
Conference Keynote Speaker Ben Burkett
SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE!
THIS Saturday, January 16
(All day)
Worcester State University
Join us on January 16 for our annual one-day conference, which features 70 workshops and exhibitors; keynote speeches with Ben Burkett, family farmer and member of the Federation of Southern Cooperatives; children’s conference and more.
Keynote SpeakerBen Burkett
Ben Burkett is a fourth generation family farmer, who serves as the State Coordinator for the Mississippi Association of Cooperatives.
In 2014 he was awarded a James Beard Leadership Award. His cooperative provides watermelon and other southern grown fruits and vegetables to the communities of Boston. Burkett provides technical expertise to small-scale farmers, farmers with limited resources, and ranchers in rural communities.
He also assists farmers in implementing agricultural marketing/production and coordinates land retention. Burkett serves as the president of the National Family Farm Coalition and numerous boards of directors and has traveled to Senegal, South Africa, Kenya, Nicaragua, Lebanon, and Zimbabwe, exchanging knowledge and information with small-scale farmers.
Conference Schedule:
7:30 am
Registration/Exhibitors open (free tea and snacks for registrants)
9 am – 5:15 pm
Children/Teen Program
(Children/Teen program & Seminar follow same schedule as workshops)
9 – 10:30 am
Workshop Session 1
11:00 am – 12:15 pm
Annual Meeting and Keynote Address: Why Family Farms Matter
11:30 am – 1:30 pm
Organic catered lunch
1:30 – 3 pm
Workshop Session 2
3 – 3:45 pm
Break – Visit our exhibitors
3:45 – 5:15 pm
Workshop Session 3
6:00 pm
Exhibits Close
6:00 – 7:30 pm
Post-Conference Organic Dinner with Keynoter: Intimate conversation around Mr. Burkett’s 7 year carbon sequestration trials
Beginning Farmer Fall Workshop and Winter Conference Scholarships
These scholarships provide Beginning Farmers (farming 10 years or less) with a 50% discount on NOFA/Mass Fall Workshop and Winter Conference registration.
Workshops (workshop descriptions)
All workshops are approved for AOLCP accreditation.
The following workshops are approved Continuing Education Units. Each workshop is equal to 1.5 hour credit. To receive credit the Certified Crop Advisor must sign in at workshop:
New Plant Nutrient Regulations
Making Major Money with Minor Crops: Producing Profit on the Edges
Plant Disease Update: 2015 Year in Review
Effective Pricing Strategies for Local Markets
How to Run Your Own Payroll
Assessing & Managing Agricultural Risks on Your Farm
Five Steps to a Food Justice Farm
Biopesticides: How, When and Why to Use Them
Maximizing the On-farm Benefits of Cover Crops
Vegetable Pests and Diseases in Urban Areas
CLICK HERE to register and for more information!