Events for Farmers, by Farmers
Sometimes a 20 minute conversation with someone who gets it can change the course of a season.  Here are upcoming opportunities to have those conversations in the flesh (or not) with other small scale beginning farmers.  

Convergence 2020/2021 - Do You Want to be a Delegate?

The Hoosier Young Farmers Coalition can send 5 folks to this year's "Convergence." Convergence is a gathering of young farmers from across the country. Since we're a chapter of the National Young Farmers Coalition, we get to send five "delegates" to this gathering. That could be you! 

Convergence is an incredible chance to hear from other farmers, give input on NYFC's farming policy efforts, and to focus on building a better future for beginning farmers nationwide. 

This year's theme is "Achieving Equity Through Agriculture," and we can't think of anything more important as we build a stronger food system in Indiana.

Each chapter of NYFC is being asked to send a delegation that is majority BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color). Each delegate commits to the three-day event, and to bringing knowledge and ideas back to our chapter so that we can all learn from this incredible three-day experience. 

Five quick notes: 
1. We hope to find a mix of delegates who have been involved with our chapter's work for a while, and folks who are newer to our group.
2. The majority of our delegates need to be actively farming, and the majority need to be BIPOC farmers or farmer allies.
3. We've set aside a little cash, and each delegate will receive a $100 stipend as a thank-you for participating in Convergence and bringing this knowledge back to our chapter.  
4. You must be a dues paying member of NYFC to be a delegate. If you're not yet a member (or you aren't current with dues), feel free to handle that later, after you're selected as a delegate!
5. Note that this year's Convergence is virtual, but next year's Convergence will be in the southeast (pandemic depending) - - and we'll help fundraise to get you there. So far, our delegates' flights and housing have always been covered by grants or fundraising). Attending this year is a pre-requisite for attending next year.

Maybe we're getting ahead of ourselves. It's because Convergence is excellent and we're excited.

Click here for details, and to submit your "application."

​Applications due Sunday, Sept 27 at midnight. Note: HYFC members will vote to select our delegates. We'll use the info you put into this form to put make a little bio about each person who wants to be a delegate, and then we'll take a simple vote of our members. Don't stress over this "application." :)

May 27 - June 25 - Let's Talk (Online) Turkey: Farmer-to-Farmer Webinars

Summer 2020 Update: If you missed a session you wanted to see, we've added recordings of the videos on our new Youtube channel. Click here to watch the recordings!

Small farmers are moving loads of product via online sales. Let’s talk about how, what’s working, and what you need to sell online amid a pandemic. We're hosting 9 farmer-to-farmer webinar sessions, starting May 27. Each one will feature a different farmer sharing the tools she's using to sell online. She'll share how it's going, talk about hurdles, and then of course there will be time for conversation!

About these Events
You’re probably already adapting to online sales amid this pandemic. But if you’d like to talk about how it’s going, see what tools other farmers are using, discuss best practices (on the front end, back end, or in between), and share ideas, then we’ve got a space for you. Join the Hoosier Young Farmers Coalition each week, now - mid June. Each time, a different farmer from Indiana will talk about their experiences moving to online sales and what they've learned.

You can’t replace a farmer potluck - but we can still gather to swap ideas. We have a small grant from SARE (USDA’s Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program) to help farmers adapt to selling online. We're using the grant funds to host 8 farmer-to-farmer webinars in the coming weeks. 
  • Each hour-long session will feature a different farmer and the online platforms, tools, and strategies she’s using to sell food amid a pandemic. She will share what's working (and what hurdles she’s encountering). 
  • And of course there will be time for conversation! Farmers from across the state will be able to chime in. We hope you’ll join us to share how these platforms and strategies are working on your farm (or what you’re struggling with!), best practices, and new ideas that you’re coming up with as the season unfolds. 
  • It's not as good as talking over a potluck, but it's still a good chance to connect and trade ideas. These sessions are scheduled at lunch and dinner time on purpose - in part because we know you’re busy - but also because we hope you’ll bring your meal or a mug of tea. Food and drink can still help us connect. 

Sessions will be Wednesdays at Noon Eastern and Thursdays at 7:00 PM Eastern starting May 27. We’ll meet via Zoom (or you can call in). The link to each meeting will be sent out one hour prior to the start of the meeting (we'll send it to the email you use to register). 

