TYPES OF SESSIONS:
- Plenary Sessions – full-network, big-picture discussion spaces meant to grow our shared understanding of the work before us as a movement, the legacies we’ve inherited, and the vision we have for a just, sustainable, resilient future
- “Hands-on” Skillshare Sessions – panels, roundtables, demos, and more, on a wide variety of practical skills related to farming and food systems
- Virtual Film Screening – Virtual screening of movies that move and inspire
| Session type | Day | Time | Title | Description | People involved |
| Plenary | Thurs, 12/2 | 6:00-8:00pm | We Are Still Here: Climate Crisis & Community | It is clear that climate change will continue to affect our folks and our network, as farmers are on the front line of the climate crisis and as people of color and poor folks are the most affected by disaster and often become climate change refugees. In Alabama, we have all sorts of natural disasters that might be around the corner that we are preparing for. Rugged individualism tells us we need to prepare for these alone but another way is already here and possible. Many ASAN members look towards community in response to crisis, tapping into histories of well established networks of support. In this session we hear from people who have been working in disaster preparedness, mutual aid, and collective care in Alabama to discuss the question: what does disaster preparedness mean in a communal sense? | Jennifer Crosslin (Gulf Coast Center for Law & Policy), Angela Comeaux (Mvskoke Hoktvlke), Virginia Richard (MOWA Choctaw), Sasha Irby (Osage, Lakota, and Mvskoke peoples) |
| Skillshare | Fri, 12/3 | 2:00-4:00pm | Indoor & Outdoor Mushroom Production | This session will demonstrate practices for the two primary methods of mushroom production in the Deep South: Indoor and Outdoor Production. Topics will include knowledge about the choosing the right species for you, log selection, where to secure necessary production tools, and the economic side of mushroom production. Learn all about mushrooms from 6th generation farmer, Mark Hainds! | Mark Hainds (Palafox Market/LBW Community College) |
| Skillshare | Sat, 12/4 | 12:00-1:30pm | Why Should I Keep Records & Why is record Keeping Necessary? | “How To Keep Good Records” Learn why record keeping is important, how to measure farm business overall financial performance, how to track business profitability and how to use a simple record keeping tool to market and grow an ag-based business. | Russell Bean (Tuskegee University) |
| Roundtable | Sat 12/4 | 2:00-4:00pm | Advanced Produce Farmer Roundtable | Let’s get specific! Join for this round table discussion of Advanced Produce Farmers. Let’s dish about the technical pieces of CSAs, crop planning, season extension, irrigation and MORE. Bring a topic to the table and get to know other produce farmers! (If you are an advanced specialty crop farmer, this is also the session for you) | Moderated by Joseph Battistella (Pine Hill Farm) |
| Virtual Screening | Sun 12/5 | 12:00-2:00pm | “Gather” Screening & Discussion | Gather follows the stories of natives on the frontlines of a growing movement to re connect with spiritual and cultural identities that were devastated by genocide. A indigenous chef embarks on a ambitious project to reclaim ancient food ways on the Apache reservation; in South Dakota a gifted Lakota high school student, raised on a buffalo ranch, is proving her tribes native wisdom through her passion for science; and a group of young men of the Yurok tribe in Northern California are struggling to keep their culture alive and rehabilitate the habitat of their sacred salmon. All these stories combine to show how the reclaiming and recovery of ancient food ways is a way forward for native Americans to bring back health and vitality to their people. http://www.gather.film Screening followed by facilitated discussion. | Moderated by Angela Comeaux (Mvskoke Hoktvlke) |
| Skillshare | Mon 12/6 | 12:00-1:30pm | Impact of Regulation on Viability of Small Farms | COVID-19 revealed an already vulnerable food in the United States, leading to greater interest in a local and decentralized system. Despite this demand, Smaller to Mid-Sized Farms in the United States operate in a regulatory system designed for larger operations and challenge their viability. In this workshop we will explore some of the regulations that impact small local farms and food business, with an emphasis on the state of Alabama. We will also discuss policy changes being made throughout the country to assist small producers. | Alexia Kulwiec (Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund) |
