear about successful proposals that have been funded and strategies to make your own proposal more competitive.

Supporting Undergraduate Education in Organic Agriculture at Cornell

• What new courses and/or topics within existing classes would you like to see included in the curriculum?
• What additional resources are needed to develop a more robust educational experience for organic agriculture at Cornell. Resources could include instructional spaces (such as, farms, orchards, and/or greenhouses), equipment, extracurricular clubs, or funding opportunities.

Strengthening the Interdisciplinary Connections for Organic Livestock Products Grants

• What are examples of successful interdisciplinary Organic Proposals?
• What are the barriers to forming successful interdisciplinary connections?
• What are the solutions?

3:10– 3:30 Discussion groups report back and full group discussion

3:30 – 4:00 Welcome and remarks from Chris Smart, Director of the School of Integrative Plant Science, and lightning poster introductions

4:00 – 5:00 Poster session with refreshments

Faculty with research applicable to organic farming, please plan on presenting a poster and encourage your students to present one as well.

Register to help us plan the event and to ensure you receive updates.

Registration closes April 20th