news

National Small Farm Conferences

The 4th National Small Farm Conference -- "Enhancing Opportunities for Small Farmers and Ranchers" -- will be held October 16-19, 2005, at the Sheraton Greensboro Hotel/Koury Convention Center at Four Seasons in Greensboro, NC.

National small farm conferences, held every 3 years, attract between 600 and 800 participants. They provide a venue for small farm program leaders from federal, state, and local organizations to learn about successful programs that help small producers enhance incomes to levels comparable to other economic sectors. Special attention is paid to programs that have the potential to be replicated elsewhere in the nation. Each conference is held in a different region of the country to ensure that a diversity of small farm specialists and producer populations can participate.

Each conference is organized primarily by USDA's Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service in conjunction with other USDA agencies and other public and private sector organizations. Past and current conference sponsors include:

Farm Foundation;
W.K. Kellogg Foundation;
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency - Ag Center;
USDA agencies; and
Land-grant universities: Tennessee State University, Lincoln University, University of Missouri-Columbia, New Mexico State University, North Carolina A&T State University, and North Carolina State University.