Education Committee
Committee Purpose
The Education Committee carries a broad responsibility, from brainstorming programming ideas, to collecting suggestions for future speakers and activating volunteers to assist with hosting workshops and gatherings. With over thirty years of actively fostering educational opportunities, NOFA NJ always needs interested committee members to assess and consider the effectiveness of our Programming.
We have developed Education “Tracks” e.g. Beginning Farmer, Advanced Farming and Gardener Tracks, to help folks decide if the workshop is appropriate to their interests. The Committee also assesses if our programming is reaching the audience it is intended for, and do we have enough programming to reach all the Audiences that we can. Some of the Educational Focus NOFA NJ has sustained over the years are below:
- On-Farm Workshops / Twilight Meetings
- Special Classes such as Organic Land Care, Exploring the Small Farm Dream, Road to Certification, Tractor Maintenance and Organic Gardening Course.
- Journey Person Program
- Book Club
- Public Movies on Organic Ag topics
- Fielding technical questions from the public.
More recently, NOFA NJ has added a Monthly Organic Open House, the last Wednesday of each month, to provide a space for our community to Gather around a specific topic, guest or just to have a reason to stay connected or bring new members into the conversations.
Resources & Links
Growing Hemp in NJ
Thanks to Steve Komar, Bill Bamka, and Scott Morgan for speaking about Hemp in NJ on a Friday night! USDA published a final rule on January 15, 2021, that provides regulations for the production of hemp in the United States and is effective on March 22, 2021. The...
Organic Integrity Learning Center Two New Courses Now Available
The National Organic Program is pleased to announce two new courses in the Organic Integrity Learning Center! Sampling and Testing Residue sampling and testing play an integral role in verifying the compliance of organic farms and businesses. This course addresses the...
Education Committee is meeting monthly to develop our plan
We are exploring how NOFA-NJ can deliver high quality programming that delivers against member interest areas and delivers against the core competencies of organic farming and gardening. NOFA-NJ Education and the Strategic Plan and NOFANJ Education Core Competencies....
Race and Food are Intertwined. Here’s How We Can Do Better.
Race and Food are Intertwined. Here’s How We Can Do Better. Our food system is based on a history of inequity. UCS’s Ricardo Salvador offers action steps to fix that. https://civileats.com/2017/10/20/race-and-food-are-intertwined-heres-how-we-can-do-better/...