1st Organic Farming Conference held at Cornell University, Ithaca, NY March 1989
Melody Newcombe attended the 6th Annual Northeast Organic Farmers Association (NOFA-NY) Conference at Tompkins College. At it's annual meeting, NOFA-NY President Kane announced that Nancy Grudens-Shuck would no longer be able to organize their annual conference and that Tompkins College could no longer host the conference. You can learn more about NOFA-NY at http://www.nofany.org/
Melody Newcombe stepped forward to take on the task. She suggested holding the conference at Cornell University. Newcombe's suggestion was met with laughter and the organic farmers saying, 'Cornell would never allow it. They don't support or teach organic agriculture.' Melody Newcombe decided that was exactly where the conference should be held. The NOFA-NY Board of Directors said if she could convince Cornell to allow NOFA-NY to hold their 7th annual conference there that would surprise everyone and they scoffed at the success of the idea.
Newcombe approached each Ag Department Head asking each one to be a keynote. They each agreed from Poultry, Swine, Vegetable and Pomology departments. The conference was a go, and Melody's goal of bridging the wide gap between Cornell and organic farmers became reality as organic farmers shared their expertise with the department heads enlightening them about their successes and practices utilizing organic principles. Because of Melody Newcombe's visionary goal, strategies, follow through and determination, she opened the eyes and ears of Cornell's to organics.
It was the start of changes in Cornell Ag curriculum and to Cornell Cooperative Extension offices sharing information with gardeners and farmers about alternatives to using pesticides, fungicides and herbacides. Now Cornell offers organic farming information, educational classes and much more. Find out more at:http://www.organic.cornell.edu/
The conference was attended by over 440 organic farmers from New York State and beyond. One workshop was about a relatively unknown concept - Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). Newcombe thought this new concept, introduced to the U.S. just 3 years earlier by Trauger Groh of Temple Wilton, New Hampshire, was a wave of the future for harvests from farmers to go directly to consumers. It also could serve to build community and offer education about farming, nutrition, food preservation, understanding and respect for the natural world and so much more.
Melody was so inspired by the idea that later that fall she formed the Community Supported Agriculture of Kingston, Inc. organic farming project which you can find more about under 'Innovative Projects'.
Melody Newcombe stepped forward to take on the task. She suggested holding the conference at Cornell University. Newcombe's suggestion was met with laughter and the organic farmers saying, 'Cornell would never allow it. They don't support or teach organic agriculture.' Melody Newcombe decided that was exactly where the conference should be held. The NOFA-NY Board of Directors said if she could convince Cornell to allow NOFA-NY to hold their 7th annual conference there that would surprise everyone and they scoffed at the success of the idea.
Newcombe approached each Ag Department Head asking each one to be a keynote. They each agreed from Poultry, Swine, Vegetable and Pomology departments. The conference was a go, and Melody's goal of bridging the wide gap between Cornell and organic farmers became reality as organic farmers shared their expertise with the department heads enlightening them about their successes and practices utilizing organic principles. Because of Melody Newcombe's visionary goal, strategies, follow through and determination, she opened the eyes and ears of Cornell's to organics.
It was the start of changes in Cornell Ag curriculum and to Cornell Cooperative Extension offices sharing information with gardeners and farmers about alternatives to using pesticides, fungicides and herbacides. Now Cornell offers organic farming information, educational classes and much more. Find out more at:http://www.organic.cornell.edu/
The conference was attended by over 440 organic farmers from New York State and beyond. One workshop was about a relatively unknown concept - Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). Newcombe thought this new concept, introduced to the U.S. just 3 years earlier by Trauger Groh of Temple Wilton, New Hampshire, was a wave of the future for harvests from farmers to go directly to consumers. It also could serve to build community and offer education about farming, nutrition, food preservation, understanding and respect for the natural world and so much more.
Melody was so inspired by the idea that later that fall she formed the Community Supported Agriculture of Kingston, Inc. organic farming project which you can find more about under 'Innovative Projects'.
