A day of speakers discussing a variety of issues relevant to small farms. More information, registration, and a brochure with detailed descriptions of the concurrent sessions are available here. Registration is due February 15th, late registration or day of registration is slightly more expensive.
Keynote: 500 Acres of Food
Kristin and Mark Kimball run a full-diet, free-choice, year-round, draft horse powered CSA from their northern New York Essex Farm. Kristin will discuss how their unique farm model has evolved over eight seasons, the advantages and disadvantages of scaling up, and the importance of hanging on to a clear vision in the face of rapid change. Her book, The Dirty Life, chronicles their farm’s chaotic startup year. Kristin Kimball, Essex Farm and author of The Dirty Life: A Memoir of Farming, Food & Love.
Concurrent Sessions at the Conference include the following:
11:00 am to 12:20 pm
- Multi-Species, Multi-Marketing Channels I
- Birds, Bees, and Pickles
- Funding Innovation in Food and Farms
- Winter Farming Part 1: Production Basics
- Rainwater Harvesting for the Farm
- Continuing the Conversation with Kristin Kimball
- Farm Business Plan 101
12:20 pm to 1:30 pm – Lunch
1:30 pm to 2:50 pm
- Multi-Species, Multi-Marketing Channels II
- Winter Farming Part 2: Marketing your Products
- Flash Mob at Your Market? Special Events to Keep Your Market Hopping
- The Essex Farm Full Diet, Year-Round CSA
- The New Face of Farming
- Show Me the Money: Traditional and Creative Resources for Farmer Financing
- Farm to Fork Events
3:10 pm to 4:30 pm
- Farmers as Writers
- Increase SNAP Match at Your Market
- Integrating Permaculture Principles on Diversified Small Farms
- Grafting Vegetables to Reduce Soil-Borne Problems and Improve Vigor and Yield
- Business Planning and Lenderspeak
- Selling to Schools and Hospitals
- Oregon’s 1000 Bird Exemption
