The Organic Grain Conference & Trade Show returns to Champaign, IL February 5-6, 2020! With more than 200 participants and 20+ exhibitors, the Organic Grain Conference is Illinois’ premiere event dedicated to organic grain education and networking!
The demand for organic grain is growing… According to the USDA Census of Ag, total sales of certified or exempt organic commodities have more than doubled since 2012 and the domestic and global demand for these products continues to grow. Join us as we explore the ins and outs of the organic grain movement.
Download the event schedule (.pdf)
DAY 1 – Wednesday, February 5, 9am – 6:30pm
The first day of the conference will offer full-day workshops, networking time, a local beer and spirits mixer, and an industry trade show.
DAY 2 – Thursday, February 6, 8am – 5pm
The second day will include our keynote address and three tracks of concurrent breakout sessions, including panels, roundtable discussions, networking time, and an industry trade show.
Keynote Speaker: David Vetter, Grain Place Foods
Transitioning to regenerative organic: the first 45 years. What’s next?
The Journey of our family farm “The Grain Place” to regenerative organic.
David Vetter, President and CEO of Grain Place Foods, has been living an ongoing experiment in how to grow food in a way that is both regenerative to the soil and economically viable for the people who farm.
He originally pursued a call to missionary service after college, which eventually led him back home to the family farm in Marquette, Nebraska to try farming methods that would improve the quality of the soil. That was 1975.
His steadfast commitment has driven him past innumerable challenges and obstacles to develop an infrastructure for the marketing of organic grains in our area.
The mission of Grain Place Foods is to provide to its customers grain products that are grown and produced in an ecologically sustainable and socially responsible manner – with the conviction that how your food is produced does matter!
In 2016 the Rodale Institute named him an Organic Pioneer, and the Organic Trade Association awarded him with the Organic Leadership Award. In 2011 the Vetter family was named Organic Farmers of the Year by the Midwest Organic Sustainable Education Service (MOSES). David Vetter’s journey as an organic farmer is told in an inspiring new documentary by filmmaker Bonnie Hawthorne, Dreaming of a Vetter World, whose executive producer is noted film actor Steve Buscemi.
David continues to live on the farm, and with his wife, Rogean, he raised his three children there: Allison, Darci and Madison.
EXHIBITORS
Albert Lea Seed | American Farmland Trust | American Organic
Bay Shore Sales | Clarkson Grain Company | Compeer Financial
Douglas Plant Health: AgriEnergy Resources | Ecocert ICO | Flanagan State Bank
Illinois Farm Bureau | Illinois SARE | Illinois Stewardship Alliance
Lincoln Financial Agribusiness Services | Midwest Organic & Sustainable Education Service (MOSES)
Nature’s International Certification Services (NICS) | Organic Valley
Pond Hill Sales and Service | Prairie Hybrid Seeds | Purple Cow Organics
Tillable, Inc. | W.O.L.F. Co-op
Lunch on February 6 sponsored by Farm Credit Illinois.
The Chancellor Room on February 6 sponsored by Albert Lea Seed
View the 2019 Conference Proceedings • View the 2019 Conference Program
Sponsors
$1500
$750
Registration
Registration includes coffee, a light breakfast, and lunch on both days. Day 1 will conclude with a local beer and spirits mixer.
Early bird: $55/day or $100 for both days | After January 19: $75/day or $125 for both days
If you have any questions, please call 217-840-2128.
Refund Policy
If you are no longer able to attend the conference and need to cancel your registration, please contact us at 217-840-2128.
- Cancellations before January 28 will receive a full refund minus a $5 processing fee
- Cancellations on January 28 – February 3 will receive a 50% refund
