Growing Garlic Field Day

Contact: Shane LaBrake
Phone: 301.758.6474
Email: sjlabrake@accokeek.org

The Accokeek Foundation is honored to have David Stern, Director of the Garlic Seed Foundation, as a co-presenter for a Growing Garlic Field Day. On Saturday, June 10, Mr. Stern, along with Shane LaBrake, manager of the Accokeek Foundation's organic Ecosystem Farm, will share their experiences on the regional environmental effects on 10 distinct garlic cultivars, the preservation of genetic diversity and increasing profitability for sustainable garlic growers in the United States. The field day will begin at 10 am in the Accokeek Foundation's Education Building, where Mr. Stern will present a slide show on garlic DNA spectrum analysis research. From there, the group will proceed to the Ecosystem Farm to view the garlic grown on site. The last stop will be at Mr. LaBrake's garden, where all 10 trial varieties of garlic are being grown. There is no charge for this event.

David Stern has been farming at Rose Valley in New York since 1972. Rose Valley has been a certified organic operation since 1984, producing 30-40 row crop vegetables, bush and tree fruit, nuts, nursery stock and managed timber on glacier Lake Plain soils. Mr. Stern has been the Acting Director of the Garlic Seed Foundation since 1985, which is a clearing house of information and research data. The Garlic Seed Foundation also publishes a cooperative report with Cornell University and offers a number of other reports, fact sheets, videos, books and planting stock.

Shane LaBrake has been the Manager of the Ecosystem Farm at the Accokeek Foundation for 12 years. Shane has been active throughout his farming career as a local food systems advocate. He has served on many boards and committees, and is a member of many farming organizations. He has presented at many Northeast Region meetings and conferences, primarily on topics related to Community Supported Agriculture programs and new-farmer training. Shane has also been an avid garlic grower for 14 years, and has won the Blue Ribbon for his crop each time it was entered in the Maryland State Fair.