Submitted by Peggy Bill
San Juan County Agricultural Resources Coordinator
The fourth annual San Juan Islands Agricultural Summit will be held in Friday Harbor, San Juan Island on Feb. 11-13. This inspiring and informative event brings together 200 farmers, local food and farm advocates, national and regional experts, chefs, and community members for three days of relevant workshops, sessions, keynote talks, good food, and camaraderie.
Farm activist and visionary Severine von Tscharner Fleming, founder of Greenhorns, Agrarian Trust and co-founder of the National Young Farmers Coalition, will inspire and challenge us to think differently about farmland changing hands and a new food and farm economy. Nationally recognized author Dr. Courtney White will offer hope and inspiration about steps for positive impacts in climate change.
On Friday evening, attend a compelling presentation by Dr Courtney White about solutions for the planet. Freshly prepared locally delicious soup, bread and salad will be available before the talk. Taste the superb flavors of local foods prepared by talented local chefs at the Taste of the San Juans on Saturday night after the Summit, followed by a mixer and social hour. Participate in hands-on workshops on Thursday and Friday, Feb. 11-12.
Workshops include: Bread baking with local grains with Jonathan Bethony McDowell, resident baker at the nationally recognized Breadlab; Orchard management, economics, and varieties for hard apple cider with Tom Thornton, Eric Hall, David Bauermeister, and others; Curing and charcuterie for home producers, chefs and fine cooks, with Farmstead Meatsmith, always a favorite; Value added foods, from conceptualization to markets with Fred Berman. Writing your own farm plan with experts from the San Juan Islands Conservation District; and more.
Choose from more than 20 compelling Saturday sessions led by regional experts: farm management tools in the face of climate change, farmland changing hands, frameworks for cooperatives, opportunities for value-added production, approaches for building soil carbon, tips and crops for hoophouse production, marketing tools and insights, and more.
A final schedule and registration will open in January. For more info, visit their website. Questions? Contact summit@sjcarc.org
