Innovative Farmers of Ohio has a great Annual Meeting planned at the Ralph Dull Farm in Montgomery Co. on a theme of "Getting Off the Grid," Speakers include Dale Arnold, Farm Bureau's go-to man on energy, Lu Ann Lageman of Grailville Teaching Farm in Loveland, and David Brandt, Ohio's number-one expert on cover crops, a way to store energy and use it next year and the years to come!

See next page for additional information.

Sharon Sachs has wrapped up a two and a half years' SARE grant with a resource directory entitled Ohio Beginning Farmers Find Wisdom in the Land. This beautiful publication gives profiles of the 32 participants whose lives as either beginning farmers or transitioning farmers have been changed through the careful and enriching teaching/learning experiences provided by this grant. Sharon Sachs gathered a host of experts, both professional and educational who provided hands-on and theoretical opportunities for these students of Wisdom in the Land to learn from.

A Resource Directory for Beginning Farmers in Ohio that also features 23 farmers who completed Wisdom in the Land, a program designed to help each improve sustainability of his or her farm is available FREE upon request. Just call 800-372-6092 or 937-348-2633 or email info@ifoh.org requesting Ohio Beginning Farmers Find Wisdom in the Land. You will also find advice about developing mentoring relationships and learn what several highly experienced farmers have to say about change as a strategy for farm sustainability. An evaluation report on this pilot program is also available upon request and at no cost to organizations that deliver educational services to farmers. Simply ask for Wisdom in the Land 2006-2008 Program Report. Published by Innovative Farmers of Ohio, both publications were funded through a grant from USDA--North Central Region Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE). Call now while supplies last!

Be sure to check the President's Post for new insights into the state of modern agriculture from Sylvia Zimmerman, our current Board President.

The Innovative Farmers of Ohio is a member-based non-profit and we want to remind you of the benefits of becoming a supporting member. A large majority of our members are farmers with an interest in sustainable practices. Our membership gives IFO the credibility to be a successfull advocate for Sustainable Farming in Ohio.

As a members you receive four newsletters per year full of information on IFO's latests activities and other pertinent information on the state of agriculture in Ohio. Members also receive reduced rates at all IFO functions such as farm tours, annual meeting and workshops, as well as free classified advertising in the newsletter and access to IFO membership networking.

IFO will send out a fund-raising letter in late November with more information. You can also download our membership forms as a Word file here.