Schedule of events

Kachemak Bay Campus - 533 E. Pioneer Avenue, Homer

Friday, April 25

4:30 p.m. Registration, refreshments and mingling with your growing community

5:15 p.m. Climate change strategies for Alaska farmers round-table
In the past six years, growers in Southcentral Alaska have experienced everything from droughts and heatwaves to months of cold, rainy weather that even fireweed couldn't thrive in. How do Southcentral growers pivot when conditions are less than ideal? Homer farmers will share their experience with irrigation systems, growing under plastic, root cellars, climate batteries and other ideas for growing when the growing gets tough. Register for the Zoom here. 

6:30 p.m. Keynote presentation: The Why and How of Winter Storage Crops in Alaska
by Sam Knapp of Offbeet Farm in Fairbanks
Alaska's climates are ideal for growing crops typically used for winter storage, and Alaskan communities are heavily reliant on the outside food supply chain during the winter. So why aren't more farms growing crops for storage and selling them outside the growing season?
Sam will talk about why Alaskan farmers should consider storage farming and share insights from Offbeet Farm, his winter-focused storage farm in Fairbanks. Sam will also describe some of the details of planning and running storage farms he learned while writing "Beyond the Root Cellar," a book aimed at teaching market growers how to do winter storage at commercial scales. Register for the Zoom here

Saturday, April 26

9 a.m. Registration, coffee and mingling 

10:30 a.m.  Putting the Right Price on Your Products

by Julia Shanks of The Farmer's Office
What’s the right price for your products? You may look at what other farmers charge to set your prices but if you don’t know your cost of production and other expenses, then you may not be charging enough. In this workshop, you will learn how to evaluate the factors involved in setting the right price, from understanding your costs, to knowing what makes your product special, to evaluating different selling opportunities.

Julia Shanks brings a broad range of professional experience to her clients, from pilot to chef to serial entrepreneur. She combines the practicality of an accountant with the creativity of a chef. Working with a range of beginning and established farmers, she provides technical assistance and business coaching that empowers them to launch, stabilize and grow their ventures.

With a mission of supporting a sustainable and just food system, Julia wrote The Farmer’s Office, Second Edition: Tools, Templates, and Skills for Starting, Managing, and Growing a Successful Farm Business.  The book coaches farmers to think like entrepreneurs so they can build a financially sustainable business. The Farmers Market Cookbook: The Ultimate Guide to Enjoying Fresh, Local, Seasonal Produce, co-authored with Brett Grohsgal and cited as a reference in Michelle Obama’s American Grown, highlights the joys of local produce; and helps consumers make the most of local farmers’ bounties. Register for the Zoom here

Noon - Lunch - soup, bread and goodies 

12:30 p.m. Developing a Successful Agritourism / Farmstay 

by Todd Heyman of Fat Sheep Farm

Are you a grower who is interested in sharing your farm with visitors through farmstays and/or agrictourism?

Come join your fellow growers at the FREE Southcentral Growers Conference at the Kachemak Bay Campus for a glimpse into the life of a farmstay farmer with Todd Heyman at 12:30 p.m. Saturday, April 26.

Located in Windsor, Vermont, Fat Sheep Farm has 5 private cabins available for your own farm stay experience.

As a guest on the farm you're invited to share in the gifts of farm life. Guests can enjoy fresh produce from our fields and pasture raised eggs from their chickens. Kids and adults are welcome to help feed the animals, milk the sheep, and learn about cheesemaking (depending on season and availability).

Todd and Suzy were a little late to find each other but are making up for lost time. After years of traveling, their paths crossed digitally on Match.com -- yes, Match.com.

Suzy was an elementary school teacher when they met but she had always loved animals. Todd had quit his job as a lawyer and had been working on various farms in Vermont and Massachusetts trying to learn enough to start his own operation.

Given they both love food, farms, and travel, it didn't take long for them to figure out how their dream lives could merge and Fat Sheep Farm & Cabins was born in 2017.

Todd Heyman will join us to talk about their farmstay operation as one component of agritourism, what works, what doesn't and what people want from a farmstay. He will discuss marketing your farmstay, and the relationship between farm work and lodging work. Register for the Zoom here

1:15 p.m. Body Mechanics for the Physical Farmer

by Physical Therapist Maggie Goedeke
A Users Manual for Understanding the mechanics of the human machine. How to avoid joint abuse and keep your body in working commission. Do preventative maintenance to your shoulders, hips and spine and avoid costly trips to the human mechanic shop. Over view of joint types, strongest positions and body mechanics, foundational strengthening routines, reminder of basic tools such as levers, pivots, pulleys, ropes and hand holds. This is a physical move your body and ask questions workshop!

2:15 p.m. Soil Health 

by Caley Gasch
Learn all about soil health and the factors that contribute to it. Caley Gasch is doing some amazing research on soil health throughout Alaska and will be presenting on the amazing world under the surface of our gardens. What organisms are living in our soil and what can you do to encourage them? Come learn about the soil food web and prepare to have your mind blown!

3:30 p.m. Farm Tools Demo

by Emily Garrity of Twitter Creek Gardens

Anyone who has grown in Alaska knows it's hard work, but there are tools that can help ease the process and improve your efficiency. Smallscare agriculture has grown in recent years worldwide, and with it, a wide range of human-scaled tools from seeders to weeders have been designed. Come see some of the tools used at Twitter Creek Gardens by Emily and her crew. This hands-on class will be held at the Kachemak Bay Campus high tunnel. 

Twitter Creek Gardens is a nine acre micro-farm located on the South side of Lookout Mountain outside of Homer, Alaska. The farm includes one and a half acres of nutrient dense vegetables in a bio-intensive fashion with a concentration on soil health.  Close to 50 different types of vegetables and herbs are grown on the farm. 

As the founder and visionary of Twitter Creek Gardens, and a lifelong Alaskan, Emily is motivated by the desire to provide an alternative to the destructive standard in commercial agriculture. She is committed to working in cooperation with nature to supply a clean, fresh food source for our community.

4:30 p.m. To Be or Not To Be: Hot vs Cold Composting

by Kyra Wagner

What kind of composter do you want to be? Hot or cold? There are lots of ways to compost. Is hot compost the best? Not necessarily. Come learn what different kinds of compost have to offer your garden and find out the best form of composting for your garden and for your lifestyle. This hands-on class will be held at the Kachemak Bay Campus high tunnel. 

Kyra Wagner is an avid gardener and proponent and cheerleader of the local agricultural movement. She is currently the district manager of the Homer Soil & Water Conservation District.