Nov 21, 2019

Feb. 13-15 are dates for Ohio Food and Farm Association conference

Registration is now open for Ohio’s premier educational and networking event for ecological farmers, backyard growers, and others committed to sustainable agriculture, local food, and green living.

The Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association’s (OEFFA) 40th annual conference, A Climate for Change, will run Thursday, Feb. 13-Saturday, Feb. 15, 2020 at the Dayton Convention Center in Dayton, Ohio.

“This year’s event features speakers and sessions dedicated to creating a climate to change agriculture,” said OEFFA Program Director Renee Hunt. “Cultivating a resilient, just, and sustainable agricultural system can help farmers mitigate their climate risks, and address our global crisis.”

Each year, the conference draws more than 1,100 attendees.

Online registration is now open at www.oeffa.org/conference2020.

OEFFA’s popular conference will feature:

Keynote speakers

Friday keynote speaker Laura Lengnick is an award-winning soil scientist who has explored agricultural sustainability for more than 25 years as a researcher, policy-maker, educator, author, consultant, and farmer. She is the author of Resilient Agriculture: Cultivating Food Systems for a Changing Climate and founder of Cultivating Resilience.

Saturday keynote speaker Eric Holt-Giménez is an agroecologist, political economist, activist, and author. He has worked extensively abroad, helping to start the Campesino a Campesino (Farmer to Farmer) Movement, and is the former Executive Director of Food First. His most recent book is Can We Feed the World Without Destroying It?

Food and Farm School Classes

Three full-day Thursday Food and Farm School class options provide in-depth learning opportunities:

Market Gardening 2.0 – led Jean-Martin Fortier, farmer and author of The Market Gardener

]Learning from the Numbers: Deepening Farm Financial Awareness – led by author and farmer Jody Padgham

What the Hemp is Going On?! A Practical Guide to Hemp Farming in Ohio –led by a team of experts on regulation, production, and marketing

Workshops, Food, Networking, Family Activities, and More

This three-day event offers more than 100 hours of workshops, abundant networking opportunities in the Exhibit Hall and beyond, moments to unwind and share a drink with new friends, activities to please the whole family, and more, including:

Nearly 80 90-minute workshops on topics including sustainable farming, gardening, homesteading, livestock, business management, and policy, and more

An expanded three-day trade show featuring dozens of businesses, nonprofits, and government agencies, along with areas for large equipment display

A half day special session, Building Agricultural Resilience to a Changing Climate, with Aaron Wilson, Rafiq Islam, Vinayak Shedaker, and Alan Sundermeier

The Contrary Farmers’ Social on Thursday at 2nd Street Market

The Cream of the Crop Banquet on Friday

A free FarmLink Live training and networking session on Thursday

A kids’ conference for children ages 6-12 and a playroom for young children

Locally-sourced, from-scratch lunches; raffle; book table; book signings, and much more!

OEFFA is offering a special registration rate for members who register by December 12. A limited number of scholarships are available to persons of color, beginning farmers, and Columbus-area farmers, along with reduced rate volunteer spaces. Online registration will be open until Jan. 27. On-site walk-in registration will also be available for an additional fee. For more information about the conference, or to register, go to www.oeffa.org/conference2020.