People today are more confused than ever about organic food. Is it more nutritious? What’s the difference between organic and natural? Isn’t it more important to eat “locally” produced food? Why are organic foods so expensive? Doesn’t the higher price make it elitist and therefore an unrealistic choice for working families? Is it possible to grow enough food to feed the world organically? With so much conflicting information, how can we possibly make the right choices?

In ORGANIC MANIFESTO: How Organic Farming Can Heal Our Planet, Feed the World, and Keep us Safe  Maria Rodale—journalist, activist, and mother—cuts through the confusion and misinformation to provide an indispensable and highly readable look at why chemical-free farming unquestionably holds the key to better health for us and for the planet.

Maria is the granddaughter of Rodale founder J.I. Rodale and was named chairman of the company in 2007 and CEO in 2009. She will travel from her home in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania to attend Organic Connections.
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Strong is a producer, an advocate for biodiversity and a cultural activist from New South Wales, Australia. In keeping with our conference goals of “helping producers survive the current hard times” and “fostering a healthy environment and culture”, he will share his experiences from ‘Arcadia' a 4520 acre sheep and cropping operation  that incorporates biological farming practices, tourism and art.  

‘Arcadia’ has been in the Strong family for close to 100 years.  In the late 1980’s the rise of the rise in Salinity killed a wide area of trees beside the family farm. To deal with escalating salinity and other ecological problems in the area, he and other local farmers formed the Strontian Road Landcare Group. During these meetings, Graham learned much about natural systems and began to think differently about his farming practices. He and his family replanted wide areas to native vegetation and found ways to integrate production into the local patterns of nature. Just 5 years after starting his re-vegetation work, predatory insects living amid the growing expanses of native vegetation, were significantly reducing pest insect problems.

The Strong’s also host WWOOFers (Willing Workers on Organic Farms) as well as regular farm tours and a Farm Stay/Bed and Breakfast program using a 110 year old church that they moved to their property. 

Graham will also share his work incorporating Land Art on rural landscapes through The Meridian Project, Geoglyph’s or images in the land modeled and inspired by the Nazca lines in Peru. Their Meridian Festival encourages community engagement that is a powerful force for change.