20 CONFERENCE TRACKS
Medium- to Large-Scale Herb Farming | Small-Scale Herb Farming | Farming at all Scales | Cottage Industry Herb Growing | Medicinal Plants in Polycultures and Permaculture | Specific Crops | East Asian Medicinal Plants | Ayurvedic Medicinal Plants | Native American Perspectives | Wildcrafting | Herbs for Essential Oil Distillation | Herbs used in Beverages | Herbs used in Body Care Products | Herb Gardens in Public Spaces | Radical Herbology | Marketing | Cooperatives | Community Supported Herbalism - Herbal CSAs | Regulations, Legalities, GAP, GACP, GMP. Re-coding | The Uses of Herbs
April 8 Update
Here is a list of workshops and panels as of April 8. This is a dynamic process and there will be changes and additions leading up to and during the conference. There have been changes over the past 3 weeks. More presenters have signed up and some presenters have canceled for a diversity of reasons. There will be lots of expertise in the room at all the panels and workshops. This is one educated group of people coming to the conference.
One thing that became clear when preparing the first draft of the workshop schedule and taking stock of all the Tracks I’ve artificially created, is that everything is interconnected. Many workshops could easily fit into multiple tracks. So it is often hard to tell where one leaves off and another begins. This is especially the case with the farming tracks.
There may be one more Update to the Workshops Schedule and Tracks info just prior to the conference. There will be a big schedule board at the event for last minute changes and for scheduling impromptu workshops, meetings and action planning sessions at the event.
A note about the way the tracks are put together is HERE.
7 NEW PRESENTERS (since March 12)
Elie Barausky, Portland Apothecary, Portland, OR is joining the CSH Track.
Lily Lewison, Flying Bird Botanicals, Bellingham, WA. Herbal product manufacturer. Sharing experiences and leading a round table on companies buying direct from farmers.
Keith Possee, Curator of University of Washington Medicinal Garden. Public Herb Gardens track and seed propagation whiz.
Clinton Shock, Oregon State University Malheur Experiment Station. Clint established one of the first Stevia plantings in 1975 in Paraguay and he introduced Stevia into the United States in 1982. He is breeding low bitterness varieties. Stevia growing and breeding. Clinton researches Oregon native plant germination techniques for small scale growers to increase seed for restoration. Some of these species are medicinal.
Jerry Smith. Herbal Junction, Eugene, Oregon. One of Jerry’s missions in life is how to make medicinal herbs taste good so that more people take them. He has invented a wide range of non-alcoholic beverages, tonics, tinctures and elixirs.
Benjamin Uris, Foster Farm Botanicals, East Calais, VT. They have 8 acres of herbs in 2016 out of a rotation base of 30 acres.
Benjamin Pixie. Pixie Honey Company. Herbal infused honeys, honey wine and many herbal products.
8 PRESENTER CANCELLATIONS
Barbara Jean Avery, Sonoma County Herb Exchange, Sebastopol, CA
Erin Leary, Gaia Herbs, North Carolina
Angela LeVan, Alquimia Botanicals, Portland, Or
Linda Quintana, Wonderland Teas, Bellingham, WA
All the Mountain Rose Staff have canceled because of regulation concerns.
Jennifer Gerrity
David Doty
Jacob Lauch
Erin McIntosh
We will miss all the above and hopefully they can attend MHG&MC II.
We are currently at 65 presenters at the moment. There will be last minute additions and lots of expertise in the crowd.
Whether you are a big, medium, small or micro grower - the MHG&MC is a space where we can all learn from each other and where the more experienced farmers can give some words of advice to the newer farmers.
Large-scale and Medium-scale Medicinal Herb FarmingTrack
Coordinator: Matt Dybala.
Presenters include Danielle Hawkins, Trout Lake Farm, Adam Buresh and Randal Buresh, Oregon’s Wild Harvest, Matt Dybala, HerbPharm Farm Manager, Jeff Carpenter, Jeff & Elise Higley, Oshala Farm, Benjamin Uris, Foster Farm Botanicals, East Calais, VT, and others.
Session A: Opening panel.
Session C. Scaling up: Farming Herbs For Profit. Jeff & Elise Higley, Oshala Farm.
