Conference Schedule
In Progress
Registration & Breakfast (7:30-8:30 AM)
Opening Remarks (8:30-9 AM)
BREAK (9-9:15 AM)
SESSION 1A (9:15-10 AM)
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Speaker: Tucker Manley, Russell Mills Flower Company
Details TBA
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Speaker: Lizzie Hunt
Lizzie Hunt from Plant Community LLC in East Greenwich, RI, will share her experience growing ecotypic plants and why they are so important for biodiversity. She will discuss what an ecotype is, and the role genetic diversity plays in climate change and inter-species relationships. She will then go into detail about propagation practices from wild seed collection, to cleaning, stratification, and planting, and highlight local efforts to increase the production of native seed. You will leave knowing how to grow and source ecotypic plants locally.
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Presented by UMass Extension
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Speaker: Morgan Eldredge, The Fishing Partnership
For farmers and fishermen, unpredictable factors like weather, regulations, illness or injury, and equipment breakdowns can make estimating yearly income a real challenge. Yet accurate income projections are essential for determining eligibility for financial help with health insurance. In this session, you’ll learn practical tips and simple strategies to confidently estimate your income for the year ahead, so you can get the coverage and savings you deserve.
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Speaker TBA
Are you a 4-H or FFA student who is always scrambling to find the documents, receipts or all the things you need for your projects? If so, this workshop is for you! We will go over all the different documents, records and forms you need to meet project requirements so you are organized and ahead of schedule and you can hand in the best projects possible. Getting this system down will not only help you meet your 4-H and FFA project requirements, but can set you on path for success on all your future endeavors!
Session 1B (10-10:45 AM)
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Speaker: Rebecca McDonald, Cross St. Flowers
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Speaker: Casey Downes
Discover how integrating herbs and native plants into working farm landscapes—through hedgerows, windbreaks, and field margins—can enhance biodiversity while supporting soil health, water conservation, and natural pest control. This session explores how these plantings contribute to ecological resilience and open pathways to value-added products and stewardship-based marketing.
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Speaker: Amy DuFault (SENE Fibershed), Diana Wickman (Falmouth Sheep and Wool Company)
Across Southeastern New England, farmers are facing a growing crisis: mountains of wool—once a valued commodity—are now being thrown out, incinerated, or stockpiled with no clear path for use. With shearing an essential part of animal welfare, farmers are left searching for sustainable, economically viable outlets for a fiber that is too often treated as waste.
In this workshop, Southeastern New England Fibershed Director Amy DuFault and Falmouth Sheep & Wool Company’s Diana Wickman will explore the scope of the region’s waste wool challenge and share new opportunities emerging from the fibershed’s recent wool feasibility study as well as Falmouth Sheep & Wool Company's hands on work with their own wool. Both presenters will offer practical steps for transforming low-value or waste wool into profitable end products - from soil amendments and homewares to innovative building materials and insulation.
Participants will learn why so much wool is being discarded, findings from the regional wool scouring study, products to be made from waste wool (dryer balls, fertilizer pellets, erosion control mats, stuffing alternatives), how waste wool can support soil health, climate resilience, and local circular economies, and steps the community can take to support farmers and grow a regional wool value chain. -
Speaker: David Weisberger, University of Rhode Island Extension
Description TBA
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Speaker TBA
Description TBA
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Speakers: Will Harper, Moderated by Melissa McKenna
Recent Alumni from Bristol Aggie and Norfolk Aggie will share stories and lesson in their journeys from high school student to career minded adults. They will discuss their individual businesses, why they started them and the decisions and experiences along the way. If you're a current high school student who is thinking about starting your own business, interested in agriculture as a career path or just want to hear great life experiences from recent alumni, this workshop is for you! This workshop is for teenagers only.
BREAK (10:45-11 AM)
Session 2 (11-11:45 AM)
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Speakers: Anna Jane Kocon, Little State Flower Company & Jill Rizzo, Wild Seasons Florals
Jill Rizzo of Wild Season Florals and Anna Jane Kocon from Little State Flower Co. have been longtime collaborators and flower friends. They have figured out how to work together and understand the ebbs and flows of both the florist side of the business and the seasonality, availability and fluctuations of flower farming. They have formed a symbiotic relationship where local flowers are showcased in almost everything Wild Season's creates from weddings and events to the Newport Mansions and everything in between. They will share their journey together to help others get more local flowers into the hands of florists and designers.
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Speakers: Jessica & Craig Brown of Wings and Stings Farm and Apiary, Sadie Brown
This workshop presented by Wings and Stings Farm will focus on native and non-native medicinal herbs and flowers that grow well in Massachusetts. We will discuss some common ways to use plants and share recipes you can try at home.
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Speaker: Frank Ashley, Darrin Mendes, Jane Roggero - The Livestock Institute
The Calf-to-Cutsheet Presentation, hosted by The Livestock Institute of Southern New England/Meatworks, is a session guiding farmers through the process of raising a calf to market-ready beef. It covers calf selection, feeding, care, processing, and profitability, offering practical insights on whole-animal utilization and working with local processors like Meatworks.
