Farming for the Future Conference
The annual Farming for the Future conference is PASA's signature event and our main vehicle for community building. Widely regarded as the best of its kind in the East, this diverse event brings together an audience of over 2,000 farmers, processors, consumers, students, environmentalists, and business and community leaders annually. The sheer numbers and diversity of business and organizations that are associated with the conference are notable, through sponsoring, exhibiting and presenting. Typical conference workshops focus on such practical topics as poultry production, cheese making, riparian buffers, organic certification and raw milk marketing. The very popular day-long "Pre-Conference" tracks offer in-depth exploration of special topic areas.
The conference does not focus entirely on practical training for farmers. Keynote speeches in recent years have featured such visionaries as human rights advocate Anuradha Mittal, environmental leader William McDonough, world humanitarian Vandana Shiva, Native American activist Winona LaDuke, environmental activist Diane Wilson, ag economist extraordinaire John Ikerd and peak oil specialist James Kunstler.
The Farming for the Future conference continues to bring the PASA membership a high quality program with knowledgeable field experts, acclaimed keynote speakers, and special events. Year after year, conference staff and volunteers do their best to plan and provide this inspiring event, always with an eye to improve things as we can. Special features of the conference include; youth & teen programming, a babysitting program, a triumvirate of benefit auctions, the Sustainable TradeShow and Marketplace, and conference meals featuring sustainably, organically, and regionally raised foods from over forty PASA members throughout our region.
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Save the dates now for the 20th Annual Farming for the Future Conference to be held February 3, 4 & 5, 2011.
The PASA conference turns twenty this year and we are seeking active members who want to participate in planning this milestone event. Bring your passion to the table by joining the volunteer conference planning committee! This group works closely with PASA staff to develop the conference theme, identifies workshop topics and pre-conference tracks, and contacts speakers to coordinate the program. Committee members are expected to: meet for three planning meetings between May and late August in State College, communicate with speakers and PASA staff on a regular basis, and participate in on-site conference duties such as moderating workshops. If you have the time and energy to devote to this exciting planning committee or would like more information, contact Kristin Leitzel Hoy at kristin@pasafarming.org or 814-349-9856.
Links and Features:
PASA's 19th Annual Farming for the Future conference was held February 4, 5 & 6, 2010 at the Penn Stater Conference Center in State College, PA. To order recordings of workshops, click here.
PASA’s 18th annual Farming for the Future conference information. To order recordings of workshops, click here.
