Conference Kickoff - OEFFA Conference

CONFERENCE

KICKOFF

New this year!

Welcoming Exhibit Hall Happy Hour and Keynote Address

Thursday, February 16-4-7 p.m.

We’re kicking things off on Thursday evening with a welcoming happy hour in the exhibit hall and keynote address from Rowen White! Reunite with food and farm friends, get a head start on your conference shopping, enjoy a free drink, and peruse a delicious street taco bar and cash bar in the exhibit hall. Exhibit Hall doors open at 4 p.m. The keynote address begins at 6 p.m. Access to this event is included in general and Food and Farm School registration. Non-registrants can purchase tickets in advance online or at the door for $35.

Can’t make it in time for the keynote? Follow us on Facebook @ohioecologicalfoodandfarmassociation to watch it on Facebook live!

In collaboration with Homestead Beer Co., we’re getting our own OEFFA conference beer!

A harvest ale full of local honey, each glass will be a delicious blend of biscuit-y, toasted malts, sweet, full honey, and hints of apple and pear from the house yeast.

Follow OEFFA on Instagram @ohioecological to see more about it as we get closer to February!

Community Conversations, Demos, and Networking

Friday, February 17—4-5 p.m. | Saturday, February 18—2:30-3:30 p.m.

The OEFFA conference community is truly something special. So many passionate people come every year to share information, see old friends, and welcome new ones. To celebrate and magnify this powerful gift we have, we are once again setting aside conference time for special sessions for connecting, dreaming, affirming, and sharing. These conversations will include opportunities for emotional work like a facilitated space for BIPOC farmers, candid conversations about bridging the rural and urban divide, opportunities to network with other food businesses interested in domestic fair trade, and fun demos showcasing useful skills like food dehydration.

Open Mic Night

Friday, February 17—7:30 p.m.

We are very excited to offer the OEFFA Open Mic Night in person this year! Come and share your artistic side with your OEFFA family. Songs, poems, stories, and skits are welcome; please share whatever moves you. We’ll have a sign-up sheet available at the event for attendees to grab a spot on a first-come, first-served basis until all the spaces are filled. An acoustic guitar will be available for anyone who needs it.

Heartland FarmLink Mixer

Friday, February 17—5-6:30 p.m.

FarmLink Mixer is a social event for farmland seekers and farmland owners to meet and connect. Farmers and landowners who have available farmland to rent, sell, or transfer can meet up with interested farmers looking for land. Land seekers are encouraged to talk to farmland owners about their hopes and plans for a farm, and find other interested farmers who may want to collaborate on a farm project. Transferring land is a big challenge—this event is to help ease some of the hurdles and bring interested parties together. This event takes place during the conference, but is open to the public as well.

Members’ Meeting

Friday, February 17—4-5 p.m.
Free and open to all OEFFA members

Join us for OEFFA’s annual membership meeting, the time each year when our members come together to hear the latest about OEFFA and share their own thoughts. This is YOUR organization. Please come to listen, learn, and share.

OEFFA Chapter Meet Ups

Friday, February 17—Noon
Saturday, February 18—Noon

Sit down and eat with your community! During Friday’s lunch, there will be dedicated tables for interest-based OEFFA chapters to meet up and chow down. Saturday’s lunch will do the same with regional OEFFA chapters.

Learn more about OEFFA’s chapters. Contact Lauren Blyth at (614) 947-1611 or lblyth@oeffa.org with questions.

Farmers Market Vendor Fair

Friday, February 17— 4-6:30 p.m.

The Ohio Farmers Market Network (OFMN) Vendor Fair is an opportunity for farmers markets to connect with farmers and vendors searching for direct-to-consumer opportunities to sell their products. Market managers looking for new vendors will have informational displays conveniently set up along the way to the conference exhibit hall, making it easy for farmers and food entrepreneurs to network with potential markets and seek out a good fit. Stop by, say hello, and take advantage of this unique opportunity to find your next market!