UMES Extension added another annual Small Farm Conference to the books November 4-5. Nearly 200 attendees representing a wide range of agricultural producers and stakeholders flocked to the Princess Anne campus of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore for the 19th annual event. In keeping with tradition, the 2022 edition featured hands-on training clinics, bus tours to sustainable and unique farming operations, notable speakers, networking opportunities and agricultural vendor exhibits—all geared toward helping farmers increase their bottom line.
Derrick Mayes, a first-time attendee and Worcester County farmer originally from Ohio, said, “It’s really important for this (conference) to happen.” When asked what he’d like to come away with, his answer was, “some solutions to staying economically sound in this business and new insight on farm management.”
Representatives from UMES, University of Maryland Extension and its Wye Research and Education Center, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and Babcock Apiary offered well-received morning sessions the first day of the conference on Seed Saving and Plant Propagation Techniques, Strategies for Controlling Wildlife Damage and Beekeeping for Hobby or Farm Pollination, respectively. The afternoon saw participants loading buses for tours to Perennial Roots Farm in Accomac, Va., the Black community of San Domingo in Wicomico County for a visit to Newell Quinton’s farm and a scrapple making demonstration, and SunX Analytical in Cambridge, Md. The day concluded with a networking social and vendor exhibition.
“Being here is an awesome opportunity to connect with small and urban farmers to share with them the resources and opportunities we have available,” said Sierra Criste (photo at right) of the Maryland Agricultural & Resource-Based Industry Development Corporation (MARBIDCO), one of the 20 some vendors on site. In visiting with producers and agricultural stakeholders stopping by her table, she realized she was not only presenting information, but learning as well.
“I’m hearing about some projects that I didn’t know existed,” Criste said. “It’s opening my mind and expanding my knowledge. I look forward to taking it back with me.”
Day-two seminar topics covered Soil Health, Conservation Practices, Value-added Product Regulations, Selling to Local Educational Agencies, How to Build a Cold Storage, and Cultivation and Market Demand for Ethnic Vegetables among others. Tom McDougall, (photo below) owner and CEO of 4P Foods, an e-commerce and food delivery business headquartered near Warrenton, Va., presented the keynote address at Saturday’s luncheon.
An “honor and humbling” is how McDougall described being asked to speak. “It’s exciting to see and hear about what’s happening here on the Eastern Shore for sustainable farming. Mostly, I’m here to learn. I’ll take back and try to elevate things being seen in the region that can be informing on our regional food systems.”
“Our planning team with the cooperation of UMES Extension’s partners once again pulled together a successful conference, the fruit of our labors that we hope will pay off in positioning farmers for success,” said Berran Rogers Jr., (photo at left) the event chair and coordinator of UMES Extension’s Small Farm Program. “In addition to the familiar faces, it was refreshing to see many people attending our event for the first time, many of which traveled from a considerable distance. Throughout the conference, I received countless comments of positive feedback from attendees expressing how much they enjoyed the sessions, tours and overall conference experience.”
Gail Stephens, agricultural communications, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, UMES Extension, School of Agricultural and Natural Sciences, 410-621-3850, gcstephens@umes.edu.
Photos by Todd Dudek, agricultural communications, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, School of Agricultural and Natural Sciences, UMES Extension, 410-651-6707, tdudek@umes.edu.
