Annual Immigrant Farmer Conference
7th Annual Immigrant Farmers Conference
For farmers and those who work with farmers, it is officially conference season! The growing season ended a few months ago. Hunting season is over. You could go ice fishing. But for farmers, this is mainly the season for learning, sharing, planning and preparing. How can I better get my costs under control? Should I switch varieties of potatoes, broccoli, beans? Is there a better way to rotate or interplant my crops to get better production or decrease my pests? How can find more markets and what do those markets want? What is this “Organic Certification” and how can work towards that?
While there are numerous, excellent conferences coming up in January and February, the Annual Immigrant and Minority Farmers Conference held in St. Paul, MN stands alone as a conference that is planned and geared for immigrant and minority farmers. Hosted by the Association for the Advancement of Hmong Women in Minnesota, Minnesota Food Association, USDA-Farm Service Agency and USDA NRCS, the two-day conference provides education and connections to resources for small farm and beginning growers. The 7th Immigrant and Minority Farmers Conference will be held on February 3-4, 2012 at the North Central States Regional Council of Carpenters Event Hall, 710 Olive Street, St. Paul, MN. The theme of the 2012 Conference is “Planting Seeds for Success on your Farm.”
What makes this conference special? In February 2011, we had a total of about 240 participants of which 170 were immigrant farmers from 8 different ethnicities from 6 different states. The planning committee is made up of about 15 people from 7 or 8 organizations and 5 – 6 farmers, who work together to determine the program and topics. It is very diverse and inclusive. We have simultaneous interpretation into up to 6 languages through an extensive set of earphones, microphones and transmitters. All workshops are presented, or co-presented, by actual practitioners, meaning farmer market managers, distributors, farmers, chefs, etc. Interpreters accompany the participants as they visit the exhibit tables so to facilitate discussion and exchange. Interpreters and presenters meet before the conference to review the presentations and discuss language and cadence. Workshops and conference evaluations are mainly a brief facilitated verbal question and answer after each session. A highlight the past 3 years has been the lunch time story telling. After everyone gathers up their lunch plates (again catered by Sen Yai Sen Lek Thai Restaurant from Northeast Minneapolis), we gather in the main auditorium and we share stories about where we come from, farming in our native country, farming in our new country, peculiarities of life in America, and life’s wonderful happenings and challenges. It is an amazing collage of perspectives and insights into our burgeoning diverse farming culture.
The highlight for me is the atmosphere. It’s a farmer’s conference. The farmers are foremost and prominent; it’s their conference. While it may start out slow, by the second day, the farmers feel empowered and are very at ease to ask their questions and pursue the knowledge they seek. Farmers from wide ranging heritages (Kenya, Liberia, Somalia, Laos, Cambodia, Bhutan, Burma, Vietnam, Mexico, Guatemala and so on) are sharing and learning together, and meeting people from other organizations, businesses, universities, the MN Department of Agriculture and USDA agencies. This conference brings together people who would not otherwise meet each other in their normal lives and creates long-lasting bonds and networks.
Registration is on-line at (http://www.mnfoodassociation.org/content/12915 ) or by calling MFA at 651-433-3676, or the Association for the Advancement of Hmong Women in Minnesota at 651-222-0475. The conference is free to farmers. The cost for other interested parties is $50 per day.
Glen
Glen Hill
Executive Director
Minnesota Food Association
