NEWARK, Ohio – Last year, the theme of the Ohio Ecological Food and Farming Association (OEFFA) was Rooted and Rising, to illustrate the group is emerging renewed and grounded in a changing world, according to Reilly Wright, director of communication for OEFFA.

This year, the theme carries this idea of change even further. Wright said the 2023 theme of Germinate, Regenerate, Agitate follows OEFFA’s perspective as they look to shape agricultural policy with the 2023 Farm Bill. The conference opens with Farm and School sessions on Feb. 16, with the general sessions Feb. 17-18 offering more than 50 topics of interest to participants.

“The OEFFA conference has been happening for 44 years now, and many of those years were in Granville, Ohio, just outside Columbus,” Wright said. “We’re returning to the Granville area to host the conference for the first time at Cherry Valley Hotel, a newly renovated hotel and event center. This is a super exciting time and we’re thrilled to gather, learn and enjoy a few days together in this warm space.”

Wright said the 2023 conference offers two exciting keynote speakers. “Looking at our conference theme, we wanted keynote speakers who reflected those words,” Wright said. “Rowen White’s address will dive into seedkeeping and regenerative agriculture, while Ricardo Salvador’s address will discuss how we can shake things up for the 2023 Farm Bill.”

White is a farmer and seedkeeper within the Akwesasne’s Mohawk community. She is a strong advocate for food sovereignty, sharing the vision of sustainable agriculture. White is the educational director and lead mentor of Sierra Seeds, a seed bank and land-based educational organization. She is the founder of the Indigenous Seedkeepers Network. In her role, she facilitates workshops and conversations around seed and food security within the tribal and small farming communities.

Salvador is an agronomist and director and senior scientist with the Food and Environment Program with the Union of Concerned Scientists. In that role, Salvador leads a team of scientists and policy analysts who feel that sustainable practices can protect the environment, produce healthy food and create economic opportunities.

During his presentation, Salvador will discuss how the current farm bill props up commodity, anti-hunger and conservation agriculture advocates. Salvador contends that the bill should be updated to a more current, equitable and scientific defined legislation. Conversations leading up to the 2023 Farm Bill could provide a change to the contents of the new farm bill.

Wright said that all the 2023 workshops will be in person, but they will be recorded for registrants to access online after the conference until March 31, 2023. However, White’s address will also be live streamed on OEFFA’s Facebook page.

 “This is an impactful point in time where we can empower a system where family farmers can thrive, fair and transparent markets can prosper, and people, the soil, and the environment can be healthy and sustainable,” Wright said. “Our lineup of event, workshops, and keynotes reflect that perspective.”

The in-person session kicks off with the Food and Farm School on Feb. 16 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Food and Farm School classes are not included in the general conference registration. Participants in the Farm and School classes will have a choice of five sessions providing in-depth education on key topics. Wright said an added benefit to the conference are the Food and Farm School classes which provide an in-depth education for attendees before workshops begin.

“We select these classes to reach to the diverse areas of sustainable agriculture and advocacy,” Wright said. “Each of these five classes are open to anyone interested, but may be of more interest to specific audiences, such as farmers transitioning to organic or folks wanting to learn more about the farm bill.”

Wayne Knight, of Holistic Management International, will introduce tools to plan and monitor and improve your day-to-day management decisions, helping you make incremental improvements to your vision of a preferred future, Wright said. Organic grower and author Bryan O’Hara will dive into the nitty gritty details of moving into and setting up a no-till system. Erik Peterson, of Bending the Arc Strategies, OEFFA policy staff, and Jesse Womack, of the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, will demystify the 2023 Farm Bill, sharing relevant details with a focus on the issues OEFFA cares most about. In addition, those planning to certify for the first time are invited to bring their Organic Systems Plan drafts to a supported work session with an experienced OEFFA team.

“We offer more than 50 workshops, so every workshop presents such a different, unique topic,” Wright said. “There will be a few sessions on the 2023 Farm Bill, which is such a huge piece of agricultural policy that any of those sessions will be of interest.”

Other workshops range from fencing to homemade fertilizers to recordkeeping, so it’s truly something for everyone, according to Wright.

“This year, we’re thrilled to have a conference kickoff on Thursday night,” Wright said. “Everyone gets to enjoy a taco bar, a free drink, shopping in the exhibit hall, before listening to Rowen White speak. It’s going to be a little welcome before all the festivities of Friday and Saturday.”

General registration begins at $190 for OEFFA members, $240 for non-members.

“OEFFA members who can’t afford the full registration price can pay what they can, from as little as $90,” Wright said. “Funding is available to people who have been farming less than 10 years, as well as Black, Indigenous, and persons of color who are or want to be in food system work.”

For more information about the conference and a complete description of the workshops, details on the Food and Farm School classes, support for conference sponsors, and conference registration, visit OEFFA’s website, conference.oeffa.org. Online registration closes Feb. 1, 2023.