Chippewa Falls, WI – On January 10th and 11th, 2012, CSA farmers from across the Midwest will come together on the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire campus for a two-day conference: Taking Stock – Celebrating Our Success and Planning for the Future.
The Midwest CSA Conference provides an opportunity for CSA farmers of all sorts and sizes to come together to learn, network, and share first-hand practical knowledge and strategies for success. Workshops will be primarily presented by CSA farmers from Minnesota, Illinois and Wisconsin.
Four sets of concurrent sessions will address the themes of: beginning CSA farming; production, packing and distribution logistics; building and cultivating communities through Community Supported Agriculture; and financial management and planning ideas. There will also be time at the conference to discuss the future of the CSA movement in our region. CSA conference keynote speaker is Tony Schultz, a CSA farmer from Stoney Acres Farm in Marathon County, Wisconsin.
The Cornucopia Institute’s Mark Kastel will also provide a presentation on guerrilla marketing. The active word in this workshop is “integration. Kastel will present case studies of how growers and retailers integrate point-of-sale signage, sampling, events, newsletters, social media, speaking engagements, community involvement and media relations into an extremely low cost and effective campaign to tell the story behind your food and farm.
Gretchen Perbix, from Minnesota State University, will present information on successfully using social networking and other forms of communication. And Rachel Armstrong, of the non-profit Farm Commons, will address legal issues impacting CSA farmers.
The Wisconsin Farmers Union is organizing the conference in partnership with Angelic Organics Learning Center, Biodynamic Farming and Gardening Association, FairShare CSA Coalition, Land Stewardship Project, Michael Fields Agricultural Institute, Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Services, and UW-Madison Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems.
For registration information and detailed conference specifics visit www.wisconsinfarmersunion.com, contact Sarah Lloyd at [email protected], or call 608-844-3758.
