Sessions
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Beginning Farmer Soil Building Crash Course
Dan Gagnon, Broadfork Farm
Friday · 1:00 pm–4:30 pm
Designed for new and aspiring growers, this 3-hour immersive workshop provides a comprehensive look at the core principles of soil fertility and health. The session directly addresses common challenges faced when establishing fertile soil,…
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Solving the Cucumber Mystery
Dan Gagnon, Broadfork Farm
Saturday · 11:15 am–12:30 pm
By going through a real farm example of troublesome cucumber disease, participants will gain systematic problem-solving and troubleshooting skills for diagnosing plant diseases. They will learn to use available tools and technologies to achieve…
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Growing Great Transplants
Dan Gagnon, Broadfork Farm
Sunday · 2:15 pm–3:30 pm
Growing healthy and thriving transplants is crucial for farm and garden success. Dan will take participants through a detailed look at how Broadfork Farm has grown its transplants over the years and how they…
Dan Gagnon has been growing vegetables for 26 years, first as a gardener and for the past 16 years as a professional market grower. Dan has farmed as co-owner of Broadfork Farm with his wife and business partner Janet Aardema since 2011 in Chesterfield County, Virginia. Dan and Janet have worked to build a resilient farm business that can handle both an unpredictable climate and an uncertain economy. Dan’s approach to teaching and presenting is to provide nuts and bolts tangible information that growers can apply to make their farm’s operations more profitable, efficient, and resilient. Dan resists a one-size-fits-all approach to farming and tries to assist growers to leverage their gifts and resources while minimizing their deficiencies and liabilities. At Broadfork Farm, Dan and Janet grow intensively on just two acres while harvesting and packing for 200 Farm Shares each week plus a robust farmers’ market stand, an on-site FarmStand, and two local grocery stores.