Northern Michigan Small Farm Conference Draws Record Crowd
The 11th Annual Northern Michigan Small Farm Conference (NMSFC) hosted over 730 people, setting a record for its two day event held last month (Jan 29, 30). Stan Moore, County Extension Director for the Antrim County MSU Extension office, said that there was a great turnout of vendors as well, with sixty vendors attending the conference.
The NMSFC's theme is “Changing Realities in Farming and Food.” According to the conference website, their goals are to "provide an outstanding educational event that meets the needs of the attendees; provide a forum for the open exchange of ideas; support small farm educational programs throughout the year; help to build a local network of small farms, community businesses, and local government for the expressed purpose of building the local food economy."
Moore noted the diversity of the attendees: of men and women, youth, CSAs, specialty farms, start-ups, as well as strong representation from the Amish community. He said that with such a diverse mix of attendees there is a challenge in coordinating and presenting break-out sessions that speak to all those in attendance. Moore said that this year, "the amount of diversity in the breakout sessions was the best we ever had."
Those sessions included:
- Hydroponics and Food Production in Michigan
- Chicken Basics – The Fun and Easy Way to Raise Chickens
- Legislation, Laws, Regulations and What They May Mean to Your Farm
- Permaculture for Farmers
- Put the Fun Back in Dairy Farming
- Turning Maintenance from a Liability into a Crucial Asset for the Small Farm
The NMSFC also continued the Youth Program they started last year. Moore said that the youth had their own keynote speaker, sessions and an opportunity to share "enterprise ideas they have started on their own farms."
Over the next couple of weeks, power point presentations, along with video clips and segments from the sessions, will be posted to the conference website: http://smallfarmconference.com.
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Awesome event! Loved the Salad Bar Beef presentation.
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