Every year Maine’s farmers come together at MOFGA’s Farmer to Farmer Conference to learn from peers and practitioners. Farmers and agricultural service providers participate in three days of programming including farm tours, and over 30 educational sessions covering everything from crop planning and production sessions to farm management strategies and livestock how-tos. This year’s conference will be held at Sugarloaf Resort, November 2-4, 2024.
Farmers will learn from and engage with over 40 speakers from all over the state and beyond including farmers and service providers from Maine, Vermont, and Quebec, Canada. Keynote speakers, Natalie Childs and Caleb Langille of Agricola Farm, will discuss “Nurturing soil, nurturing community: Navigating growth while keeping your values close.” As members of Agricola Farm in Western Quebec they will share their experiences from their startup phase of their worker’s cooperative, reflecting on how to navigate change, uncertainty, and growth on the farm while still upholding core values and maintaining healthy relationships with fellow farmers.
The conference also features prominent and accessible university faculty, extension educators, and other agricultural professionals; and a unique three-hour workshop session format, in which one half is dedicated to talks by agricultural service professionals or farmers, and the other to a round-table discussion that explores experiences of everyone in the room.
“MOFGA’s Farmer to Farmer Conference is known for its intimacy, in-depth treatment of topics, and amazing discussions based on the idea that farmers learn best from their peers and other practitioners,” says Anna Mueller, MOFGA’s farmer programs manager. “The annual event is a rare and wonderful opportunity for farmers to get off the farm and catch up with fellow farmers.”
“Attending the Farmer to Farmer Conference is a joy because of the palpable energy and engagement of the participants,” says livestock farmer Eliot Van Peski of Meadowsweet Farm. “It feels like we’re all in this together, learning from each other. Also, as a young farmer seeking to expand my social connections, I value Farmer to Farmer for the networking opportunities it provides.”
Participants will learn a lot, eat well, have an opportunity to share their expertise, and make new friends and reconnect with old ones at MOFGA’s 2024 Farmer to Farmer Conference. For more details, including the complete schedule, session descriptions, and information about accommodations, and to register, visit here. Early bird discounts are available through October 10.
Participants who need interpretive or translation services or who face any other barriers to participation should contact Anna Mueller at [email protected] or 207-568-4142. Scholarship application forms are available here through October 15.
