Check it Out – Southern SAWG 2014 Conference Program and Registration!

Conference Program Posted  |  Registration Open! The 2014 conference program and registration information is now available on the Southern SAWG website. Click here for details. If sustainability is important to you and your interest is commercial vegetable production, livestock production, specialty crop production, farm to school, urban agriculture, direct marketing, food hubs, farm business management, community food systems, or food and farm policy, then this is the conference for you! You will love the program we have put together for this year’s Practical Tools and Solutions for Sustaining Family Farms conference. Many of us will never forget our first time we attended the Southern SAWG conference. Feeling the energy and enthusiasm about sustainable agriculture strengthened and empowered each one of us to keep up the good work. Veteran farmer Alison Wiediger is case in point. Back in 1996, she and her husband Paul, packed up the truck and came to their first conference. They could only stay for just one day, but that was enough to get hooked. They met like-minded folk and got the encouragement they needed to keep at it. Alison and Paul have become leaders in the sustainable ag community and popular presenters around the country. At our event, Alison and Paul will be presenting a high tunnel short course and helping with a session on using mobile technology and social media on the farm. Check out what Alison, and others, said about their first time. Send us your first time story. We’d love to hear all about it. Pre-Conference Offerings: Wed & Thurs – January 15-16 Short Courses Our popular 1½ day pre-conference short courses are intensive learning experiences packed with comprehensive information and take home materials. This year we offer short courses covering these subjects:• Organic Vegetable Production• High Tunnel Production• Managing Your Farm as a Business• Farm to School 101Click here to learn more about these excellent short courses. Mini Courses Our ½ day pre-conference mini courses provide in-depth information on high-interest topics. They are excellent opportunities for exploring new territory. The topics for the four mini courses this year are:• Pastured Broiler Production• Biodynamics• Value-Added Products• Fundraising for OrganizationsTo learn more about these great mini courses, click here. Field Trips Sometimes you just need to get out there and see what they are doing! For those who learn best by getting out in the field, and seeing what others are doing, we offer five outstanding ½ day field trips this year.• CSA Farming• Permaculture• Organic Beef, Lamb and Pork• School Garden• Urban Farming Click here to learn more about these outstanding field trips. General Conference Info: Fri & Sat – January 17-18 Expert Presenters We have nearly 100 presenters for you to learn from this year. Each year conference participants tell us the great line-up of presenters with their practical experience is what makes our conference program so valuable. These people know their stuff and are willing to share their expertise. One older farmer said “I sure wish I had had access to this kind of expertise when I got started. I’d have gotten a lot further a lot faster!” Click here to see the incredible expertise our presenters are bringing to this program! Over 60 Educational Sessions The general conference, running all day Friday and Saturday, offers more choices: over 60, 1½-hour sessions on a broad range of topics for start-up and seasoned producers alike. We have sessions about organic and sustainable vegetable, livestock and specialty crop production, unique marketing strategies, urban farming, farm to school, business and finance management, community food systems work, useful federal farm programs and agriculture policy developments. Click here to see the full description of sessions on this year’s program. Registration, Fee Waivers and Poster Display RegistrationThe Southern SAWG conference is always a great bargain, given the quality of the information to be gained and the networking opportunities that come with such a large turnout of the South’s most innovative and successful producers, organizers and advocates in sustainable agriculture. Your farming operation or local foods organization can’t afford to miss this event.For a listing of fees and a printable registration form, or to use our safe and secure online registration system, click here. Fee WaiversThis year we have three options for those looking for a fee waiver to participate in this conference. To learn more about fee waivers and how to apply, click here. Note to organizational and institutional leaders: We can provide letters of support to your potential funders if you are seeking funds for producers in your area to participate in the pre-conference and conference activities. Just contact us with the details. Call for PostersIf your research or program provides practical information relevant to organic and sustainable family farmers and/or to those working to build local food systems, you are invited to display a poster about your work at the 2014 Southern SAWG conference.Those interested in displaying a poster must first submit a brief abstract for each poster. Abstracts are due November 1, 2013. Members of the Southern SAWG Scientific Committee will review all submitted abstracts and make decisions regarding acceptance. Click here to learn more. Be a 2014 Conference Sponsor Your presence as a sponsor will help hundreds of farmers, community food advocates, educators and researchers across the South, and with the visibility this event affords, it will distinguish you as a supporter of the sustainable agriculture movement. Click here to learn more and show your support. Keep up with Southern SAWG through Facebook and Twitter. Show your support for Southern SAWG by liking and following us! www.ssawg.org