A collaborative effort between two food-focused organizations is resulting in the first conference of its kind exclusively for Whidbey farmers.

The Organic Farm School and Whidbey Island Grown are partnering to host the first annual Whidbey Island Farmers’ Forum. From 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 5, a series of speakers will discuss topics such as cover crops, fruit trees, floriculture, pasture health and grazing and more. A full schedule will be available online at organicfarmschool.org.

The one-day conference takes place in the big barn on the Organic Farm School property. RSVPs must be sent to judy@organicfarmschool.org.

Farmers are the key demographic, although gardeners, homesteaders and anyone else interested in Whidbey Island’s food system is also invited to attend the free event.

Stephen Williams of Foxtail Farm in Freeland is Whidbey Island Grown’s current president. He said the concept of the Whidbey Island Farmers’ Forum is loosely modeled off of other conferences for farmers that usually happen around fall and winter in the Pacific Northwest, such as the San Juan Islands Agricultural Summit.

“They’re a fun thing to do,” he said of the conferences. “Farming is one of those weird things where you’re always learning, things are always changing and there’s always some sort of new technology or method that you can learn about that may or may not be good to implement on your own farming operation.”

Judy Feldman, executive director for the Organic Farm School, said there are other conferences around the state that Whidbey farmers have had to leave the island for in the past.

“To have something on island where farmers can talk about what’s happening here, with our microclimate, our challenges and our opportunities, is rare,” she said.

Williams added that the Whidbey Island Farmers’ Forum is about farmers getting together and celebrating one island community.

“Even though we’re an island, we’re a long island geographically,” he said. “Many of the South End farmers don’t know who the North End farmers are.”

Feldman said that so far, she has received nearly 40 RSVPs for the event.

“That’s really encouraging. That’s exciting,” she said. “There are people beyond the most familiar farmers that are wanting to gather, they’re wanting more information and they’re wanting to grow food.”

Event speakers will focus on small-scale farming.

“We want this to be applicable learning,” she said. “We’re taking people’s Saturdays. We want them to leave inspired and connected.”