MARK YOUR CALENDARS
10th Immigrant and Minority Farmers Conference
Saturday and Sunday – February 7 & 8, 2015
St. Paul, MN
St. Paul— Minority and immigrant farmers are invited to participate in the 10th Annual Immigrant and Minority Farmers Conference. The conference will be held on Saturday and Sunday, February 7 & 8, at the University of Minnesota Continuing Education and Conference Center, 1890 Buford Avenue, St. Paul, Minnesota.
Immigrants and women are the fastest growing sector of farmers. The conference supports these new and aspiring farmers and their contributions to building an adequate supply of local foods, local economic development and healthy communities. Hosted by a collaborative of farmers, volunteers, and government, nonprofit, and University of Minnesota personnel, the two-day conference provides education and resources to small farm operators, and fosters relationships between farmers and community partners.
The theme of the 2015 Conference is “Honoring Legacy: Farmers Moving Forward” The keynote presenter on Saturday, February 7 is Bao Vang, President and CEO of Hmong American Partnership. The keynote presenter on Sunday, February 8 is Bo Thao-Urabe, Social Entrepreneur and Community Builder.
The conference is free to farmers. Language interpretation is available in Spanish, Hmong, Karen, Bhutanese, and Somali. The cost for other interested people is $60 for one day and $100 for both days.
Registration is on-line at http://goo.gl/ylMcFb, or by calling Hli Xyooj at 612-227-9968. Registration closes January 17, 2014, but no farmers will be turned away. Interested farmers and community-based organizations who have questions should contact Dolly Her by email at imfc2015@gmail.com, or by phone at Farmers’ Legal Action Group (FLAG) at 651-223-5400.
Major sponsors of the conference include AgriBank, AgStar Financial Services, USDA- Farm Service Agency, USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service, The Farley Center, Farmers’ Legal Action Group, Hmong American Partnership, Minnesota Department of Agriculture, Mississippi Market, National Immigrant Farmers Initiative, United FCS, and University of Minnesota Extension.
