Saturday, June 12, 2010, 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m:
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Download and Print Registration Form
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Stephen Herbert is Assoc. Dean and Professor of Agronomy, and also Director Mass. Ag. Experiment Station at the College of Natural Sciences, University of Massachusetts, Amherst. |
Tom Akin is an Agronomist and Grazing Lands Coordinator with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service in Amherst. |
Winton Pitcoff is the NOFA/Mass Raw Milk Network Coordinator |
Ray Robinson earned his B.S. from UMass in Animal Science and has been farming all of his life.
Pam Robinson earned her MS in Midwifery from University of Philadelphia and practices the belief that wholesome food is medicine. |
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Schedule:
10 a.m. -12 noon: The field day begins with a walking tour of the farm. Pam and Ray Robinson will lead participants through different pastures and paddocks and discuss their management techniques. Tom Akin and Stephen Herbert will offer explanation and answer questions that you bring.
- Grazing and pasture maintenance.
- The basics of making and using hay.
- Identifying grasses and their nutritive values, and weeds and their invasiveness and toxicity. (Attendees are invited to bring samples of pasture grasses and weeds from their farms for identification).
- Systems for fencing, watering, lane layout, and financial assistance programs for landowners.
- Transitioning to organic production.
12 noon - 12:30 p.m.: Potluck Lunch. Bring utensils, cup, & plate and something to share, or bring your own lunch.
12:30 p.m. -2:00 p.m.: After lunch, Pam and Ray will lead a tour of the milk room, cheese-making room, and barn. Ample time for questions will be provided. Winton Pitcoff will discuss raw milk.
- Certification for raw milk, marketing, and working with local regulators.
- Setting up a cheese-making business (dreams, business planning, & regulatory challenges).
- Sanitation and workflow in the milk room.
Location:
Located in Hardwick, Massachusetts, Robinson Farm has been a family farm since 1892. A diversified organic farm, Pam and Ray Robinson take pride in producing wholesome and organic farmstead products, selling fresh raw cow's milk, grass-fed beef, humanely-raised "rose" veal, eggs, perennials, vegetables, seedlings and hay. The Robinsons completed the process of transitioning their 40 cow herd and all of their pastures to organic last year. They are in the process of developing an on-farm cheese-making operation.
Registration for this workshop is $35. NOFA membership discount: $5. Early registration (by May 29) discount: $5.
Contact: Ben Grosscup, 413-658-5374. By email, ben.grosscup@nofamass.org; put "June 12" in subject.
This page was last modified on June 08, 2010 at 4:42:07 AM.
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