February 14-16, 2017
International Agri-Center
Tulare, CA
worldagexpo.com
Come see us at stand S45! Growing Solutions will be exhibiting at the 50th annual World Ag Expo. We’ll have our whole lineup of Compost Tea Systems, including our large-capacity Mobile Unit. The event draws attendees from more than 70 countries.
February 9-11, 2016
International Agri-Center
Tulare, CA
worldagexpo.com
Growing Solutions will be exhibiting at the 48th annual World Ag Expo. The event draws attendees from more than 70 countries.
Regenerating Our Lands and Water
January 20-23, 2016
Asilomar Conference Grounds
Pacific Grove, CA
eco-farm.org/conference
Growing Solutions’ August York will be in attendance and at our booth in the Exhibitor Marketplace Wednesday through Saturday at the 36th annual EcoFarm conference.
The World’s Pure Food Fair
September 8-10, 2015
Sonoma County Fairgrounds
Santa Rosa, CA
theheirloomexpo.com
Growing Solutions’ August York joins Erik Ohlsen, Grover Stock and Ryan Johnson of Permaculture Artisans in a panel discussion Wednesday, September 9 at 3:15 pm in the Demeter Biodynamic Garden & Lounge.
From Drought to Deluge: Water Resilience for a Changing Climate
Resilience is the ability to shift from reaction to resourcefulness in the face of adversity. From drought to deluge, the dynamic weather of a changing climate invites us to take a more engaged role managing water in our landscapes. Playing on the fertile edge between Biodynamic agriculture and permaculture, this presentation offers a holistic approach for navigating the “new normal” of water. From backyard to broad acre application, we’ll share place-based strategies for transforming ecosystems that retain moisture when it falls and then economize it through dry periods. This approach is not about sacrificing productivity—it’s about wise design that does more with less.
August York has a rich background in Biodynamic agriculture and a BA degree in Ecological Design and Ecology from Prescott College, where he served as the student representation on the Prescott College Master Planning group, and was a leading Ecosa design student on the town of Sedona’s 2020 Master Planning Committee. As lead Compost Coordinator and Orchard Assistant at Apricot Lane Farms, a leading Biodynamic farm in fruit production and holistic grazing, August gained extensive hands-on experience with commercial scale Compost Tea, vermicomposting, windrow compost and the Biodynamic preparations. August is currently serving as Project Lead and co-designer of Growing Solutions Mobile Production facility. Additionally he runs technical support and provides field services for procedure, application, and testing of Compost Tea for agricultural clients.
Tea Time in the Tropics: A Handbook for Compost Tea Production and Use explores compost tea from the perspective of growers, researchers and industry. The free downloadable handbook was produced as an output of a Western Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) grant project entitled Enhancing Phytonutrient Content, Yield and Quality of Vegetables with Compost Tea in the Tropics. Growing Solutions’ founder and CEO Michael Alms was a project participant and co-author of the handbook. The publication is co-edited by Theodore Radovich, PhD and Norman Arancon, PhD.
Radovich, a longtime proponent of compost tea, is Assistant Extension Specialist in the Sustainable and Organic Farming Systems Laboratory at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources (CTAHR). Arancon is Assistant Professor of Horticulture in the College of Agriculture, Forestry & Natural Resource Management at the University of Hawaii in Hilo. Dr. Arancon is a pioneer in researching the use of vermicomposts to increase the growth, flowering and yields of plants such as marigolds, petunias, bell peppers, tomatoes, strawberries and grapes. His research has also revealed that vermicompost teas can potentially have the same effects on plant growth and the suppression of pests and diseases.
The project explored compost tea through on-farm trials and educational activities in a variety of tropical island environments. The objectives of the SARE project were to:
The project team cited as a basis of its pursuits a poor understanding of the interactions between compost type, crop, and environmental factors as they relate to plant yield and quality, particularly under tropical conditions. This lack of understanding restricts widespread adoption of compost tea technology to conventional farms that want to improve the sustainability of their operations.
The project was made available with support from the SARE program and funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture-National Institute of Food and Agriculture.