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Welcome to the 37th annual California Small Farm Conference, a week-long event featuring over 40 online workshops as well as a dozen in-person gatherings around the state. Whether you’re a beginning farmer or a seasoned grower, a local food advocate or a farmers market manager, you’ll find something here for you. This year’s theme, "Rooted in Place", honors the vital relationship between farmers, communities and the land they steward.

Check out the schedule below for event times and locations. Click "Reserve Tickets" to register. Admission is on a sliding-scale, to ensure everyone can attend. Please select the amount you’re comfortable paying. Enjoy the conference!

Interested in sponsoring this event? Learn more here
or to register for this event.
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Wednesday, February 26
 

8:00am PST

ABC Aves: como establecer un emprendimiento ecológico con pollos y gallinas
Wednesday February 26, 2025 8:00am - 9:15am PST
Online
Este curso es una guía básica y fácil para quien quiera aprender a producir de forma sostenible. Es un compilado de la experiencia de Bruno Vasquetto en el Establecimiento El Mate, referente en ganadería regenerativa en Latinoamérica. 
Speakers
BV
Wednesday February 26, 2025 8:00am - 9:15am PST
Online
  Farm Production / Practices, Español

8:00am PST

Practical Tools for Implementing Regenerative Agriculture Practices
Wednesday February 26, 2025 8:00am - 9:15am PST
Online
Regenerative agriculture practices can build soil health and increase the resilience of farms to climate extremes. Access to equipment and information can be a barrier to entry for farmers who wish to experiment with new practices. This workshop will include a 30 min presentation on practical equipment considerations for implementing regenerative practices on California farms. In addition, the workshop will share practical resources and tools from the Western Cover Crops Council and the University of California Cooperative Extension that farmers can use to manage cover crops and adopt other soil health practices. Stories from California farms will be shared including successes, challenges, and strategies for when things do not go as planned. There is no one-size-fits all for implementing regenerative practices in a Mediterranean climate with diverse cropping systems and short crop rotations. Big picture considerations for maintaining soil health, implementing soil building practices and selecting cover crop species will be shared.
Speakers
SL

Sarah Light

UC Cooperative Extension

Wednesday February 26, 2025 8:00am - 9:15am PST
Online
  Farm Production / Practices

8:00am PST

Talleres en Español: Miércoles 2-26
Wednesday February 26, 2025 8:00am - 6:00pm PST
Online
En breve estaremos anunciando el resto del programa

Wednesday February 26, 2025 8:00am - 6:00pm PST
Online

9:45am PST

Soil Health In-Field Tests and Lab Analyses: What do they tell us? What are their limitations? How do they compare?
Wednesday February 26, 2025 9:45am - 11:00am PST
Online
There is no one metric that can be used to quantify soil health. Instead, we rely on measurements from an array of indicators to paint a picture of what is going on in the soil. With all of the options available, how do you know which tests to use? Are the results accurate? How do you put those results into context and build strong soil health on your farm? In this workshop, we will explore the various lab analyses and in-field measurements of soil health and talk about their benefits, drawbacks, and usage for farmers and technical assistance providers.
UC Cooperative Extension and UC Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education Program staff will share our experiences with measuring soil health and working to develop an in-field soil health assessment for farmers in Northern California.
Speakers
ML

Margaret Lloyd

Small and Organic Farms Advisor, UC Cooperative Extension
avatar for Lindsey Kelley

Lindsey Kelley

Small Farms Program Community Education Specialist, UC Cooperative Extension
VW

Wednesday February 26, 2025 9:45am - 11:00am PST
Online
  Farm Production / Practices

11:30am PST

Apple Orchard Health
Wednesday February 26, 2025 11:30am - 12:45pm PST
Online
This virtual workshop will provide a big-picture overview of key management strategies to promote apple orchard health. We will start with a 30-minute presentation that covers soil, nutrient, and water management and Integrated Pest Management strategies for insect pests and diseases focusing on organic/agroecological approaches. This will include examples and helpful photos of visual symptoms of different issues. At the end of the presentation, I will share a quick poll with the audience to ask them to rank which aspects of orchard health they'd like to hear most about from experienced apple growers. I'll share the results with everyone so we can all see which topics are highest priority. For the remainder of the time, we'll hear from a panel of small-scale commercial apple growers to learn which strategies they use in their orchards to promote orchard health, what works best for them in their context, and why. This will help show attendees what these strategies look like in practice and how strategies can be tailored to different orchard situations. After panelists feel they have covered the attendees' identified priority topics, we'll open it up for Q&A to help attendees explore how to effectively apply these strategies in their own orchards.
Speakers
EA

Ellie Andrews

Specialty Crops Advisor for Sonoma, Marin, and Napa Counties, UC Cooperative Extension

Wednesday February 26, 2025 11:30am - 12:45pm PST
Online
  Farm Production / Practices

1:00pm PST

Humboldt Regional Gathering
Wednesday February 26, 2025 1:00pm - 7:00pm PST
Green Spiral Farm
Field Day: Green Spiral Farm 819 Mad River Rd, Arcata, CA;
Regional Gathering: NCGA Harvest Hub 5720 West End Rd, Arcata CA

Farmer friends and allies, join us to celebrate CAFF’s small farm conference.

