Farmers may want to take a break from tending crops or livestock in the interest of attending a unique conference right here on Whidbey Island.

Together, Whidbey Island Grown and the Organic Farm School are partnering to host the Whidbey Farmers’ Forum on Monday, Jan. 29. The event provides a full day of classes, running from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Organic Farm school campus located at 6390 Maxwelton Road in Clinton.

Participants can learn about a number of agricultural subjects including pasture management, perennial fruit, cover cropping, seasonal flowers and more from Whidbey farmers and experts from the mainland.

The Whidbey Farmers’ Forum is the second of its kind. Organic Farm School graduate and Foxtail Farm owner Stephen Williams developed the idea for the conference in 2022, but a bad windstorm the day before greatly reduced attendance. Organizers of this year’s forum are hopeful that this time, the weather cooperates.

“We’re so close to the mainland, but for a farmer, getting off the island is a big investment,” said Organic Farm School Executive Director Judy Feldman, who helped Williams develop the first forum. “If we could come up with some type of gathering on the island that would put farmers in proximity to each other without having to take a ferry or cross the bridge, that seemed like a really healthy thing for our food system.”

The forum gives farmers a platform to talk about what they’re doing on their land and share ideas with each other. It also helps connect North, Central and South Whidbey, which can often feel separate from one another.

In choosing speakers for this year’s event, Feldman spoke about the importance of inspiring robust conversations.

Shannon Bly, executive director for Whidbey Island Grown Cooperative, plans to teach a class about the organization’s food hub. Currently, about 70 food producers, makers and local artisans sell their products through the online food hub, which has grown in popularity with Whidbey residents since its beginning in 2020.

During her session, Bly will answer questions about how the food hub functions. Her class focuses on different marketing strategies and how to make a seller’s profile pop.

Bly is also organizing this year’s forum with Feldman.

“It can be kind of lonely to be a small scale food producer and do everything yourself and not have time to connect with other people doing the same thing,” Bly said.

Though it’s difficult to quantify just how many farmers call Whidbey Island home, Feldman said she has observed an increase in the number of people farming and wanting to farm. Bly said a farm as small as 5,000 square feet yields products sold on the Whidbey Island Grown food hub.

Feldman has noticed that there’s less of a divide between environmentalists and agriculturists than there was 15 or 20 years ago. Both seem to be realizing the value of regenerative and organic means of producing food.

“We hope that this farmers’ forum just calls attention to the fact that these people growing food for us are the best and brightest when it comes to complexity and change, and the forum is designed to support them,” she said.

Participants choose 4 of 11 classes, and must sign up online. The lunch break – which attendees should bring their own sack lunch to — will feature two panel discussion options. The day will close with a happy hour following the last class at 4:30 p.m. Registration costs $25 at the door.

To register for classes, visit whidbeyislandgrown.com/farmers-forum. Questions can be directed to shannon@whidbeyislandgrown.com and judy@organicfarmschool.org.