Each year, the NOFA-VT Winter Conference provides a valuable opportunity for farmers, homesteaders, gardeners, earth tenders, land stewards, educators, students, policy-makers, and other food system activists to participate in our vibrant community event and share ideas, resources, and skills.

The 2026 NOFA-VT Winter Conference will be held on Saturday, February 14, and Sunday, February 15, at Saint Michael's College in Colchester. 

More conference details will be shared when early-bird registration opens on Monday, December 9th.

Keynote Speaker

Ira Wallace is a worker/owner of the cooperatively managed Southern Exposure Seed Exchange, which offers over 700 varieties of open-pollinated heirloom and organic seeds selected for flavor and regional adaptability. Ira serves on the boards of the Virginia Association for Biological Farming. She is a member of Acorn Community, which farms over 60 acres of certified organic land in Central Virginia.. She was named a 2019 Great American Gardener by the American Horticultural Society and is a 2023 James Beard Foundation Leadership Award Finalist. She is the author of the Timber Press Guide to Vegetable Gardening in the Southeast. Her new state-specific 5-book series, including Grow Great Vegetables in Virginia, is available online and at booksellers everywhere. Ira is currently working on creating an African Diasporic Seed Collection.