COLUMBUS, Ohio – After moving its 2021 conference online, the Ohio Ecological Food and Farming Association (OEFFA) is offering a hybrid event for 2022.

A virtual event is scheduled for Feb. 12. The in-person sessions in Dayton, Ohio, kick off with the Food and Farm School on Feb. 17; a full line-up of in-person sessions begins Feb. 18.

This year, the theme is Rooted and Rising. Reilly Wright, OEFFA communications director, said selecting a theme factors in several things.

“We focus on who we are, where we want to go, and the conference itself discusses how we can get there,” Wright said. “Rooted and Rising exemplifies how while we have these roots, we’re always striving to be better, to change things for the better.”

Wright said the OEFFA conference offers educational and networking opportunities to everyone.

“Whether a farmer, a gardener, a home cook or a lifelong learner, we encourage anyone committed to local food, sustainable agriculture, and green living to attend this event,” she added.

Wright said conference organizers are excited to bring back the in-person conference extras such as hallway conversations, meeting new people, and accessing services and products from exhibit hall vendors.

But Wright said there are also benefits to an online event and the ability to watch recordings of the workshops.

“It is our hope that this conference is accessible to and has something for everyone, whether you join us only online, only in person, or both,” Wright sad.

The virtual sessions begin at 9:30 a.m. with the first of three workshop sessions during the day. Other highlights of the virtual event include a session titled Farm Bill Forecast and a keynote address and welcome by Mary Hendrickson, a rural sociologist and an associate professor at the University of Missouri-Columbia.

Hendrickson specializes in community food systems, sustainable agriculture, rural development, competition and antitrust, and the sociology of agriculture and food. She also advises students in the university’s sustainable agriculture degree program.

During her keynote address titled, “Corporate Power and Our Food System’s Future,” Hendrickson will discuss the dangers of a few large companies having such heavy influence over the U.S. food system, and how farmers can enact change. The virtual session will wrap up with open mike night. Wright said attendees can participate in the virtual conference via the conference app and online event platform.

The in-person Food and Farm School on Feb. 17 is 10 a.m.-5 p.m. The Food and Farm School Classes are not included in the general conference registration. Participants in the Food and Farm classes will have a choice of three day-long sessions providing in-depth education on key topics.

Jesse Frost, who operates a central Kentucky farm where he uses no-till farming methods, will lead a session on creating living soil in the market garden. Frost will share soil management tips that will enhance soil life and increase profitability by building soil resilience, improving production and reducing weeds.

Rebecca Thistlethwaite, author and director of the Niche Meat Processor Association, will give producers tips on building a successful meat business. During her session, Thistlethwaite will share tips on identifying core customers, marketing strategies, pricing, maximizing carcass values and selling the whole animal, logistics of processing, packaging and labeling, controlling costs and improving efficiencies.

Corinna Bench will lead a session on optimizing your farm’s marketing funnel. During her session, she will give producers the tools they need to turn first-time customers into loyal repeat buyers. Bench will share strategies to increase sales and improve online visibility for producers.

Producers interested in certifying their operations for the first time can bring their Organic Systems Plan (OSP) draft to a work session with Sustainable Agriculture Educators Julia Barton and Eric Pawlowski. They will answer questions, provide individual assistance and address challenges for farmers.

Registration for the OSP is $25 for members and non-members. Registration for the sessions from Frost, Thistlethwaite and Bench are $90 for members and $150 for non-members. All classes include lunch.

The in-person session offers more than 50 workshops on topics such as crop insurance, farm policy and growing sunflowers. Wrapping up the in-person session will be a keynote speech by Francis Thicke, a farmer, soil scientist and leader in the organic community. Thicke and his family have farmed organically since the 1970s. They own and operate Radiance Dairy, a 736-acre grass-fed organic dairy farm in Fairfield, Iowa. They market value-added organic bottled milk, cheese and yogurt, which they produce in their on-farm processing plant. They have implemented several innovative alternative energy systems and an integrated grazing system to manage livestock ecologically.

Thicke said the are many challenges facing our food production system, ranging from the monopolization of commodity markets; lack of profitability for farmers; degradation of our environment by industrial crop and livestock production systems, including problems with water quality degradation, soil erosion and loss of wildlife habitat, to mention a few.

He added that farm programs and subsidies favor industrial farming methods. “Monopolized markets keep farm prices depressed and extract resources out of our rural communities,” Thicke said. “PR by food companies keep consumers misinformed about food.”

Thicke noted that there are several ways farmers and consumers contribute to making the system regenerative and sustainable.

“Already innovative farmers are experimenting with and implementing regenerative/sustainable farming systems,” he said. “They have become a learning community – they share what they have learned with each other, and answer each other’s questions through email listserves, conferences and farm field days.”

He added that progressive university researchers have joined the learning community to facilitate information exchange and conduct controlled research to verify what works, and why. “We need to keep working to expand that network,” he said.

Thicke said consumers can contribute through supporting local farmers by buying their products and learning to distinguish between industrially produced food and food produced with regenerative systems, and seeking those products and supporting those products with their food dollars.

For more information about the conference and a complete description of the line-up of 57 workshops available, details on the Food and Farm School classes, support for conference sponsors, and conference registration, visit 

www.conference.oeffa.org. General registration begins at $180 for OEFFA members and $240 for non-members. Registration includes two keynote lectures with Hendrickson and Thicke, the exhibit hall, and access to special events such as the Farm Bill Forecast and Open Mic Night.

“OEFFA members who can’t afford the full registration price have an option to pay what they can, from as little as $90,” Wright said. “Registration to attend the conference live ends Feb. 10, 2022. Recording-only access to the conference will be available for purchase post-event. Recordings will be available until March 31.”

Wright said in-person workshops, keynote speakers and Food and Farm School classes (for FFS registrants) will be recorded. Recordings will be posted to the conference app and online event platform, but will not be available live. Attendees will be able to access them as recorded Zoom meetings through Socio.