SALEM, Ohio — A new program called Ohio: Our Farms Our Feast will teach producers about value-added production techniques for pork, dairy products, season extension and hanging carcasses.
Through a Rural Rehabilitation Council grant, the program hopes to expand local food production.
“This is one of the ways we can bring more money back to the farm,” said Parker Bosley, who worked with board members from Innovative Farmers of Ohio to secure the grant.
On the agenda
The first session, which is set for Oct. 17, is titled Hogs to Pork to $$. Featured speakers are Chuck Talbot and Trae Moore. Talbot raises hogs in the woods of West Virginia where they feed on acorns and hickory nuts. This type of feeding gives the pork a unique flavor and creates a fat comparable to olive oil.
Moore, of Chattanooga, Tenn., will discuss artisan sausage making, including dry cured products. Moore received training on this process in Italy and Spain.
The second session, Value Added Dairy Products: It’s More Than Milk, will include speakers from Keswick Creamery in Pennsylvania and Snowville Dairy in Ohio. The workshop will focus on on-farm processing.
This session will be Jan. 7 at the Carroll County District Library.
Dates for the final two sessions — season extension and hanging carcasses — will be announced early in 2009.
Important
Each seminar will assist, guide and provide resources for farmers interested in direct marketing. Bosley said consumer-farmer relationship is crucial to the success of small scale farming and these four workshops will offer advice on how to establish a good link between the two.
Bosley added that the sessions also serve as an invitation to new farmers — those who might be interested in some sort of small farming operation but don’t know where to start.
Producers can attend any or all of the sessions.
Innovative Farmers of Ohio plans to request additional funding from the Rural Rehabilitation Council in December for a follow-up program to promote consumer education. This program will highlight the nutritional value, accessibility, uniqueness and economical impact of locally grown food.
Sessions
Hogs to Pork to $$
Oct. 17 at 9:30 a.m.
Knox County Extension Office
1025 Harcourt Road
Mount Vernon, Ohio
Value Added Dairy Products
Jan. 7 at 9:30 a.m.
Carroll County District Library
70 Second St. NE
Carrollton, Ohio
Season extension and
hanging carcasses
Dates, times and locations
to be announced
