Organic Connections for the whole food chain

Source: Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food

If you’re thinking about going organic, are already there, or just want to learn about the organic food industry, the Organic Connections 2006 conference and trade show in Saskatoon is the place to be.

Conference President Debbie Miller says they expect about 500 conference delegates to attend again, based on numbers from the 2004 conference.

“Our goal is to try and connect all of the different people within the organic sector – to connect consumers to some of the producers, producers to some of the retailers, to some of the processors to some of the grocery traders. Our goal is to bring them all together,” Miller said.

The conference is held every second year in Saskatoon, rotating in order to give other prairie provinces the chance to host similar gatherings in the other years. The conference attracts a majority of participants from across western Canada, but Miller notes they have registrations from every province in the country, as well as one from Nepal.

Miller says they organized this year’s conference around three central themes—production, marketing and healthy living—with concurrent sessions for each happening throughout all three days.

The production sessions should hold something for everyone. “We try to strike a balance between basic information for producers who are just thinking about organic farming, who want to know about things like weed control and green manure, and we also have some more advanced and diverse production sessions,” Miller stated.

The marketing stream of the conference is devoted to helping producers find value and new or alternative markets for organic products. “For example, we’ve got a chef coming in to talk about marketing products to restaurants,” said Miller. “It’s about learning to shorten the link between farms and end users.”

Part of the emphasis on healthy living will include a presentation from Amy Jo Ehman, a journalist and writer from within the province who dedicated a year of her life to exclusively eating the foods of Saskatchewan.

Other speakers leading the plenary sessions feature a diverse set of backgrounds, with topics ranging from sustainability research to niche marketing and value-added food processing.

Planned social activities include a murder mystery night in partnership with Saskatoon’s Off Broadway, and an Organic Celebration night at the Western Development Museum, complete with organic food, beer and wine.

“This idea of celebration runs throughout,” said Miller. “Celebrating organic food and the people who produce it – celebrating the farmers. Fun is a really big part of this conference.”

Organic Connections takes place November 12-14 at TCU Place in Saskatoon. Registration for the full three-day conference, trade show and program is $371 per person, with various options for partial attendance also available. Registration forms can be downloaded at www.organicconnections.ca. Trade show booths are sold out.

For more information, contact:

Barbara Willick, Conference Organizer
Organic Connections
Phone: (306) 226-4501
Website: www.organicconnections.ca