World-Renowned Agricultural Experts to Gather for ‘Focus on the Farmer’ Symposium in Denver
Event will educate farmers and producers on all aspects of navigating the organic certification process
BOULDER, Colo. (Oct. 24, 2023) — Farmers, agriculturists, producers and others interested in best practices for transitioning to organic are invited to attend the Focus on the Farmer Live educational and networking symposium in Denver on Nov. 9.
This free, daylong event is presented by Boulder, Colorado-based communications agency Compass Natural in partnership with the Colorado Department of Agriculture (CDA), Colorado State University (CSU) and the USDA’s Transition to Organic Partnership Program (TOPP). The symposium will bring together world-renowned experts in organic agriculture to share must-have information and resources with anyone on the journey of transitioning to organic production.
Focus on the Farmer Live, which will be held from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 9 at the new, state-of-the-art CSU Spur Campus at the National Western Center in Denver, is the culmination of the four-part Focus on the Farmer series presented in 2023 by Compass Natural and TOPP.
“We’re honored to have been selected as one of the partners working with TOPP in the Plains States, and are thrilled to be working closely with the CDA’s organic program and leading researchers and educators at CSU to deliver a content-dense Focus educational program,” said Steven Hoffman, founder of Compass Natural.
Focus on the Farmer Live will feature keynote speaker Dr. Gene Kelly, professor of pedology at CSU and director of the U.S. National Committee for Soil Sciences. Panelists include CDA inspector Brad Spelts, Colorado manager of the New Agrarian Program Taylor Muglia, CDA soil and health expert Kristen Boysen, Bish Enterprises owner Andrew Bish, Rocky Mountain Hemp President Ryan Loflin and experts from Rodale, FSA, the Savory Institute and other top agencies.
This robust educational program will cover the following topics:
~ Navigating the Certification Process
~ Tech Innovation
~ Soil & Crop Health
~ Resiliency & Climate Change
~ Alternative Crops
~ Livestock & Plains Agriculture
~ Financial Resources
Lunch provided by the Organic Sandwich Company and tours of the Spur TERRA building will be available. The event will conclude with happy hour at the Sundown Saloon. Livestream will be available for participants who would like to join virtually.
Read more about Focus on the Farmer Live and register for free here.
About Compass Natural
Based in Boulder, Colorado, Compass Natural is a communications agency serving the market for organic food and agriculture, as well as businesses and brands providing natural, socially responsible, eco-friendly and other healthy lifestyles products and services. Founded in 2001 and driven by a commitment to create a better world through business, Compass Natural is a leader in the Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability (LOHAS) market.
About TOPP
The Transition to Organic Partnership Program (TOPP) is part of the USDA Organic Transition Initiative and is administered by the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) National Organic Program (NOP). The $100 million, five-year TOPP initiative is designed to foster organic agriculture and make much-needed technical assistance available to transitioning and existing organic farmers.
Media Contact
Steven Hoffman, Compass Natural, steve@compassnatural.com, tel 303.807.1042
Hemp Industry Indigenous Leaders to Convene at NoCo Hemp Expo in Colorado Springs, March 29-31
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
What: 9th Annual NoCo Hemp Expo
When: March 29-31, 2023
Where: The Broadmoor Resort, Colorado Springs, CO
Info: https://www.nocohempexpo.com/
Register for NoCo9 tickets: https://www.nocohempexpo.com/ticket-sales/
LOVELAND, CO (March 2, 2023) – Indigenous leaders in the hemp industry are planning their exhibits and talks to bring generations of knowledge to the 9th Annual NoCo Hemp Expo, the world’s most comprehensive hemp business conference and trade show. The event will take place on March 29-31, 2023, at the historic Broadmoor Resort & Convention Center in Colorado Springs.
“The contributions of Indigenous people to sustainable agriculture and stewarding the Earth are immeasurable,” said Morris Beegle, Producer of NoCo. “This year, NoCo Hemp Expo is proud to include a larger presence of Indigenous programming and exhibits.”
Indigenous Leaders Working Group Meeting
To start the show, leaders will gather on Wednesday, March 29, 2-4 p.m. MT in Her Many Voices Meeting Room for an Indigenous Leaders Working Group Meeting facilitated by Winona LaDuke, Executive Director of Honor the Earth and the Anishinaabe Agriculture Institute and founder of Winona’s Hemp, and Mary Jane Oatman, Executive Director of the Indigenous Cannabis Industry Association and Founder and Publisher of THC Magazine. Their hope is to provide a space for Indigenous industry participants to meet, mingle and contribute to the growing hemp industry among Indigenous tribes.
Indigenous Panel Discussions
Indigenous leaders will also participate in educational programming throughout the event. On Thursday March 30, at 2 p.m., LaDuke and Oatman will be joined by Theo Wahquahboshkuk of Prairie Band Ag, Rob Pero of Canndigenous and Ira Vandever to discuss the role of Indigenous knowledge in growing the hemp industry, using every part of the plant, and innovative workforce approaches. There will also be a presentation on March 31 moderated by LaDuke called “Growing Hemp: Now and Then” as part of the Agriculture Symposium on the Main Stage. Joining LaDuke will be Alex White Plume, Chris Boucher, Ryan Loflin and Bill Billings to discuss traditional and modern-day hemp farming methods, and what the growing U.S. industry can take from Indigenous farming methods to contribute to the success of hemp growing today.
