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.
2024 Conference
We're excited to announce that our upcoming CT NOFA Winter Conference will take place in-person on March 23, 2024 at Eastern Connecticut State University, with a week of virtual workshops and meetings during the preceding week. Please follow us on social media (Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter), join our newsletter, or return here soon for more details, including workshop information, speaker information, and more.
Request for Workshop Proposals
CT NOFA is excited to announce that we've opened the workshop proposal submission window. Although we're happy to receive proposals for any workshops that capture CT NOFA's mission of fostering the organic movement in New England, the following topics are of particular interest for our 2024 conference:
- Beginning Farmer
- Organic Certification
- Organic Land Care
- Policy and Advocacy
- Soil Health
- Ecological Restoration
- Seed Saving
- Permaculture
- Urban Agriculture
- Regenerative Agriculture
- Farm Improvement/Innovation/Resources
- Funding Your Farm
- Social Justice
- Food Access
- Black, Indigenous Farming Practices & Resources
- LGBTQ+ Farming Resources & Support
- Homesteading (beekeeping, soapmaking/candlemaking, butchering, hands-on, etc.)
- Mental Health and Well-Being
THE BILL DUESING ORGANIC LIVING ON THE EARTH AWARD
This award, conferred annually at the Winter Conference, 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 may 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)
