Small Farm Conference 2025

Join UMES Extension's Small Farm Conference to learn how to make your agribusiness an even greater success.

You'll be introduced to tools and strategies that can increase farm profitability during the 22nd annual Small Farms Conference, produced by our Small Farm Program.

The event will take place Friday and Saturday, Oct. 24-25, 2025 at a new location this year at the Wicomico Youth & Civic Center in Salisbury, MD.

The theme of this year's conference is: Rooted in Resilience — Growing Strong Farms in Challenging Times.

The overall conference will consist of three tracks (non-traditional agriculture; business and marketing; and ag research and trending topics). Demonstrations and tours will round out the conference.

On Friday, Oct. 24, the conference will offer two morning sessions per track, followed by lunch with a keynote speaker and an afternoon tour of an off-site agricultural operation. Three options for off-site agricultural tours are available, with the bus departing at 2 p.m. and returning around 5 p.m. Each tour is limited to 40 participants.

Breakfast and networking will kick off Saturday, Oct. 25. The remainder of the day offers two morning sessions per track, followed by lunch and two options for an afternoon hands-on workshop. Each hands-on workshop is limited to 25 participants.

TICKETS:

Pre-registration is required for each participant; no walk-ups will be accepted. This event is geared toward adults. Early-bird registration ends Sept. 5 and regular price registration begins Sept. 6 and ends Oct. 10. Lunch will be included on both days and breakfast will be provided on Day 2.

Early-bird registration cost:

$40 per day per participant or $80 for both days (ends Sept. 5)

Regular price registration cost:

$50 per day per participant or $100 for both days (ends Oct. 10)

[Select your Friday tour destination and/or Saturday hands-on workshop AT THE TIME OF PURCHASE.]

HOURS:

• Friday: Check in 8 a.m. Program runs 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m., with lunch included.
• Saturday: Check in is at 8 a.m. Full buffet breakfast and networking are from 8-9:30 a.m. Programing runs 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m., with lunch included.

BECOME VENDOR, EXHIBITOR OR SPONSOR

The cost for Vendors/Exhibitors will be $150. It includes an exhibitor booth, 1 complimentary program registration, and logo recognition in the conference program.

Three sponsorship opportunities are available, ranging from $500 to $5,000. See chart below for more information.

• Seed Starter: $500 or $1,000
• Growing Partner: $1,500 or $2,000
• Harvest Champion: $2,500 or $5,000

For sponsorship opportunities, contact [email protected]. You can either purchase at check-out here or contact [email protected].

SPECIAL ACCOMMODATIONS:

If you are in need of any special accommodations, contact [email protected].

CONTACT:

Crystal J. Sankar, UMES Small Farm Program, at [email protected]

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Info: The Small Farm Conference begins on both days (Friday and Saturday) with check-in, followed by two mornings sessions each day focused on three conference tracks (non-traditional agriculture; business and marketing; and ag research and trending topics). The morning sessions will end with lunch on both days. A breakfast with networking opportunities will be offered on Saturday.

Info: Participants for Friday's event may choose one off-site bus tour as part of their paid ticket on a first come, first serve basis. Space is limited to 40 participants per tour. Select your tour destination at the time of purchase using the questionnaire:
• Elysium Farm in Berlin, Worcester County, MD — a small pork producer
• Zacks Farm in Mardela Springs, Wicomico County — a vegetable operation specializing in Asian crops and more
• UMES Research, Extension and Teaching Farm, Somerset County

Info: Participants for Saturday's event may choose one hands-on workshop as part of their paid ticket on a first come, first serve basis. Space is limited to 25 participants. Select your workshop at the time of purchase using the questionnaire:
• Thinking of Beekeeping? Start Here
• Plant Propagation Techniques

Host or Publisher UMES Extension