Florida Organic Food & Farming Summit

Registration continues for Florida Certified Organic Growers and Consumers’ (FOG) statewide Organic Food & Farming Summit taking place September 17-19 in Gainesville.

The Summit kicks off on Sunday September 17 with organic food and farm tours and on-farm workshops in and around Gainesville. Following the farm tours, FOG will be hosting a mixer at the opening of the trade show from 6 to 8 pm at the Hilton UF Conference Center. The mixer is free and open to the public. The trade show features 40 exhibitors showcasing the latest technologies, products, and services in organic production.

Monday includes twenty workshops and presentations by experienced farmers, industry and government leaders, extension agents, authors, researchers and educators in the agricultural community. Workshops will cover topics like Composting Organically, Urban Farming, Soil Health, Farm Marketing, Climate Change and Farm Resilience, and many more. A keynote address by FOG’s Executive Director, Marty Mesh, will take place during the Summit luncheon on Monday, and the trade show will be ongoing throughout the day.

Tuesday’s post-Summit trainings include two concurrent sessions: Food Safety Grower Certification Training and Beyond the Soil: Resources for Beginner Organic Growers. Those attending the food safety course will be eligible to receive a certificate from the Association of Food and Drug Officials. Beyond the Soil is an opportunity for farmers of all levels, but especially those interested in starting a farm business or those who are new to farming, to learn about the programs, funding, personnel, and resources available to help them grow. 

“FOG is very proud of the diverse educational opportunities we will be providing to Florida’s growers—both existing and those just beginning their careers in agriculture—at our Summit next month,” says Marty Mesh, FOG’s Executive Director.  “To reach these growers, a diverse, robust range of training methods will be applied by presenters from universities, government, industry, and of course, Florida growers with hard-nosed experience eager to share their life lessons with colleagues and others who share a commitment to a more sustainable Florida.”

More information and updates on farm tours, workshops, speakers, trade show vendors, and sponsorship opportunities can be found on the Summit website: https://organicfoodandfarmingsummit.org/.  For inquiries, please contact Summit Coordinator, Andi Emrich, at andi@foginfo.org or 352-727-7146.