Iowa Organic Conference marks 25 years

Oct 13, 2025

The Iowa Organic Conference will return to Iowa City for its 25th year on Nov. 17, for a full day of all things organic, headlined by organic pioneer and “king of kamut” Bob Quinn.

Quinn, a Montana organic farmer and director of the Quinn Institute, will address conference attendees in a talk titled “Nourishing the Organic Community through Enriched Soils, High Biodiversity and Nutritious Crops.” He will highlight the important role small grains play in organic production, according to a news release.

Following the keynote address, breakout sessions will begin at 10:30 a.m. and include information on transitioning to organic farming, weed management, organic livestock production, robotic weeders and specialty crops. Other sessions include marketing, organic vegetable production and tips for the new organic farmer.

More than 30 vendors, from organic seed and equipment dealers to certifiers and nonprofits, will fill the vendor hall.

Lunch will be made using local and organic produce, meat and dairy products, crafted by chef Anne Watson and the University of Iowa dining team.

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Video: Designing a Robotic Berry Picker

Since blackberries must be harvested by hand, the process is time-consuming and labor-intensive. To support a growing blackberry industry in Arkansas, food science associate professor Renee Threlfall is collaborating with mechanical engineering assistant professor Anthony Gunderman to develop a mechanical harvesting system. Most recently, the team designed a device to measure the force needed to pick a blackberry without damaging it. The data from this device will help inform the next stage of development and move the team closer to the goal of a fully autonomous robotic berry picker. The device was developed by Gunderman, with Yue Chen, a former U of A professor now at Georgia Tech, and Jeremy Collins, then a U of A undergraduate engineering student. To determine the force needed to pick blackberries without damage, the engineers worked with Threlfall and Andrea Myers, then a graduate student.