Call for Workshops: Young Farmers Conference

Posted by on July 20, 2009

CALL FOR WORKSHOP AND PRESENTATION PROPOSALS
The Young Farmers Conference: Reviving the Culture of Agriculture, December 3–4, 2009
Hosted by: Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture, Pocantico Hills, NY

Proposal Period: July 15 – August 28. No proposals will be accepted after August 28

This December, Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture presents its second annual Young Farmers
Conference: Reviving the Culture of Agriculture, a program especially for young and new farmers. The number of American farmers aged 55 or older has grown from 37% to over 60% in the last 60 years, meaning the future of farming depends heavily on the entry of a new generation of farmers. In order to better guarantee their success, it is vital that they receive all the training, tools, and knowledge available. This conference is designed to help remove obstacles faced by young farmers, such as access to land and capital, working with various distribution channels (markets, cooperatives, institutions), lack of general agricultural skill-sets, and more. The Young Farmers Conference is a space to network with peers and learn from leaders in the field, helping to ensure that the next generation of farmers is equipped for the work ahead.

The 2008 conference featured workshops on topics ranging from animal husbandry, greenhouse maintenance, and slaughterhouse initiatives to land access, farm-based education, and global agricultural
policy. Conference participants benefited from keynote speeches by two leaders in the sustainable agriculture field: Fred Kirschenmann, President of the Board at Stone Barns Center and Distinguished Fellow at the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, and Eliot Coleman, author, farmer and expert on organic four season farming in the northeast. During mealtimes and in between workshops, participants had the
opportunity to network while enjoying farm-fresh food prepared by Blue Hill at Stone Barns. Building off of last year’s momentum, the 2009 Young Farmers Conference will be a forum for more than 200 participants to learn from agricultural luminaries, peers, and advocacy organizations through workshops, keynotes, and panel discussions. Surveys of this year’s attendees will help shape future conferences and year-round
workshop offerings at Stone Barns. In addition, this year’s conference will serve as the launch of the
Young Farmers online community on the Stone Barns Center website.

Presentation Formats
Workshop Sessions (workshops can include a single presenter or panel discussion) 1.5–2 hours in length

Possible Topics (not limited to these alone)
Farming next to nature (including wildlife habitats)
Seed-saving
Slaughter & butchering
Work animals
Breeding (seeds/livestock)
Certification
Farm-based education
Interns, volunteers, apprentices
Business plan/financial management
Policy relating to young farmers
Specialty crops or rare breeds
Machinery maintenance
Urban agriculture
Food access
Land access
Fencing
Livestock
Bees/Beekeeping
Value Added Products
Distribution – Markets/CSA

Session format
Interactive sessions that provide opportunities for significant audience participation are encouraged. We
encourage session organizers to include a diverse group of leaders, such as youth, farmers, and community
members. Introductory and intermediate level workshops are both welcome.

Audience
The YFC audience ranges from farmers in their first few seasons to city dwellers beginning to explore their
dream of farming, and many who are in between.

Session details
Workshop sessions will be 1.5–2 hours in length. Expect approximately 20–50 attendees per workshop.

Submission of Proposals and Deadlines
Please submit your proposal to [email protected] by August 28, 2009.

Audio-Visual
We will contact you regarding your AV needs if your session is chosen.

Registration Fees
All presenters will receive conference registration and access to all YFC events. Presenters will also receive a
modest honorarium for their workshop presentation.

Travel Costs
Presenters should plan on covering their own travel costs to participate in the conference.

You’ll Hear Back From Us Soon
Proposals will be evaluated based on content and programming needs. Creative, interactive workshops with a clear take-home message for participants, e.g., specific resources or skills, preferred. Submission of a proposal is not a guarantee of its acceptance. A planning committee will review all proposals. Notifications of your proposal’s status will be provided in early September. Contact us if you don’t hear back by then.

PROPOSAL FORMAT
Workshops and Panels
• Please provide the name, address, zip code, e-mail address and phone number for the primary presenter/organizer, and a short bio, no more than 50 words.
• Please provide the names and affiliations of other presenters.
• Please provide a title for your proposed session (no more than 10 words)
• Please provide a description of your session in no more than 150 words. Provide information regarding format of presentation—lecture, small group, panel, activity-based, and how speakers will engage participants attending the workshop.
• List two to three objectives describing how participants will benefit from this session and what tool(s) or message(s) participants will “take home.” Learning outcomes should be action statements describing what participants will be able to do as a result of the experience, usually defined in terms of knowledge, skills, or attitudes. Statements should complete the following phrase with observable and measurable verbs: “After this presentation, the attendee will be able to…”
• Describe desired audio-visual needs.

Skill Level of Presentation Content:
Conference attendees are typically looking for focused sessions that deliver new information or knowledge.
Please state which level your session addresses.
• Basic: Assumes little or no prior knowledge of area(s) covered. The focus of the activity is to increase knowledge and application by the participant.
• Intermediate: Assumes a general knowledge of the area(s) covered. The focus is to enhance knowledge and application of the participant.

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