Download the full brochure with registration forms (PDF, 350Kb)

Download a registration fee scholarship application (MS Word, 22Kb)

Read the press release.

Farmer to Farmer is an opportunity for farmers and other experts to learn from each other. MOFGA and UMCE plan the conference so that farmers can talk about what works for them – and what doesn’t – while learning new ideas from University faculty, farmers and others. Presentations and workshops are given by people who have hands-on experience and first-hand knowledge, and there’s plenty of interaction with the audience. We also make sure there’s lots of time for talk in informal settings all weekend.

Many farm families use the Conference as a "mini-vacation" as well as a learning opportunity. Meals are a highlight. The cooks at Atlantic Oakes use local, mostly organic ingredients to create wonderful food. Atlantic Oakes has an indoor pool, downtown Bar Harbor is a short and pleasant stroll away, and the biking and hiking trails in Acadia are still a treat in early November (most years, anyway!).

FEATURED SPEAKERS:

Rosaly Bass Rosaly’s Garden
Stephen Bibula Sunrise Acres Farm
Jude Boucher University of CT Cooperative Extension
John Bunker Fedco Trees
Chris Cavendish Fishbowl Farm
Matt Gerald Sweet Pea’s Farm Store & Winery
Becky Grube University of NH Cooperative Extension
Mark Guzzi Peacemeal Farm
John Halloran USDA Agricultural Research Service
John Harker ME Dept of Ag and Rural Resources
Bob Hawes University of ME Emeritus
Rick Kersbergen University of ME Cooperative Extension Seth Kroeck Crystal Spring Community Farm
Russell Libby MOFGA
Laura Millay King Hill Farm
Ellis Percy Spruce Bush Farm
David Pimentel Cornell University
Richard Rudolph Rippling Waters Farm
Diane Schivera MOFGA
Sonia Schoelmann Univ. of MA Cooperative Extension
Linda Smithers Medicine Hill Farm
Ann van Arsdale High Meadows Farm
Greg Warren Farm Family Insurance

Friday • November 4th

1:15 pm Farm Tour (Directions and details will be sent with confirmation notice)
5:30 Early registration and social hour: Bring a “Taste of the Farm” for others to try
7:00 Join us for dinner at local restaurants - see sign up board at registration

Saturday • November 5th

7:15 am Registration opens
7:30 Breakfast
9:00 Opening remarks

9:15 Morning Presentations
A. Grapes for Cold Climates
B. High Quality Greens: Working Out the Kinks
C. Heritage Breed Turkeys: Production, Marketing,
and Breed Conservation
D. Farm Insurance: What You Should Know

12:30 Lunch

2:30 Afternoon Presentations
E. Pumpkins & Squash
F. Maine’s Small Farmers: The Next Generation
G. Raising and Marketing Pigs
H. Considerations for Managing your Crop Portfolio

5:30 Social Hour - Bring a “Taste of the Farm”
7:00 Dinner

Sunday • November 6th

7:30 am Breakfast

8:30 Keynote: Organic Food and the Challenges of the Future by David Pimentel

10:00 Morning Presentations
I. Energy Issues for Farmers
J. Cut Flowers
K. Maine Grass Farmers Network Information Session

1:00 Lunch & Wrap-up 2:00 Growers meeting for certified producers

Friday Afternoon Farm Tours:

Carding Brook Farm, Brooklin Carding Brook Farm is a certified organic, diverse, horsepowered vegetable, livestock, and forest products operation that relies on local, direct markets. Jon Ellsworth and Jennifer Schroth have been developing the farm for 15 years. Come see what they have created.

Five Star Nursery & Orchard, Brooklin At Five Star Nursery and Orchard, Tim Seabrook and Leslie Cummins hand graft, grow, and sell rare and heirloom fruit trees for wholesale and retail. In the past five years, they have started to sell fruit from the small peach, pear, Asian pear and apple orchard. Tim also does much of the fruit tree grafting for Fedco Trees.

Directions to Atlantic Oakes-by-the-Sea:

From Ellsworth, take Route 3 east towards Bar Harbor. Atlantic Oakes-by-the-Sea is on the left, immediately past Bay Ferry’s The Cat (Ferry to Nova Scotia), and just before the College of the Atlantic.

Friday Afternoon Farm Tour

Saturday Morning Presentations

C- Heritage Breed Turkeys: Production, Marketing, & Breed Conservation
A market is also developing for locally produced heritage breed turkeys as the public begins to recognize the value of livestock breed diversity. These animals are a bit more challenging to raise than broad-breasted whites, however. University of Maine Professor Emeritus Bob Hawes will discuss breed characteristics and selection, and Steven Bibula of Sunrise Acres Farm will share his experience raising heritage birds.

D- Farm Insurance: What You Should Know
Sure to be enlightening. Greg Warren from Warren Associates will be on hand to provide an overview of the fundamentals of insuring a farm and to field questions, and Linda Smithers of Medicine Hill Farm will share her own experiences with insurance & what she’s learned after the loss of her barn to fire.