If you can tear yourself out of the field, you’ve gotta eat anyway. Why not eat with us, and connect with farmers in this wild time?

And if you missed these farmer-to-farmer conversations, fear not: We’ve recorded the farmers’ presentations and we're posting them to the Hoosier Young Farmers Coalition's new Youtube channel for you to watch on your own time. Enjoy!


Schedule of Presentations
Big thanks to Purdue Extension, IU Center for Rural Engagement, SARE, and the Northwest Indiana Food Council for helping make these farmer-to-farmer webinars happen. 

p.s. If you need more about the nuts and bolts of selling online, check out our Resources page for info!

June 24 - The Power of Story

Consumers and farmers alike can hone their storytelling skills with this online workshop.

​It's free but RSVP is required. Click here to RSVP!

When small farmers and food producers set out to build their businesses, they rarely think about how storytelling fits into the overall picture, sometimes helping—and oftentimes hindering—their potential success. Sherri Dugger of Socially Responsible Agricultural Project will discuss why storytelling matters. This online webinar guides participants as they delve into what makes their food stories unique - whether that's around their table, in the garden, or at their farm or food business. 

This workshop is part of our Storytelling project, supported by Indiana Humanities. Click here for details!

June 1 - June 30 - Ask a Farmer

Please share with consumers and eaters - or you farmers can ask questions, too! :)

Ever wanted to ask a farmer how in the world they got into agriculture? Or what their biggest fear is? Have you been curious about how that baker at the farmer’s market perfects her sourdough? Or what life is like on a fifth-generation farm? Maybe you want to ask something about the pandemic: How are farmers’ businesses doing? Where do I find starter plants or good produce or meat for dinner?Ask away! It's easy:
  • Just submit your question to our “Ask a Farmer” form located HERE by JUNE 30, 2020. 
  • We’ll find farmers from around the state to record their answers to your questions.
  • Our goal is to turn your eaters’ and farmers’ answers into fun, 3-5 minute podcast episodes. This project creates a chance for consumers to be curious, learn about farming and food, and connect with farmers from across the state. The project gives farmers a chance to share their world, knowledge, and passion. It's part of our storytelling project, supported by Indiana Humanities. We're aiming to help Hoosiers update their narrative about food and farming. Click here for details.

Cancelled: April 1 & 2 - Two Days of On-farm Learning with NYFC and Other Friends...Behind the Scenes on Produce Safety, Plus a Listening Session!

Update: These events have been cancelled because of the Covid-19 crisis. Please stay tuned as we try to reschedule or adapt these programs!

You've heard about FSMA rules, and maybe you've been to the Food Safety workshops. That's useful. But what does food safety really look like on the farm?

Come learn with other beginning farmers at these casual, practical events for diversified veg growers. These two days are jam-packed. NYFC is here in the midwest, helping us put these programs on (and a bunch with chapters over in Illinois, too). We hope to see you there.


April 1: IL/IN Produce Safety Tour: Employee & Volunteer Training in Indianapolis at Flanner House Farms, 9-11:30am

Let Food Safety be your first chance to create a team spirit and get your workers jazzed about food safety. We'll dive into how to train employees & volunteers while keeping in mind food safety. Details and RSVP here.

April 2: IL/IN On-Farm Produce Safety Walk Through with Perkins' Good Earth Farm (De Motte, IN, 9am-11am)

Food Safety Walk Through: Dan and Julie are opening their wash/pack area for everyone to learn from. What have they done right, for FSMA...and where is there room for improvement? Details and RSVP here.

Produce Safety Walkthroughs are modeled after On-Farm Readiness Reviews (OFRRs), which are free educational assessments being offered by Departments of Ag and Extension to farmers to help them understand FSMA’s Produce Safety Rule on their operation and how it will be enforced. We've been trained to conduct OFRRs, but since we're educators working for non-profits and not depts of ag or extension, we can't offer official ones. This is our unofficial version, which is geared more toward smaller, diversified farmers who may be qualified exempt. We like to keep the walkthroughs very conversational and encourage growers to come with questions. 

April 2: IL/IN Wash and Pack Station Design with Grounded Earth Farm (Crown Pointe, IN, 2-5pm)

Deep Dive Workshop: Wash Station Design and FSMA: How to improve your space to save time, save your back, and lessen food safety risks. Details and RSVP here.

