By MICHELE F. MIHALJEVICH Indiana Correspondent DANVILLE, Ind. — Attendance at the Indiana Small Farm Conference has increased yearly since it started in 2013, mirroring a growing interest among Hoosiers in getting into small-scale agriculture, an organizer said. Last year’s attendance of more than 500 was up 20 percent over the 2016 event, said Michael O’Donnell, organic and diversified agriculture educator for Purdue University extension. This year’s sixth annual conference will be March 1-3 at the Hendricks County 4-H Fairgrounds and Conference Complex. “We continue to see this increased interest from people about getting into farming,” he explained. “They’re exploring their farming dreams or interest in developing a farm business, especially younger folks. “Some younger people may have a disillusionment or aren’t particularly excited about their career paths that involve office work, looking at computer screens for the majority of the day. Working at a farm can trigger something in people. They’re not only using their brains, but their bodies and their hands.” Efforts by the USDA to attract beginning farmers, especially military veterans, may also be a factor in the overall increased interest, O’Donnell added. The conference begins March 1 with workshops on regenerative farming, on-farm produce safety and farm viability and financial management. Session topics for March 2 include marketing the farm, hiring and managing employees, agri-forestry production systems and on-farm vegetable variety trials. An afternoon panel will feature Greg Gunthorp, of Gunthorp Farms, and Martha Hoover and Tyler Herald, both of Patachou, Inc. The final day has presentations on vegetable disease diagnosis and control, soil health, soil contamination in urban fields and advanced mechanical weed control. The keynote speaker is Chris Blanchard, host and producer of the “Farmer to Farmer” podcast. A trade show is scheduled for March 2-3. The cost of the conference for adults is $90 for one day, $162 for two days and $228 for three days; lower rates are available for children 12 and younger. For more information and to register, visit www.purdue.edu/dffs/smallfarms |
