The 23rd Annual Virginia Biological Farming Conference was held in person January 6-8, 2023 at The Hotel Roanoke and Conference Center in Roanoke, VA.
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View the 23rd Annual Conference Program.
The Virginia Biological Farming Conference is Virginia’s premier organic and sustainable agricultural conference!
The Conference brings together farmers, gardeners, eaters, educators, industry professionals, and advocates of biological, sustainable, regenerative, and organic agriculture.
The Conference includes: Pre-Conference intensive workshops; concurrent sessions of workshops, presentations, and panel discussions; trade show exhibitors;Â locally sourced farm meals; and book sales with author signings.
Additional Conference highlights include our Youth & Teen Program, Silent Auction, the Taste of Virginia Expo & Market, morning yoga for farmers, and networking opportunities including regional meetings and fireside chats.Â
Keynote Speakers
Dr. Elaine Ingham
Soil Food Web School
Dr. Ingham has advanced our knowledge about the soil food web for over 4 decades. Widely recognized as the world’s foremost soil biologist, she’s passionate about empowering ordinary people to bring the soils in their community back to life.
Dr. Elaine’s™ Soil Food Web Approach has been used to successfully restore the ecological functions of soils on six continents. The courses offered by Dr. Elaine’s™ Soil Food Web School have been designed for people with no relevant experience – making them accessible to individuals who wish to retrain and to begin a meaningful and impactful career in an area that will help to secure the survival of humans and other species.
Leah Penniman
Founding Co-Director of Soul Fire Farm
Leah Penniman is a Black Kreyol educator, farmer/peyizan, author, and food justice activist from Soul Fire Farm in Grafton, NY. She co-founded Soul Fire Farm in 2011 with the mission to end racism in the food system and reclaim our ancestral connection to land. As co-Executive Director, Leah is part of a team that facilitates powerful food sovereignty programs – including farmer trainings for Black & Brown people, a subsidized farm food distribution program for people living under food apartheid, and domestic and international organizing toward equity in the food system. Leah holds an MA in Science Education and BA in Environmental Science and International Development from Clark University, and is a Manye (Queen Mother) in Vodun. Leah has been farming since 1996 and teaching since 2002. The work of Leah and Soul Fire Farm has been recognized by the Soros Racial Justice Fellowship, Fulbright Program, Omega Sustainability Leadership Award, Presidential Award for Science Teaching, NYS Health Emerging Innovator Awards, and Andrew Goodman Foundation, among others. Her book, Farming While Black: Soul Fire Farm’s Practical Guide is a love song to the land and her people.
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