By Nyssa Lilovich | Purdue University
WEST LAFAYETTE – Registration is open for the 2022 Indiana Small Farm Conference – Indiana’s premier annual event for the state’s small and diversified farming community – at purdue.ag/sfc.
The 10th annual conference and trade show will take place March 3-4 at the Hendricks County Fairgrounds in Danville. One of the featured keynote speakers is Malik KenyattaYakini, co-founder and executive director of the Detroit Black Community Food Security Network.
Since 2013, the conference has featured comprehensive programming about diversified farming and local food systems, bringing together novice and experienced small-scale farmers.
“It has been my pleasure to serve on the organizing team for the Indiana Small Farm Conference,” says Mike Hoopengardner, owner of Redbud Farm and Caprini Creamery and ISFC committee member. “As a dairy farmer whose family built Caprini Creamery, our award-winning dairy/cheese-making operation in a cornfield, I bring a boot-on-the-ground perspective to organizing the conference. Our conference offers content for beginners to experienced small farmers.”
This year’s conference offers 12 tracks from which attendees can choose sessions that best align with their farming operations and goals:
- Value Added
- Livestock
- Pollination
- Soil Health
- Vegetable Production
- Integrating Technology Workshop
- Marketing
- Innovations in Response to Climate Change
- Regenerative Ag
- Urban Ag
- Perennial Crop Production
- Grant Writing Workshop
“The Indiana Small Farm Conference is a great way to learn what’s new and what’s next in production, marketing and other areas to make the most of your efforts in 2022 and for years to come,” says Tamara Benjamin, assistant agriculture and natural resources program leader, diversified agriculture specialist for Purdue Extension and a conference organizer.
A detailed conference schedule will be available in early 2022, and currently scheduled sessions are subject to change.