April 2 - IL/IN NYFC Young Farmers Listening Session at Grounded Earth Farm (Crown Point, IN 5:30-7pm)We hear that young farmers need better access to higher quality, more applicable business services, and we want to know more!

Join us on April 2 at Grounded Earth Farm to make your voice heard and help shape the future of the National Young Farmers Coalition’s Business Services program. We’ll want to hear about resources you’ve used, what’s worked, what’s failed, what you can't find, and more. Details and RSVP here.
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These two days of workshops, walk throughs, and listening sessions are brought to you by Hoosier Young Farmers Coalition, the National Young Farmers Coalition, NWI Food Council, IDEA Farm Network, Flanner House Farm, Perkins' Good Earth Farm, and Grounded Earth Farm. 

March 6, 2020 - Young Farmer After Party - Nonna's by So Italian

We love the Indiana Small Farm Conference - and the chance to hang out afterwards.

We'll gather  in Plainfield after the conference at a new venue this year - Nonna's by So Italian (likely starting around 8pm). It's near the Baymont Inn (but not within walking distance...alas, the Black Swan where we used to hold our party has closed).

We aren't buying (sorry!) but we will create a space for all the young farmers who want to come!

​Grab yourself a brew and some pizza, and hang with excellent folks from across the state.

Coming Soon, to a Winter 2020 Farming Conference Near You

We're working hard to make young farmers a part of the conversation this winter. Look for the Hoosier Young Farmers Coalition at winter conferences all around the state in 2020 - and we want to see you there!

Details are still TBA, but count on seeing us at these conferences. We hope you'll register for the conferences, learn a ton, and have fun connecting with other beginning farmers this winter. And of course, come hang with us at some point during the conference.

January 30 - Indiana Uplands Winter Food Conference: We'll have a table in the afternoon networking session. 
February 1 - Food and Growers Association Winter Conference: We'll have a table and two of our chapter leaders (Nate and Liz Brownlee) will be presenting.
February 7 - Northwest Indiana Food Council's FED Expo: Find us in the Exhibit Hall AND record a story at our storytelling station (details TBA)
March 5-7 - Indiana Small Farm Conference:
  • Join us at the Young Farmer After Party (Friday night, March 6),
  • Find us in the exhibit hall,
  • And check out the sessions we're helping host:
    • On Saturday: We're helping bring Lindsey Lunsford, of Tuskegee University, to lead a session about equity in the food system.
    • On Friday: We'll also host the brand-new Advanced Grower Learning Circles (a place for conversation among folks whose farms are up and running, and want to dig into details like working with employees, farming with your spouse, and so much more).
      • 1. Managing Relationships on the Farm with Genesis McKiernan-Allen of Full Hand Farm. Farmers can talk together about employee management, from the hiring process to making it through the season, and strategies for farming successfully with a partner or spouse. Friday, March 6 from 11:00am-12:00pm
      • 2. Building, Balancing, Right Sizing Your Farm - with Jeff Hawkins of Hawkins Family Farm. We’ll talk together about when (and how) to add new enterprises, and strategies for “load leveling” to create a more even farm year. Friday, March 6 at 3:45-4:45 pm, Conference Rooms
March 23 - Northeast Indiana Local Food Forum in Ft. Wayne: Record your food and farm stories at our booth (again, details TBA)

See you there!

November 17, 2019 - End of Season Farmer Hangout *REGISTRATION IS FULL*

Update: This event is sold out! The restaurant can only fit so many, and we are full. We are sorry! Want to host a farmer hang out in your neck of the woods? Fall and winter can be perfect for connecting. Let us know and we can help make it happen!

Original event posting...now closed. :(

Let's catch up! End of season farmer hang out on Sunday, November 17 from 1-3pm at Albano's Pasta in Valparaiso, IN.  

This event is a cosponsored by our friends at the Northwest Indiana Food Council and the Idea Farm Network.

