2025 California Small Farm Conference

Name: CNIP Nutrition Incentive Program, Advocacy and Funding Updates: A review of the CA State Budget funding for food and agriculture programs
Start: 2025-02-25T11:30:00-0800
End: 2025-02-25T12:45:00-0800

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

Tuesday February 25, 2025 11:30am - 12:45pm PST

Online

Open Zoom

This presentation will highlight the experience and best practices of the “Save Market Match Coalition”, a diverse group of 250+ agricultural, nutrition, food security, and public health organizations that worked together to convince California budget leaders to reinstate funding for vital programs that both address food security, bring revenue to small and mid-scale farmers, and support the local food system.

Grassroots leaders will share the behind-the-scenes story of how this coalition and thousands of farmers and customers, organized to fight for the California Nutrition Incentive Program (CNIP) funding to be reinstated in the 2024-2025 CA State Budget. They will share about the connection between this program that supports both low-income California shoppers and farmers, the CA budget crises, and connection to accessing federal Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program (GusNIP) funding. Farmers’ Market industry leaders and others will share the process, best practices, and outcomes of this campaign, and what the current status of funding for nutrition incentive programs is at the state and federal level. Highlighting food and farming program funding updates, participants will learn about programs that benefit local producers, farmers’ market operators and local food systems, as well as some best practices that could be applied to future campaigns.

This panel will focus on the advocacy process industry leaders engaged with, and the decision-making process elected officials must follow to establish the state budget. Included will be a brief overview of changes and issues related to these programs and the federal Farm Bill.

Organizer

Portia Bramble

North Coast Growers' Association

Speakers

Martin Bourque

Executive Director, Ecology Center

Andy Naja-Riese

Agricultural Institute of Martin

Sam Greenlee

Alchemist Community Development Corporation

Tiffany Germain

Research & Policy Advisor, NexGen Policy

Tiffany Germain specializes in high-level public policy analysis and political research. Her primary areas of emphasis include tackling food insecurity, providing more healthy school meals in California schools, and developing California’s food system networks.Before joining NextGen... Read More →

Tuesday February 25, 2025 11:30am - 12:45pm PST
Online

Farmers Market Professionals

Audience General Public (including non-farmers), Farmers Market Professionals, Farm Advisors & Technical Assistance Providers