NOFA-NY is a statewide organization of farmers, consumers, gardeners, and businesses creating a sustainable food system that’s good for people and the planet. It provides programs and services to farmers to help them flourish, and connects consumers with these farmers.

For this winter conference, more than 1300 farmers, gardeners, consumers, and policymakers will be converging here to review organic farming, food distribution networks, food policy and justice, and many other topics in keynotes and 85 separate workshops. There’s also ample time for networking, exploring a tradeshow, and eating delicious organic meals, with items donated from farms around the state.

This year’s conference theme is RESILIENCE, and after the storms and droughts of the past few farming seasons, it seems so appropriate for a main focus.

How does that translate into workshops and events? Just a few of the highlights include:

• Keynote addresses—Shinji Hashimoto, leader of Japan’s community supported agriculture movement and an organic farmer since 1989 will talk about some of the challenges Japanese farmers have overcome; and 2013 Farmer of the Year Scott Chaskey, a farmer from Long Island and CSA director for the past 23 years, who has long demonstrated resilience in spite of a changing agricultural landscape, development pressures, and weather changes, will share his perspective.
• Educational workshops (80+) on a variety of topics in organic agriculture. Workshop tracks will feature presentations about organic fruit, vegetable, grain, livestock, dairy, food processing, urban farming, agricultural policy, food justice and gardening and homesteading topics.
• Special events including Farm Hack, an innovation exhibition showing tools developed by farmers for resilient organic agriculture and a tasting of New York wheat varieties, to help with the movement to scale up production of grains in the Northeast.

The full conference brochure is available for review online. Take a look!

Remember, this conference is open to consumers, gardeners, farmers, policy-makers, restaurant owners, sustainability coordinators, educators, and more….so you qualify to go! Attend the whole thing, or just for a morning or afternoon. The registration options are flexible, and they’ve even got an impressive set of activities for kids, if you’ll be bringing yours along.

If you sign up by January 11th, you'll avoid an extra fee. After January 11th, participants can register directly at the conference for an additional $15. The NOFA-NY website has all the Winter Conference information and registration forms.

Hope to see you there!