 October 20, 2019 - Mad Farmers Collective + HYFC     *RSVP, Please!*

​Mad Farmers Collective and Hoosier Young Farmers Collective are partnering for a fall event that will include everything a weary farmer needs by the middle of October:
  • A tour of a highly productive urban farm (inspiration!),
  • Some focused and slightly nerdy discussion about best practices when it comes to washing greens (education!),
  • A review and close look at the MFC homemade greens bubbler (specific how-to info!),
  • And of course plenty of time to socialize and unpack the season over snacks and beers with other farmy types (physical and soul food!).
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The event is free and will be held onsite at the Mad Farmers' gorgeous urban farm, just a few miles south of downtown Indianapolis. Light supper fare will be provided thanks to MFC and a generous SARE grant.

​We hope you can join us, and hope you'll take the time to RSVP so we can order food appropriately.

The afternoon will unfold like this:
3 pm - Gather and Welcome, quick tour of the 1.5 acre farm
3:30 - Greens Bubbler Review from the Mad Farmers. We'll post up at the wash/pack to hear about the research and process that went into building the greens bubbler and get a review of its performance and potential for increasing productivity and efficiency on a production farm. Lots of time for questions and hopefully a chance to hear from other attending farmers about their own greens washing procedures.
4:30 - Scott Monroe, Purdue Extension Specialist for Food Safety, will give a brief overview of his recent research into best practices for washing greens to eliminate contamination concerns.
5:00 - Eat and talk! Talk and eat! We'll provide light supper fare to enjoy while you ask a few follow up questions, catch up with folks you haven't seen all season, and hopefully meet lots of new folks.

We'll also have information available about joining the Hoosier Young Farmer Coaltion (it's free!) and about an exciting Fellowship opportunity (it includes money!) unfolding for the 2020 season.

Hope to see you October 20th! Don't forget to RSVP!

Summer Social: August 4, 2019 - Mavourneen Farm

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Each summer, we host a farmer social. We think it's pretty excellent (though we may be biased). The idea is to host the social when we all are ready for a little fun - most plants are in the ground and growing, spring berries have been harvested, all of the animals are out grazing and rotating through pastures, but the fall harvest season isn't yet upon us.

Join the Hoosier Young Farmers Coalition at Mavourneen Farm in Bloomington for our Third Annual Summer Social.

Tour of the farm at 12:30. Good, old fashioned potluck lunch at 2pm. Swimming in the pond, volleyball, music and general hang out time until about 6pm. 

Bring along:
  • Something to share for the potluck.
  • We'll have some beer and other drinks on hand, but BYO's are encouraged. We'll also have cups, plates, and the like. Bathroom accommodations are primitive and sustainable (read: composting toilet).
  • Swimsuit and towel for the pond! 
  • Guitar, banjo, etc. to join in the music
  • A camp chair and a smile.
  • You, your farming friends, your partner, your kids, etc. 

Please note:
  • Please leave the pets at home - there's not a lot of space for animals to run around. 
  • We'll be guests at a community pond, and we'll want to respect their rules. Please plan to swim safely: Children need to be supervised by an adult at all times, people should wear a life jacket and stay inside the shallow area if they aren't strong swimmers, etc.

Can't wait to see you for fun, sun, and socializing!

Driving Details:

Address is 8745 S Rockport Road Bloomington, IN 47403

From Bloomington, follow South Rockport Road for about 12 miles.  Just outside the tiny township of Kirksville, you will pass Rock East Road and then come down a very small hill.  At the bottom, on the left you’ll see a gravel drive and a blue sign with lots of numbers on it.  The sign says May Creek Farm on the top.  Mavourneen Farm is located at May Creek—a farm within a farm.  Follow the drive past the pine trees, there will be signs to direct parking.  Call 812-322-8835 if you have any trouble finding the place. 

Farm Crawl: Sunday, April 28 - Central Indiana

Plans are in motion for a Farm Crawl for our spring 2019 event! 

Get a behind the scenes look at Teter Organic Farm, Full Hand Farm, and Free Folk Farm...

...that means we'll see an organic fruit and veggie farm (that's tied to a church's outreach),  a four-season farm in year 8 of production, and an urban farm in Year 1, all in one day.

We'll add more details, but know that:
- We'll start at 1pm
- You'll have the chance to carpool with other farmers between the sites
- We'll share a potluck meal at the end of the tours

Follow us on Instagram and Facebook for more info.
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Don’t see something in your area on our schedule?  
Contact us and let's make something happen!
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