Organic Greenhouse Certification Webinar, August 6, 3-5pm CT

Iowa Organic Farmers invited to join CCOF's webinar on organic certification for greenhouses.

As urban farms continue to blossom, specialty greenhouses sprout up around the country, and mixed fruit and vegetable operations continue to produce their own transplants, CCOF has received more inquiries about the intricacies of organic certification for greenhouses. This webinar will cover what is necessary to certify your greenhouse.  The information shared is applicable for certification with any organic certification agency. 

Greenhouse production offers many advantages for organic growers. In addition to being used in specialty crop and custom transplant production, greenhouses offer opportunities for urban farmers or producers who wish to get a speedy start into organic production. They also serve as an integral part of many vegetable operations who produce their own transplants. 

Registration: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/organic-greenhouse-certification-webinar-tickets-17506506432

Organic Greenhouse Certification Webinar, August 6, 3-5pm CT

Iowa Organic Farmers invited to join CCOF's webinar on organic certification for greenhouses.

As urban farms continue to blossom, specialty greenhouses sprout up around the country, and mixed fruit and vegetable operations continue to produce their own transplants, CCOF has received more inquiries about the intricacies of organic certification for greenhouses. This webinar will cover what is necessary to certify your greenhouse.  The information shared is applicable for certification with any organic certification agency. 

Greenhouse production offers many advantages for organic growers. In addition to being used in specialty crop and custom transplant production, greenhouses offer opportunities for urban farmers or producers who wish to get a speedy start into organic production. They also serve as an integral part of many vegetable operations who produce their own transplants. 

Participants of this webinar will review some of the basics of organic greenhouse production, such as potting mix selection and pest control, plus learn the requirements necessary for certifying an organic greenhouse. They will learn from an organic certification specialist, large greenhouse producers, and farming operations that include greenhouse production as part of larger vegetable production operation. The webinar will also reference CCOF’s Sound Certification Made Simple educational materials.

Instructors will include CCOF Grower Certification Specialist Amber Pool, Kyle Harmon of Growers Transplanting Inc., Andrew Wall from the Cabrillo College Horticulture Department, and Dr. David Headrick, the faculty advisor of the organic farm at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. 

About the Speakers

Amber Pool.  Amber Pool is a grower certification specialist at CCOF. In addition to over eight years of experience in organic certification, Amber has experience with integrated pest management, plant protection, and nursery management. For 10 years she worked as a certified nursery consultant in the nursery department of the largest home improvement retailer in the United States. Pool holds a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Horticulture Science from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo.

Kyle Harmon.  Kyle Harmon works for Growers Transplanting Inc., the sixth-largest greenhouse growing operation in United States, which operates both conventional and organic greenhouses on California’s central coast. He oversees the company’s organic and food safety certifications, as well as a works as a sales representative. From 2009 to 2014, Harmon worked as a grower for the company, producing greenhouse-grown assorted herbs and vegetable transplants. Harmon earned a bachelor’s degree in Agriculture Science from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo.

Andrew Wall.  Andrew Wall is the nursery and garden curator at Cabrillo College in Aptos, California. On the college’s organic farm, Wall and his students grow strawberries, mixed vegetables, and flowers. In the greenhouse, they produce organic transplants for the farm and for sale at the farmers’ market. In the same greenhouse, they also produce conventional hydroponic vegetables. Prior to his position at Cabrillo College, Wall worked as assistant manager at Four Winds Growers in Watsonville, California—a citrus, blueberry, olive, and avocado nursery. Wall holds certificates in Crop Management as well as Greenhouse and Nursery Management from Cabrillo College.

Dr. David Headrick.  Dr. Headrick teaches Agricultural Entomology, Biological Control of Agricultural Pests, Vertebrate Pest Management, and Insect Pest Management in the Plant Protection Science concentration at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. He earned his PhD from University of California, Riverside, where he studied biological control of weeds and became a specialist in tephritid fruit fly ecology and behavior. His research on this agriculturally important group and other research has resulted in more than 80 published articles, book chapters, and technical reports. He conducts research on insect pest management in greenhouse, vegetable, and citrus cropping systems. He also serves as the faculty director of the 11-acre Cal Poly Organic Farm. In this capacity, he is using and building on his expertise in agricultural systems management to promote teaching and research in sustainable and organic management of farmscapes and the development of secure local food systems.

Date/Time: August 6, 2015,  3pm-5pm Central Time

Registration: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/organic-greenhouse-certification-webinar-tickets-17506506432