I hope this newsletter finds you healthy and reasonably busy this harvest season!

While this year has brought changes and challenges for many of us, I am sure you have found ways to serve your customers, sell your produce and products. Depending on where you live, you may had to adhere to different guidelines from authorities, new expectations from customers, but at the very least, you probably had to remember to pack your mask when preparing for a day at the farmers’ market or CSA delivery. On the upside, many customers are becoming more conscious of the food they eat, and this trend can only be good for organic growers. Good luck with the remaining of the year before you take a well-deserved break during the holiday season!

Conference News

As many of you probably have heard or seen, the MOSES Organic Farming Conference will go virtual for 2021. The date seems to remain the same, the last week of February, and more details will be announced on their website at

https://mosesorganic.org/conference/ after November 2nd.

Don’t forget to register! While the experience will certainly not be the same, you will still have a chance to connect with many growers during video sessions, and you won’t even have to change out of your PJs (or overalls, snowsuits, to each their own…).

Check out other conferences and events that are happening after all the fruit is off the trees on the Events page of our website.

Rootstock Bulk Order Program

In previous years, OFGA members collaborated to order rootstock together from CopenHaven Farms

(https://www.copenhavenfarms.com), because their rootstock has proven to be of good quality, and we could take advantage of the discount they offer when ordering in large quantities (1,000+). Normally, we have the order delivered to Hoch Orchard and Gardens (thank you, Harry and Jackie Hoch!), and they help us with distribution at the MOSES Conference across the river.

With MOSES going virtual this year, we have lost our usual venue for distribution. For this reason, we are not organizing a bulk order this year. We recommend everyone to use the OFGA listserv or the Facebook page to connect with each other — even if a group of growers does not reach the required amount for a discount, collaborating on an aspect of growing such as this one brings opportunities for interaction and learning.

At the same time, we are not planning on a grafting workshop (also customarily held at the MOSES conference), and we will not have a biannual retreat in La Crosse in February of 2021, either. Thank you for your understanding and stay healthy!

Nellie