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Small-scale Medicinal Herb FarmingTrack
Coordinator: Atlanta Duncan.
Presenters include Nome McBride, Michel Pilarski, Jeff Johnson, Rising Stone Farm, Nicki Neilson, Lovelight Herb Farm, Tina Glaessner, and others.
Session A. Opening Panel. at USO Hall.
Session C: Growing and selling Medicinal Plants: An overview on starting and managing a certified Organic, online nursery specializing in Medicinals. Tina Glaessner.
Session F: Economics of herb production. Jeff Bodony.
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Farming at all scalesTrack
Session C: Soil Biology for Herb Farmers. Jessica Gigot.
Session C: Perennial Herb Production. Matt Dybala.
Session D: Farming Medicinal Herbs. Friday Intensive by Jeff Carpenter. 10:00-4:30. ($50).
Session D: Farm Equipment for Medicinal Plants. Matt Dybala and Adam Buresh (tbc).
Session E: Biodynamic Farming. Randal and Adam Buresh.
Session E: Adding “Quality” to farmed and wildcrafted fresh herbs. Post harvest handling and shipping of fresh herbs. Yvan Rochon.
Session E: Medicinal Plant propagation techniques roundtable. Tina Glaessner, Crimson Sage Nursery; Clinton Shock and others. Clinton researches Oregon native plant germination techniques for growers to increase seed for restoration. Some of these species are medicinal.
Session F: Drying and Post-harvest handling. Randal Buresh, tbc.
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Cottage Industry Herb Growing Track
Coordinator: Blythe Barbo.
Presenters include Tina Glaessner, Greta de la Montagne, Jenn Dazey, Linda Quintana, Daphne Singingtree, Denise Joy, James Jungwirth, Blythe Barbo, Debbie Jakovac, Eaglesong and others.
Session A. Opening Panel combined with Small-scale Farming opening at USO Hall.
Session C. From Farm to Pharmacy: Running an Herbal Dispensary. Jenn Dazey
Session D. Garden to Apothecary radical herbology. Greta de la Montagne.
Session D. Essiac – Creating a Model for local production from seed to cup of tea, Getting it Right. Debbie Jakovac.
Session F. Growing and Cultivation of Herbs in Port Townsend. Denise Joy.
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Medicinal Plant Growing in Polycultures, Agroforestry and PermacultureTrack
Coordinator: Michael Pilarski.
Presenters include Jeff Bodony, Christine Borosh, Michael Pilarski, Blythe Barbo, Stephanie Syson and others.
Session A: Hedge Medicine. EagleSong Evans Gardener.
Session B: Opening Panel on Medicinal Plant Growing in Polycultures on the Farm and in Permaculture Systems.
Session C: Farming Medicinal Plants in Agroforestry Systems. Michael Pilarski.
Session: D: Plant Growing Methods and Medicinal Quality. Jeff Bodony.
Session E: Using Medicinal plants in ecosystem restoration. Michael Pilarski and Clinton Shook.
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Specific Crops Track
Session B. Growing Sea Buckthorn) for medicinal fruit. (Hippophae rhamnoides) (aka Seaberry. Mike Maki.
Session C. Growing and harvesting Red Clover Blossoms for medicine. Ryan Drum.
Session C: Sheep Sorrel and Essiac Herbs. Debbie Jakovac.
Session D: Medicinal Mushrooms, Where to Grow From Here? Peter McCoy.
Session D. Stevia growing and breeding. Clinton Shock, Oregon State University Malheur Experiment Station. Clint established one of the first Stevia plantings in 1975 in Paraguay and he introduced Stevia into the United States in 1982. He is breeding low bitterness varieties.
Session E: Growing Ashwaganda (Withania somniferum). Jeff Johnson.
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East Asian Medicinal Plants Track
Follow this link to download a PDF file of the East Asian Medicinal Plants Track Schedule.
Friday, April 15, 10:00- 4:30 - East Asian Medicinal Plants Track
Cultivation of Asian Medicinal Plants in the Pacific Northwest
The emerging market and bringing efficacious ecologically grown Asian medicinal plant crops into production in the PNW as well as addressing relevant topics affecting herb quality and accessibility will be the topics of the program. This presentation will be of interest to growers, practitioners, students, and all those interested in the changing market of contemporary Asian herbal medicine.
