Submitted by Rhys Hansen
Ag Summit Coordinator
The San Juan Islands Agricultural Summit returns to Orcas Island for the seventh year of education and celebration of the islands’ food and farming communities. Offering a selection of 20 different workshops and sessions, this year’s summit is sure to have something for everyone engaged with our local food system.
The summit kicks off Friday, Feb. 7, with eight hands-on workshops around the island. Dive deep with local and regional experts during morning and afternoon topics like “Livestock handling with confidence for Farm and Ranch and Fruit magic, herbs & alchemy: A peek inside Girl Meets Dirt; Orcasong Farm & Orcas Distillery.” These stand-alone workshops are $25 with advance registration, $35 day-of.
The whole community is invited to kick back Friday night at the Summit Hoedown at Oddfellows Hall from 6-9 p.m. Enjoy music, local food and great company at the Summit Hoedown. Tickets will be sold in advance, limited at the door. Menu and more to be announced.
Gather at Camp Orkila the morning of Saturday, Feb. 8 for a tradeshow to kick off the main event! Featuring a variety of vendors, presentations from 4-H youth and light breakfast. Chefs, grocers and makers are invited to meet their new favorite producers at the facilitated “Buyer-Producer Meetup.” Entrance is included in Saturday registration or as a stand-alone ticket for $25.
After a local lunch, Jennifer Moore-Kucera, the Climate Initiative Director of American Farmland Trust, will give a keynote address. Moore-Kucera, who has a doctorate in soil science, works with states in the U.S. Climate Alliance to develop policies and programs to combat climate change.
The full Saturday program includes a selection of 12 classroom seminars. Highlights include local on-farm innovation; navigating value-added licensing; a panel on agricultural use on conservation land; tree hay; soil carbon; and more. Sunday’s all-inclusive ticket includes a light breakfast, tradeshow, lunch, keynote and all Saturday sessions. Advance registration is $75; $85 at the door.
More information including the full event schedule can be found at https://extension.wsu.edu/sanjuan/ag-summit/, or by contacting Summit organizers at sji.agsummit@wsu.edu or calling WSU San Juan County Extension office at (360) 370-7667. Find our event on Facebook and share with your friends. While the Summit is geared toward adults, youth are encouraged to attend at no cost. Please contact us to register any youth under 18 free of charge. Reasonable accommodations will be made for persons with disabilities and special needs who contact us at least two weeks prior to the event. Extension programs are available to all without discrimination.
A thank you to our generous Summit Sponsors to date: Skagit Farmers Supply; Lopez Locavores; Garland Palmer & Associates. This event is brought to you by the 2020 Summit Partners: Washington State University San Juan County Extension; Agricultural Resources Committee of San Juan County; Girl Meets Dirt; Midnight’s Farm; Oak Knoll Farm; San Juan County; San Juan Islands Agricultural Guild; and the San Juan Islands Conservation District.