Saturday Afternoon Presentations

E- Pumpkins & Squash
In the last few years, New England has been invaded by three new cucurbit diseases. Jude Boucher from University of Connecticut Cooperative Extension will review current cucurbit pest complex, with new additions, help us to identify the pests, and discuss potential management options. Grower Jason Kafka will share strategies for raising high-quality pumpkins and squash.

F- Maine’s Farmers: The Next Generation
Come hear from members of the next generation of Maine farmers as they share their experiences starting and managing their own farms. Reflect, share advice and wisdom, and commiserate. Panelists will include Mark Guzzi of Peacemeal Farm, Laura Millay of King Hill Farm, Seth Kroeck of Crystal Spring Community Farm, and Chris Cavendish of Fishbowl Farm.

G- Raising and Marketing Pigs
Pigs are an important component of a diversified farm system, and markets are growing for local, humanely produced pork products as the drawbacks of industrial hog production become evident. Ann van Arsdale of High Meadows Farm and Ellis Percy of Spruce Bush Farm will discuss their pasture-based pig-raising operations from farrow to finish.

H- Considerations for Managing your Crop Portfolio
Just like with investments, the best strategy for managing risk on farms is with crop and enterprise diversification. Diversifying farms creates its own set of challenges, however, hitting on the right mix of crops and products for your farm is not easy. John Halloran, an agricultural economist from the USDA New England Plant, Soil, and Water Lab, and Russell Libby will discuss strategies for making diverse cropping systems work for you and your farm.

Sunday Morning Presentations

(Choose one)
I- Energy Issues for Farmers
We are lucky enough to have David Pimentel, a preeminent expert on energy in agriculture, with us at a time when energy issues are again becoming a source of stress and uncertainty for many of us. This is a great opportunity to participate in a more intimate discussion with our keynote and to explore these themes in greater depth.

J- Cut Flowers
Growing cut flowers can be management and laborintensive, but they are an inviting addition to your directmarketing display and can be a high-margin crop if managed correctly. Not to mention how great they make your fields look. Author and market gardener Rosaly Bass of Rosaly’s Garden will talk about how she manages her 1-acre pick-your-own flower garden, and Matt Gerald of Sweet Pea’s Farm Stand and Winery will discuss his cut flower operation.

K- Maine Grass Farmers Network Info Session
An emerging recognition of the ecological and economic sensibility and the health benefits of raising animals on grass have spurred the formation of the Maine Grass Farmers Network, a new group that works to provide resources and support to Maine’s grass-based livestock producers. Come learn what the MGFN has to offer, and participate in a wide-ranging discussion of production and marketing issues.

Keynote Presentation

Organic technologies have been utilized for about 6000 years to make agricultural production energy efficient while conserving soil, water, and biological resources. Among the many benefits of organic technologies are use of fewer fossil energy inputs, increasing higher soil organic matter and nitrogen levels in the soil, and the overall conservation of soil and water resources (especially advantageous under drought conditions). Some organic technologies provide high crop yields like those in conventional agriculture, but require 30% to 50% less fossil energy inputs. Such saving in energy is beneficial as the world faces the depletion of finite energy sources, especially oil and natural gas resources.

About the speaker:
Dr. David Pimentel is a professor of Ecology and Entomology at Cornell University. Throughout his career, he has been an amazingly prolific and wide-ranging analyst and critic of industrial agriculture. His work on such subjects as energy flows in the agriculture and food system, environmental and health effects of pesticide use in the US, and comparative yields and energy budgets of conventional and organic systems have been foundational contributions to the sustainable agriculture movement. For more about Dr. Pimentel, see the September issue of the Maine Organic Farmer and Gardener.

Click Here to download the full brochure with registration forms (PDF, 350Kb)

Download a registration fee scholarship application (MS Word, 22Kb)

REGISTRATION FEES

• Full Conference Registration - $85 - includes: Registration materials, All Presentations, Workshops and Discussion session, Keynote Presentation
• Saturday Session - $35 each - CHOOSE Saturday AM and/or Saturday PM
• Pimentel Package - $35 - includes: Keynote and Energy Session only Discounts do not apply to Partial Conference Registrations

MEALS

All fees are on a per person basis

• Meals package - $50 includes all conference meals
• Meals a la carte- individual meals at prices indicated
• Breakfast - $8 Lunch - $10 Dinner - $20
• Friday Night Dinner - Join us at a local restaurant for dinner.

See sign up board at registration. (Pay on your own)

CHILDREN & CHILD CARE

Meals for children under 6 are FREE
Children aged 13 and over pay adult meal fee
Children aged 6-12 all meals package – $25

*Important Change in Accommodations* Accommodations will be handled directly through the hotel. We’ve arranged a special rate of $68/room per night (double occupancy). Please call Rachelle at Atlantic Oakes at 288-5801 to book your room. Be sure to mention that you will be attending the Farmer to Farmer conference. Also, make sure to mention if you would like to share a room.