Pre-Conference Events

Sponsored by Western Ag Credit

The Amigo Farm tour is always a good time. We meet in Cedar City early in the morning and enjoy hot beverages and pastries at our first stop. Symbria Patterson, cofounder of Red Acre Center, will be aboard as your guide. You can anticipate enjoying an organic lunch and snacks along the way.

On the tour we have:

• Red Acre Farm CSA: A 2-acre Biodynamic, Organic and Real Organic Certified CSA going 15 years strong.

• Web Regen Agriculture: A 2-acre generational family farm property settled in the 1800’s that two young farmers are hell bent on reclaiming to its prior glory,

• Staheli Family Farm: A 35-acre Legacy Farm, established in 1889. Meet the woman who has been holding tight to her family's once 350-acres, as the land around her continues to be taken by urban sprawl.

• The Flowering Cottage: A recently established 8.5-acre Flower Farm and venue in Washington Fields.

Symbria Patterson, co-founder of Red Acre Center, will be your guide.

All aboard!

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

Starting in Cedar City

Abundance by Design - A Primer in Permaculture and Other Success Strategies.

Join instructor Dee Atkin, who completed Geoff Lawton’s online Permaculture Design Course (PDC) in 2014, for a full-day workshop at the developing Duckworth Farm in Cedar City. During the workshop, you'll enjoy an organic, locally sourced lunch while participating in hands-on permaculture design activities. This course has the potential to transform your life!

If you are passionate about the earth, your health, and your community—and want to be the change—then this workshop is for you! You will gain valuable health tips to boost your energy, as well as strategies to ensure your success.

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

Located in Cedar City

Spend a day with Laine and Porter at 5 Fingers Farm in New Harmony doing and learning all things milk goats. This workshop introduces the basics of milk goat husbandry and harvesting.

We will start in the goat shed and cover milking and goat care. We will then move inside and make fresh cheeses and learn the essentials of making dairy for your own kitchen. Following cheesemaking, lunch will be served featuring a sampling of goat meat and dairy.

After lunch we will take a goat from slaughter through hanging and go over the basics of meat production in a home dairy operation. Because when you have milk goats, you'll also have meat goats through kidding.

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

Located in New Harmony

Sponsored By Iron County Farm Bureau

Cedar City's roots in livestock date back to the mid-1800s. Come join City Councilman Carter Wilkey and experience Cedar City's historic weekly auction that has been running since the 1940s. The market was started by local livestock men and has been run by locals since! Expect a live auction with some fast talking cattle rattle, an opportunity to purchase a meal or some pie from the Market Grill (ingredients may not meet our usual standards, but it's a true local experience! Eaters discretion advised), and an all around good time.

This is a free pre-conference, but tickets are limited.

Located in Cedar City

Sponsored By Transition to Organic Partnership Program

Join us in exploring how organic agriculture can help build a more sustainable and resilient food future. We’ll look back at the roots of the organic movement, discuss key farming practices and what certification really means, and consider how organics provides strong roots from which to grow rich, sustainable, and community-led food systems.

This free pre-conference session is made possible by the USDA TOPP Program and will be led by Michele Schahczenski. Anyone interested in where their food comes from—farmers, gardeners, and community members alike are welcome! Come enjoy an organic, locally sourced lunch from Sweet Pea Farm and Orchard (included). Connect with others and take part in a conversation about the role of organic agriculture in growing a healthier future for all.

This is a free pre-conference, but tickets are limited.

Located in Cedar City

Building Soil Health with Biodynamics: Strategies and Remedies for Improving Soil Quality and Resilience in Agriculture.

Lloyd Nelson and Brooke LeVan our favorite Biodynamic Cowboys will be sharing their vast knowledge and love of Biodynamic practices in this afternoon workshop at Red Acre Farm along with an organic lunch.

Located in Cedar City

Come hang out for a lively, hands-on walk-through of the tools that make small-scale, no-till growing smoother, faster, and a lot more enjoyable. TK Kern of Red Acre Farm will pull out a whole lineup of field-proven favorites—Neversink gridders, the Jang seeder, Growers & Co rake and broadfork, Mutineer hoes, Glaser wheel hoes, flame weeders, and plenty more.

We’ll also be joined by Liza Goss from Johnny’s Seeds, who’s bringing a few tools of her own for folks to try out and ask questions about. A relaxed, hands-on session open to all conference attendees.

This is a free pre-conference, but tickets are limited.

Located in Cedar City