The annual Emerging Farmers Conference (formerly the Immigrant & Minority Farmers Conference) serves to advance the success and sustainability of farmers who traditionally face barriers to the education and resources necessary to build profitable agricultural businesses, including immigrant farmers and farmers of color.

This innovative conference focuses primarily on the needs and interests of these farmers, and supports their contributions to local economic development and building healthy communities. It does so by connecting farmers, farm advocates, educators, professionals, experts, and agency officials.

Renewing the Countryside is a sponsor of the Emerging Farmers Conference with RTC staff heavily involved with the conference! To learn more and register, visit emergingfarmers.org. Last day to register is October 17.

This year’s conference theme is celebrating 20 years of cultivating food, diversity and relationships in farming. The conference will be at the Heritage Center of Brooklyn Center, in Minnesota.

We’ll be offering in-depth, 4-hour classes on Friday. New this year we’re offering an in-depth class specifically for Ag Professionals. Ag Professionals are people who work to support farmers, at an agency, a non-profit, or an educational institution. After that we’ll have lunch, lots of time to spend in the exhibit hall and networking, a marketplace organized by MN Farmers Market Association, and dinner.

Saturday we’ll have two class times, each with 4 classes happening at the same time. And in the afternoon there will be what we’re calling “Topic Tables”. These are less formal times to have small group discussions around a specific topic.