The premier educational event for Northeast livestock farmers of all sizes, interests and livestock types.  Whether you are a dairy farmer with 20 years of grazing experience or a poultry producer just getting started, there should be something for you!

Our keynote speaker Dr. Abdon Schmitt studied with Dr. Bill Murphy of UVM before returning to his home country of Brazil.  Dr. Schmitt is back to describe his experiences working with over 600 farmers to spread rotational grazing throughout the state of Santa Catarina using students, his own enthusiasm, and practical assistance.

The two-day conference includes 24 hour-long workshops and 2 all-day intensive sessions on topics ranging from farm and extension research to swine nutrition to watering systems to couting earthworms.  Also concurrent with the conference will be one-on-one business coaching sessions provided through the New Farmer Network to assist new and aspiring farmers.  A concurrent kids' mini conference will take place Saturday.

The day-long workshops, taking place Friday January 18, will include:

• a workshop on poultry management for farmers interested in scaling up production, with Jeff Mattocks of Fertrell, Dr. Anne Lichtenwalner of the University of Maine, and Jim McLaughlin of Cornerstone Farm Ventures
• a workshop to help every farm become better at communicating, connecting and making sales, with Fred Ashforth of Fred Ashforth Associates. 

 Speakers at the main conference on Saturday include:

• Farmers Eric Noel, Ben Machin, Lisa McCrory, Emily Curtis-Murphy, and Brian Howlett among others (still being confirmed)
• Dale Rozeboom, Swine Specialist with Michigan State University
• Animal behavior specialist Kathy Voth of Livestock for Landscapes
• UVM and Extension educators Sid Bosworth, Mark Cannella, Cheryl Cesario, Josef Gorres, Kimberly Hagen, Dan Hudson, and Eric Garza.

 Join us to celebrate plenty of local food, new and old friends, and many opportunities to learn practical skills to bring home to your farm.

The annual conference is co-hosted by the VT Grass Farmers Association and the VT Beef Producers' Association, and coordinated by the UVM Center for Sustainable Agriculture's Pasture Program.

For more information, visit the conference home page.