*Crop selection for the Pacific NW
*Opportunities and risks in farming medicinals
*How to get started
*Medicinal plant propagation methods for farmer success, species durability and best clinical results
*Production crop management
*Harvesting and drying
Presented by Peg Schafer, author of the Chinese Medicinal Herb Farm: A Cultivators Guide to Small-Scale Organic Herb Production
Saturday, April 16, 9:30-10:00 - East Asian Medicinal Plants Track
Keynote: Medicinal Plant Cultivation; Farmer Success for Best Clinical Results
Western and Eastern herbal medicine can only be as effective as the original plants and how they were handled. Plant genetics, how they were grown, how long in ground, harvesting, processing and drying are determining factors for herb quality. Herbalists and growers: Do you know where your herbs and seed come from? When are seed or clones best utilized?
Speaker: Peg Schafer, CMHF
Saturday, 10:30-12:00 - East Asian Medicinal Plants Track
The Emerging Market
Many factors contribute to price and availability of Chinese medicinal herbs to make this a more favorable market experience for domestic growers
Speakers: Peg Schafer, CMHF | Mercy Yule, NWAMHN | Jacob Lauch, Mountain Rose Herbs
Saturday, 2:00- 3:30 - East Asian Medicinal Plants Track
Saving More Than Seeds
Looking at the various aspects and importance of seed production to maintain and increase overall medicinal herb production
Speaker: Rupert Adams, Salt Spring Seeds, Kairos Botanicals
Saturday, 3:45- 5:15 - East Asian Medicinal Plants Track
For Growers and Manufacturers: Essential Concepts in Chinese Medicine
Gain a better understanding of how fundamentals of Chinese medicine apply to herbal production & formulation.
Speaker: Dave Martin, Trinity Natural Medicine
Sunday, April 17, 8:45-10:15 - East Asian Medicinal Plants Track
Processing and toxicity of common TCM herbs
We will discuss Rehmannia glutinosa, Polygonum multiflorum, Pinellia ternata, Aconitum carmichaelii and others in terms of
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a historical overview of processing methods
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step by step analysis of common modern processing methods
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biochemical justification for processing method
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relationship of biochemistry to herb function
Speaker: Tim Ross
Sunday, 10:30-12:00 - East Asian Medicinal Plants Track
Organoleptic Evaluation
Herbal flavors are one of the characteristics that connect to therapeutic processes; therefore, organoleptic analysis plays an important role in quality assessment of Chinese medicinal herbs. We will explore the notion of a repeatable objective evaluation of the subjective sensory experience.
Speaker: Mercy Yule, NWAMHN
Sunday, 2:00- 3:30 - East Asian Medicinal Plants Track
Growers Panel
Local growers will discuss their experiences in cultivating Chinese medicinal herbs and take your questions.
Speakers: Jonathan Major | Steven Wrubleski | Vivian Henderson | Shawna Care | Rupert Adams | Keith Posse, UWMG
Moderator: Peg Schafer, CMHF
Sunday, 3:45- 4:45 - East Asian Medicinal Plants Track
Plenary: Where do we go from here? Proposals for action.
Group discussion
Speakers: Peg Schafer and panel guests
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Ayurvedic Medicinal PlantsTrack
Coordinator needed for this Track.
People on this track include Greta de la Montagne, Melissa Yaden, Katrina Svoboda-Johnson tbc, and others.
Session C. Opening Panel and round table.
~~ Workshops to be announced.
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Native American (First Nations) perspectives on growing medicinal plantsTrack
Coordinator: Heidi Bohan.
Presenters include Heidi Bohan, Jessica Gigot, faculty at the Northwest Indian College, Melodi Wynn, Spokane Nation, Ken Neish Hoyt from Couer d'Alene country, Daphne Singingtree, Susan Jamerson, six students from the Northwest Indian College and others.
Session B: Two sessions. A roundtable panel discussion by people who are active in tribal communities to share thoughts and inspire discussion on the issues around cultivation of traditional medicine plants. Current tribal initiatives and programs around traditional food and medicine will be presented. What kind of help or collaboration are they looking for from the wider herb community?
