Seedstock Conference to Address Challenges of Water Scarcity and Quality in Sustainable Agriculture

News Release – LOS ANGELES, CA – Worldwide, agriculture possesses the distinction of being the single greatest consumer of fresh water, accounting for nearly 70% of available withdrawals each year for irrigation. In the United States alone, 42% of all irrigated water is lost to evaporation.

With water prices, scarcity and quality all threatening the margins and livelihood of farmers, the SEEDSTOCK Ag Water Conference, scheduled for Wednesday, February 19, 2014, will focus on solutions to the challenges facing sustainable agriculture. Read More

Nevada Indoor Ag Conference Brings Together Innovators to Confront Challenges to Local Food Production

News Release – (Las Vegas) – Entrepreneurs, agriculture industry leaders and Nevada state officials plan to come together to propel forward the development of creative and sustainable indoor growing solutions. The Nevada Indoor Agriculture Conference will aim to increase local food production in the dry desert landscape that abounds in Nevada and, in turn, bolster the state’s internal food supply as well as the local economy. Indoor agriculture has the potential to meet future food demands, reduce environmental impacts, and create new economic engines.

To address these challenges, notables in sustainable and indoor agriculture will bring their leading-edge products and ideas to the Nevada Indoor Agriculture Conference on Wednesday, April 24.  This one-day event at the Historic 5^th Street School in Downtown Las Vegas, will focus on how the state can increase its indoor agriculture production in a sustainable manner and become a recognized hub for innovation in this space. Read More

TEDx Manhattan Shines Light on Sustainable Ag Issues from Seed Saving to Food Waste

Last weekend’s sustainable agriculture themed TEDx Manhattan was entitled “Changing the Way We Eat”.  A TEDx is an independent version of the incredibly popular TED Talks each of which is a day long series of brief presentations on “ideas worth spreading” around a specific topic.  The New York version is one of the more popular ones, with the 200 person strong live audience supplemented by a further 3,000 people at viewing parties around the country.

The subject of the day’s talks ranged from White House pastry chef Bill Yosses on “the hedonistic culture of healthy eating” to a brief excerpt from the upcoming movie, “Food Chains”, which looks at the conditions endured by farm laborers. Read More

Video: Keynote Address on Importance of Embracing Sustainable Ag from Colin Archipley of Archi’s Acres

At the Seedstock Sustainable Agriculture Innovation Conference at UCLA Anderson School of Management this past October, we had the pleasure of having Colin Archipley deliver the keynote address. In his presentation, Colin, a decorated marine sergeant and founder, along with his wife Karen, of Archi’s Acres and the Veterans Sustainable Agriculture Training (VSAT) program, discusses the importance of embracing sustainable agriculture and its essential role in feeding a growing world population.

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Only THREE DAYS left to get your Seed Saver Discount Ticket for the Seedstock Sustainable Ag Conference

Only THREE DAYS remain to get your Seed Saver Discount Ticket for the Seedstock Sustainable Agriculture Innovation Conference that will be held in Korn Hall at UCLA Anderson School of Management on October 24th. The one day conference will focus on the economic opportunities as well as Read More

LAST DAY to Lock in the Rooster Special Price for the Seedstock Sustainable Ag Conference at UCLA

There is only ONE DAY LEFT to lock in your ticket at the Rooster Special Ticket Price for the Seedstock Sustainable Agriculture Innovation Conference (details below) at UCLA. The conference has recently added a number of new sponsors including Whole Foods Market, Palumbo Family Vineyards and Wine, the UCLA Anderson School of Management’s Entrepreneur Association and Net Impact Branch. Read More

Seedstock Brings Together Innovative Sustainable Agriculture Entrepreneurs

The Seedstock Sustainable Agriculture Innovation Conference, to be held at UCLA Anderson School of Management on October 24, will feature a Who’s Who lineup of Speakers and Sponsors

Los Angeles, CA – Some of the best-known names in sustainable agriculture will bring their innovative products and ideas to the Seedstock Sustainable Agriculture Innovation Conference, a one-day event focused on highlighting the economic benefits of growing food sustainably.

The conference, which will take place at UCLA Anderson School of Management, will examine how innovative farmers and entrepreneurs are turning their passion for sustainability into business opportunities. Read More

SoCal Sustainable Agriculture Entrepreneurs Discuss Business Models, Challenges & Opportunities

The world’s population is growing rapidly, and that calls for new ways of thinking about how to produce enough food while also conserving the earth’s natural resources. As a result, agricultural entrepreneurs today are striving to combine the best of traditional farming methods with new technologies in order to create food that is healthy, flavorful and locally grown.

And if that doesn’t sound like enough of a feat, there’s also the challenge of doing it all using a business model that won’t leave the farmer broke.

Southern California has become a region of growing activity for these types of ventures, and Seedstock has attempted to provide a glimpse of what that experience looks like. A panel of agricultural entrepreneurs from the region—including those using soil, hydroponic and aquaponic growing methods—gathered at UCLA on Wednesday to share their experiences. Read More

ECO Farming Saves Growers Money, Improves Soil and Benefits Environment, Researchers Say

News Release – ADA, Ohio – Ohio crop growers looking to increase the organic matter content in their soil to the tune of $900 per unit increase in organic matter, may want to consider a move to ECO Farming, advises an Ohio State University Extension educator, who says that switching to the technique could result in raising soil organic matter levels by several percentage points depending on soil type.

ECO Farming, which stands for Ecological Farming and includes using eternal no-till, continuous living cover and other best management practices, is not only economically viable, it is also ecologically sound and environmentally sustainable, said Jim Hoorman, an assistant professor studying cover crops and water quality issues, who is based in Mercer County. Read More

Video – Presentation by Ralph Crevoshay of VermiVision on the Viability of Vermicompost

Ralph Crevoshay, President of VermiVision, a company whose mission is based on fulfilling the potential of vermicompost (VC) as the essential input for success in sustainable agriculture discusses his company’s dedication to enhancing farmers’ access to vermicompost through scaled-up production, … Read More