Pre-Conference Events

The Amigo Farm tour is always a good time! We meet in Cedar City early in the morning and enjoy hot beverages and pastries before we load the shuttle bus. We will be heading to Kanab, driving through Zion National Park, and touring a mixed vegetable market garden, flower farm, and bison ranch. Lunch this year will be made by board member Chef Shon!

Symbria Patterson, co-founder of Red Acre Center, will be your guide.

All aboard!

Starting Location

Heritage Center

105 W 100 E

Cedar City, UT 84720

Join our pre-conference workshop to dive deeper into the art and spiritual science of Biodynamics. We will explore the foundational teachings of Rudolf Steiner, the importance of Light and Sound in our work to regenerate our gardens, farms and ranches and how to foster relationships with all of Life.  Participants will learn how and why to use Biodynamic Preparations, instruments to increase vitality and other simple Biosprays. This workshop will include meditation, sections of lecture and hands on group experiences in the Greenhouse as well as outside around the farm and compost piles. Lunch is included.

A rare opportunity to learn from cheesemaker Corrine Zinn, owner of Park Place Creamery. She pairs her Belgian cheese-making experience with the Utah terroir to teach you in this hands-on class (limited to ten participants). You'll learn the art of crafting your very own goat feta and take a small tub home to enjoy. For lunch, a cheese board will be served with all of the Park City Creamery cheeses. Feel free to bring your own bottle of wine. 

Location

Red Acre Farm

2322 West 4375 North

Cedar City, UT 84721

Led by Tony Richards of Utah Soil Health Partnership

Learn how the power of observation and some simple in-field tests can tell you how healthy your soil is and identify resource concerns that might be impacting the productivity of your soil. We will use a rainfall simulator to demonstrate how soil health principles impact its ability to be resilient to extreme weather conditions. We will make onsite comparisons of a biodynamic, certified organic, two-acre vegetable farm and a neighboring larger-scale alfalfa farm. 

Location

Red Acre Farm

2322 West 4375 North

Cedar City, UT 84721

Led by Paige of Cache Canning in Escalante.

Learn the basics of both water bath and pressure canning with an emphasis on modern food safety. Whether you're a beginner or a seasoned pro, you'll leave with skills and knowledge to add to your food preserving arsenal and leave with a few completed jars for your pantry.

Location

Red Acre Farm

2322 West 4375 North

Cedar City, UT 84721

Led by TK of Red Acre Farm

Free to all conference attendees.

A 90-minute nerd-out on small-scale, no-till-market garden tools. 

TK will show and demonstrate some of Red Acre Farm's many tools: the Neversink gridder, Jang seeder, Growers & Co rake and broadfork, Neversink Mutineer hoe, Glaser wheel hoe, a  high-arch wheel plow, Earthway seeder, flame weeders, and more.

Location

Red Acre Farm

2322 West 4375 North

Cedar City, UT 84721