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News Release

January 15, 2007

Guelph Organic Conference to Be Held at U of G

The 26th annual Guelph Organic Conference runs Jan. 25 to 28 at the University of Guelph. More than 1,000 people are expected to attend the conference and organic trade show in the University Centre.

“Next Generation Organics” is the theme of the conference, which will focus on youth, local organics and the survival of a movement started by pioneers. The four-day event will feature more than 30 workshops, seminars and expert panels on topics ranging from “Making Your Career in Organics” to “Organic Production Research.”

Keynote speaker Michael Ableman will discuss “The Quiet Revolution: Planting the Seeds for the Future” Jan. 27 at 9:20 a.m. in Room 104 of Rozanski Hall. Ableman is the founder and executive director of the Center for Urban Agriculture at Fairview Gardens, a non-profit organization based on one of the oldest and most diverse organic farms in southern California, where he farmed from 1981 to 2001. He is the author of From the Good Earth, On Good Land: The Autobiography of an Urban Farm and Fields of Plenty; was featured in an award-winning PBS film called Beyond Organic; and has lectured throughout the United States and Europe.

On Jan. 26 at noon, Toby Hemenway, an adjunct professor at Portland State University in Oregon, will give a free talk in Peter Clark Hall North. Hemenway is the author of Gaia's Garden: A Guide to Home-Scale Permaculture and a member of the Portland Food Policy Council.

Leading the workshop discussion will be the CEO of the first national organic milk brand launched in Canada, Organic Meadow’s Steve Cavell, and Randy Whitteker, General Manager of the Ontario Natural Food Co-op, a
Toronto-based wholesale distributor of natural and organic foods.

The conference will also include a public forum called “What Will the Next Generation of Organics Be Like?” Jan. 26 at 7 p.m. Admission to the forum is $10.

The Organic Expo Canada Sampling Fair is free and open to the public Jan. 27 from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Jan. 28 from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the University Centre. More than 130 companies, groups and publishers will have materials, products and equipment on display, along with 25 vendors offering samples of organic food and drink.
For more information, visit www.guelphorganicconf.ca.