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Speaker: William McCaffrey, Old Earth Orchards
The leaves are off the trees and we are in the prime window for dormant tree pruning! William will cover some regional-specific nuts & bolts of pruning both pome and stone fruit trees for our changing southeast New England climate, followed by a hands-on messy demo with live wood! Pruning is a 3-dimensional art not easily taught via 2-dimensional PowerPoint, so we will be experimenting together on how to bridge the gap.
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Speaker: Stacy Entel, CMCRI/Land & Sea Together
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Speaker : Gather Wealth Management
Participants will gain information on business growth planning, tax strategies, savings frameworks, and succession/legacy planning.
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Speaker TBA
A career in agriculture is not limited to working on a farm anymore. In MA alone, the variety of these careers changes and varies greatly across our great state. These can include aquaculture and oysters, timber, ag mechanics and everything in between. How do you figure out what you want to do, where to look for jobs, or even how to get the training needed for these careers? This workshop will cover some of the lessons, and take aways for networking, internships and what careers are out there, and in high demand in the agricultural world.
BREAK11:45 AM-12:00 PM
LUNCH 12:00-1:45 PM
BREAK1:45-2 PM
Session 3A 2-2:45 PM
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Speakers: UMass Extension
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Speakers: Nathan Lambstrom
Landscaping clients are increasingly asking for more wildness in their gardens, but it’s not always clear what that means. This workshop will explore “wilder” gardening, including ecological gardening practices into existing landscapes, choosing resilient plants, and proper design, ordering, installation, and care. With 15 years of experience, Nathan will share what he’s learned about how to communicate effectively with clients about what to expect from this type of garden.
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Speaker: Mike Roberts, Roots Farm
Mike Roberts of Roots Farm will present simple gadgets and improvements he made for his farm, and discuss guidelines, tools, and skills to help farmers build their own gadgets and improvements for their own operations. Mike’s goal is to empower other farmers to finally do something to address the hassles, headaches, and frustrations that can plague our day-to-day tasks!
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Speaker: Cian Dalzell, The Carrot Project
How to use your costs and your competitor’s prices to stay in business. We’ll walk through how to calculate prices that reflect your true costs, account for your time, and help you build a financially resilient business.
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Speaker : Kelly McNiff, Farm & Forest Education Center at Pat's Pastured
It is always true that our future lies with the upcoming generation of youth and young adults. Nowhere is this more true than our agricultural and food systems. This workshop will highlight programs that are doing creative and innovative work around engaging youth in agriculture. The importance of this work underscores our food security, environmental sustainability and an increased agricultural workforce.
Session 3B 2:45-3:30 PM
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Speaker: Catarina Temux
In this workshop, Catarina shares her journey of growing and selling flowers—including peonies, tulips, dahlias, ranunculus, zinnias, lilies, snapdragons, lupines, sunflowers, dried flowers, and more—sustainably on just ¼ acre on ancestral lands of the Pokanoket tribe, Seekonk, MA, all while balancing farming with motherhood and a full-time job. Participants will learn practical, small-scale strategies for efficient flower production, from soil preparation to harvest. Catarina will also outline simple, effective systems for selling blooms through CSA shares, Mother’s Day floral offerings, farm stands, and local shops in Seekonk, MA, and Providence, RI.
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Speakers: David Weisberger, University of Rhode Island Extension
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Speakers: UMass Extension
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Speakers: Ashley Fullen, Robin VanRotz
A career in teaching agriculture to the next generation is rewarding and life changing! Also, trained teachers that are qualified to teach in our agricultural high schools are in high demand! This workshop will cover the requirements of being an ag teacher, both full time and substitutes. It will also cover what a day in the life an ag teacher looks like and what aspiring teachers can expect. We hope this workshop will help people on the path that want to help educate our next generation of farmers, ag mechanics, veterinarians and everything in between!
BREAK 3:30-3:45 PM
Session 4: 3:45-4:30 PM
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Speaker: Beth Romaker
Description: With 40 million acres of lawn nationwide, turf grass is our country's most irrigated crop. But in the face of climate change and biodiversity loss, many homeowners are seeking alternatives to traditional lawns. This workshop will teach you how to create and manage native meadows, from land preparation and seeding to long-term maintenance.
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Item description
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Speaker: Dee Levanti, Land For Good
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Speaker: Kristen Castrataro, Penlight Farmers
Description: Have you ever felt like there’s never enough time, energy, or resources in your farm life?
If so, you’re not alone. Farmers across all specialties and experience levels often share
these very same frustrations. The good news is that we can start to transform “less” into “more” today, without investing in expensive machinery, software, or employees. In this one-hour workshop, you will immediately gain more time, more energy, and more satisfaction by hacking the single greatest influence in your farm life: yourself.
This interactive session digs into three key farming mindsets that prevent us from
increasing and maximizing our existing resources. Participants will learn:
● Why our farming mindset matters
● How three common mindsets keep us stuck, feeling overworked and
overwhelmed
● Practical strategies to hack our mindset and gain forward momentum
The strategies you learn in this workshop are simple enough to use today and powerful
enough to use for a lifetime. Learn how to hack your farm life today. -
Speaker TBA
Description TBA