Southeast

Practical Tools and Solutions for Sustaining Family Farms Conference will be January 22-25, 2020 in Little Rock, Arkansas Southern Sustainable Agriculture Working Group’s 29th annual conference provides practical information and tools for new and experienced organic and sustainable producers, young farmers and ranchers, value-added food producers, and those creating more vibrant community food systems in the South. The event offers pre-conference courses and field trips, concurrent conference sessions, a poster session, networking opportunities, and a lively trade show.

A high-quality educational event with the atmosphere of a seasonal celebration.

Please join us for the annual reunion of the region's sustainable growers, biodynamic enthusiasts, permaculture practitioners, homesteaders, and friends in general.

All MEALS INCLUDED.
Chef prepared, local, organic and biodymamic food, complete with hot tea and coffee bar.

Have you ever wondered what else our food system could look like? Or, maybe you’re working to make a new food system. If so, we’d love to have you at the 2019 Community Food System Conference.

Our next fall conference (October 10-13) will be in Atlanta, Georgia. We hope you will come! Facing Each Other: Freedom, Responsibility, and Love, is filled with rich content, artistic work, and opportunities to deepen and connect. Beginning with a Class Lesson enriched by artistic activity, through keynote conversations (with Patrick Kennedy and Andrea De La Cruz), this event will enliven you. Workshops feature biography, diversity, honey bees, connecting with the dead, the divine feminine, and more.

About the NGFN Conference

Since 2012, the Wallace Center has been convening leaders from across the good food movement for a comprehensive, practitioner-driven conference to share inspirational ideas, build professional connections, and learn practical skills and innovative approaches for creating resilient and inclusive food systems.

At the 2020 NGFN Conference, we are looking to take food systems change and movement building to the next level.

We are excited to host Perma-Dynamics, a four-day residential workshop held on our farm in Floyd Virginia. During this experience, participants will receive introductory instruction in permaculture design principles as applied to the creation of the biodynamic farm organism on Josephine Porter Institute's farm. Perma-dynamics is a bridge workshop between the Permaculture Design Methodology and the intuitive and spiritual applications and insights of Biodynamic & Regenerative Agriculture.

Premier preparation maker, Hugh Courtney will take participants through the process for making all nine of the biodynamic preparations. Participants learn how to distinguish good preparations and how & when to stir and apply them. Lectures and discussions include where and how to obtain materials, use of the biodynamic calendar, additional ways to use the preparations, Homeopathy for the Family Farm, and BD Compost Making.

This workshop is limited to 15 participants, so register early.

Participants will experience hands-on making biodynamic preparations Yarrow, Stinging Nettle and Silica by premier preparation maker, Hugh Courtney.

Location: Earth Legacy Agriculture, 708 Bob White Rd, Woolwine, Va 24815

Dates: June 22 and June 23, 2019, from 9am to 5pm each day

Registration/Tickets: $150 includes lunch and limited lodging as available. Register by June 1 with 50% deposit. Space limited. 

Call 276-930-1377 or 276-229-9536 (cell phone) for more information

This is an annual event and all are welcome especially to the Biodynamic booth.

The biodynamic preparation barrel compost (BC) donated by the Chesapeake BioDynamic Network will be on sale (price $5 for one unit which covers up to an acre) from biodynamic gardener Carol St.John as a fundraiser for Acorn Hill.

Additionally at the Spring Fair

*There will be the selling of plants and biodynamic planting calendars

*Helping children sow seeds from the biodynamic seed enterprise Turtle Tree in egg cartons filled with a homemade recipe of biodynamic potting soil

At 12 noon there will be gardening and preparation of the garden beds by turning over winter ground cover and spraying biodynamic preparation #500 horn manure and biodynamic barrel compost. We will then plant peas.