The Southern SAWG Annual Conference is well-known for providing the practical tools and solutions you need at our annual conference. It is the must-attend event for those serious about sustainable and organic farming and creating more vibrant community food systems! This popular event draws over 1,200 farmers and local food advocates from across the nation each year. We offer outstanding “field-tested” presenters, a full slate of hot-topic conference sessions and pre-conference courses, several field trips, a poster display and a trade show.
Start planning now to join us in Chattanooga, Tennessee January 17-20, 2018 to learn, network and celebrate with us!
The popular Pre-Conference events begin on Wednesday and include a great line-up of one-and-a-half day intensive short courses and then on Thursday, several exciting half-day field trips and mini courses. Each of these pre-conference activities requires separate registration.
Thursday evening we’ll have an informal meet and greet with music and cash bar. Plan to arrive in time for this Thursday evening gathering to catch up with old friends and meet new ones. This is your chance to learn what other conference participants are doing back in their communities and borrow some ideas!
The General Conference is held on Friday and Saturday. The general conference, with a wide variety of program offerings and nearly 100 expert presenters, gives you the opportunity to learn vast amounts in a short two days! We have sessions for those with years of experience and for those who are new to the field. The session topics include organic and sustainable vegetable in fields and in high tunnels, grazing and sustainable livestock management, specialty crop production, unique marketing strategies, campus farms, scaling up, increasing profits, business and finance management, beginning farming, community food systems work, federal farm programs, agriculture policy developments and more.
The General Conference line-up includes nearly 60 educational sessions, plus a state networking session for each of the 13 states in our region, and another 13 information exchange sessions where you get to exchange ideas and information with those who share your interests.
We’re sure you’ll find this conference to be an excellent investment of time and money.* We’re also sure you won’t get this value anywhere else!
Year after year, attendees at Southern SAWG’s Practical Tools and Solutions for Sustaining Family Farms Conference come for the practical information and go home with so much more. While over 90% of past attendees reported they learned something they would use immediately, even higher numbers say meeting so many folks doing so many great things around the South was a highlight.
“Each year I meet new friends and learn cost effective ways to improve. One of the most important tips from last year, to keep my basil in pots to decrease the risk of disease. I tried it and it works.”
“I attend as an Extension educator but always find a lot of great ‘take-aways’. The conference is also great for networking with other educators and producers.”
“I left the conference with so much new knowledge and excitement to put it into practice. The field trip to the permaculture farm was outstanding and awe-inspiring! I know this type of conference takes crazy amounts of work and effort and money, so thank you so very much for all you do for us as farmers!”
*Some financial support from a few friendly organizations and agencies helps us keep registration costs down, but as a non-profit organization, we do not have an institution that covers the cost of this event. So yes, registration fees are necessary!