Session D: What do Native Americans think about bringing their native medicinal (hence spiritual) plants into commerce and into cultivation? How can there be profit sharing with tribes for their knowledge? What can we learn from tribal traditional horticulture practices for the growing of herbs today?
~~ Workshops to be announced.
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WildcraftingTrack
Coordinator: Nome McBride.
Presenters include Natasha Clarke, Ryan Drum, James Jungwirth, Jacob Lauch, Nome McBride, Erin Vicha, Michael Pilarski, Terrance M. Meyer, Adam Buresh, and others.
Session A: Wildcrafting Seaweed. Ryan Drum, James Jungwirth.
Session B: Opening Panel includes a discussion on sustainable wildcrafting practices.
Session B: Plant Walk with a Focus on Wildcrafting. Terri Wilde.
Session C: Restorative Wildcrafting. Nome McBride.
Session C: Introducing the Woodland Co-op, a marketing cooperative for wildcrafters starting in Northwest Washington. Terrance M Meyer.
Session C: Northwest Analogs to Common Trade Herbs. Nome McBride.
Session D: Wildcrafting Weeds on Farms, Purslane, chickweed, dandelion and other species. Terri Wilde.
Session E: Plant Walk with a Focus on Wildcrafting. James Jungwirth.
Session E:. Wildcrafting & Marketing 5 PNW Medicinal Herbs. Ryan Drum.
Session F: Action Planning session including Ryan Drum has proposed the topic of “discuss open hostility from well-intended conservationists towards medicinal plant wildcrafters."
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Herbs used for Essential Oil DistillationTrack
Coordinator: Leslie Lekos.
Presenters include Leslie Lekos, Orion Lekos, Victoria Reddick, Marco Hermosillo (tbc) and others.
Session A. Panel on Marketable Aromatic Crops for Distillation.
Session D. Methods of Extracting Essential Oils From a Variety of Aromatic Medicinal Plants. Dr. Orion Lekos.
Session E. Victoria Reddick of Bear Creek Apothecary will do an essential oil distillation demo using white sage (Salvia Apiana).
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Herbs used in beers, wines, liqueurs, spirits, kombuchas, and beveragesTrack
Coordinator: Lily Cohen.
Presenters include: Steve and Amanda Braun, Jazper Torres, Natasha Clarke, Victoria Dawson, Mary Kachi Cassinelli, Brian Wallace, Endorfin Foods, Jerry Smith, Benjamin Pixie, and others. Trends happening now.
Session A. Using herbs in chocolate and bitters. Brian Wallace.
Session C. Opening Panel: Herbs used in beverages: sodas, kombuchas, root beers, shrubs, squashes, elixirs, bitters, beers, wines, liqueurs, spirits, and other beverages.
Session B and C. Steve and Amanda Braun of Old Growth Ales will lead a hands-on Brewing Workshop - Wildharvested Urtication Ale.
Gala Herbal Beverage Tasting Saturday evening. As of April 1 we have 20 companies with multiple products in the Tasting.
Saturday 8:00-9:00 pm. Natasha Clarke and Victoria Dawson will give a workshop on Herbal mixers for drinks - how to combine elixirs and tinctures into alcoholic beverages - elder flower rhubarb gimlets and rose martinis, etc.
Inventing bitters and other herbal beverages. Brian Wallace.
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Herbs Used in Body Care Products Track
Coordinator: Kirsten Grohovsky (tbc).
Presenters include: Susan M Parker, Solum & Herbe Apothecary, Port Townsend WA, Kirsten Grohovsky, Apothicare owner, Minneapolis, MN, and others.
Session A. Opening Panel. Exploring Niche Markets for Herbs in Body Care Products. What herbs are used? Which ones should we grow here? What pressed and herbal infused oils are needed for this market?
Session B. Oils; The wide range and how to use them. Susan Parker.
Session C. Kirsten Grohovsky’s workshop will “discuss quality and sourcing issues in the Midwest and topics related to sourcing from out of my region, sourcing at-risk plants, wildcrafting, and herbs that come from overseas and their uses in body care products and what I’ve discovered about marketing in Minneapolis.”
Session D. Herbs in Skin Care; types and forms needed. Susan Parker.
