Nov. 9, is the official registration deadline for the Kansas Rural Center’s 2015 Farm and Food Conference, which will be held Nov. 13-15, at the Four Points Sheraton, 530 Richards Drive, Manhattan. After Nov. 9, call 866-579-5469 to see about available space.
In addition to a lineup of nationally renowned speakers on soil health, cover crops and organic systems, and grassroots organizing for social change, the conference plays host to a wide range of 90 minute workshop sessions.  
Day one will feature workshops on the availability, regulations and research on public seed varieties, cover crops in specialty crop production, and crop insurance reform. A farmer roundtable will focus on working farms and real world implementation featuring organic and cover crop-no till farmers.
Day two will feature sessions on how to organize to advance and strengthen rural communities and farm and food systems in Kansas. Other sessions will focus on opportunities and how-to’s for beginning and transitioning farmers, pollinator habitat, marketing strategies, and the 2016 state political landscape.
A complete agenda for each day can be found at http://kansasruralcenter.org/2015-farm-food-conference-agenda/. Cost per day is $65, or $120 for both days. A special student rate and scholarships are available online.
KRC will also host a social hour and reception from 6 to 8 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 13, which will providing networking opportunities for participants and speakers. Wil Maring and Robert Bowlin, award winning singer/songwriters, will provide bluegrass, folk, country and jazz music during the reception.
For the second year, KRC will host a silent auction including handmade quilts, gift certificates, metal art, meat bundles and wine from Kansas farmers, books, and gift baskets featuring locally made items. Proceeds from the auction will benefit KRC’s non-grant programs such as public policy advocacy and emerging issues.
Each day will feature a lunch prepared with ingredients sourced from Kansas farms including meat, salad greens, vegetables, and bread.   
To inquire about the conference agenda or scholarships, call Mary Fund at 866-579-5469, or contact her at mfund@kansasruralcenter.org. Call Joanna Voigt at 866-579-5469, or jvoigt@kansasruralcenter.org, for registration questions.  
The mission of KRC, founded in 1979, is to promote the long-term health of the land and its people through research, education and advocacy that advance an economically viable, ecologically sound, and socially just food and farming system. For more information, visit www.kansasruralcenter.org.