UMES’ Small Farm Conference “Sustaining Small Farms…360 Degrees” took place November 1 and 2. The event in its 16th year attracted some 170 participants including urban farmers, small business owners, entrepreneurs, and agriculture enthusiasts from Virginia to Pennsylvania and everywhere in between.
“Our planning committee did an excellent job putting together another well-rounded conference program filled with opportunities for participants to gain new knowledge, skills, and ideas to prosper in today’s agricultural world,” said Berran Rogers, a faculty member of UMES’ Cooperative Extension Service and the event coordinator.
Highlights of the conference included an all new Industrial Hemp Pre-Conference October 31, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Experts from the industry provided information on hemp production and processing, marketing and laboratory analyses, and the legal and regulatory aspects of industrial hemp.
A farmer’s market on Friday treated the campus community and the public to fresh farm- to-table produce, value added products and baked goods by Delmarva farmers. Back by popular demand were two food preservation classes, dehydrating herbs and canning apple butter, on Saturday’s agenda along with an expanded exhibitor and vendor tradeshow featuring agriculture agencies, agri-business and organizations committed to supporting small-scale agriculture in Maryland and especially the Delmarva Peninsula.
This year’s speaker for the Saturday luncheon program was Mike Beatty, director of the USDA Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement in Washington, D.C. Beatty guides the office which develops and maintains partnerships focused on solutions to challenges facing rural and underserved communities in the United States, and connects those communities to the education, tools, and resources available to them through U.S. Department of Agriculture programs and initiatives.