Many herbs and herbal infused oils are used in cosmetics, toiletries, perfumes, skin products, soaps, shampoos and related products. Susan M Parker of Solum & Herbe is asking around in skin care and cosmetic forums for ideas and questions. Here are a few words from Susan on this track “Herbs can be extracted in many more ways than just oil for use in different phases of cream and lotion making. It may be a niche market now but it is exploding! Literally daily in the forums I'm in, people come in with "I'm starting a natural skin care line can somebody help me with this or that." Granted not all will outlive the first year but there is a lot of movement here. And they'll need herbs!”
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Radical HerbologyTrack
Power to the people. Broad-based public knowledge of common herbs. Health justice with herbal access via free herb clinics. We might separate the herbal movement into two parts. Aboveground and belowground (commercial and non-commercial). Above ground involves commerce, bank accounts, taxes, etc. Below ground includes gardening for family use, gift economy, barter, etc. Radical herbology is about the below ground part.
Coordinator: Greta de la Montagne (tbc).
Presenters include Lara Pacheco, Greta “Grizz” de la Montagne, Victoria Reddick. and Peter McCoy of Radical Mycology, Olympia Free Clinic tbc and others.
Session A. Opening Panel.
Session B. 10 years of Radical Mycology. Peter McCoy. Peter is the leading light behind starting the Radical Mycology Conference which had its 2nd event in 2011 outside of Port Townsend, Washington. Five years later, Peter will be back in Port Townsend to help assist the Radical Herbology movement.
Session C. Lara Pacheco will give a workshop on “Combating systemic oppression by Cultivating the Wild with home grown medicine.”
Session D. Greta de la Montagne will give a workshop on Garden to Apothecary radical herbology. DIY vs purchasing in bulk. Maintaining an apothecary with high integrity and valuing sustainability and effectiveness over cheapest and quickest. Why is it so important that an individual communicate with the plants we use for medicine?
Session E. Victoria Reddick will be helping form a Pacific Northwest Chapter of “Herbalists Without Borders International” at the conference.
Session F. Action Planning Session to prepare a statement for the conference and beyond.
Closing Plenary: Short report to the whole group.
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Herb Gardens in Public SpacesTrack
Coordinator: Stephanie Syson.
Presenters include Christine Borosh, Stephanie Syson, Keith Possee, Victoria Reddick, Peter Olmstead and others.
Session B. Opening panel on herb gardens in public spaces. With Victoria Reddick, Christine Borosh, Stephanie Syson, Peter Olmstead (Veterans Affairs Hospital medicinal herb garden, Seattle), Keith Possee, University of Washington Medicinal Garden and others.
Session C. Stephanie Syson will give a workshop, Public Spaces - Ripe for an Herbal Infusion. Stephanie lectures across the United States on topics such as Public Food Forests, Seed Saving Libraries and Culinary and Medicinal Herb Growing.
Session D. Christine Borosh will give a workshop, Growing Medicinal Herbs in an Educational Context. Christine is the supervisor for the medicinal and edible gardens at Bastyr University.
Session F. Acton Planning Session. Victoria Reddick is bringing a proposal to start a movement “Creating community medicinal herbal gardens” to teach and train the public.
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MarketingTrack
Coordinator needed for this Track.
Presenters include Yvan Rochon, Herbal Vitality, Mercy Yule, Peg Schafer, Mary Kachi Cassinelli, Dandelion Botanicals, Kim Otto, Moon Valley Organics, Lily and others. “The combined amount of herb marketing experience at the conference will be staggering, both on the producers side and the buyers side.”
Session B. Lily Lewison, Flying Bird Botanicals. Presentation and round table discussion. Farmer and buyer business. What we’ve learned about working with local growers (about 15 farms).
Session C. Growing and selling Medicinal Plants: An overview on starting and managing a certified organic, online nursery specializing in Medicinals. Tina Glaessner.
Session D. Building an herb business from farm to product to retail. Kim Otto. Moon Valley Organics, a vertically-integrated company (grass-roots style) which grows the herbs on their own farm, makes the value-added products and markets them through a retail store at the Pike Place Market in downtown Seattle.
Session D. Using Social Media for marketing. Brian Wallace. Endorfin Foods.
