How do you make the most-anticipated networking and educational event of the year even better? By keeping all the best parts and adding lots of new features to bring value and fun to attendees!
NEW Farming Family Registration Rate - A special group rate will be available to up to three members of a farm family (must be family members of Future Harvest CASA) that makes conference attendance more affordable.
NEW Farm-to-Institution Track - The Farm-to-Institution track will have valuable information for both food producers and institutional/high-volume buyers to facilitate new business relationships within the local food economy.
NEW Premier Conference Location - The National Conference Center in Landsdowne, Virginia, one of the country's top conference facilities,
is Green Seal™ GS-33 Silver and Virginia Green™ certified, and convenient to our members across the region.
NEW Friday Dinner Reception - More networking time while still celebrating local foods is the goal of this new event, which will include our 2nd annual silent auction, and lead up to the ever-popular Farmer Panel.
NEW Farm Info Central - The sponsors and exhibitors who make the conference possible will be available to talk to attendees, demonstrate their products and share information throughout the two-day conference in our exhibit hall, which we are dubbing "Farm Info Central".
Now is the time to make your plans to attend. Look for more information on confirmed speakers and registration info later this week.
If you have a valuable product, service or resource for the farming community, reserve your place in "Farm Info Central" as a sponsor. Contact Nan Cox to learn more about sponsorship and exhibiting.
Food Enterprise Study Survey
Interested in making and selling specialty/gourmet foods (sauces, condiments, jams, baked goods, entrees, ethnic dishes to name a few)?
American Communities Trust is conducting a study of the feasibility of a Food Enterprise Center in Baltimore City. They need your input!
Click here to respond to this survey and help shape this exciting project.
MD Pesticide Disposal Program Reactivated
The Maryland Department of Agriculture has funded an unusable/unwanted pesticide disposal program which has been on hiatus since 2007/2008 due to budget cuts.
MDA entomologist Rob Hofsteter says the future of program funding past this year is uncertain, so he encourages all agricultural operations (forest, farm, nursery, greenhouse, etc.) in every county to take advantage of this year's program.
Registrations are due no later than January 16, 2012, with scheduled on-farm pick-up dates beginning April/May.
Look for information online or contact Rob Hofsteter directly by phone
(410-841-5710) or email (
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
).
ted in partnership with Forestry for the Bay, this field day will cover these potential opportunities through presentations from professional foresters, discussions of the CREP program, and a tour of a nearby farm to see sustainable forestry projects and portable sawmill operations. 
