November 9-10, 2009 at the Sheraton Richmond West Hotel
Virginia State University’s Small Farm Outreach, Training and Technical Assistance Program has scheduled its seventh annual Small Farm Family Conference on Monday, Nov. 9 through Tuesday, Nov. 10 at the Sheraton Richmond West Hotel located at 6624 West Broad Street, Richmond.
Jane Eckert, proprietor of Eckert AgriMarketing, Inc., and a published author with six books on agri-tourism and agri-marketing to her credit, is one of the conference’s keynote speakers. She will talk about agriculture tourism opportunities that can enable farm families to generate more income than could ever be earned growing and selling crops and livestock. She will also discuss agri-tourism marketing strategies with a focus on consumer demand, website design and effective publicity for marketing farms and maximizing profits.
Will Allen, chief executive officer of Growing Power, an organization dedicated to developing Community Food Systems, will deliver a keynote message about “Linking Urban and Rural Communities.”
Other conference sessions include:
• Business and market planning essentials for the small farmer.
• Urban forestry.
• Preserving the farm for future generations.
• Educating kids about agriculture.
• Small farm liability and legal issues associated with marketing directly to the public.
• Selling to restaurants.
• Workplace farmers markets and community supported agriculture; and
• Urban farming for profit.
Special program features include a USDA panel session on fundingopportunities and incentives for small, limited resource andsocially-disadvantaged farmers; livestock, aquaculture and horticulturetours; and a children’s program.
A registration fee of $25 per person (adult or child) covers conference materials, dinner on Monday, and lunch on Tuesday. To register, call Carol Streetman, VSU administrative specialist, at (804)524-5960 or e-mail cstreetman@vsu.edu.
For more information on the conference, call Fidelis Okpebholo, coordinator of VSU’s Small Farm Outreach, Training and Technical Assistance Program, at (804) 524-5662 or e-mail fokpebholo@vsu.edu. Anyone needing special services or accommodations in order to participate should call by Nov. 2 to discuss arrangements.
Spring 2010 Permaculture Design Course
We are pleased to announce our spring 2010 Permaculture Design Course:
Sustainability Strategies for the Blue Ridge, over four weekends in the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia.
This 72-hour ecological design certificate course, presented by the Blue Ridge Permaculture Network, will be offered over four weekends with leading permaculture teachers including Dave Jacke, Christine Gyovai and Dave ONeill. The course will be held in Harrisonburg, Virginia, on the following dates: Jan. 15-18, Feb. 12-15, March 13-14, and April 10-11.
The cost for this course will be a sliding scale, including a discount for early registration. If you register by November 15 the sliding scale is
$895-$1200. After November 15 the sliding scale is $995-$1200. A few work trade positions are available for partial tuition; inquire soon about work trade guidelines and availability. The work-trade application deadline ends on December 1st, 2010, and limited scholarships may be available, inquire for details. To register please contact Terry Lilley at tygerlilley@gmail.com or 434-296-3963.
The Blue Ridge Permaculture Network is seeking applicants for two Apprentice Teacher Positions for the Spring 2010 Permaculture Design Course. Compensation for this position includes a tuition waiver, lunches during the course and a $200 stipend. If you have a passion for creating a better world through permaculture education then please email permaculture teacher Dave O’Neill at leesturgis@yahoo.com for an application.
Visit the EcoFair website for more infomation: http://www.earthweek.org/
The Earth Week Eco-Fair is a free event with the purpose of spreading knowledge about how to repair and conserve our environment, and celebrate the fact that there is a great deal happening on this front right now, and much more promise in the foreseeable future. There will be tables and booths with green-minded businesses, government organizations, conservationist societies, local food producers, natural health care practitioners, and more. There will be live music, speakers, children’s activities, and more.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6498321592768665480Sponsored by: Virginia Agriculture & Food Entrepreneurship Program Workshop
Workshop Dates: March 30 and April 6
Location: Albemarle County Office Building Room A
The purpose of the Virginia Agriculture & Food Entrepreneurship Program (VAFEP) is to support new and existing innovative value-added food processing and food production enterprises and to strengthen agriculture and food economic development opportunities in the Virginia Piedmont region through a series of educational workshops.
After the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors failed to vote on the Local Food Hub project, a local foundation that had offered to match all municipal dollars raised has offered the project $50,000 in outright support and another $50,000 in matching funds to any other philanthropic dollars the organizers raise!