Nevada Farms Conference Returns to the Oasis of Nevada

by Susan Weikel --  The Nevada Farms Conference was founded in 2003 and over the years has shuttled between Reno, Sparks, and Fallon. This year it will return to Fallon and be held this week at the Fallon Convention Center and Western Nevada College campus. Preconference activities start on Thursday, February 20^th with the conference officially starting on the 21^st and ending of the 22^nd of February. Thursday will two free workshops intended as a service for farmers and agricultural producers. One of these workshops is Ag. Small Business Start Up, 9 am-12 pm. This is an opportunity for those interested in starting up their own business to gain an understanding of the necessary steps and to be able to gain information from knowledgeable resources. The other workshop is Intro to Legislature, 1pm-3 pm. The goal of this workshop is to teach interested parties how to track pieces of legislation that they may be interested in and provide some tips on how to go about advocating for yourself and your community. Other options available on Thursday include a tour to Sand Hill Dairy and workshops on Cheese Making, Fermentation, and Small Animal Butchery. You do not have to attend the conference to participate any of the preconference activities. The conference begins Friday with three-hour intensive workshops. Topics covered will be lean farming, agritourism, and soil health. After the morning workshops, there will be a lunch break with an hour keynote from Ben Hartman. Hartman is the nation’s leading expert on lean business principals as applied to the farm. His farm, Clay Bottom Farm, in Indiana is a model of sustainable and profitable farming that is recognized internationally. Ben has also authored two books, “The Lean Farm” and “The Lean Farm Guide to Growing Vegetables”. Then in the afternoon and on Saturday, the sessions will be 90 minutes workshops covering a wide range of topic such as financing and tax planning for farmers, new crops in Nevada, native seeding, technology (robotics and drones) and agriculture, ABC’s of hemp production, organics 101, farm to glass (connecting the farm to bartenders, distillers, breweries) and many more. Special cocktails inspired by the conference will be offered at the Friday night mixer at Oats Park. Kelli Kelly, directory of the Fallon Food Hub and the chairman for the conference, said, “It’s taken a turn. This year’s conference in going to feel different… We’re bringing in some different folks than we have had at the conference in the past.”  Tickets/registration can be purchased at www.nevadafarmsconference.com Kelly acknowledged the sponsors that have embraced this return of the conference to Fallon. “Here in Fallon, the City of Fallon has been great, a great partner and ally in this. They have really gone above and beyond in their support of the conference which makes us feel like this is truly a homecoming and very much wanted and cared for. The Churchill County Library came in with a sponsorship to help facilitate bringing Ben Hartman, a published author, into the community to present, and UNR College of Agriculture, Biotechnology and Natural Resources is a significant sponsor… We are doing our Friday night mixer at Oats Park, downstairs at the Lariat. I’m excited about that partnership with the Arts Council facilitating that location for us.” The conference will offer a wide range of knowledge, skills, and interactions for those attending and is shaping up to provide a great experience.     Never miss the local news -- read more on The Fallon Post home page. If you enjoy The Fallon Post, please support our effort to provide local, independent news and make a contribution today.  Your contribution makes possible this online news source for all things Fallon.