Practical Yet Profitable and Ecologically Sensitive Ways to Farm

Practical Farmers’ Annual Conference has been the backbone of PFI’s organization since its founding, when farmers looking to improve diversity on their farms gathered to share their knowledge openly with others. From the days when farmers hosted these informal get-togethers at someone’s farm and when farmers knew this as the Annual Meeting. To the surging interest in pragmatic, sustainable farming solutions that in 2003 necessitated a shift in rhetorical scope from annual “meeting” to “conference.” And, to the ongoing upwelling of farmers who seek practical yet profitable and ecologically sensitive ways to farm. The annual conference has been a hallmark of what Practical Farmers stands for: farmer-to-farmer learning, networking and grassroots solutions to on-farm challenges for a more diverse, sustainable agricultural landscape.

The 2019 Practical Farmers of Iowa Annual Conference will be at the Scheman Building in Ames, Iowa, on January 17-19, 2019.

For more information about being a sponsor or exhibitor, please email Kathy Eastman at keastman33@gmail.com.

Lastly, check out the PFI Annual Conference brochure here.

Cultivating Connections

As farmers, PFI connects with communities to sell their products and find the tools needed to raise crops and livestock. They nurture soil to encourage mycorrhizal filaments that connect plants and fungi, thus improving water and nutrient uptake. Further, PFI find solace in friends who support them and empathize when things are tough. Lastly, they create habitat that provides food and homes for wildlife. Connections at scales both large and small shape PFI and the world around them.

Sometimes it feels like our world is losing these vital connections, that we are quick to seek out differences among our friends and neighbors. At Practical Farmers of Iowa, they cultivate a different ethos. PFI welcome everyone, and strives to build a community where they highlight what they have in common; where they listen respectfully to each other and learn from differences.

At Practical Farmers’ 2019 annual conference, Cultivating Connections, you’ll have a chance to reconnect with old friends, cultivate new relationships and learn from a community that believes in sharing knowledge to benefit everyone. This year’s conference will focus on how to cultivate connections that nurture a purposeful path. Learn how to cultivate a healthy soil that will improve productivity and increase ecosystem services. Look to your past to make strides toward your vision for your farmland legacy. Hear how to engage with your community to spur rural economic development. While renewing your inspiration, also make vital connections that can help you on your path to building resilient farms and communities.