Indigenous Pavilion
On Thursday and Friday of NoCo9, the show will host a dedicated exhibit pavilion with the theme of community work that will feature leading Indigenous producers and organizations, including:
- Winona’s Hemp/Anishinaabe Agriculture Institute
- Indigenous Cannabis Industry Association
- Canndigenous CBD
- Prairie Band Agriculture/Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation
- Turquoise Indigo Fibers
- Additional participants to be announced
The pavilion will include the opportunity to speak with Indigenous leaders, a weaving demonstration to show traditional application and use of hemp fiber, as well as literature and stickers available for attendees.
“The Indigenous approach is cooperative. We focus on farmers and local economies,” said Winona LaDuke of the Honor the Earth/Anishinaabe Agriculture Institute. “We will be talking about how hemp has a minimal carbon footprint, uses minimal water and is a sustainable resource. Let’s do this the right way for this sacred plant.”
About NoCo9:
Experience Hemp Expo Hall – The World of Hemp Under One Roof
In addition to three days of comprehensive education, keynote presentations, workshops and seminars, NoCo9 will feature the Experience Hemp Expo Hall in The Broadmoor’s new, state-of-the-art exhibition facilities. Featuring a world of hemp and business opportunities, the Expo Hall will allow NoCo9 attendees to sample wares, learn about products and businesses, hold meetings and visit exhibitors. The Experience Hemp Expo Hall also will feature specialized zones, including:
Divita Hemp Block Demo Zone & Solution Circle – Visit this special educational zone on the trade show floor for solo presentations, panels, demos and workshops from experts and specialists innovating with hemp across all industries, from hemp textiles to medicinal applications of cannabinoids, to using hemp in artisan craft production, as well as in building and construction.
Schedule at a Glance
- Advocacy & Policy Conference, Wednesday, March 29
- Lake Terrace Welcome Party & WAFBA Awards of Excellence, Wednesday, March 29
- Business & Investment Conference, Thursday, March 30
- 2nd Annual NoCo Hemp Pitch, Thursday, March 30
- Agriculture & Academia Conference, Friday, March 31
- Experience Hemp Expo Hall, Thursday and Friday, March 30-31
- Garden of the Hemp Gods-NoCo9 After Party, Friday, March 31
The Broadmoor Offers Special NoCo Hemp Expo Rates
NoCo Hemp Expo will take place March 29-31, 2023, at one of Colorado’s most historic resorts, The Broadmoor. With roots dating back to the late 1800s and located at the foot of the Rocky Mountains, The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs features a world-class setting, state-of-the-art meeting and convention space, a lake, walking paths, 36-hole golf course, spa, restaurants and lodging at a special rate for NoCo Hemp Expo attendees. Recently remodeled, The Broadmoor is committed to sustainability and has been awarded a Forbes Five-Star resort rating every year since 1960.
First Citizens Bank, EarthX, Patagonia Lead Distinguished Group of Sponsors
NoCo Hemp Expo is pleased to recognize our Sponsors, including Presenting Sponsor First Citizens Bank. “Having a leading, agriculture-focused financial institution such as First Citizens Bank, with its 100-plus-year history of serving farmers and ag-related businesses, step up and serve as Presenting Sponsor of this year’s NoCo Hemp Expo is a huge statement, providing vital credibility and legitimization for the industry at a time when it’s needed most,” said Beegle. “We’re also thrilled to welcome EarthX as our Environmental NGO partner and Patagonia as Sustainable Apparel Sponsor. Additional lead sponsors include Global Fiber Processing, Michael Best, CannaConsortium, Advanced Bio-Materials Technologies, Divita Hemp Block & Weaving Vibes. We are very excited about these categories to bring focus to areas where hemp can make a difference in sustainability and improving the environment.”
Exhibit and Sponsor
For more information on sponsorship and exhibiting, please visit https://www.nocohempexpo.com/sponsors-and-exhibitors-request/
Register Here for NoCo9
Visit https://www.nocohempexpo.com/ticket-sales/
About NoCo Hemp Expo
For nearly a decade, NoCo Hemp Expo — the world’s most comprehensive industrial hemp exposition and conference — has brought together international business and government leaders, academics, nonprofits, media and the public to collaborate on important initiatives, opportunities and solutions for the future of a crop and an industry that can have significant positive impact on human, animal and planetary health.
The 9th Annual NoCo Hemp Expo is produced by We Are For Better Alternatives (WAFBA), a leading organization dedicated to the advancement and advocacy of hemp farming, processing, production, innovation, education and legalization. WAFBA also is the publisher of Let’s Talk Hemp, the industry’s leading news source. Learn more about the hemp and cannabis industry and subscribe to the latest news at www.letstalkhemp.com.
