Every year Maine’s farmers come together at the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association’s (MOFGA’s) Farmer to Farmer Conference to learn from peers and practitioners. Farmers and agricultural service providers participate in three days of programming, with farm tours, and over 30 educational sessions covering everything from farm planning and systematizing operations to farm management strategies and livestock how-tos.
This year, farmers will learn from and engage with over 60 speakers from all over the state and beyond including farmers and service providers from Maine, Vermont, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts.
Keynote speaker Jennifer Glenister will share the story of New Morning Farm’s continuing journey towards organic soil health. Glenister will outline the observations and decision-making processes that underlie soil health management, including how they use cover crops and amendments, and test soil to ensure marketable yields. She will also discuss her experience benchmarking soil health in the PASA Sustainable Soil Health Study. Participants will learn about New Morning Farm’s production scale and practices, as well as soil types and structure, biological activity, and nutrient levels.
The conference also features prominent and accessible university faculty, extension educators, and other agricultural professionals; and a unique three-hour workshop session format, in which one half is dedicated to talks by agricultural service professionals or farmers, and the other to a round-table discussion that explores both the unique and common experiences of everyone in the room.
“MOFGA’s Farmer to Farmer Conference is known for its intimacy, in-depth treatment of topics, and amazing discussions based on the idea that farmers learn best from their peers and other practitioners,” says Anna Mueller, MOFGA’s farmer professional development specialist. “The annual event is a rare and wonderful opportunity for farmers to get off the farm and catch up with fellow farmers.”
“Attending the Farmer to Farmer Conference is a joy because of the palpable energy and engagement of the participants,” says livestock farmer Eliot Van Peski of Meadowsweet Farm. “It feels like we’re all in this together, learning from each other. Also, as a young farmer seeking to expand my social connections, I value Farmer to Farmer for the networking opportunities it provides.”
Participants will learn a lot, eat well, have an opportunity to share their expertise, make new friends and reconnect with old ones at the 2023 MOFGA Farmer to Farmer Conference. For more details, including the complete schedule, session descriptions and information about accommodations, and to register, visit mofga.org/farmer-to-farmer-conference.
Participants who need interpretive or translation services or who face any other barriers to participation should contact Anna Mueller at [email protected] or 207-568-4142. Scholarship application forms are available at mofga.org/farmer-to-farmer-conference.
