Farm Conference

There are two conferences coming up in support of small farming for you to consider. Fairfield, Iowa and Springfield, Illinois will each play host for an event that may provide information to help your new farm idea.

The Tri-State Local Food Conference will be held for one day at the Fairfield Arts and Convention Center in Fairfield, Iowa on Friday, September 4, 2009. The theme is “Producing Sustainability: Growing Food, Growing Lives, Growing Economies.”

The conference will highlight three tracks, farm to institution, producer innovation, and food system advocates. The day will include a locally grown lunch highlighting marketing tools and food system work. Two keynote speakers will be present - Denise O’Brien, an organic farmer and founder of the Woman, Food and Agriculture Network and Dave Swensen with the Department of Economics at Iowa State University. Several other speakers from Illinois, Iowa, and Missouri will be on hand to discuss topics specific to each of the three focus tracts.

Talks will include topics of marketing to schools, hospitals, nursing homes and grocery stores, helping local schools tap into state funding for the purchase of locally grown food, agri-tourism and online marketing as a means of year round exposure, latest local food system developments and current food policy as well as area-wide economic gains that result from increased local food production and consumption.

The Tri-State Local Food Conference is sponsored by Pathfinders Resource Conservation and Development, Hometown Harvest of Southeast Iowa, The Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, Fairfield Iowa Convention and Visitors Bureau, Everybody’s Whole Foods, Radish Magazine, First National Bank, Iowa State Bank, Libertyville Savings Bank, MidWest One Bank, Ag Marketing Resource Center, North Central SARE, University of Illinois Extension, University of Missouri Extension, and Iowa State University Extension.

For more information contact Elisabet Humble, Local Food Coordinator, Hometown Harvest SE Iowa, 641-472-6177 or Rustin Lippincott, Fairfield Iowa Convention and Visitors Bureau, 641-472-2828. You may also find information online at http://travelfairfieldiowa.com/food-conference/.

The National Small Farm Conference will be held at the Hilton Springfield and the Prairie Capital Convention Center in Springfield, Illinois on September 15-17, 2009. The theme is "Roadmap to Success for Small Farmers and Ranchers”. Some of the topics covered include: the latest alternative enterprises for small producers, successful marketing approaches, alternative energy options and farm funding opportunities. Also included are exhibits, posters, educational tours, short courses and plenary sessions.

The National Small Farm Conference is held every three to four years in a different region of the country to ensure that a diversity of small farm specialists and producer populations can participate. It is a great opportunity for everyone working in the small farm community to network, to exchange technical expertise and experiences and to share useful new tools and programming resources.

The conference is hosted by the University of Illinois Extension in partnership with the USDA's Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES). Presentations, classes and speakers will include a well rounded representation of the nation. States represented include Alabama, California, Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin.

Conference registration covers the registration packet, meals, tours, exhibits, educational sessions and refreshments at breaks. The Tuesday evening reception features an entire menu of local foods, while the other meals and breaks include some local food items.

Further information about the conference and hotel registration rates can be viewed online at http://www.conferences.uiuc.edu/smallfarm. For more information, contact Deborah Cavanaugh-Grant, Conference Chair at cvnghgrn@illinois.edu, 217-968-5512.

Helpful Sources: http://travelfairfieldiowa.com/food-conference/ and http://www.conferences.uiuc.edu/smallfarm.

The Extension office is located in Kennett, Missouri at 101 South Main Street (the old bank) on the 2^nd floor. Open Monday – Friday or you can call 573-888-4722 if you have a question. University of Missouri Extension programs are open to all.

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Sarah Denkler, Horticulture Educator
University of Missouri Extension
P.O. Box 160, Kennett, MO 63857
573-888-4722 Denklers@missouri.edu