2026 Sessions – Organic Council of Ontario

Pollinators and Organic Agriculture with Briann Dorin

Pollinators play a critical role in food production, both through crop pollination and by supporting healthy, resilient agroecosystems. This session will introduce the main pollinating species in Ontario, explain how they contribute to agricultural production, and share practical, on-farm strategies...

Data-Driven Biology: Rethinking Inputs from Orchard to Broad Acre with Scott Walker

The session will explore real world outcomes, including both successful and less predictable results, and the observations and tracking tools used to evaluate performance. Recognizing the variability that producers and researchers often encounter, this presentation emphasizes learning through process, helping...

The Farm as a Living Organism: Deepening Our Relationship with the Land with Cory Eichman

Biodynamic agriculture views each farm as a living organism, with interconnected systems that support health, resilience, and productivity. Central to this approach is a self contained fertility cycle, where animals provide manure for the land and the land, in turn,...

Keynote Panel: Beyond Waste: The Power of Collaboration in Food Rescue and Organic Farming

This keynote panel explores how farms, food rescue organizations, researchers, and community programs are working together to build a more sustainable and equitable food system. Jessica Wynne and Maureen Kirkpatrick highlight the collaboration between Pfenning’s Organic Farm and Second Harvest,...

Building Soil Health in Organic Grain Production using Ecological Systems Strategies

This full day intensive with Dr. Erin Silva, Professor of Organic and Sustainable Cropping Systems at the University of Wisconsin Madison, will explore practical, research based strategies for building soil health in organic field crop systems. Drawing on long term...