NOFA-VT Announces 40th Annual Winter Conference, Dream into Being

Vermont (Statewide) – The Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont (NOFA-VT) announced their 40th Annual Winter Conference, Dream into Being, is happening February 17th through March 5th both online and on farms around Vermont. Registration is now open!

NOFA-VT’s winter conference brings together hundreds of farmers, homesteaders, gardeners, land managers, educators, students, producers, policy-makers, and activists to learn, connect, organize, and celebrate the movement toward a more economically viable, ecologically sound, and socially just agricultural future.

This year’s conference is mostly online with over 40 workshops and panel discussions, a featured speaker series, trivia night, film screening, and more. The conference also offers opportunities to connect in-person at outdoor socials on local farms where participants can gather around bonfires, meet up with friends, do outdoor activities like skiing and sledding, and go on farm tours.

This is the fortieth year NOFA-VT is organizing their winter conference and the second year of offering it virtually. What began as an annual meeting of farmers in a church basement in Montpelier in the eighties has transformed into a landmark event for New England’s agricultural and food community. Pre-pandemic, the conference attracted over a thousand people to UVM’s Davis Center for a three day in-person event.

“The beauty of an online conference is the accessibility,” said Zea Luce, NOFA-VT’s Events & Engagement Coordinator. “After last year’s conference we heard from many busy farmers, parents, and other attendees who were thrilled to connect and learn from one another from the comfort of their homes, without the hassle of travel or lodging.”

“Whenever I attend a NOFA-VT conference, I always come away feeling so grateful to be a part of this community that NOFA-VT supports, nurtures, and holds together,” said Ryan Fitzbeauchamp, owner and farmer at Evening Song Farm in Cuttingsville, Vermont. “Somehow, even when the conference is virtual, I take away the same joy in being connected to this wide community of growers, gardeners, educators, activists.”

“This year’s conference theme, Dream into Being, is an invitation to dream big together: to get bold about naming the future we all long for– and need.” said NOFA-VT’s Executive Director, Grace Oedel. “After what we’ve all gone through these last two years, it’s never been more important to come together and imagine new ways of growing food, feeding our communities, stewarding our land, taking care of our home, and building a more resilient food system.”

Registration for the conference is offered at a sliding scale of $0-$150 dollars. The conference is free for Black, Indigenous, and people of color.

See full event details at nofavt.org/conference.

 

About the Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont (NOFA-VT)

The Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont (NOFA-VT) promotes organic practices to build an economically viable, ecologically sound, and socially just Vermont agricultural system that benefits all living things. NOFA-VT was founded in Putney in 1971, making it one of the oldest organic farming associations in the United States. Today, NOFA-VT has nearly 1,100 members throughout the state. Learn more at nofavt.org.