Session E. Expanding Your Educational Scope - From an Income Source to Protecting the Source. Steve & Amanda Braun. Education as a form of income for herb farmers and companies.
~~ Peg Schafer and Mercy Yule will be speaking at numerous times at the conference on marketing domestically-grown Chinese herbs.
~~ Our Saturday evening gala event is titled the Grower & Buyer Meet-Up. We will come up with some easily identifiable color material that identifies people as buyers, farmers, wildcrafters, etc, plus we can wear special name tags with our key points. The Trade Show Tables will be in full swing.
Session F. Breaking the Retail Lousy Medicinal Herbs Barrier, Panel/RoundTable Discussion. Ryan Drum, Mary Cassinelli, Linda Quintana and others.
Session F. Perhaps the Marketing Track’s Action Planning Session can be a discussion on starting a Northwest herb growers (and wildcrafters) association of some kind?
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CooperativesTrack
Coordinator: Kippi Waters.
Presenters include: Kippi Waters, Terrance Meyer and others.
Session C. Introducing the Woodland Co-op. a marketing cooperative for wildcrafters starting in Northwest Washington. Terrance M Meyer.
Session F. The Action Planning Session can lay some groundwork for setting up cooperatives in the herbal world.
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Community Supported Herbalism: CSH - Herbal CSAsTrack
Coordinators: Dawne Vrabel and EagleSong.
Presenters include Nora Harrington of The Medicine Chest, Bainbridge Island, Dawne Vrabel, Dynamic Roots, Carbondale, Colorado, EagleSong of Ravencroft Garden, Monroe, WA, Brian Wallace, Endorfin Foods (started the world’s first CSC - chocolate), Elie Barausky, Portland Apothecary, Portland OR and others.
Session B. Opening Panel on how to create viable businesses based on CSHs. A CSA farm (community-supported agriculture) is the popular farmer-to-consumer marketing system in which customers pay the farmer upfront for food they receive in weekly boxes (mostly vegetables) during the growing season.
~~ Other sessions to be announced.
Here is an article on The American Botanical Council website which outlines the formation of herbal CSAs around the US, which it says is strongest in the Northeast US. It includes a list of 15 Herbal CSAs from around the US.
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Regulations, Legalities, Re-coding. GAP, GACP, GMPTrack
Coordinator needed for this Track.
Presenters include Danielle Hawkins, Trout lake Farm, Denise Joy, Mountain Spirit Botanicals, Linden de Voil, QA/QC Manager for Heron Botanicals, Tim Ross, Heron Botanicals, and others.
Session B. Intro to cGMP for herbalists and small businesses. Linden de Voil.
Session E. Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) on herb farms. Danielle Hawkins, Trout Lake Farm.
Session E. FDA compliance for product makers Round-Table. Denise Joy and others.
Session F. The Action Planning Session might tackle the issue of Recoding. How can farmers and herb companies improve the current regulations? Recode works to ensure access to, and accelerate adoption of, sustainable, practical and socially-equitable regulations. https://www.recodenow.org/
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The Uses of HerbsTrack
Session A: Herbal Pain Relief. Daphne Singingtree.
Session B: Basic Herbal First Aid Kits—personalized for your families’ needs. Denise Joy.
Session D: Simpling Into Diversity: Black Cottonwood. EagleSong Evans Gardener.
Session F: Hawthorn: Recipes and Remedies. EagleSong Evans Gardener.
“I think the time is right for this conference and in 10 years, the PNW will be known (even more) for its herb growers. Gary Snyder considers (and I agree) our bioregion to include the northern Japanese islands up to the Kamchatka Peninsula, across to Alaska and down to California, so it's arguable that many northeast Asian plants are natives anyway.” Keith Possee. Curator of the University of Washington Medicinal Garden.
Whether you are a big, medium, small or micro grower - the MHG&MC is a space where we can all learn from each other and where the more experienced farmers can give some words of advice to the newer farmers.
“I think the time is right for this conference and in 10 years, the PNW will be known (even more) for its herb growers. Gary Snyder considers (and I agree) our bioregion to include the northern Japanese islands up to the Kamchatka Peninsula, across to Alaska and down to California, so it's arguable that many northeast Asian plants are natives anyway.” Keith Possee. Curator of the University of Washington Medicinal Garden.