Founder of Oregon Tilth at City Club

Organic farmer, founder of Oregon Tilth spoke in Florence Feb. 3 at City Club

A national leader in sustainable organic food production, Corvallis farmer Harry MacCormack,  addressed the City Club of Florence at their luncheon meeting, Friday, February 3, at the Ocean Dunes Golf Course on Munsel Lake Road. MacCormack  described the significant economic and health benefits of resilient bio-active living soils and regionally-based local food systems. The meeting was open to the public, at no charge.

In addition to teaching at Oregon State University for over thirty years, MacCormack also co-founded farmers markets in Portland and Corvallis.

Over thirty years ago, MacCormack helped co-found Oregon Tilth, now recognized as a lead force in national and international organic production certification. He continues farming while authoring related books and publications and organizing "food webs" to assist local food production.
MacCormack's "Bean and Grain Project" is currently working to shape Willamette Valley producer efforts moving thousands of acres of grass-seed and other chemically--dependent crops over to organic beans and grains. In addition, he is working to expand local storage and milling facilities. Some of these beans are available at the the local "Real Food Co-op."

MacCormack described how shifting away from chemically-dependent growing can literally result in changed soils types, with significantly higher valuable mineral ratings.

Additional information on his publications or related work in Oregon, including soils workshops, is available at his web site:

sunbowfarm.org and http://www.sunbowfarm.org/workshops.php. 

His 4th editon of The Transition Document: Toward a Biologically Resilient Agriculture is available as of 2010.

KXCR, the newly licensed community FM noncommercial radio station,  recorded and archived this event for future free use when the station goes on-air with an established website for downloads.