2025 California Small Farm Conference

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

Kayla Weiss

Caltrans

Landscape Associate

Arcata, CA

behance.net/kaylaweiss

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About me

Former farm hand/apprentice with a BS in landscape architecture from New Jersey, now based in northern CA; currently working as a Landscape Associate at Caltrans, with hopes of returning to agricultural work in some capacity in the future. Passionate about food justice and sovereignty, farmworker equity and protections, scaling regenerative agriculture/small farm systems in realistic + feasible ways, etc.

8:00am PST

A New Model for Farmland Access and Transition: The Farmland Commons OnlineIan McSweeney • Kristina Villa

9:45am PST

Practical Entrepreneurship Guide for Raising Poultry on Pasture or Integrated with Crops OnlineCaleb Barron • Ann Baier

11:30am PST

Mechanization for the Small Farm OnlineElizabeth Vaughan • Nathan Dorn • Fernando Garcia • Charlotte LeMieux • David Haynes

1:15pm PST

Agricultural Land Equity in California OnlineCamille Frazier • Qi Zhou • Dorian Payán

4:45pm PST

Wildlife Safe Ranching OnlineGowan Batist

8:00am PST

Rethinking "Small Farm": What Does It Mean, What Should It Mean? OnlineKrista Marshall • Evan Hazelett • Nathaniel Brown • Rachel Soper

9:00am PST

Farmers' Market Manager Training Level 1: Elevating Market Management Standards OnlineMinni Forman • April Treona • Portia Bramble • Marikit Mayeno

9:45am PST

Ag Technology: Funding Opportunities OnlineMaria Ridoutt-Orozco

11:30am PST

A Farmer's Guide to Groundwater and SGMA OnlineRogelio Ponce • Cheetah Tchudi • Sadie Morris • Catherine Van Dyke

1:15pm PST

Path to Organic: How to Prepare for an Organic Certification OnlineMegan Robertson • Kristen Draz • Grace Jackson

3:00pm PST

Steps for Conducting Research on Your Own Farm OnlineEllie Andrews • Reyna Yagi • Caiti Hachmyer • Samuel Guitron • Moet Takata

4:45pm PST

Regulatory and Advocacy Tools for Small Food Producers OnlineChristine Dzujna

8:00am PST

What is Carbon Farming? OnlineJoshua Kouri • Margot Flynn • Elena Bischak

9:45am PST

Grants: Preparing for the Proposal OnlineLaura Ting • Logan Dreher • Lauren McCawley

11:30am PST

CNIP Nutrition Incentive Program, Advocacy and Funding Updates: A review of the CA State Budget funding for food and agriculture programs OnlinePortia Bramble • Andy Naja-Riese • Sam Greenlee • Minni Forman • Tiffany Germain

1:15pm PST

Blending Habitat Conservation & Restoration into Ag Landscapes: From Research to Reality OnlineJesse Trace • Alex Palmerlee • Miranda Kersten

3:00pm PST

California Agriculture & A New White House OnlineMike Lavender

4:45pm PST

Water Rights, Rural Water Systems and Water Use Efficiency OnlineTom Hammond

8:00am PST

Practical Tools for Implementing Regenerative Agriculture Practices OnlineSarah Light

9:45am PST

Soil Health In-Field Tests and Lab Analyses: What do they tell us? What are their limitations? How do they compare? OnlineMargaret Lloyd • Lindsey Kelley • Vivian Wauters

11:30am PST

Apple Orchard Health OnlineTed Richardson • Zea Sonnabend • Stan Devoto • Dave Hale • Ellie Andrews