Farming Our Future
Farming Our Future: Growing Food, Farms, and Community
A conference for farmers, educators, farmers' market managers, students, providers of goods and services, consumers and all who care about the future of agriculture in the region! Co-sponsored by Hawthorne Valley Association, Hearty Roots Community Farm, Cornell Cooperative Extension, Taconic Hills, and Hudson Valley Agribusiness. All proceeds support the Taconic Hills HARVEST Club.
For more information or to register, please visit www.farmingourfuture.org or call Karen DiPeri at 518-329-0890.
The day will be filled with workshops, community conversations, and a keynote presentation. The $20 (advance) / $25 (day of) / $10 (students) entry fee includes lunch and refreshments. Agriculturally-based programming will be available for children ages 5 to 14. $10 per child, includes lunch.
Steffen Schneider of Hawthorne Valley Farm will offer his thoughts on the past, present, and future of agriculture both locally and globally in a keynote presentation: "Agri-culture 3.0: An Agricultural Narrative for the Future". According to Schneider, “Agriculture has the potential to provide real solutions to many of the challenges we face as a society and as individuals. Farms in Columbia County and the Hudson Valley already are, and can become even greater, pioneers of this future. Can we develop a narrative that will inspire and drive such a development?”
Workshops include:
Revitalizing Our Communities Through Food and Agriculture
Panel Facilitated by Karyn Novakowski, Cornell Cooperative Extension
Sally Baker, Philmont Beautification
Fiona Lally - President, Lebanon Valley Business Association
Roberta Roll - Founder, Copake Farmers Market and Movement Therapist
The Right Fit: Matching Food and Farm to Market
Amy Cotler, Farm to Table Advocate, Food Writer and Event Producer
Farmland Accessibility Challenges and Opportunities
Marissa Codey, Conservation and Agricultural Programs Manager, Columbia Land Conservancy
Farmland Protection Plan - Where Are We Now?
Facilitated by Mary Ann Johnson Hudson Valley AgriBusiness Development Corp
Lender's Panel: Learning About Accessing Credit
Facilitated by Benneth Phelps, M.R.P. - Program Coordinator, The Carrot Project
Peter Elmer - Farm Service Agency
Emili Ponte - Farm Credit East
Youth Workshop - Building Tomorrow's Leaders
Vanessa Merrill, Taconic Hills Agriculture Teacher
Kim Carlo, Taconic Hills HARVEST Club Advisor
Sharing Resources - The Cooperative Way
Bruce Davenport - Fourth Generation Farmer, Davenport Farms