EKY Farmer Conference: The first of its kind!

Hi everyone! It’s February!! What the heck?

We have a very exciting opportunity that is coming to the region in a couple of weeks and we, along with our friends at Community Farm Alliance, have been busy as bees planning, planning, planning and trying to get the word out! So without further ado…

On February 23 and 24, Hindman Settlement School will play host to the first (not sure if it will be annual yet?) Eastern Kentucky Farmer Conference. While the final agenda is still in the planning stages, there is going to be something for everyone, tailoring to many different production plans, enterprises, skill levels, and practices. Workshop topics include organic growing, social media marketing, season extension, micro-processing, production planning, food safety & value added, fruit trees, low and high tunnels, and LOTS more!

Sort of sweetening the deal on this conference is that attendees also have the option of attending the Better Process Control School before the conference. Normally valued at more than $200, this conference is offering the training at a subsidized rate of only $60!  This subsidized training, combined with the breadth of workshops offered, means that you will not be able to find an opportunity quite like this!

There’s one little catch though: You HAVE to register! And soon! Very soon! The deadline is February 10th (That’s a week from today!), and if you need lodging you have to be registered by this date! Refunds cannot be guaranteed after this date. There are also day-of registrations available as well, if you do not need lodging. All right, I think you get the picture!

Price of registration includes the 2-day conference and breakfast and lunch both days and dinner on Thursday.

One last thing: Scholarships ARE available for the conference on a limited basis. If you are in need of financial assistance, please contact Jann Knappage at jann@cfaky.org.

I said it before but I’ll say it again: believe us when we say that you really will not be able to find an opportunity quite like this! We are really excited to be partnering with so many wonderful organizations, farmers, growers, community leaders, and facilitators of small-scale agriculture- all right here in the region. It’s going to be an informative, engaging, hands-on, interactive, something-for-everyone weekend! More than that, it will be an opportunity to learn from the best of the best, featuring our friends and colleagues at:

• Community Farm Alliance
• Kentucky Center for Agriculture and Rural Development
• Kentucky State University
• Hindman Settlement School
• Kentucky Association of Food Banks
• Old Homeplace Farm
• Cedar Creek Farm 
• and many more!

Only a few of us from HQ will be there at Hindman, but please be sure to stop by and say hello! I personally can’t wait to see pictures and hear stories about the wonderful educational opportunities and benefits that farmers will receive.

Plus, Hindman is soooo pretty!

Have a great weekend, everyone! For all you Grow Appalachia folks, I’ll see y’all next week (Gathering!!!), and for the rest of you readers, enjoy a nap this weekend, write a letter to a friend or family member, curl up with a good book, or cook an awesome meal! Or all of the above!

***More information about the conference and registration can be found HERE!