Preconference Workshops

HMI Open Gate

Where: Seco Valley Ranch

              3361 County Road 211
              Hondo, TX 78861

Topic: growing and selling grassfed beef.

Time: 9 am to 4 pm (time may be adjust for travel, please check again)

This Open Gate ranch day is unique in that HMI is partnering with TOFGA as part of our 2015 Annual Conference. At the Seco Valley Ranch day, you’ll see how local ranchers are using Holistic Management to improve profitability and land health, while producing and marketing grassfed beef.

For all of the information about this full day on the ranch, click here.

Texas Drought Disaster Summit

When: Thursday, January 29, 2015, all-day

Experts from farm-based organizations

• National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT), Southwest in San Antonio
  
• Sustainable Food Center, Austin
• TOFGA and national advocates and disaster response experts
• Rural Advancement Foundation International-USA (RAFI-USA)
• Farmers Legal Action Group (FLAG)

bring farmers, ranchers and service providers together to focus on immediate needs as well as building long-term resilience.
Goals for the Summit goals

• to connect producers with disaster-related services in Texas and nationally;
• to provide a space for sharing experiences and lessons learned (to date) from the ongoing Texas drought;
• to strengthen the network of disaster-related service providers in Texas and nationally; and
• to identify disaster-related service gaps and inefficiencies as well as steps to correct them.

Maximizing Expertise and
Income on Your Small Family Farm

How many enterprises does it take to run a certified organic community farm? Join us as Green Gate Farms, a diversified vegetable operation with farms in Austin and Bastrop, shares its successes and failures as it approaches its tenth year of operation.

More than 20 enterprises will be discussed by farm founders Skip Connett and Erin Flynn, including: community supported agriculture (vegetables, meat and flowers), wholesale sales, farmers' markets, agritourism, community events, on-farm education, partnerships and livestock. We'll share tips on planning, marketing and choosing enterprises most likely to succeed. Participants will tour the five-acre, award-winning in-town farm (just eight miles east of downtown Austin) and enjoy lively discussion. See www.greengatefarms.net and www.newfarminstitute.org.

Time: 12-4pm

Location: 8310 Canoga Avenue, Austin, Texas 78724