Community Agriculture Conference 2026

The Community Agriculture Conference is an annual gathering for those from the gardening and urban agriculture communities. People of all ages and abilities are welcome to attend! For this 17th annual conference, we're excited to welcome local experts that will speak on pollinators, pest management, canning, winter gardening, and more. *Those wanting to add on a lunch to their registration, the registration deadline is February 10, 2026.*

The conference will take place at the Delmar Divine, the location of Seed St. Louis' office and future Demonstration Garden. There will be a limited number of tickets. Local non-profit organizations will also be on-site with information tables.

Location: Delmar Divine, 5501 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, MO 63112

Parking: Free visitor parking is available in the parking lot on Belt Avenue just off of Delmar and Belt, immediately to the east of the Delmar Divine building. A detailed map will be sent prior to the conference to all attendees. Free street parking is also available.

Check-In: Check-in starts at 8:45 a.m. with the conference beginning at 9:30 a.m.

Cost: $10 per person
Scholarship registrations are available upon request. Email [email protected] for more information.

Lunch (Optional): $10 per person
The deadline for those wanting to order a lunch is by the end of the day on Tuesday, February 10th. Your lunch must be ordered at the time you register for the event. Attendees are also welcome to bring their own lunch. There are refrigerators available in the kitchen area at the Delmar Divine.

Lunch Choices: Roasted turkey breast sandwich, ham sandwich, medium rare roast beef sandwich, genoa salami sandwich, famous veggie sandwich (vegetarian and vegan option), white meat chicken salad, pesto chicken salad sandwich, and albacore tuna salad sandwich. All lunches include potato chips, pickle spear, and cookie. Those wanting gluten-free bread or for their famous veggie sandwich to be vegan will have the option to note this on the registration form.

Recorded Sessions: Three select sessions will be recorded and posted on our YouTube channel after the event. Those are noted below.

Instead of just one keynote speaker we will have those from the community present short five minute presentations on a variety of topics. Think lightning round conversations about gardening!

M**der in the Marigolds: Enriching Your Garden by Attracting Predators, presented by Micah Issitt, Author & Ecologist (This session will be recorded.)
Learn about how to increase diversity in our gardens, by utilizing native plants and water gardening, to attract predatory insects that prey on aphids and other garden pests.

Preserve the Culture: How Canning Builds Community, Food Security, & Culinary Confidence, presented by Chef Queenie Vessey, Neeuqs The Experience
In this interactive, story-driven session, Chef/Farmer Queenie Vesey explores how modern canning and food preservation can transform households, communities, and food systems. Attendees will learn how to safely preserve seasonal produce, reduce food waste, and bring back the cultural wisdom that once lived in every kitchen. Queenie blends her culinary training, farming experience, and community teaching to make canning accessible, even for beginners with limited space or equipment. This session offers practical techniques, real-world demonstrations, and a deeper look at how preserving food preserves identity, resilience, and connection.

Youth Garden Programming Outside of a School Setting
Panelists: Dionne Ferguson, Executive Director, Good Journey Foundation; Jodi Smedley, Community Outreach & Garden Manager, Wildwood YMCA
Moderator: Tonia Scherer, Director of Schools, Seed St. Louis
Any garden space can be a welcoming space for young people. This panel will showcase two network gardens that offer community youth programming outside a school setting: Bustani Ya Upenda (Good Journey) Garden in the Academy/Sherman Park neighborhood of north St. Louis and the Wild West Community Garden of the Wildwood YMCA. Panelists will offer insight into their programs and experiences with youth in these garden spaces. This conversation will be moderated by a Seed St. Louis staff member, with an opportunity for the audience to share their own questions and experiences.

Growing Through Winter: Season Extension Strategies That Work, presented by Jena Hood, Director of Agriculture & Education, EarthDance Organic Farm School (This session will be recorded.)
Successful winter growing is less about battling the cold and more about good planning and smart protection. In this class, we’ll cover cold-hardy crops, planting timelines for winter success, and simple protective structures that make season extension achievable. Designed for home and community gardeners, with takeaways for small-scale growers, this session focuses on practical tools, realistic expectations, and extending your harvest well beyond the traditional season.

Supporting Missouri’s Native Bee Species In Your Backyard & Beyond, presented by Juan William Chavez, Artist & Director, Northside Workshop; Kiersten Torrez, Master Gardener & Director of Programming & Sustainability, Northside Workshop
Missouri is home to over 450 Native Bee species, with more than 200 found within the city limits of Saint Louis alone. These native bees are highly efficient pollinators, playing a vital role in the reproduction of many plants, which in turn supports other wildlife. Many of these species are highly threatened by habitat loss and pesticide use. Join us to learn tips on how to spot them, what they like to pollinate, and how you can create habitat to support them. Attendees will receive an informational zine.

The Health Benefits & Risks of Community Garden Participation, presented by, Daniel Giammar, Lora Iannotti, Rachel Penczykowski, and Elmira Ramazanova, Washington University in St. Louis
An interdisciplinary research team at Washington University is exploring the health benefits and risks associated with participation in community gardens. The team will first provide an update on recent work on metals in community gardens and the integration of research and education in public schools and community gardens. The second half of the session will be an interactive workshop in which participants will share ideas on information on challenges and opportunities around leveraging community gardening participation for positive health outcomes.

Spring Native Edible Plants for Your Farm & Garden, presented by Dr. Nadia Navarrete-Tindall, State Extension Specialist, Lincoln University Cooperative Extension, Native and Specialty Crops Program (This session will be recorded.)
Food is at the intersection of literally everything—economy, ecology, people, culture, cities, and systems. In this session, learn how indoor agriculture can be a powerful tool for feeding and healing the world, from large scale global solutions to small communities taking charge.

The Buzz on Maximizing Orchard Fruit Production: Reports from the Field, presented by Aimee Dunlap, Professor of Biology and Director of Whitney R. Harris World Ecology Center, University of Missouri, St. Louis; Kyra Krakos, Professor of Biology, Maryville University; Nicole Miller-Struttmann, Associate Professor and Browning Chair of Biology, Webster University; Nathan Muchhala, Professor of Biology, University of Missouri, St. Louis; Ed Spevak, Curator of Invertebrates, Saint Louis Zoo
Orchards provide local sources of high-quality fruits, create shaded nooks for people and animals, and reduce the environmental impacts of long-distance transport of food. However, getting reliable, large yields from community orchards poses several challenges. For instance, fruiting success can vary a lot from year to year, in part due to insufficient pollination. We are a team of researchers from five institutions in the St. Louis region working together with 18 Seed St. Louis orchards to test the effects of increasing pollinator numbers on pollination and fruiting success using relatively simple interventions. During this presentation, we will share some of our most relevant results, including the important role of flies as pollinators, how pollinator behavior is varies, and how those differences affect fruit yield. We look forward to hearing your thoughts and answering your questions regarding what we have found and what they mean for you and your orchards.

Foraging With Youth, presented by Emily Hemeyer, Garden Coordinator, Handwork & Nature Explorations Teacher, Waldorf School of St Louis; Program Director/Lead Teaching Artist, Artscope; Founder/Director, Wild Seed Field Museum
This class is designed for adults who want to confidently introduce foraging concepts to youth using easy-to-identify, common plants. We'll discuss safety, ethical harvesting, and developmentally appropriate approaches, while offering practical strategies for fostering careful observation, curiosity, and respect for the land.

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