UMES Extension hosts 23rd annual Small Farm Conference

Princess Anne, Md. — The University of Maryland Eastern Shore Extension kicked off their annual two-day agricultural conference on Friday, bringing small farmers and vendors together for education and networking.

The 23rd annual Small Farm Conference offered multiple opportunities for collaboration and skill building on the University of Maryland Eastern Shore’s campus.

Attendees had the chance to participate in multiple themed breakout sessions, visited exhibitions and vendors, heard from a luncheon panel and took tours of local farms.

Event coordinator Berran Rogers called the event a “one stop shop,” to connect attendees with resources.

“This is one way where farmers can come out to learn about new opportunities – to network – as well as learn new information that can put them in a better position to own and operate a farm business,” Rogers said.

Rogers added that this year, the event offered expanded educational tracks.

Attendees were able to pick from four different themed tracks: Alternative Crops and Non-Traditional Agriculture, Farm Business Management – Ag Marketing and Sales, Ag Research and Trending Topics, and Human Health and Other Topics.

“We included a human health track where we’re trying to help farmers to improve their physical health as well as their mental health because we do know that farming is a very risky business, and they face a lot some challenges,” Rogers said. 

Returning attendee Craig Mask says the conference is the only place where he can meet with people doing smaller scale work, giving him the chance to learn from farmers cultivating crops in new ways.

“People that are doing different things. There’s somebody who’s raising ethnic vegetables. Well, then I want to know, okay, what’s their market? How they do it. Is there more room for me to come into that or should I stay out of that? Just general knowledge and sharing it with each other,” Mask said.

Mask says that the event also serves to prepare the next generation of farmers and encourages newcomers to enter the field.

“It’s really scary right now for farmers and watermen. Also, young people just aren’t getting into these things. They don’t have the basic knowledge. These were what we call traditional ways of life. Everybody got brought up in these things. So, you sort of pick something that your parents or grandparents or whatever did.” Mask said. “Now it’s hard to get people who are good people to do this stuff.”

That generational disconnect is exactly why Rogers says a key focus of the program is giving new farmers resources and a support network.

“It’s information sharing, especially for our beginning farmers or those farmers who are not really in the mainstream of finding out information,” Rogers said.