2026 OEFFA Conference FAQs

This depends on the day and/or class you intend to attend. If you want to join a paid Food and Farm School (FFS) class on Friday, your registration includes access to that class, lunch, and dinner. If you join a free Food and Farm School class, you must purchase Friday’s lunch and dinner separately. The open mic night and film screening on Friday evening are included for all registrants, including those registered for Saturday.

General (Saturday and Sunday) registration includes access to everything on the calendar those days: all 15 workshops, the keynote, live music, other special events, and all meals. These meals include breakfast, lunch, dinner and a complimentary drink ticket for happy hour on Saturday, as well as breakfast and the OEFFA History Panel on Sunday morning.

Not this year. To keep things simple and accessible for everyone, the prices for the 2026 OEFFA Conference are a la carte—pick and pay by day and/or Food and Farm School class you’d like to attend.

General registration closes on February 5, or when spots sell out. Due to the smaller and more intimate format of this conference, the venue’s capacity is limited and can only fit around 200 people.

Modifications and cancellations to conference registrations are available until February 1. No refunds will be given after then (see Cancellation and Refund Policy section below).

Modifications and cancellations to your conference registration are available until February 1 for a fee (see Cancellation and Refund Policy section below). Refunds are not available for the Organic System Plan Help-Shop, Friday lunch, and Friday dinner.

Food and Farm School (FFS) classes are pre-conference intensives that happen from Noon to 5 p.m. on Friday, February 13. Each FFS class focuses on a singular topic, guiding attendees through in-depth learning and connecting.

Registrants can add a FFS class to their General registration, or just sign up for a FFS class to only come to the conference on Friday.

Workshop descriptions will be available in the Conference Hub in early February.

No, workshops and the keynote will not be recorded this year.

We encourage all registrants with a mobile device to visit the Conference Hub at conference.oeffa.org/hub throughout the event. The Hub has the entire schedule, room assignments, maps of the venue, workshop descriptions, lists of sponsors and exhibitors, meal menus, and much more. Attendees are strongly encouraged to use it to see the most up-to-date list of workshops, possible cancellations or room changes, and other important information.

There will be QR codes and reminders posted around the venue to direct you to the Hub when you’re there. Our staff are also there to help answer any and all questions you may have during the conference!

While children are welcome at the conference, OEFFA will not be offering Kids’ Conference programming or childcare this year.

If your children are 12 or under, no registration is required. However, we do ask that Friday’s meals be purchased for kids who will dine with us over the age of 6.

Children must be with parents at all times and follow our Community Standards (see section below).

We’re lucky that our conference venue doubles as a hotel! We have a limited number of rooms available at Cherry Valley Hotel at $140 per night. Visit oeffa.org/stay or call and ask for the Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association room block rate by January 27, or whenever rooms sell out.

A number of other hotels are available in the area. Our partners at Explore Licking County have a guide of places to stay.

We are committed to making this conference as accessible and welcoming as possible. The venue is held on the ground floor, has ADA compliant bathrooms, multiple accessible entrances, and nearby parking. If you have any questions, concerns, or special needs, please contact OEFFA at oeffa@oeffa.org or (614) 421-2022 and we will do our best to assist you.

Friday lunch and dinner is only included for paying Food and Farm School (FFS) class attendees. Anyone who is not attending Fruit Tree Fundamentals or Grazing Strategies: People, Land, and Livestock must purchase Friday’s lunch and dinner separately when registering, if they intend to join. All meals on Saturday, including breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and Sunday breakfast are included in General (Saturday) registration.

All meals are held in the Woodhull or Riverbirch rooms. The menus will be available on the main conference website and Hub. Snacks, coffee, and water are offered throughout the conference at no extra charge.

Our venue, Cherry Valley Hotel, has dining on site too. Our partners at Explore Licking County also offer a guide of local restaurants.

If you have any questions before the conference, please contact OEFFA at oeffa@oeffa.org or (614) 421-2022. At the conference itself, there will always be OEFFA staff at the registration desk during conference hours. We are more than happy to assist you!

Modifications and cancellations to your conference registration are available until February 1. To modify or cancel, see your original confirmation email from Cvent/OEFFA or contact OEFFA at oeffa@oeffa.org or (614) 421-2022. Refunds are not available for the Organic System Plan Help-Shop, Friday lunch, and Friday dinner.

A cancellation fee of $30 per registration will be charged to cover our administrative costs and credit card fees. No refunds will be given after then.

OEFFA reserves the right to revoke access to the conference if community standards (see below) are broken. No refunds will be given to attendees who are removed for violation of these standards.

All are welcome here. OEFFA values diversity within our organization and at our annual conference. Like in ecological agriculture, diversity plays an important role in cultivating symbiotic and sustainable relationships between both plants and humans. A community that embraces everyone regardless of race, nationality, creed, political belief, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, or ability braves the harshest season and bears the sweetest fruit. We ask that all conference participants:

Be kind. All participants are encouraged to connect with other attendees, engage in workshops, and get the most out of what the OEFFA conference has to offer. Offensive, divisive, or profane language are not permitted, and will be addressed by coordinators. Furthermore, degrading comments about things like race, religion, culture, sexual orientation, gender, or identity will not be tolerated, nor will bullying or malicious language about other attendees, staff, volunteers, speakers, sponsors, or exhibitors.

Be ethical. Attendees must respect the intellectual property of speakers by refraining from any unauthorized sharing of their materials. The recording, copying, and distribution of a speaker’s presentation or other content without their express consent is strictly prohibited. Likewise, speakers, sponsors, and exhibitors shall not violate any copyrights with respect to the writings, music, or other material they use during the conference, and assume sole liability and responsibility for the use and display of all copyrighted materials at the conference, and shall obtain any and all necessary licenses therefore. OEFFA takes no responsibility for the unauthorized sharing of copyrighted material.

Be honest. OEFFA relies on conference revenue to fund our work and we need everyone who attends to register properly online before the event. We want you and everyone else in attendance to have a fair and enjoyable experience.

Be patient. This is a big event with many moving parts, and the OEFFA staff, volunteers, speakers, and exhibitors are human. Technical issues may arise and unexpected situations may occur, so we ask that you be gracious while we navigate this busy event. Thank you in advance for your understanding.

OEFFA staff, volunteers, speakers, attendees, sponsors, and exhibitors are expected to honor these standards. OEFFA reserves the right to revoke access to the conference venue if community standards are broken. No refunds will be given to attendees who are removed from the conference for the violation of these standards.