Kansas Rural Center holds annual Farming and Food Conference this weekend

More than 14 workshops and sessions falling under the theme “Farming as if People Matter: How to Feed Ourselves, Build New Farms and Adapt to a Changing World” will be offered at Saturday’s Farming and Food Conference in Newton.

The annual conference is put on by the Kansas Rural Center, which provides resources for entrepreneurs in the agricultural industry.

About 15 businesses and organizations will hold workshops, focusing on a variety of topics such as farming with limited access to land, credit and capital, the farm to school program, and establishing community gardens.

Wes Jackson, founder of the Land Institute, will be the conference’s keynote speaker. The Land Institute is a non-profit research, education, and policy organization dedicated to sustainable agriculture that is based in Salina.

The conference will be held at the Meridian Center, 1420 E. Broadway Ct. in Newton on Nov. 2 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Attendance is $45 per person. Click here to register. 

To view a full schedule, click here. 

View the following video to learn more about the Kansas Rural Center and its mission. The video features the owner of Lawrence’s Red Tractor Farm.

Tickets on sale for Kaw Valley Farm Tour

Landscape of Jefferson County near Perry Lake in July 2013. The Kaw Valley Farm Tour will offer beautiful views in addition to education on farming practices.

When Red Tractor Farm was just a dream to owners Jessica Pierson and Jen Humphrey, the two gained inspiration from touring other farms in the area.

They attended the Kaw Valley Farm Tour each October, driving their car from farm to farm where owners guided them through their land, explaining their operation.

“We used to go on the tour when we were talking about starting our own farm,” Pierson said. “It’s a great event to get people out and get involved in agriculture in the area.”

This October, Pierson and Humphrey will be switching roles. They will be showing off Red Tractor Farm, located off of East 850 Road, as part of the ninth annual Kaw Valley Farm Tour on Oct. 5 and 6.

Tickets are now on sale, according to the tour’s website. Each ticket is $10 and admits a car full of people for both Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Attendees will receive a map pinpointing the 27 area farms. Participants will be guided through each farm and have the chance to ask questions about farming practices.

Pierson and Humphrey were told to expect about 200 people each day of the tour. Pierson said they would show people their high tunnel greenhouses, goats and chickens.

To purchase a ticket now, go to kawvalleyfarmtour.org. Starting Sept. 15, tickets will be available at the following Lawrence locations: The Merc, 901 Iowa St., Lawrence Visitors Information Center, 402 North 2nd St., K-State Research and Extension, 2110 Harper St., the Downtown Lawrence Farmers Market and Cottin’s Hardware and Rental, 1832 Massachusetts St.

I’ll be attending the Kaw Valley Farm Tour, taking photos and speaking with some of the farmers and attendees. Be on the lookout for coverage after Oct. 6.