The 3rd annual Ohio State Organic Grains Conference will be January 9-10, 2025 at Kalahari Resorts & Conventions in Sandusky, Ohio. This event is managed by Ohio State University Extension and the OFFER program. Attendance for 2024 exceeded 240, and included farmers, suppliers, researchers, and educators from Ohio, Indiana, New York, Illinois, Michigan, and beyond. Read more about the 2024 event at https://offer.osu.edu/organic-grains-2024.
Attendee pre-registration is open through January 3. Unless you are a sponsor, please select general registration. The registration portal this year also includes information and access to our conference hotel. Early bird rate of $140 lasts until December 6. The cost from December 7 - January 3 is $175/person. Onsite registratioRegistration includes all meals during the conference and two full days of focused conference programming.
A printable mail-in form is also available. Click here to download.
2025 Programming
Stay tuned for a final schedule as we confirm commitments, but expect to hear from a variety of farmers, researchers, and educators from Ohio and surrounding states. Presentations will focus on agronomic and farm management topics designed for an organic grain grower audience. Whether you're a long-time organic grain grower or looking to learn how to incorporate more organic approaches in your operation, you will find useful information and networking opportunities at this event.
Below are highlights for this this year:
- Exciting speakers from outside of Ohio including Erin Silva, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Damon DeSutter of DeSutter Farms in Attica, Indiana; Connor Sible, University of Illinois; and Sophie Rivest-Auger, Centre for Expertise and Transfer in Organic and Local Agriculture, Quebec.
- Presentations from Ohio State faculty and staff Osler Ortez (corn and emerging crops), Eugene Law (weed ecology), Doug Jackson-Smith (director of OFFER organic program), David Marrison (Farm Office), Eric Richer (Farm Office), and Manbir Rakkar (soil fertility).
- Farmer panels on flame weeding, marketing, and organic farm management.
- Roundtable lunch discussions, targeted trade show for organic grain growers, and additional networking events and opportunities.
- CCA credits will be available.
Sponsor & Exhibitor Opportunities
Businesses and non-profit organizations are welcome to sponsor our event at a variety of levels. Our sponsor registration site is now closed as we are close to filling our onsite vendor booth spaces. If you are interested in being an advertising sponsor of being added to the potential sponsor mailing list, please contact Cheryl Fischnich or conference director Eric Richer. To be part of onsite promotional advertising, sponsors must pay by December 5.
All sponsorship packages (listed below) include one free conference registration and promotional opportunities before and during the conference.
Networking Sponsor $1,500
Includes your choice of equipment or exhibitor space (see below).
Equipment Sponsor $1,000
Includes 16'x20' exhibit space for equipment with an 8' table located outside of the conference session room.
Exhibitor Sponsor $750
Includes 8' table located outside or inside of the conference session room.
Discounted price of $600 available for non-profit organizations.
Advertising Sponsor $350 (non-exhibitor)
No exhibit space, but you may lay out company brochures at the registration table and add materials to this year's swag bag.
2025 Advertising sponsors include Kalmbach Feeds, The Mennel Milling Company, Zeeland Farm Services Inc., and Consolidated Grain and Barge Company.
Venue Information
Kalahari Resorts & Conventions
7000 Kalahari Drive
Sandusky, OH 44870
1-877-KALAHARI (525-2427)
Our room block is open through December 16. Rooms start at $139 and are available for purchase or viewing through our registration site. Or for a preview of Kalahari's rooms and spaces, visit their website at www.kalahariresorts.com/ohio.
Several alternative hotels are located in close proximity of the conference site.
SEE WHAT YOU MISSED IN 2024
Point your browser at offer.osu.edu/organic-grains-2024 to see information about the 2024 Organic Grains Conference, including agenda, conference information, and recordings or slide decks from presentations. In its second year, the conference drew more than 240 participants.
Looking for 2023 content? It's available at fulton.osu.edu/program-areas/agriculture-and-natural-resources/2023-organic-grains-conference.