Can You Afford To Miss This Conference?

If you’re still trying to decide if you can afford to attend the conference, consider how much you can learn that will save you money and help you increase profits next season. This conference will provide you with the practical tools and solutions you need to be successful in your farming enterprise, your community foods projects and your advocacy and outreach work,, just when the economy dictates you need it most. 

This is no ordinary conference. Just look at all this event provides.

• Sustainable production and direct marketing information for horticultural and livestock producers

• Enterprise management lessons

• Funding resources for organizations and producers

• Information on new federal farm programs for small-scale and organic producers

• Community food systems development information

• The opportunity to meet and learn from some of the most innovative of your peers from across the region

In addition to all the other great intensive pre-conference courses, we even have a short course on making the right financial decisions for your farm.

PLUS, on Sunday morning there is a  FREE USDA Grant Writing Workshop.  Representatives from several USDA agencies will be there to help prepare you for writing a proposal that will get you the funding your organization needs. (See article below.)

Considering how much you can learn at the conference and put to use right away, combined with our reasonable fees and great lodging rates, this really is the best investment of the year! And this good news about airfares is just in—rates have dropped again and there are now some real bargains out there. If transportation costs were preventing you from coming, check again! 

To see the entire conference program with all of these great offerings, click here. 

Again, if you don’t get your registration postmarked by Wednesday, January 7, just come on to Chattanooga and register on-site. You’ll be glad you did. 

Get Your USDA Grant Proposals Funded!

Attend the FREE USDA GRANT WRITING WORKSHOP January 25, 2009 in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Bring your questions, ideas, and dreams, and learn how to get your proposals funded.

Representatives from the following agencies are expected to be on hand to answer your questions and prepare you for writing a successful proposal:

• Risk Management Agency (RMA)
• Cooperative State Research, Education & Extension Service (CSREES)
• Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (SARE)
• Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS)
• Rural Development (RD)
• Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)
• Farm Service Agency (FSA)
• Office of Outreach
  

This workshop is offered in conjunction with our Practical Tools and Solutions for Sustaining Family Farms Conference. Contact Dr. Denis Ebodaghe at 800.583.3071 or  debodaghe@csrees.usda.gov if you wish to attend. To learn more about the conference, the grant writing workshop, and how to register, click here. 

We Want Your STUFF!

New (or nearly new) farm-related items such as tools, implements, bulbs, fertilizers, pest controls, nonperishable foods, handcrafted goodies, labor or services, B&B weekends or even gift certificates are being sought for our silent auction. Got something to donate? We want it! Our silent auction helps us raise funds to support Southern SAWG’s important year-round work. Your donations are much appreciated. But please be kind to our coordinators and let us know you will make a donation at your earliest convenience by sending a completed silent auction donation form. Knowing in advance what items we’ll have in the silent auction will greatly reduce the time it takes to set up the auction on-site. Click here for a copy of the form. 

The 2009 Practical Tools and Solutions for Sustaining Family Farms Conference will be held January 21-24, 2009 in Chattanooga, Tennessee

Excitement is building for our Practical Tools and Solutions for Sustaining Family Farms Conference. In just a short couple of weeks, we’ll be descending on Chattanooga and look forward to meeting everyone. You’re planning to attend too, right?   


Make conference lodging reservations immediately.
At 5 p.m. on Tuesday, January 6, 2009, our conference hotels release the hold on the rooms we blocked for conference registrants. This means it won’t be as easy to get a room at one of these hotels after Tuesday. The good news is that our hotels will extend our group discount rate to you after this date, if rooms are available and if you tell them you are with Southern SAWG. The Marriott was full at last check, so plan to stay at the Sheraton Read House, which is just a couple of blocks from the convention center and on the free electric shuttle line. Click here for lodging details. 

Wednesday, January 7, 2009 is the cutoff date for pre-registration for the conference.  Download the registration form here. 

Any sold out pre-conference events are indicated on the registration form. No registrations will be taken via phone or e-mail and no registration will be processed without payment. Express mail is not necessary—just regular mail, postmarked by January 7, 2009 will get you pre-registered.

You can still register in Chattanooga if you don’t get your registration in the mail (postmarked) by January 7. Just come on to Chattanooga and we’ll take your registration there. 

Add Value to Your Chattanooga Trip

Don’t forget that we have a great lineup of pre-conference intensive courses and field trips and the opportunity for in-depth learning from some of the very best in the field.  

The 1 ½ day Short Courses are:

1. Start-Up Organic Vegetable Production and Marketing
2. Hoophouse Production and Marketing
3. Cut Flower Production and Marketing
4. Meat Goat Production and Marketing
5. Financial Decision-making for Small-Scale Farmers
   

Click here to learn more about these excellent Short Courses and the expert presenters.


The ½ day Mini Courses are:

1. CFS Communications and Policy
2. CFS Leadership and Advocacy 
3. Sustainable Weed Management for Your Vegetable Crops
4. Pasture Management for Grass-fed Beef
   

Click here to learn more about these great Mini Courses and the expert presenters.


The ½ day Field Trips are:

1. Organic Livestock, Vegetables, and Row Crops
2. Diversified Sustainable Livestock
3. Diversified Sustainable Vegetables and Fruits (sold out)
4. Organic Vegetable, Fruits, and Plants (sold out)
5. Community Food Initiatives
   

Click here to learn more about these outstanding field trips.

Got Produce?

We still need a few vegetables for the Taste of Tennessee dinner planned for the conference. If you have produce you’d like featured at our banquet dinner, contact Peggy Hamlett immediately at phamlett@utk.edu. She’ll give you the list of produce still needed and discuss price with you. We’re excited about the menu and would love to feature as much food as possible from Tennessee or the Chattanooga foodshed.   

Looking forward to seeing you all in Chattanooga!