44th Annual Ohio Food and Farm Conference Opens Registration

Registration is now open for Ohio’s premier three-day educational and networking conference on sustainable agriculture, local food, and green living.

The Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association’s (OEFFA) 44th annual conference, Germinate, Regenerate, Agitate, will take place Thursday, February 16 through Saturday, February 18, 2023, at Cherry Valley Hotel and Ohio Event Center in Newark, Ohio.

Online registration is now open at conference.oeffa.org.

Keynote Speakers

Thursday, February 16: Rowen White will speak on Indigenous leadership, ecological knowledge, cultural memory, cultural inheritance of land, seeds, and more. A seedkeeper and farmer from the Mohawk community of Akwesasne, White is a passionate activist for indigenous seed and food sovereignty.
Saturday, February 18: Ricardo Salvador will speak on how to transform the far-reaching 2023 Farm Bill to be more current and equitable. With more than 40 years in academia, philanthropy, and advocacy, Salvador is the director and senior scientist of the Food and Environment Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists.

Food and Farm School Classes

These five classes are a full day of in-depth learning:

Holistic Planned Grazing: Balancing Work, Business, and Ecosystem Improvement for Optimal Results—Wayne Knight of Holistic Management International will introduce tools to plan, monitor, and improve day-to-day management decisions.
No-Till Vegetable Culture—Organic grower and author Bryan O’Hara will dive into the details of moving into and setting up a no-till vegetable production system.
Organic Systems Plan Help-Shop for Transitioning Farmers—OEFFA educators and certification specialists will guide those planning to certify organic for the first time.
Our Future, Our Farm Bill—Erik Peterson of Bending the Arc Strategies, OEFFA policy staff, and Jesse Womack of the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition will demystify the 2023 Farm Bill and discuss narrative.
Planting Fairness: Tools for Building a Positive Farm Team with Fair Labor Practices—Elizabeth Henderson and Jon Magee of the Agricultural Justice Project and Ben Jackle of Mile Creek Farm will help attendees examine fair employment practices, adapt employee handbooks, and write a holistic farm health and safety plan.

Workshops, Food, Networking, and More

A diverse array of workshops, shopping, and more are offered over the course of the three days, including:

More than 50 workshops on sustainable farming, livestock, homesteading, gardening, and business with speakers such as Steve Boyda, Elizabeth Henderson, April Jones, Bryan O’Hara, and more;
An exhibit hall with dozens of businesses, nonprofits, and products;
A conference kickoff with a happy hour, locally-sourced food, and keynote address;
Dedicated spaces for BIPOC farmers to connect, for discussion on the rural and urban divide, for food businesses to network, and for fun food demonstrations;
A networking event to connect landowners and land seekers;
Chances to socialize, including an open mic night and happy hours; and
Lunches, a raffle, chapter meetups, and much more!

Conference registration includes access to both the in-person event and to recordings of many of the sessions. A limited number of scholarships are available for persons of color and beginning farmers, along with sliding scale and volunteer rates.

For more information, or to register, visit conference.oeffa.org.