Woo hoo! One of the great parts about winter time is that it’s conference season for farmers. That’s right – farmers go to conferences, and the food is one of the best parts!
This year, we are going to the 32nd Annual EcoFarm Conference at Asilomar in Pacific Grove, February 1-4. It’s the one sustainable agriculture conference that at least one of us tries to attend each year. Even though it’s gray and often wet, right by the ocean, the Asilomar Conference Grounds is beautiful. If you’re lucky, you can do a bit of whale watching in between sessions. Every other year there is a talent show (Pam Riccetti totally should have won with her opera singing in 2008!), and there’s a seed swap, documentary films, and top-notch speakers. This year, Adam will be presenting at a session all about Livestock Guardian Dogs. He’s putting together a nice PowerPoint full of fluffy white dogs and the bucolic livestock they protect at our farm. A couple other Redwood Valley farmers slated to speak at EcoFarm sessions are Charlie Barra and Matthew Frey. Check out the conference webpage here: http://www.ecofarmconference.org/
All across the country, sustainable farming conferences and workshops are taking place – when the days are shorter and there’s less to take care of on the farm. All the NOFA conferences, MOSES, EcoFarm, and Acres USA are just a few of the annual events where sustainable agtivists, farmers, educators, and concerned consumers come together to learn from each other. Going to EcoFarm or any of these conferences can be expensive, but we view it as an investment in furthering our training and education, an opportunity to make new business connections, and experiencing community with other farmers like us. We’re looking forward to seeing friends and acquaintances we rarely see otherwise.
The first time Adam went to EcoFarm, he was working for a landscaping company, and he got the idea that maybe he could farm food for a living. When Paula first went to EcoFarm as a full-time farmer, she learned how to keep good financial records so that the business met its tax obligations. Winter conferences like EcoFarm are educational and inspiring. And like any other animal, farmers need the winter to reflect, refuel, and renew ourselves for the season to come. We will let you know how EcoFarm is this year!
livestock guardian puppies!
Farm Fact for the Week
Livestock guardian dogs (aka LGDs) have been used for centuries in Europe and Asia to protect livestock from predators. On our farm, the dogs primarily protect our chickens and sheep. Protecting means barking a lot at anything moving or making a noise. Sometimes they are naughty and wander to the vegetable field and protect the vegetables, too. But our LGDs can’t help wandering around – they’re on patrol, guarding their territory, doing perimeter checks.