The day includes:
NCGA will lead a field day from 1:00-4:00 with a brown bag lunch at Green Spiral Farm
Topics:
Cover crop strategies, Crops for winter harvest, and more.

Followed by Humboldt Regional Gathering at NCGA Harvest Hub:
4:30-7:00: Light dinner provided.
5:30: Evening program includes meet your local resource providers and each will have 1 slide/2 mins/table to give an overview.
Organizer
avatar for Michelle Wyler

Michelle Wyler

Farm to Market Director, CAFF
Wednesday February 26, 2025 1:00pm - 7:00pm PST
Green Spiral Farm 819 Mad River Rd, Arcata, CA
  In Person Gathering

1:15pm PST

Developing a Business Plan with the AgPlan Online Software
Wednesday February 26, 2025 1:15pm - 2:30pm PST
Online
Wanting to start a farm, but unsure if it’ll be successful? Full of great ideas for your farm, but struggle to implement them? Or maybe just trying to strategize your farm’s future, but don’t know where to start? Writing a business plan can dramatically increase the success of implementing your ideas and goals. The AgPlan online business planning software has multiple templates to help you organize your business into a comprehensive business plan allowing you to highlight your unique operation. Templates include value added, agritourism, commodity, and a short-term operating plan. In this workshop, we will guide you in creating a business plan to incorporate your farm vision into your operation.
Speakers
avatar for Curtis Mahnken

Curtis Mahnken

Economist, Center for Farm Financial Management, University of Minnesota
Curtis Mahnken joined the Center for Farm Financial Management in 2010 as an Extension Economist. Prior to arriving at the center, he spent four years with the University of Kentucky as an Area Extension Specialist in Farm Business Management. While at UK, he authored the 2008 Dairy... Read More →
MB

Mariah Beverly

Center for Farm Financial Management, University of Minnesota
KW

Katie Wilts Johnson

Center for Farm Financial Management, University of Minnesota

Wednesday February 26, 2025 1:15pm - 2:30pm PST
Online
  Farm Biz & Management

3:00pm PST

Legal & Business Considerations for Non-Farm Income
Wednesday February 26, 2025 3:00pm - 4:15pm PST
Online
Are you exploring income generating activities for your farm that go beyond what your farm produces? Perhaps you have a new invention that you'd like to sell to other farmers, a service, agritourism activities, or perhaps a new product that you plan to develop & sell? This workshop will provide perspective on legal and business assurances to help a farm prepare for receiving additional income. Topics to include tax requirements, employment law, land use, adding an additional business entity, and a review of protecting intellectual property.

Learning objectives:
1) Understand what legal protections and business considerations should be in place when
selling a produce or service outside of farm income.
2) Understand how to prepare for product development and sales of product.
3) Protecting your intellectual property. Understand the differences and benefits between trademarks, patents, non-disclosure agreements and confidentiality agreements.
Organizer
avatar for Elizabeth Vaughan

Elizabeth Vaughan

Small Farm Technology Specialist, CAFF
Speakers
avatar for Rachel Armstrong

Rachel Armstrong

Attorney/Consultant, Farm Commons
My passion for farming goes way back to the days when I proudly proclaimed that I wanted to be a farmer when I grew up. I’ve lived out that dream in many ways, from working on farms to managing a community garden, starting a catering company that featured local foods and running... Read More →

Wednesday February 26, 2025 3:00pm - 4:15pm PST
Online
  Farm Biz & Management

4:45pm PST

Water Rights, Rural Water Systems and Water Use Efficiency
Wednesday February 26, 2025 4:45pm - 6:00pm PST
Online
Analysis of California water rights concerning small-scale agriculture and rural water consumers. Exploration of primary rural water systems, focusing on system reliability, life spans, and expenses. Examination of water usage efficiency, including a guide on conducting a distribution uniformity test and overall assessment of water systems, along with the importance of conducting such tests.
Speakers
TH

Tom Hammond

Abundance Ag Engineeirng

Wednesday February 26, 2025 4:45pm - 6:00pm PST
Online
  Farm Biz & Management

5:00pm PST

Central Coast Regional Gathering
Wednesday February 26, 2025 5:00pm - 7:00pm PST
TBA
Farmers and local food advocates are invited to the Central Coast regional gathering to mix, mingle, and enjoy food and drinks as a culminating event to this year's California Small Farm Conference. Field day and/or public viewings of select workshops may be added to the lineup. Stay tuned for more information.

Organizer
PS
Wednesday February 26, 2025 5:00pm - 7:00pm PST
TBA
  In Person Gathering
 
2025 California Small Farm Conference
From $20.00
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Bourns Technology Center
Chico State University Farm Pavilion
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