Pre-Conference Events

Join Charlie Perington and Danielle Ringle for a hands-on pruning workshop at Red Acre Farm. Rather than beginning with a structured teaching session, you'll follow along as they teach you how to assess the needs of the farm’s trees, and learn through doing.

Charlie and Danielle will demonstrate and discuss the pruning process while you have the opportunity to participate, ask questions, and gain practical experience. The workshop will be guided by the needs of the trees themselves.

Hosted and sponsored by Onward Homestead in Virgin, UT.

Learn how to process your own poultry. This 2½-hour, hands-on class will walk you through the entire process, from dispatch to a finished, packaged bird. You’ll have the chance to work through each step alongside farmers who regularly process their own poultry.

The Battys at The Old Home Place have been raising and processing pastured poultry for more than 15 years and are excited to team up with the Spendloves to share the process they’ve developed along the way. We’ll show you how to harvest birds quickly and cleanly, keep your process moving efficiently, and end with a properly packaged bird ready for the freezer or sale.

This is a working, hands-on class.

A Garden Journal tells the story of your gardening journey. As you record information through writing, maps, charts, and art, you will create a journal that will become an inspiration and resource for future gardening ideas and plans.

We will construct a garden journal and explore creative ways to fill the pages with interesting visuals and important information. Instructions for making a Phenology wheel will also be included.

A Garden Journal is much more than facts and information. It captures the wonder of your garden and keeps it as a story to revisit often. It will contain your favorite memories, your successes and mishaps, and a detailed record of your gardening journey.

All the supplies will be provided for you, and you can expect a light snack during the workshop.

Whether you’re just beginning to explore biodynamics or have some experience, this workshop will show the principles of biodynamics through the lens of Utah farms. We’ll consider the “soul of the soil,” creating fertility on the farm, geographic medicine, and Utah’s rich resources. This is an opportunity to ask questions, dig deeper, and consider what biodynamic practices might look like in your own place.

Lloyd Nelson, our favorite Biodynamic Cowboy, will be sharing his vast knowledge in this afternoon workshop at Red Acre Farm.

The Amigo Farm tour is always a good time. We meet in Cedar City early in the morning and enjoy hot beverages and pastries before embarking on our journey to explore several local farms. All aboard! 

Symbria Patterson, co-founder of Red Acre Center, will be your guide. You can anticipate enjoying an organic lunch and snacks along the way.

Please note that this is a full-day event, and participants can not attend any other pre-conference sessions at the same time.

What does Real Organic actually mean? What does it look like on a working farm? And what does a machete have to do with any of it?

Come find out at Red Acre Farm.

Red Acre Farm has been farming for 19 years, has been USDA Certified Organic for three years, and has also been Real Organic Certified for three years. Red Acre is one of roughly 1,000 farms certified through the Real Organic Project.

If you’re wondering, “Wait, what is Real Organic?” then this pre-conference is for you.

We’ll start with a short farm tour to see what a Real Organic farm looks like in practice. We’ll talk about what makes Red Acre Real Organic, how those principles show up in day-to-day farming, and even where the farm finds itself right on the cusp of what qualifies as Real Organic.

Next, a representative from the Real Organic Project will break down the what, why, and how of Real Organic: where the movement came from, what the certification means, and why it matters.

Everything is better with lunch, so count on some organic grub from Red Acre Farm while you listen and learn.

Then it’s time to hang out with the Red Acre Farm crew for a small-tool demonstration. The crew will show, explain, and probably have opinions about the tools they actually use, from the smallest stakes and hand tools to the BCS tractor and, yes, maybe even a machete.

Which is better: a BCS or a machete?

The Red Acre crew will answer that one.

So come Romp with ROP at RAF before UFFC.