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.

Featured Stories

Keeping your pets safe during the dog days of summer

As temperatures and humidity rise across the U.S., Candace Croney, director of the Center for...

Eastern hellbender salamanders feeding on bloodworms in their raceway at the Purdue Hellbender the Hellbender lab.

Metazoa Beer to Benefit Help the Hellbender Lab

Metazoa Brewing Company and the Indiana Lakes Management Society have teamed up to collaborate on...

Digital forestry can help mitigate and prevent wildfires

The National Interagency Fire Center reports that, as of this writing, 19,444 fires have burned...

What you can do this summer to reduce the spread of aquatic invasive species

In 2020, an alligator was captured in a lagoon of Chicago’s Humbolt Park. The reptile out...

Researcher uses pipette on parsley plant

Researchers examine nanotechnological methods for improving agriculture

Nanoscale particles could potentially help address agricultural and environmental sustainability...

Fairgoers ride a tractor, sponsored by the Indiana Soybean Alliance, and browse food tents during the 2023 Indiana State Fair. (Purdue Agricultural Communications photo)

Purdue Extension to present engaging art and nature demonstrations at Indiana State Fair

The Indiana State Fair kicks off Aug. 2 and highlights the theme “The Art & Nature of...