The 2009 conference will be held in Northport, Maine
at Point Lookout on November 6-8th.

 

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MOFGA’s Farmer to Farmer Conference is known for its intimacy, its in-depth treatment of topics, and its amazing discussions.  It is based on the idea that farmers learn best from their peers and other practitioners. MOFGA and the University of Maine Cooperative Extension plan the conference so that farmers can talk about what works for them – and what doesn't – while learning new ideas from university faculty, extension educators, and other agricultural professionals. People who have hands-on experience and first-hand knowledge give the presentations and workshops, but also spend a lot of time interacting with their audiences. We also make sure there is a lot of time for talk in informal settings throughout the weekend.

The conference features a unique 3-hour workshop session format, in which the first half is dedicated to talks by both ag service professionals and farmers, and the second half to a roundtable discussion intended to solicit and capitalize on the accumulated knowledge of all the farmers in attendance.

As always, conference-goers will be treated to delicious meals featuring local, organic food.

The conference is also a rare and wonderful opportunity to get off the farm and catch up with fellow farmers from around New England. It is a place where old friendships are strengthened and new ones are formed. We hope you will join us!

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Friday Farm Tours

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Keynote Address by E. Ann Clark, Associate Professor,
University of Guelph, Ontario Canada

Is Organic Farming Sustainable?
If you are tempted to retort - of course! - then you are not alone. This talk will explore the thesis that agriculture is not sustainable because it was never designed to be sustainable. Agriculture, as practiced in North America, was designed for one thing only - to export vast quantities of raw product back to the Mother Country, or more recently, to ADM, Cargill, Smithfield, and so on. To the extent that organic farming is modeled upon conventional farming, it suffers from many of the same failings - only partially moderated by approved organic practices. What would agriculture look like, if the design driver was ecological sustainability? Come prepared to share your thoughts.

 

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