Thursday, March 5 - Saturday, March 7, 2015
Danville, Indiana

Event Link: Indiana Small Farms Conference
Organized By: Purdue Agriculture

The third Annual Indiana Small Farm Conference with pre-conference workshop activities taking place on Thursday, March 5th. With numerous networking activities, this conference provides small farmers with many opportunities to learn and interact with other farmers, producers, extension educators, researchers, and students.

Chris' Presentations:

Making Your Market Farm Work for You
Thursday, March 5, 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM
Your market farm should work for you, in addition to you working for your  farm – and that requires you to take care of your vegetables and your business, as well as your life. Learn how you can put it all together, from the market farming fundamentals of weed control, irrigation, post-harvest handling, and marketing, to the management of your farming systems, employees, and finances. From big ideas down to practical examples, consultant, educator, and veteran farmer Chris Blanchard draws on 25 years of farming experience around the country at a wide variety scales to provide this engaging session that will help you understand and control the factors that lead to a profitable market farm that won’t drive you and your family crazy.​

Please note: this pre-conference workshop is offered at an additional charge beyond the standard conference registration.

Capturing and Organizing Data for GAPs, Organic Certification, and other Endeavors
Friday, March 6, 9:00 AM
Paperwork can be the bane of the certified-organic, GAPs-audited, and financially-aware farmer. Learn how to capture information, get on top of your paperwork, and wow your inspector, auditor, and banker. Consultant and veteran farmer Chris Blanchard will provide an overview of the basic techniques he and his crew use to gather information and keep it organized for easy access with a minimum of effort.

Evaluating Investments and Operational Changes
Friday, March 6, 1:30 PM
Want to purchase new equipment? Thinking of expanding your operation? This presentation will show you the tools you need to evaluate your options. You’ll get a down-to-earth approach to help you better understand the economic and other impacts of investments and operational changes, including a look at practical tools like partial budget analysis and investment analysis, as well as considerations for quality of life and business development.

Wednesday, January 14 - Saturday, 17, 2015
Mobile, Alabama

Event Link: Practical Tools and Solutions for Sustaining Family Farms Conference
Organized By: Southern Sustainable Agriculture Working Group (SAWG)

The 24th annual Southern SAWG conference is for serious organic and sustainable producers, farm to school participants, urban farmers or those interested in creating more vibrant community food systems. The event offers informative pre-conference courses and field trips, practical conference sessions, networking, trade show, Taste of Alabama event and more. Each year, participants go home with information to use immediately to improve their operations. Click here for more information.

Chris' Presentations:

Making Your Market Farm Work for You
Thursday, January 15, 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Your market farm should work for you, in addition to you working for your farm — and that requires taking care of your vegetables and your business, as well as your life. Learn how you can put it all together, from the market farming fundamentals of weed control, irrigation, post-harvest handling and marketing, to the management of your farming systems, employees and finances. Consultant, educator and farmer Chris Blanchard will help you understand and control the factors that lead to a profitable market farm without driving you and your family crazy. Chris will draw on 25 years of farming experience to provide both big ideas and practical examples in this engaging session.

(Please note, this pre-conference mini-course requires pre-registration.)

Saving Labor (Saving Money!) on the Market Farm
Friday, January 16, 9:00 AM
Market farming is all about moving stuff around, whether you're moving vegetables from the field to the packing house, water from the well to your transplants, or seeds from packets to the soil. We'll explore efficient systems and practical tools used by successful market farms for seeding crops in the field and greenhouses, transplanting sets, pruning and greenhouse crop maintenance, weeding, harvesting, post-harvest handling, materials handling, and record-keeping.

Ten Things to Think About When Starting a Market Farm
Friday, January 16, 1:30 PM
Getting started in market farming means more than just growing vegetables. It means taking on the responsibilities of owning a business, managing markets, grappling with philosophies, and managing a labor force. Join Chris Blanchard, who has over 20 years experience in managing and owning a market farm, for a look at ten things to think about as you prepare the ground for starting your farm, or as you seek to expand your market farm into a significant income-generator for yourself and your family.

Wednesday, November 12 - Friday, 14, 2014
Halifax, Nova Scotia

Event Links: Atlantic Canadian Organic Regional Network (ACORN) Annual Conference
Organizer By: Atlantic Canadian Organic Regional Network (ACORN)

ACORN’s conference is a fun, three-day event that brings together organic and sustainable farmers, processors and businesses from across the region—and beyond!

Chris' Presentations:

Panel: Pricing
Wednesday, November 12, 1:20 PM
This panel featuring Michelle Summer Fike, Chris Blanchard and regional farmers participating in ACORN's Organic Price Tracker initiative, will delve into some tough questions about pricing your organic products, from considerations about direct sales at the Farmers' Market, through your CSA or Farm Stand, or selling to retailers, restaurants or caterers, this workshop will discuss it all, with an interactive panel approach to generate discussion and hear ideas from participants.

Systems for Accountability and Efficiency for Direct Marketers
Wednesday, November 12, 3:40 PM
Whether you manage one seasonal worker or a large year-round crew, good management can make the difference between making headway on your farm's work, or just creating headaches. Consultant and veteran farmer Chris Blanchard has worked throughout the Midwest to develop systems that make it easy to achieve reliable results throughout your operation.

Ten Things to Think About When Getting Started in Market Farming
Thursday, November 13, 9:00 AM
Getting started in market farming means more than just growing vegetables. It means taking on the responsibilities of owning a business, managing markets, grappling with philosophies, and managing a labor force. Join Flying Rutabaga Works' Chris Blanchard for a look at ten things to think about as you prepare the ground for starting your market farm, or as you seek to expand your market farm into a significant income-generator for yourself and your family.

Fresh Culinary Herb Production on the Organic Farm
Thursday, November 13, 1:00 PM
Fresh-cut herbs can provide an attractive addition to the farmers market, CSA, or wholesale market farm, but they have unique requirements for production, post-harvest handling, and marketing. Join Chris Blanchard for this overview of propagation, field production, harvest strategies and techniques, and marketing.