Conference Program Preview

More than 35 workshops over 2 days, including:

Thursday Keynote Presentation

Agroforestry Across Watersheds

with Omar de Kok-Mercado of Mad Agriculture and Erik Hagan of the Savanna Institute

 

Wednesday Keynote Panel

Water is Life: Indigenous Approaches to Water Stewardship

  • 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
  • Innovative Farm Irrigation Systems: A Speaker Panel
  • Cover Crop Lightening Talks
  • 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

DuBois Agroinovation

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

Pfennings

Gold Sponsor

High Mowing Organic Seeds

High Mowing Organic Seeds

Silver Sponsor

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 on December 6th, 2022.

 

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

Co-operative child care will be offered in a secure area during conference sessions. We are looking for individuals interested in volunteering for half a day in the childcare room, in exchange for a half day conference pass (lunch included). If you are interested in being a conference childcare volunteer, please contact us: events@efao.ca.

Live Music

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.

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).

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!

Partners

Regeneration Canada

Regeneration Canada

Fair Finance Fund

Fair Finance Fund

Local Food and Farm Co-ops

Local Food and Farm Co-ops

National Farmers Union - Ontario

National Farmers Union - Ontario

Ontario Woodlot Association

Ontario Woodlot Association

Register

EFAO Member Rates - Early Bird Pricing

Single Day Pass | Member | Nov. 29th

$130
  • Access to all conference sessions, keynote presentations, and trade show on Nov. 29th.
  • Includes buffet lunch featuring food from local ecological farms.
  • Optional Banquet Dinner – $55

Single Day Pass | Member | Nov. 30th

$130
  • Access to all conference sessions, keynote presentations, and trade show on Nov.30th
  • Includes buffet lunch featuring food from local ecological farms.

Standard Rates – Early Bird Pricing

Members save $65 on a full conference registration! Learn more about EFAO Membership.

Single Day Pass | Nov. 29th

$165
  • Access to all conference sessions, keynote presentations, and trade show on Nov. 29th
  • Includes buffet lunch featuring food from local ecological farms.
  • Optional Banquet Dinner – $55

Single Day Pass | Nov. 30th

$165
  • Access to all conference sessions, keynote presentations, and trade show on Nov.30th
  • Includes buffet lunch featuring food from local ecological farms.