In the midst of a challenging economy, the 2012 Nevada Small Farm Conference looks to agriculture to help communities rebuild local economies.

Western Nevada College will host this year’s Nevada Small Farm Conference March 8-10 at the Fallon Convention Center and Western Nevada College Fallon campus. The event includes four pre-conference workshops, two days of farming seminars, and a Friday evening reception. A variety of topics will be covered, including marketing local beef, small-scale cheese operations, organic farming, hops and barley production, food distribution, business planning and more.

Developing local food systems is a priority of the conference. Speakers from the 2011 conference will return to continue talks aimed at developing a system for small farms to compete in today’s industrial food system. U.S. Foods and the Great Basin Community Food Co-op, two organizations at the forefront of these efforts, will highlight their operations.

The Great Basin Community Food Co-op will talk about its online ordering and distribution system for small farms. The program debuts with the opening of the expanded co-op this spring.

For conference details, registration information and fees, visit WNC’s website or contact Ann Louhela at (775) 351.2551 or louhelaa@wnc.edu.