2023 Indiana Small Farm Conference back at the Hendricks County Fairgrounds after three years of virtual conferencing

Story by Nyssa Lilovich

January 24, 2023

Registration is open for the 2023 Indiana Small Farm Conference – Indiana’s premier annual event for the state’s farming community – at purdue.ag/sfc. The eleventh annual conference and trade show will take place March 2 - 3, 2023 at the Hendricks County Fairgrounds in Danville, Indiana. One of the featured keynote speakers is Hunter Smith, former punter for the Indianapolis Colts and co-owner of WonderTree Regenerative Farm in Zionsville, Indiana.

“At WonderTree we hope to prove, once again, the viability and sustainability of decentralized, local farms serving communities as primary sources of food, experiences, and culture,” says Hunter Smith.

Since 2013, the conference has featured comprehensive, instructive and enjoyable programming about diversified farming and local food systems, bringing together novice and experienced small-scale farmers. For more information and registration, visit purdue.ag/sfc.

"Food security is national security," said Sara Frey, owner of Frey Farms and a 2023 SFC keynote speaker. "The recent pandemic highlighted the limits and fragile nature of our food supply chain. Decades of ignorant trade policy and bureaucratic inefficiencies have placed American specialty crop growers at a competitive disadvantage with foreign countries. Advocating on behalf of farmers and preserving the ability to produce and market diversified crops in every growing region of America is and will always be my personal mission.”

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

Urban agriculture
Vegetable production
Farm stress
Marketing
Technology on small farms
Livestock
Equity in the food system
Value added products
Fruit production

“The Indiana Small Farm Conference is a great way to learn what’s next in production, marketing and other areas to make the most of your efforts in 2023 and for years to come,” says Amy Thompson, Purdue Extension’s beginning farmers coordinator and a conference organizer.

For more information, or to sign up, 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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