Thank you to all our speakers and attendees for a great conference! We're excited to continue the discussions on corporate consolidation, food justice, the farm bill, aniaml ID, raw milk, GMOs, and more. DVDs will be available in the fall.
FARMAGEDDON Screening: Join us for the first screening in Texas of the new documentary Farmageddon: The Unseen War on American Family Farms! This special fundraising event on Monday evening includes refreshments. Special thanks to the Pearl for donating the use of their facility for the evening!
AGENDA
Monday, September 12: (note that the times for some of the Monday talks have changed)
7:30 - 9 am: Registration, and bidding begins on silent auction
9:00 - 10:00: Keynote address by John Ikerd
10:00 - 11:00: Effective Activism: Lessons from the 2011 Texas Legislative Session and the Federal Food Safety Bill, by Judith McGeary
11:00 - 11:15 Break
11:15 - 12:30: Fighting Consolidation of Our Food Supply by John Ikerd and Patty Lovera
12:30 - 1:45: Lunch, prepared by Dai Due with local and organic foods
1:45 - 3:00 pm: Food Justice: Hunger and Healthy Food by Brad Stufflebeam, Matt Hess, Jeremy Everett, and Marla Camp
3:00 - 3:15: Break - remember to bid on silent auction
3:15 - 4:15: Water Issues in Texas by Sky Jones-Lewey and David Baker
4:15 - 5:30: Food Safety and Local Foods by Mike Adams (Health Ranger), Mickey Morales & Erin Flynn
Dinner is on your own
7:00 pm: Special fundraising screening of Farmageddon (not included in normal registration fee)
Tuesday. September 13
7:30 - 8:30 am: Registration
8:30 - 9:30: Farm Bill 2012 by Patty Lovera and Leslie Provence
9:30 - 10:15: Animal ID: The Latest News on USDA's Proposed Rule by Judith McGeary
10:15 - 10:30: Break
10:30 - 11:30: Genetically Modified Foods: The latest news and scientific discoveries by Howard Vlieger
11:30 - 12:45: Lunch, prepared by Dai Due with local and organic foods
The bidding on the silent auction will close at the end of lunch on Tuesday
12:45 - 2:15: What Can Farmers and Consumers Do About GMOs? by Howard Vlieger, Cameron Molberg, and Daniel Ravicher (lead attorney in farmers' lawsuit against Monsanto)
2:15 - 2:30: Break
2:30 - 3:45: Raw Milk: The Truth and How to Communicate It by Brian Cummings, Ramy Jisha, and Dr. Mark Shannan
3:45 - 4:15: What Comes Next? The Outlook for Texas and Nationwide
SPEAKERS
Keynote by John Ikerd, Professor Emeritus of Agricultural Economics, University 
of Missouri, Columbia. John was raised on a small dairy farm in southwest Missouri and received his BS, MS, and Ph.D. degrees in agricultural economics from the University of Missouri. He worked in private industry for a time and spent thirty years in various professorial positions at several universities before retiring in early 2000. Since retiring, he spends most of his time writing and speaking on issues related to sustainability with an emphasis on economics and agriculture. Ikerd is author of Sustainable Capitalism, A Return to Common Sense, Small Farms are Real Farms, Crisis and Opportunity: Sustainability in American Agriculture, and A Revolution of the Middle.
Click here for bios of all the speakers listed below
Mike Adams, Health Ranger, Natural News
David Baker, Wimberley Valley Watershed Assciation
Marla Camp, Travis County/ City of Austin Sustainable Food Policy Board
Brian Cummings, Cummings & Company
Jeremy Everett, Texas Hunger Initiative
Erin Flynn, Green Gate Farms
Matt Hess, World Hunger Relief
Ramy Jisha, Texas Daily Harvest
Sky Jones-Lewey, Nueces River Authority
Patty Lovera, Food & Water Watch
Judith McGeary, Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance
Cameron Molberg, Coyote Creek Organic Feed Mill
Leslie Provence, Community Food Security Coalition
Daniel Ravicher, Public Patent Foundation
Dr. Mark Shannan
Brad Stufflebeam, Home Sweet Farm
Howard Vlieger, Verity Farms
LODGING: We've arranged for a special group rate of $95/night (plus tax) at the El Tropicano hotel on the Riverwalk. The rate includes breakfast and parking, and is available for two nights before and two nights after the conference, in case you want to extend your stay in San Antonio. For reservations, call 877.214.9768 and mention that you're with the Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance. The rate is based on availability of rooms, so make your reservations early! There is also a nearby Super8 if you're looking for another option.
SPONSORS
Coyote Creek Organic Feed Mill
Cedar Park & Round Rock Farms 2 Markets
Texas Organic Farmers & Gardeners Assocation
Bradley Farm
FOOD AND BEVERAGE DONORS
Stryk Jersey Farm
Texas Daily Harvest
Jeremiah Cunningham's World's Best Eggs
Lunches will be prepared by Jesse Griffiths of Dai Due
SILENT AUCTION
Pecan Wood Cutting Board, donated by Yegua Creek Farms
Two signed copies of Growing Good Things to Eat in Texas by Pam Walker
Organic Layer Feed by Coyote Creek Organic Feed Mill
5 Dozen Organic Pasture-Raised Eggs by Jeremiah Cunningham's World's Best Eggs
Two garden tools donated by CobraHead
Books from Acres, USA, donated by Acres
Images for Conservation, 2-book series, donated by Ivor and Joanna Robinson
Free registration to the Texas Conference on Organic Production Systems 2012, donated by TOFGA
Organic Seeds from High Mowing Organic Seeds
Thanksgiving turkey from Fresh Pastures Farm
Honey spreads and honey roasted peanuts from Walker Honey
AND MORE!