BRCC, Valley Pike will serve as sites of Virginia farm to table conference

Blue Ridge Community College and Valley Pike Farm Market will be the sites of a state conference focused on local agriculture and food.

The 2024 Virginia Farm to Table Conference will be held Dec. 5-6 at BRCC’s Plecker Workforce Development Center in Weyers Cave.

The event will kick off with a networking reception at Valley Pike Farm Market.

This year’s conference theme is Connecting Food, Farms and Health. The conference is for anyone interested in local agriculture and regional food system development.

Speakers will share knowledge of regenerative agriculture, soil health, business marketing and promotion, market trends, local and regional food system development, and much more.

Keynote speakers and practitioners of note include:

• Clarenda “Farmer Cee” Stanley, the founder and CEO of Green Heffa Farms
• Nicole Masters, director of Integrity Soils
• Maureen McNamara, executive director of the Local Environmental Agriculture Project
• Professor Emeritus David Kohl of Virginia Tech’s Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics
• Elisha Barnes of Pop Son Farm in Southampton County

Concurrent sessions will be offered on fundraising, agroecological leadership, regional food system development, emerging food value chain alliances, and more.

“The Virginia Farm to Table Conference gives everyone a chance to engage and network with like-minded people, have thought-provoking discussions and gain timely information on the way you manage food production, marketing, community and employee relationships,” said Mary Sketch Bryant, director of the Virginia Soil Health Coalition. “We hope participants leave this conference feeling inspired by outstanding speakers, stimulating panel discussions, networking opportunities and wonderful food provided by Lucien’s Catering.”

Virginia Cooperative Extension and the Virginia Soil Health Coalition are hosting the conference in partnership with:

• Virginia Tech’s School of Plant and Environmental Sciences
• Virginia Tech’s Center for Food Systems and Community Transformation
• Virginia State University’s Small Farm Outreach Program
• Virginia U.S. Department of Agriculture-Natural Resources Conservation Service
• Agua Fund
• Virginia Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education
• Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
• LD&B Insurance and Financial Services
• Farm Credit of the Virginias
• and many others

The full conference agenda and topics can be found online.

Conference registration ends Dec. 2 at noon.

For questions or if you need assistive devices to attend, please call Eric Bendfeldt at (540) 232-6006 at least five days prior to the event.