Webinar: Converting Land to Organic Horticulture

Organic Growers Alliance

Roger Hitchings, Tim Deane, and Phil Sumption will be discussing the challenges of converting land to organic horticulture.

J﻿oin us for this informative webinar with Roger Hitchings, Tim Deane, and Phil Sumption as they bring in their experiences and expertise in converting land to organic horticulture. The talk will focus on the kind of things potential organic growers will need to think about when contemplating the setting up of an organic horticultural enterprise. These will range across topics such as site selection and suitability, infrastructure needs, and potential markets along with a brief review of the requirements of the organic standards. Tim will tease out the practical challenges of converting ground to organic vegetable production in light of his experiences on his own holding, and with reference to the insight into many different circumstances gained while delivering advice through Defra’s OCIS scheme. There will be a particular focus on what is said to be the most important (and difficult?) part of any holding to convert – that bit between the grower’s ears. T﻿here will be plenty of time for Q&As at the end of the session so come prepared!More about the speakersRoger Hitchings is a retired Principal Consultant at the Organic Research Centre specialising in horticulture, soils and training. He has carried out some 900 visits in the various versions of the Defra-funded Organic Conversion Information Service (OCIS) from 1998 to 2011. He worked as grower, lecturer, advisor, and trainer in organic horticulture over 25 years, and was very involved in the Organic Growers Association and the Organic Growers Alliance as well as serving on relevant Government and EU Committees.Tim Deane. After 10 years in conventional farming, Tim Deane and his wife, Jan, bought Northwood Farm in 1984, a derelict 30 acre holding where they grew field scale organic vegetables for the wholesale market. In 1991 they discovered financial security by starting a box scheme – not the very first, but the model for subsequent box schemes throughout the UK and Europe. A founder member and director of Somerset Organic Producers co-op, Tim was also an OCIS advisor. He has been a member of the Soil Association Horticultural Standards Committee, former co-ordinator of the Devon Organic Growers group, committee member of the Organic Growers Alliance and founding co-editor of The Organic Grower for which he continues to write. Phil Sumption. Phil has more than 35 years of experience as an organic grower, researcher and adviser. At Garden Organic (HDRA) he worked on the Defra-funded Conversion to Organic Field Vegetable Production project and as an OCIS adviser. Simultaneously he converted a walled garden to organic production at Cotesbach Hall. He was a founding committee member of the Organic Growers Alliance (OGA) and has been Editor (founding co-editor with Tim Deane) of the OGA magazine The Organic Grower since it was started in 2007. Phil has contributed to many books and publications and his new book 'The Organic Vegetable Grower' will be published by Crowwod Press in the autumn. He is now freelance, and lives in Germany.

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Webinar: Converting Land to Organic Horticulture

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Webinar: Converting Land to Organic Horticulture

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