Conference Program Preview
More than 35 workshops over 2 days, including:
Wednesday Keynote Panel
Water is Life: Indigenous Approaches to Water Stewardship
Thursday Keynote Presentation
Agroforestry Across Watersheds
with Omar de Kok-Mercado of Mad Agriculture and Erik Hagan of the Savanna Institute
- It All Starts with Water: Permaculture and The Order of Design
- Ag Policy Roundtable: What’s Happening and How to Get Involved
- Soil Health Panel: Soil Health Indicators for Farmers and The Future of Soil Health in Ontario
- Facilitating Belonging on Farm Teams
- Growing Small Grains in Ontario: A Speaker Panel
- No-Till Potatoes: A Farmer-Researcher Panel
- Kids on the Farm: Getting Creative with Childcare!
- No-Till Intensive Vegetable Culture with Bryan O’Hara
- Game Changers for Farmer Wellbeing
- On-Farm Irrigation: Things I Wish I Knew When I Started
- Pig-Proof Infrastructure for Pastured Pork Production
- Growing Hazelnuts and Other Edible Tree Crops in Ontario
- Balancing Nutrients in Your Soil
- Flower Farming and Marketing
- Managing Pasture and the Drought Resilient Farm
- Integrating Pastured Poultry into Vegetable Crop Rotations
- Beyond Deworming: Practical Strategies to Reduce and Manage Parasites in Sheep
- Farming on Public Lands: Farmer Experiences
- Nitrogen Calculations for Cover Crops
- Innovative Rainwater Catchment Systems
- Agroforestry in Ontario
- Game Changing Investments to Increase the Bottom Line
- Courageous Conflict on the Farm
- CSA Meet-Up: Opportunities for Outreach and Member Retention
Stay tuned for more information as the program is finalized!
Trade Show
Multi Shelter Solutions
High Mowing Organic Seeds
Harvest Impact by 10C
Fiddlehead Farm
DuBois Agroinovation
National Farmers Union – Ontario
Neudorff North America
Ecocert
Wild Craft Permaculture
Interested in becoming one of 25 exhibitors at the trade show? There’s still space! Review the 2023 Sponsorship Package and contact events@efao.ca for more information!
Sponsors
Pfennings
Gold Sponsor
High Mowing Organic Seeds
Silver Sponsor
Bauta Family Initiative on Canadian Seed Security
Funder
Farmers for Climate Solutions
Funder
Interested in becoming a sponsor? Review the 2023 Sponsorship Package and contact events@efao.ca for more information!
2023 Carrot Cache Innovation Prize
Enter to win!
The Carrot Cache Innovation Prize is back for its 10th year at the EFAO Conference! A $1,000 prize will be awarded for innovative, low-cost solutions to planting, harvesting, and managing food grown on an Ontario urban or rural organic farm. Farmers can share proven, creative ways already in use on-farm to build financial and environmental sustainability.
Submissions will be shared with attendees of the 2023 EFAO Conference, who will have the chance to vote for their favourite on-farm innovations. The winner will be announced at the conference.
Do you know someone who is too humble to nominate their innovations? You can nominate a fellow farmer-innovator. We’d love to see any tried-and-tested innovations — like that of Scott Sigurdson of Indian Creek Orchard Gardens, whose compost drop spreader was the most appreciated innovation in 2022!
Additional Conference Information
Child Care & Family Room
Childcare is available from 8:30am to 12:00pm, and 1:30pm to 5:15pm on both conference days.
Kid’s Lunch (12 and under): $18
Youth Lunch (12+): $35
Kid’s Banquet Dinner (under 12): $27
Youth Banquet Dinner (12+): $55
Please indicate interest in child care and kids’ meals when you register. Payments can be made at the conference registration desk.
We are looking for individuals with childcare experience who are interested in volunteering for a half day in the childcare room, in exchange for a half day conference pass (+lunch). Please contact events@efao.ca.
Conference Bursaries
In order to make the conference accessible to all farmers and future farmers in Ontario, EFAO strives to reduce financial barriers for registration by using a Pay What You Can model. To register, please complete this form. Not attending the conference but interested in sponsoring a farmer to attend? Donate today!
Accommodations
Rooms at the Four Points by Sheraton have been blocked at a special conference rate of $145 for one king bed, or $155 for 2 queen beds. All room bookings include a hot buffet breakfast.
Room rates are based on single occupancy – for additional guests, a charge of $19.49 per day will be added for breakfast.
Call the hotel and book before Oct. 30th to reserve the special rate! Mention that you are attending the EFAO Conference. (1 519-681-0600).
Meals
Conference meals will feature food donated and provided by EFAO members and other local ecological farmers and food providers. You don’t want to miss the Wednesday Banquet Dinner! A delicious meal, musical entertainment, and good conversation with new and old friends. If you’re interested in contributing towards conference meals please contact naomi@efao.ca.
Live Music & Dancing
It’s not an EFAO Conference unless there’s a hootenanny! Join our musical guests (TBA) for an evening of merriment on Nov. 29th, after the banquet dinner.
Acessibility Info
Please contact us if you require any accommodations in order to participate in the Conference, or have any medical conditions (for example, severe allergies) you would like EFAO and/or the hotel staff to be aware of. Please note that although EFAO strives to make the Conference accessible, it may not be possible to accommodate all requests.
Although wearing a mask is no longer mandatory, you are always welcome to do so, as it remains a strongly recommended practice by public health authorities to reduce the transmission of respiratory illness, including COVID-19, especially when symptoms are present. EFAO will continue to follow all public health guidelines.
Partners
Bauta Family Initiative on Canadian Seed Security
Canadian Organic Growers
Fair Finance Fund
Local Food and Farm Co-ops
National Farmers Union - Ontario
OSCIA
Ontario Woodlot Association
Organic Council of Ontario
Regeneration Canada
Standard Rates – Early Bird Pricing
Members save $65 on a full conference registration! Learn more about EFAO Membership.