2025 OEFFA Conference FAQs

General registration includes access to all workshop sessions, the keynote, breakfasts and snacks, the exhibit hall, and many special events, including a film screening of Organic Rising, a seed swap, Open Mic Night, and more. If you purchase Friday only or Saturday only registration, your registration includes breakfast and access to the workshops and events happening on that respective day.

Recordings of workshops and the keynote will be available for all registrants to access online until April 30, 2025.

Registration for Thursday’s Food and Farm School classes and Friday and Saturday lunches must be purchased separately.

Individual Registration Friday and Saturday	before 1/10	after 1/10
Members	$267	$337
Non-Members	$337	$397
One-day Only Member Friday or Saturday	$197	$267
One-day Only Non-Member Friday or Saturday	$257	$327
Student Member	$157	$227
Student Non-Member	$227	$297
Volunteers	$217

As a nonprofit organization, our intent with any educational programming is to keep attendance costs as low as possible without compromising the quality of the experience. The venue, OEFFA staff time, food, audio visual equipment and support, speakers, and workshop materials all contribute to the expense of producing this major event. These prices reflect what we need to make sure this conference breaks even and is able to continue for another 46 years. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact oeffa@oeffa.org.

Yes.

• OEFFA members are a valued part of our community and can enjoy a discount on their registration. To make a tax-deductible donation to become a member, visit oeffa.org/donate.
• Early bird gets the worm! Registering on or before January 10 offers a discounted rate.
• Full-time students can register for discounted rates (see table above).
• In exchange for four hours of on-site work, volunteers can register for both days of the conference for a discounted rate. Look at the volunteer section on the conference website for more details. Registrations close on January 10.
• Scholarships are available for those who have been farming less than ten years in Ohio Appalachian counties; Black, Indigenous, persons of color (BIPOC) and veterans who are or want to be in food systems work; and organic grain and row crop farmers. Look at the conference funding section on the conference website for more details. Applications close on January 10.

Early bird pricing, scholarship applications, and volunteer registration all close or end on January 10. General registration closes on February 1. Modifications and cancellations to conference registrations are available until February 1. No refunds will be given after January 31.

On-site registration availability will be announced on OEFFA’s channels in early February. Recordings will be available afterward in the Conference Hub until April 30.

Modifications and cancellations to your conference registration are available until February 1 for a fee (see Cancellation and Refund Policy section below).

After February1, all registrants—no matter if you actually attended—will receive an email with instructions to access workshop and keynote recordings in the Conference Hub after the event.

Food and Farm School (FFS) classes are pre-conference intensives that happen from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Thursday, February 13. Each FFS class focuses more on a singular topic, guiding attendees through a full day of 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 Thursday. Lunch is included for all FFS registrants on Thursday. Recordings of certain FFS classes will be available in the Conference Hub for registrants after the conference.

Workshop descriptions will be available in the Conference Hub closer to the conference. A paper copy of workshop descriptions will also be available at the registration desk during the conference.

No, workshops and the keynote will not be livestreamed anywhere. Recordings will be available afterward in the Conference Hub until April 30.

Recordings will be available in the Conference Hub until April 30. Due to the sheer number of recordings, it takes some time for OEFFA’s staff to collect, check, edit, and publish them online. This is why they’re available online for an extended amount of time. We will announce their availability via email the moment they’re ready.

Please note some of the FFS classes and workshops may not have recordings. This is usually due to unexpected technical issues or the nature of the workshop (i.e. conversation-based breakout rooms). That will be noted beside their workshop in the Conference Hub.

Recordings are only available to registrants. Access to only the recordings cannot be purchased separately before or after the conference.

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 3-day 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, and other important information.

There will be many QR codes posted throughout the venue to direct you to the Hub. You will also be provided with a print handout of the main conference schedule at the registration desk when you check in. Our staff are there to help answer any and all questions you may have during the conference!

Yes, children are welcome at the conference! Child care is available for younger children, while the OEFFA Kids’ Conference is a screen-free, hands-on event that runs simultaneously with the regular conference on Friday and Saturday. Private space for nursing will be available.

Registration for the Kids' Conference and child care are available as add-ons to an adult conference registration. Children must be with parents during meal times.

We’re lucky that our conference venue doubles as a hotel! We have a limited number of rooms available at Cherry Valley Hotel at $139 per night. Visit oeffa.org/stay or call and ask for the Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association room block rate by January 17, 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, but it is spread out. If you have any concerns about the distance between parts of the event, or 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.

Breakfast is available on Friday and Saturday for all registrants at no extra charge. Lunch on Friday and Saturday must be purchased separately either while registering online, or on-site at the registration desk (a limited quantity is available). Both of these meals are held in the exhibit hall. The menus are available on the main conference website. Snacks, coffee, and water are also offered throughout the conference at no extra charge.

OEFFA does not coordinate dinner as part of the conference. Our venue, Cherry Valley Hotel, has restaurants on site. 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 outside the exhibit hall 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 the OEFFA office.

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 January 31.

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, explore the exhibit hall, 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. 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, including the recordings available to registrants after the conference. 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. To make the conference as accessible as possible, we offer scholarships, reduced rate volunteer opportunities, a discounted early bird registration window, and OEFFA member discounts. If you apply for a certain scholarship, identify as an OEFFA member when registering, or sign up to volunteer, please be honest and follow through. 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 these busy three days. 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.