Virginia State University has announced that it will be hosting the 7th National Small Farm Conference at the Virginia Beach Convention Center between September 20 and 22. VSU’s College of Agriculture, Virginia Cooperative Extension and the U.S. Department of Agriculture will officially lead the event, with support from Virginia Tech.
This year’s theme is “Creating and Sustaining Small Farmers and Ranchers.” The goal is to provide insight into the challenges of small farmers across the U.S., as well as highlight some of their recent successes. Event organizers hope that attendees will leave with enhanced strategies for farm income, as well as innovative ideas in research, extension and outreach.
Some of the topics that will be discussed throughout the conference include urban agriculture opportunities, risk management, alternative farm enterprise development, and agroecology. There will also be a series of pre-conference courses offered on September 20, which consist of educational workshops.
Groups and individuals alike can register for the conference at a price of $325 through August 5, with the price increasing to $400 on August 6.
The 6th National Small Farm Conference was hosted by Tennessee State University’s College of Agricultural Human and Natural Sciences and the University of Tennessee. Last year’s theme was “Promoting the Successes of Small Farmers and Ranchers.”