{"id":6625,"date":"2022-11-15T14:42:54","date_gmt":"2022-11-15T19:42:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/sans\/?p=6625"},"modified":"2024-05-20T13:34:44","modified_gmt":"2024-05-20T17:34:44","slug":"umes-conference-helps-small-farmers-with-strategies-for-success","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/sans\/connections\/umes-conference-helps-small-farmers-with-strategies-for-success\/","title":{"rendered":"UMES conference helps small farmers with strategies for success"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Dr. Nadine Burton<\/strong>, an alternative crop specialist with UMES Extension, leads a session on Seed Saving & Plant Propagation. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

UMES Extension<\/a> 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<\/sup> 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\u2014all geared toward helping farmers increase their bottom line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Derrick Mayes, a first-time attendee and Worcester County farmer originally from Ohio, said, \u201cIt\u2019s really important for this (conference) to happen.\u201d When asked what he\u2019d like to come away with, his answer was, \u201csome solutions to staying economically sound in this business and new insight on farm management.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u2019s farm and a scrapple making demonstration, and SunX Analytical in Cambridge, Md. The day concluded with a networking social and vendor exhibition.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Exhibitors Sierra Criste<\/strong>, left, and Stacy Kubofcik<\/strong>, representing MARBIDCO, talk to UMES Small Farm Conference attendee Isabella Bruno<\/strong>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

 \u201cBeing here is an awesome opportunity to connect with small and urban farmers to share with them the resources and opportunities we have available,\u201d said Sierra Criste<\/strong> (photo at right)<\/em> 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m hearing about some projects that I didn\u2019t know existed,\u201d Criste said.  \u201cIt\u2019s opening my mind and expanding my knowledge.  I look forward to taking it back with me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/strong>, (photo below)<\/em> owner and CEO of 4P Foods<\/a>, an e-commerce and food delivery business headquartered near Warrenton, Va., presented the keynote address at Saturday\u2019s luncheon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An \u201chonor and humbling\u201d is how McDougall described being asked to speak.  \u201cIt\u2019s exciting to see and hear about what\u2019s happening here on the Eastern Shore for sustainable farming.  Mostly, I\u2019m here to learn.  I\u2019ll take back and try to elevate things being seen in the region that can be informing on our regional food systems.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

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Pictured from left, are: Tom McDougall, owner of 4P Foods and keynote speaker for the conference, and Berran Rogers Jr., chair and coordinator of UMES Extension’s Small Farm Conference.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

\u201cOur planning team with the cooperation of UMES Extension\u2019s partners once again pulled together a successful conference, the fruit of our labors that we hope will pay off in positioning farmers for success,\u201d said Berran Rogers Jr<\/strong>., (photo at left)<\/em> the event chair and coordinator of UMES Extension\u2019s Small Farm Program<\/a>. \u201cIn 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.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gail Stephens, agricultural communications, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, UMES Extension, School of Agricultural and Natural Sciences, 410-621-3850, <\/em>gcstephens@umes.edu<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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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…Read more UMES conference helps small farmers with strategies for success<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1168,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","wds_primary_category":45,"footnotes":""},"categories":[45,97],"tags":[],"post_folder":[],"class_list":["post-6625","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-connections","category-nov-2022"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/sans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6625","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/sans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/sans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/sans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1168"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/sans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6625"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/sans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6625\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/sans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6625"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/sans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6625"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/sans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6625"},{"taxonomy":"post_folder","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wwwcp.umes.edu\/sans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post_folder?post=6625"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}