2022 Conference Program
August 7-9, 2022 | San Marcos, Texas
MONDAY, AUGUST 8, 2022
7:30-8:30 a.m.
REGISTRATION/CHECK-IN
8:30-10 a.m.
Session 1 – choice of:
- Raising Hogs Successfully
- Soil Health and Testing
- Land Access
- Pricing to Ensure Profitability
- Growing Herbs and Flowers
10:45-11.45 a.m.
Session 2 – choice of:
- Success With Small Ruminants
- Fruit Trees for Texas
- Texas Legislative Session Outlook
- Farmers’ Market Tips and Tricks
- Rainwater Collection & On-Farm Use
1-2:30 p.m.
Session 3 – choice of:
- Managing Cattle Through Tough Times
- Packing and Grading Vegetables
- “Regenerative Renegades” – film screening and discussion
- Integrating a Successful Agritourism Program
- Grants for Producers and Organizations
3:15-4:45 p.m.
Session 4 – choice of:
- Meat Processing: From Brick and Mortar to Mobile
- Food Safety and Conservation Farming
- Who Gets Water in Texas, Now and in the Future?
- Using Social Media to Market Your Farm
- Value-Added Foods: Cottage Foods and Beyond
4:45-6 p.m.
Happy Hour
6-8 p.m.
Dinner and Keynote with Reginaldo Haslett-Marroquin
TUESDAY, AUGUST 9, 2022
7:30-8:30 a.m.
REGISTRATION/CHECK-IN
8:30-10 a.m.
Session 1 – choice of:
- Raising Poultry in Natural Settings (Part 1)
- No-Till Market Gardening
- Climate Resilience on the Farm
- Permitting and Regulatory Compliance for Farmers and Food Producers
- Basic Beekeeping
- Low-Tech to High-Tech Hoops and Greenhouses
10:45-11:45 a.m.
Session 2 – choice of:
- Raising Poultry in Natural Settings (Part 2)
- Regenerative Agriculture with Row Crops
- Indigenous Food Systems
- Getting Started with USDA Programs
- Permaculture Gardening and Companion Planting
- Cold Chain Technology
11:45 a.m.-1:15 p.m.
Lunch and Plenary: Making Systemic Change for the Future We Want to See
1:15 -2:45 p.m.
Session 3 – choice of:
- Vertical Integration
- Crop Planning for the Hot and Humid South
- How to Influence Policies Affecting Small Farmers
- Starting, Running, and Scaling Your Business
- From Homesteading to Micro-Farming and Beyond
- Irrigation Systems
3-4 p.m.
Session 4 – choice of:
- Predator Protection: Livestock Guardian Dogs and More
- Cover Crops for South and Central Texas
- Racial Equity in Farming, Food, and Land Ownership
- Financial Resources Beyond USDA
- Small, Diversified Farm Startups
- Urban Farming
Pre-Conference Workshops
As always, we’ll open the Conference with opportunities to dive more deeply into selected topics. This year, we’re offering two separate two-day workshops on Saturday and Sunday; plus one full-day and one half-day workshop on Sunday
Saturday and Sunday, August 6-7
This two-day workshop takes place at Nixon City Hall Conference Center in Nixon, Texas.
Profiting From Pastured Animals
The Council for Healthy Food Systems presents this workshop to help farmers develop business and marketing skills to sell meat, poultry, and eggs direct-to-consumers. Taught by FARFA/CHFS Executive Director Judith McGeary and owner of Mesquite Field Farm Doug Havemann. Learn more here.
South Health and Regenerative Ranching School
Presented by soil health expert Ray Archuleta and Associate Professor of Plant & Soil Science Dr. Ken Mix. Exact location and times TBA. Over the two days, attendees will learn how to conduct an evaluation of soil health, and learn about the ecosystem of soil, grazing management for the best soil, and the interrelationships of soil, water, and climate change.
Sunday, August 7
Beekeeping Basics (9 a.m.-5 p.m. Hours may change slightly as details are finalized.)
Learn everything you need to know to start raising bees on your property including regulatory requirements, disease and pest control, breeds for hot Southern states, equipment needs, and much more. Texas beekeepers Paul and Marika Crown will guide you through all the basics and will also provide a special section for children (details to come!).
Wholesale Readiness (1-5 p.m.)
Are your farmers’ markets disappointing you with too many vendors and not enough customers? Are you tired of all the hassle of CSA customer management? Are you thinking about whether cultivating some wholesale accounts might be part of a new solution? Let’s talk about all the considerations of doing business with wholesale customers including: Crop Costing (so you grow more crops that make money, not lose money!), what tools, equipment and infrastructure might be useful or necessary, and other scaling up considerations. Farm consultant, writer, and teacher Ellen Polishuk will give you the ins and outs of assessing whether new wholesale markets are a good fit for your business.
This workshop will be followed by an hour of “speed-networking” between wholesale-ready growers and distributors interested in purchasing local foods. The day caps off with a Farmer/Wholesaler Happy Hour; cash bar 6-7 p.m.