Contact
Morris Beegle, WAFBA, info@nocohempexpo.com
Steven Hoffman, Compass Natural, steve@compassnaturalmarketing.com, tel 303.807.1042
Founding Farmer: Ryan Loflin Talks on Hemp
By Steven Hoffman
Known as the first modern-day farmer in the U.S. to harvest an industrial hemp crop after decades of prohibition, Colorado hemp producer Ryan Loflin shares his trailblazing tale
It takes a village. At least it did in the late fall of 2013, when, lacking migrant workers who had all left for Texas for the winter, Colorado farmer Ryan Loflin put out a call on social media for his friends to help. In all, about 60 people from six states showed up to assist in the first harvest of an industrial hemp crop in the U.S. in more than 70 years.
Now, Ryan will be the first to tell you he wasn’t the first to plant industrial hemp. In that, he tips his cap to other hemp trailblazers, including California’s Chris Boucher, and South Dakota tribal leader Alex White Plume, who planted industrial hemp years before him, but whose crops were seized by government authorities before they could be harvested. Thus, Loflin’s status in the hemp community as the first modern-day farmer to harvest a crop of industrial hemp on U.S. soil.
In 2013, hemp was not quite legal yet; that didn’t happen until the 2014 Farm Bill, which allowed for moderate production, says Loflin. Speaking of the authorities who could have seized his first crop – a half-crop circle of 60 acres – “They just didn’t show up. I actually put it out on Twitter and Facebook; I was transparent, because I needed the help. People showed up from all over the country, but thankfully, the authorities didn’t,” he says.
Speaking of soil, Loflin’s third generation family farm, 900 acres in all (300 irrigated acres and 600 acres in grass and dryland), is located in Baca County, an arid, high plains region in southeastern Colorado, only 25 miles from the epicenter of the Dust Bowl that devastated farms and Western communities in the 1930s.
Organic and Regenerative Approach
For the dryness of the area, combined with Loflin’s concerns about how climate change is affecting his farm – “It’s a part of everyday life for us, now” – he has always focused on organic and now regenerative production practices that focus on rebuilding and capturing organic matter, or carbon, back into the soil.
“We practice organic and regenerative farming because we have to,” Ryan says. “We’ve been conscious of cover crops the whole time, so we never leave the soil bare during the winter, where carbon can escape into the atmosphere. We plant winter wheat, or triticale, or oats as winter cover crops,” he adds. The farm also grows sorghum, another drought-resistant grain crop, in rotation with hemp, alfalfa and other commodity crops.
Cattle, too, are an integral part of Loflin’s regenerative practices. “We let them graze in the wintered fields with either cover crop or feed stubble we leave from the sorghum.” Their manure helps add organic material back into the soil, Ryan notes.
For organic pest control, corn ear worms can be a problem with hemp flowers, and grasshoppers can be a significant problem in hemp. “There’s not much you can do, but I mix a spray of garlic and neem oils, and I ‘harass’ them out,” Loflin says.
Since his first crop in 2013, Loflin has grown up to 250 acres of hemp, but has pulled back, based on recent market conditions. “We’re thinking of planting a half-crop circle, minimum, in 2021,” Ryan shares, “but we’re still going to see where the market goes in 2021.”
Focus on Fiber
In recent years, Loflin’s farm, Rocky Mountain Hemp (www.rockymountainhemp.farm), has focused on hemp production for fiber, as well as hemp seed for food and for planting future crops.
In the fiber business, Loflin is a collaborator with Mike McGuire, owner of Western Fiber. Founded in 1976, the company offers textile fibers, hemp-based panels and insulation for the building, construction and automotive industries, animal bedding products and livestock feed.
“We’ve replaced traditional insulation materials with hemp bast and hurd – long and short fibers – and developed a process to blow that insulation into walls, floors, ceilings, etc.,” Loflin notes. “It’s a more natural and potentially safer, insulation from a renewable source,” he adds.
“We still have a lot of opportunity with the hemp industry in that it is a multi-use crop, it’s a ‘multi-dimensional’ crop,” Ryan emphasizes. We can use it for food, animal feed, housing, clothing, medicine – we are just getting started! We also need to look more seriously at building houses with this material – not just hempcrete, but making everything you see in the home out of it. In the wildfire areas of the West, we could build hempcrete homes that won’t burn. We need to change the way we think about building homes…and where,” Loflin muses.
Outlook for the Future
“In agriculture alone across the board, it’s crazy right now with tariffs and trade,” Ryan says. “For hemp farmers,” we need investment in processing and we need industry to step up – the American auto industry needs to be put on point for hemp,” Loflin opines.
While CBD helped build awareness for the hemp plant, “the all-star uses of this plant is in automobiles, composites, construction, plastics, fibers – hemp can make everything work better, and is less toxic,” he notes.
While Loflin is carefully watching how the USDA’s new rulings for 2021 will affect hemp producers, it will come down to states’ rights, he believes. “Colorado has been very supportive. In 2012, I was at the state capitol advocating for programs to use hemp for phytoremediation in contaminated sites. Today, Colorado State University offers a course in hemp production,” he adds.
“My advice for producers in 2021: keep fighting,” Loflin offers. “Don’t quit because agriculture is hard right now. It can be a high pressure lifestyle and many question whether it’s worth it, but I believe it is.”