2025 California Small Farm Conference: Full Schedule

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!

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8:00am PST

A New Model for Farmland Access and Transition: The Farmland Commons

Sunday February 23, 2025 8:00am - 9:15am PST

Online

The Farmers Land Trust is a national organization working to support farmland protection, transition, and secure access for farmers through the innovative Farmland Commons model, which decommodifies land by placing it in the ownership of local communities. This dynamic and engaging presentation will share how the Farmland Commons model works, and participants will leave with the knowledge and resources that will enable them to carry forward creative land transition and access opportunities to their own communities.

Speakers

Ian McSweeney

The Farmers Land Trust

Kristina Villa

The Farmers Land Trust

Sunday February 23, 2025 8:00am - 9:15am PST
Online

Issues in Food & Ag / Other

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

9:00am PST

Farmers' Market Manager Training Level 1: Elevating Market Management Standards

Monday February 24, 2025 9:00am - 6:00pm PST

Online

This half-day training, developed by the California Alliance of Farmers' Markets, offers farmers' market workers, managers, volunteers or enthusiasts insight into the rules and regulations and best practices for running a CA certified Farmers market. The program is designed to equip market managers, staff, volunteers, enthusiasts, with the essential skills needed to enhance the integrity, management, and sustainability of Certified Farmers’ Markets across California.

During this interactive session, participants will dive into the foundational elements of the Farmers' Market Manual, which promotes direct farmer-to-consumer relationships and supports small independent farmers. Upon completion of the training, participants will receive a free farmers' market management manual.

The training will be led by farmers' market longtime professionals and industry leaders Portia Bramble (North Coast Growers Assn), April Lancaster (Visalia Farmers markets) , Tanya Wolf (Ag institute of Marin), and Minni Forman (Food Farming dir. Ecology Center).

Speakers

Minni Forman

Ecology Center

April Treona

Downtown Visalia Certified Farmers' Market

Portia Bramble

North Coast Growers' Association

Marikit Mayeno

Food and Farming Program Coordinator, Ecology Center

Monday February 24, 2025 9:00am - 6:00pm PST
Online

Farmers Market Professionals

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

3:00pm PST

Asian Specialty Crop

Monday February 24, 2025 3:00pm - 4:15pm PST

Online

In this conference I will be introducing a panel from different regions to talk about Asian Specialty Crop and the impact of how each region is doing. This is to create the talk of what's happening in our markets, how we can brainstorm, help each other out, etc.

Speakers

Addison Vang

Hmong Community Food Systems Outreach Specialist, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Chiang Rai Lor

Aggregation Coordinator, FairShare CSA Coalition

Johnny Moua

CAFF

Monday February 24, 2025 3:00pm - 4:15pm PST
Online

Sales & Marketing

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

8:00am PST

Research on CalFresh & Other Nutrition Assistance Programs at Farmers’ Markets

Tuesday February 25, 2025 8:00am - 9:15am PST

Online

This workshop will share research updates from three groups of UC ANR academics seeking to grow the use of CalFresh at farmers’ markets, as well as improve the experience of shoppers using CalFresh at markets. The recent funding threat to Market Match underscored the value of programs that connect direct marketing farmers and shoppers using nutrition assistance benefits. Each research program is testing interventions or listening for information that will strengthen those connections. You’ll hear about:

• NPI’s Market Match Research: In the summer of 2024, the Nutrition Policy Institute enrolled about 80 CalFresh recipients, that don’t use Market Match, in a pilot intervention testing the effectiveness of using text messages to inform participants about the Market Match program offered at a farmers’ market near their recruitment site. Participants completed an initial and follow-up survey, and a small sub-sample took part in an in-depth interview.

• CalFresh at Farmers Market Assessment Tool: UC ANR academics, Shannon Klisch and Cassandra Nguyen, collaborated to develop a tool that supports best practices for market staff to welcome CalFresh shoppers. The tool is based on a systematic review of published literature, pilot testing with market managers, and surveying content experts in the field. Practices included in the tool cover program implementation, accessibility considerations, market culture, communications about programs, and marketing.

• Sacramento Region Market Access Survey: UC Cooperative Extension Advisor Olivia Henry surveyed the managers of 70 markets in the greater Sacramento region in the spring and summer of 2024. She asked about what motivated and challenged them around CalFresh and the WIC/Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program. The results point to several recommendations for public agencies and technical assistance providers.

Speakers

Samantha Sam-Chen

Project Policy Analyst, UC Nutrition Policy Institute

Cassandra Nguyen

Assistant Professor of Cooperative Extension, UC Davis

Olivia Henry

Regional Food Systems Area Advisor, UC Cooperative Extension

Tuesday February 25, 2025 8:00am - 9:15am PST
Online

Farmers Market Professionals

Audience New & Beginning Farmers, Experienced Farmers, General Public (including non-farmers), Farmers Market Professionals

9:45am PST

Grants: Preparing for the Proposal

Tuesday February 25, 2025 9:45am - 11:00am PST

Online

This workshop is designed to help producers and processors who are new to grant applications. There are many steps to take prior to beginning the application process: registering with the System for Award Management, creating a mission statement, defining your goals and needs, finding programs that are the right fit, and more! This workshop will, 1) provide an overview of everything the small producer should do before beginning their proposal in order to maximize success; 2) outline the differences between private, state, and federal grants; 3) provide resources for applicants searching for the right grant for their business; and 4) provide a few basic tips and tricks for writing a proposal.

Organizer

Laura Ting

CDFA

Speakers

Logan Dreher

CDFA

Lauren McCawley

RFSI Program Manager, California Department of Food and Agriculture

Lauren McCawley is the Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure (RFSI) Program Manager for the California Department of Food and Agriculture.The purpose of the Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure (RFSI) program is to build resilience in the middle of the food supply chain; to provide... Read More →

Tuesday February 25, 2025 9:45am - 11:00am PST
Online

Farm Biz & Management

Audience New & Beginning Farmers, Experienced Farmers, Farmers Market Professionals

11:30am PST

CNIP Nutrition Incentive Program, Advocacy and Funding Updates: A review of the CA State Budget funding for food and agriculture programs

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

Online

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

Andy Naja-Riese

Agricultural Institute of Martin

Sam Greenlee

Alchemist Community Development Corporation

Minni Forman

Ecology Center

Tiffany Germain

NexGen Policy

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

1:15pm PST

Farmers' Market Roundtable: Navigating Hot-Button Issues in Today’s Certified Farmers' Market Landscape

Tuesday February 25, 2025 1:15pm - 2:30pm PST

Online

This roundtable, hosted by the CA Alliance of Farmers' Markets, offers a dynamic space for farmers' market professionals and stakeholders to come together and discuss the most pressing issues facing the industry today. In an open and collaborative format, participants will have the opportunity to share challenges, brainstorm solutions, and explore best practices around key topics such as market regulations, vendor management, financial sustainability, marketing, nutrition incentive grants, and the evolving role of markets in local communities.

CA Farmers' Market Industry leaders Cara Mae Woodloge of Napa Farmers Markets and Minni Forman Food and Farming Program Director at the Ecology Center will facilitate the discussion

With a focus on peer-to-peer learning, this session will encourage attendees to share insights, ask questions, and provide support to one another as they navigate the complexities of operating successful farmers' markets in California.

Speakers

Farmers Market Professionals

Audience Experienced Farmers, Farmers Market Professionals, New & Beginning Farmers

2025 California Small Farm Conference

From $20.00