| Plenary | Mon 12/6 | 2:00pm-4:00pm | You Are Not Alone: Navigating the Challenges and Isolation of Farm Viability | This interactive session will focus on anticipating the major challenges to farm viability, the personal issues that come with the stress and isolation of running a farm over time, and how to create community and care for each other. If you have ever wanted to reach out to someone who is struggling, or reach out when you were struggling, but didn’t know how, this session will help give you the confidence that you are not along. | Scott Marlow (Long Rows Consulting), Robin Tutor-Marcom (NC Agromedicine Institute) |
| Skillshare | Tues 12/7 | 1:00-2:30pm | Shipping Meat | There is a lot to consider when looking at this potentially lucrative business model. Shipping meat is not easy. This session will walk through all the pitfalls and give sound advice for those looking to move in this direction. | Matthew Lawrence (Marble Creek Farmstead) |
| Skillshare | Wed 12/8 | 12:00-1:30pm | Grant Writing Made Easy | Grant Writing Made Easy will be an interactive introduction to grant writing. Presented in a fashion that engages attendees through presentation and Q&A, the session is targeted to beginners who want to understand the process for securing grant funds. Content will focus on dispelling myths, identifying funding opportunities, developing standard components of a grant application, and common mistakes and how to overcome them. | Kimberly Richardson (The Official Federal Grants Prep Guide) |
| Skillshare | Thurs 12/9 | 2:00-4:00pm | Advanced Livestock Farmer Roundtable | How do you bring home the bacon? Join your fellow Advanced Livestock Farmers for a round table discussion about the ins and outs of being a livestock farmer. Discussion topics may include fencing, pasture grazing, breeds, processing and MORE! Bring a topic to the table that’s been on your mind or come to connect with fellow farmers in your field. (This is not just for meat farmers, dairy and egg producers are welcome too!) | Moderated by Pumpkin Starr (“The Bottom” in Knoxville, TN) |
| Skillshare | Fri 12/10 | 2:00-4:00pm | Commercial Seed Production 101 / Ujamaa Cooperative Farming Alliance | Founder Bonnetta Adeeb will introduce the Ujamaa Cooperative Farming Alliance, a collective of over 80 Black and Indigenous growers across the country who steward culturally relevant heirloom seeds – to sell through contracts with heirloom seed companies, and to preserve and share the cultural significance of, through the collective’s seed sovereignty and seed preservation work. The session will then delve into how farmers can get started with commercial seed production, to both diversify their revenue streams and be part of building food and seed sovereignty. | Bonnetta Adeeb (STEAM ONWARD / Ujamaa Cooperative Farming Alliance) |
| Skillshare | Sat 12/11 | 2:00-3:30pm | Fruit Trees 201 | Provide insight to fruit growing, notes on selecting proper varieties, care, maintenance, fertilizing, spraying regimen, watering and irrigation, mulching, fencing, basic pruning and shaping of young trees. The session will include a fair amount of question and answer time. | Larry Stephenson (Southern Cultured Orchards and Nursery) |
| Plenary | Sun 12/12 | 2:00-4:00pm | Farmers Getting Organized | Together, as farmers and eaters, we have power beyond measure. In this plenary discussion, we are joined by Liz Moran Stelk, Executive Director of the Illinois Stewardship Alliance, and Jason Linsday, Field Organizer for SAAFON, to discuss their experience working with farmers to change policy, build community and get organized in pushing for a more just and resilient food system. During this plenary, you’ll hear about specific organizing models and other ways farmers are gathering to make these changes to the food system. You’ll also hear examples of campaigns fellow farmers and eaters are fueling in other states for state and national impact. Let’s get organized! | Liz Moran Stelk (Illinois Stewardship Alliance), Jason Lindsay (Field Organizer, SAAFON) |