WOOSTER, Ohio – The Ohio State University’s Organic Food and Farming Education and Research (OFFER) program is inviting farmers, scientists, and anyone else interested in organic food and farming to attend its autumn symposium titled “Future Directions for Organic Agriculture Research.” It’s from 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m., Nov. 1, at the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center’s Shisler Conference Center, 1680 Madison Ave., in Wooster. Lunch will be provided.

The lead organizer of the event, Dr. Larry Phelan, calls the symposium “a summit for stakeholders and researchers to discuss the future of organic farming and how we can anticipate research and education needs to help producers and processors be successful.”

Future market trends, consumer demand, policy and regulatory issues, production and processing challenges, and the proposed Organic Research and Promotion Program will be among the topics. Future research and funding opportunities in those areas will be discussed.

Speaking at the symposium will be:

• Laura Batcha, executive vice president, Organic Trade Association.

• Maureen Wilmot, executive director, Organic Farming Research Foundation.

• Brian Snyder, executive director, Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture.

• Mike Anderson, sustainable agriculture educator, Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association.

• Deborah Stinner, panel manager, U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative and retired former head of OFFER.

To reserve a place in the symposium, participants should register online in advance at http://oardc.osu.edu/offer/registration.asp. Space is limited and lunch will be provided.  Deadline for registration is Thursday, October 25, 2012.

For the meeting agenda, click here.  For more information, call 330-202-3528 or e-mail bielek.4@osu.edu.