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2022 Indiana Small Farm Conference switches to virtual amid COVID concerns

Story by Nyssa Lilovich
February 15, 2022

The 2022 Indiana Small Farm Conference – Indiana’s premier annual event for the state’s small and diversified farming community – has made the decision to pivot to a virtual platform amid the state’s high numbers of COVID cases.

“All of us from Purdue Extension were looking forward to spending time with farmers, colleagues and friends this March at the Indiana Small Farm Conference,” said Nathan Shoaf, urban agriculture coordinator and conference committee member. “We waited as long as we could before making the decision to pivot from an in-person conference to a virtual one, but we determined it was the safest path forward for everyone.”

The 10th annual conference will offer free webinars and keynote speaker videos to all who register.

“We hope to interact with many past conference participants, as well as those who are attending for the first time,” Shoaf said. “Thank you to all of the farmers, vendors and sponsors who make this an incredible conference year after year.”

Malik KenyattaYakini, co-founder and executive director of the Detroit Black Community Food Security Network, will keynote at 11:30 a.m. ET, March 3. Genesis McKiernan-Allen and Liz Brownlee, co-founders of the Hoosier Young Farmer Coalition, will also present keynote remarks for the conference.

Since 2013, the Indiana Small Farm Conference has featured comprehensive programming about diversified farming and local food systems, bringing together novice and experienced small-scale farmers.

“I am confident our excellent team of educators and farmers will deliver high-quality online content to help you continue to farm throughout this uncertain time,” says Mike Hoopengardner, owner of Redbud Farm and Caprini Creamery and ISFC committee member. “Please join us virtually for the 10th annual Indiana Small Farm Conference.”

This year’s free conference offers 10 tracks from which attendees can choose sessions that best align with their farming operations and goals:

Vegetable Production
Livestock Production
Marketing
Urban Agriculture
Regenerative Agriculture
Value Added
Soil Health
Pollination Management
Perennial Crop Production
Innovations in Response to Climate Change

A detailed conference schedule will be available, and currently scheduled sessions are subject to change. For more information, or to register, visit the Indiana Small Farm Conference website at purdue.ag/sfc. Follow the conference on Twitter and Instagram at @SmallFarmPurdue or on Facebook at @PurdueExtensionSmallFarms, with the hashtag #PurdueSmallFarms.

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