Winter Conference
About the Conference
Each March, CT NOFA holds our signature event, the Winter Conference, featuring the Bill Duesing Organic Living on the Earth Award, our annual meeting, and a keynote address. Also included are a variety of workshops on farming, seed saving, organic land care, community food security, social justice issues, and more. The conference also includes farmer circles – peer learning communities for farmers interested in discussing a particular topic in an informal, supportive environment.
2023 Conference
CT NOFA is proud to present our 41st Winter Conference, to be held the second week of March, kicking off on Monday, March 6th, 2023 with a week of live virtual workshops and concluding on March 11th with an in-person gathering and celebration at Wesleyan University.
We'll be offering 20+ live virtual workshops on farming, seed saving, organic land care, community food security, social justice issues, and more.
Join us in March as we learn, grow, innovate, and think critically about what we want our food system to look like in the future. Registration is open on a sliding scale ⏤ this model allows us to practice economic solidarity, providing mutual support for the cost of our programs. In this way, we make our education more accessible and help cover costs of operation. Choose the pricing tier that fits with your income and access to wealth, and help us create a more just, inclusive, and equitable conference.
THE BILL DUESING ORGANIC LIVING ON THE EARTH AWARD
This award is for a recipient who has demonstrated the advancement of organic living on our earth with a project, innovation, action, or lifestyle that supports the continuation of the life work of Bill Duesing – for all to live on this earth in a society in harmony with nature. The accomplishment must contribute to the advancement of organic living in Connecticut in a demonstrable way and be a current or recent accomplishment that reflects Bill’s devotion to organic living and his wish that this critically important work be continued by his friends and colleagues. Award recipients can be one of the following:
• Organic farmer/farm (example: added new revenue sources to secure the farm’s future; expanded availability of organic food in the community; added carbon sequestration measures on his farm, e.g. cover-crops, no-till)
• Organic land care professional /business (example: transitioned from conventional to organic land care; added carbon sequestration measures, e.g. replacing lawn with meadow, etc.)
• Organic advocate (example: spearheaded a change in their local school system, or worked to promote organic legislation, supported healthy soil legislation)
• Organization (example: farmers market became 100% organic; the advancement of farmworkers’ rights; created organic-based social media group)
• Educator (example: developed new ways to add organic food and agriculture to school curriculum)
• Mentor (example: developed process for passing along organic knowledge and skills to new farmers or land care professionals)