NOFA Conferences
About the NOFA Summer Conference
The NOFA Summer Conference is organized by NOFA/Mass on behalf of the NOFA Interstate Council. This three-day event, with over 60 individual workshops, is typically scheduled for the second weekend of August each year. It is historically held at Hampshire College in Amherst, MA. Onsite housing and organic meals are available for presenters and attendees throughout the weekend.
Learn more about the NOFA Summer Conference here.
About the NOFA/Mass Winter Conference
The NOFA/Mass Winter Conference is a one- or two-day event that occurs during the second or third weekend of each January. It is typically held in Worcester, MA, on the campus of Worcester State University (WSU). An organic lunch is sandwiched by over 40 educational workshops for a full day of learning and socializing.
The 2023 NOFA/Mass Winter Conference will be held at WSU Saturday January 14 and online Sunday January 15.
Want to present at the 2023 NOFA/Mass Winter Conference?
Saturday, January 14 through Sunday, January 15 – Worcester State University, Worcester, MA
This is a valuable opportunity for farmers, gardeners, homesteaders, educators, and environmentalists to share resources and ideas to grow our vibrant organic community. We are excited to come together around this winter’s theme, “Cooperative Foodways: Building Our Future Together.”
The conference hosts 40+ workshops and draws hundreds of attendees from throughout the Northeast. In 2023, we plan to run an in-person program on Saturday and online program on Sunday. We encourage you to make the most of the range of possibilities – i.e. tastings in person, international discussions over Zoom, tool modifications, storytelling. Creativity is welcome!
Note not all proposals will be accepted into the conference schedule. We will do our best to select and offer workshops on a range of popular topics from a range of diverse speakers.
Reach out to Conference Workshop Coordinator David Durstewitz (david@nofamass.org) with any questions. We will review proposals throughout August and September and contact you to accept, reject or gather more information into the first week of October.
Reparations and Solidarity Acknowledgement
Compensation for Conference Presenters who Identify as BIPOC
At NOFA/Mass we are working on paying our presenters a just honorarium, according to our budget capabilities. 100% of the funding we receive from the conference goes to our nonprofit and to pay for our presenters, organizers, venue and infrastructure, and does not benefit any single individual. Although many events are virtual, we are still paying honorariums at the scale listed below.
We welcome your feedback as we work toward creating more equitable compensation structures. To learn more about our commitment to racial equity, read our Racial Equity Statement.
Benefits included in our honorarium and in-kind offerings for BIPOC presenters:
- One year of free membership to NOFA/Mass ($50 value)
- 5 complimentary tickets to the conference for family and friends ($400 value)
- 1 half page advertisement in our conference program book ($200 value)
- Presenter stipend ($150)
Total value per presentation: $800