"...when the last individual of a race of living things breathes no more, another Heaven and another Earth must pass before such a one can be again."
-William Beebe

January || February || March || April || May || June || July || August || September || October || November || December

Calendar

ALBC KEY

++ = ALBC participation
++++ = ALBC event

January

January 13-14 – The 12th Annual Minnesota Organic Conference will be held in St. Cloud, MN. 500+ people are expected to attend plenary sessions and more than 30 breakout sessions covering areas like crop production, dairy, livestock, fruits and vegetables, marketing, and business. Contact Mary.Hanks@state.mn.us or Meg.Moynihan@state.mn.us for more information.

January 17-21 – The American Highland Cattle Association National Show and Sale will be held at the historic 106th National Western Stock Show in Denver, CO. Absentee and phone bids are encouraged; contact Sheridan Auctions (517) 676-9800 or (517) 749-7976. Live bidding is available online at CattleInMotion.com. Those interested need to register and sign up 24 hours prior to sale day. Several trucking options are available for buyers; contact AHCA by Tues Jan 17th. For more information, call (303) 659-2399 or visit www.highlandcattleusa.org.

January 18-21– The 21st Annual Practical Tools and Solutions for Sustaining Family Farms Conference will be held in Little Rock, AK. This conference is for serious organic and sustainable producers or those interested in creating more vibrant community food systems. The event offers informative pre-conference courses and field trips, eight tracks of practical conference sessions, network gatherings, trade show, Taste of Arkansas dinner, and more. For more information, call (404) 797-0496, email media@ssawg.org, or visit www.ssawg.org.

++January 19 – Small Flock All Day Seminar will be presented in Lillington, North Carolina. Join ALBC’s Jeannette Beranger and Steve Moize for presentations on alternative poultry species and multi species farming systems. Registration is $10 at the door. Please contact Jane Tripp, Extension Secretary, at 919-542-8202 by January 17th if you plan to attend.

January 19-21 – The Organic Seed Growers Conference: “Strengthening Community Seed Systems” will be held at Fort Worden State Park and Conference Center in Port Townsend, WA. Join Farmers, seed production and distribution companies, researchers, plant breeders, pathologists, and university extension in two days of informative sessions, panel discussions, and networking events. Visit www.seedalliance.org or email Cathleen@seedalliance.org for more information.

February

++February 1-4 – The Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture Farming for the Future Conference will be held at the Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel in State College, Pennsylvania. Activities include: 13 full-day tracks and 100+ workshops, hands-on, fun-filled kids programming, cheese tasting, live music and movies, seed swap, knitting, yoga and more. Visit www.pasafarming.org/conference or call 814-349-9840 for more information.

February 1-4 – The 32nd Annual Eco Farm Conference “Raising Eco Farmers’ Voices” will be held at the Asilomar Conference Grounds in Pacific Grove,CA. Join attendees for a variety of different sessions on topics like Holistic Herd Health, Organic Winemaking, and Organic Agriculture as a Strategic Tool for Global Change. Register online at www.eco-farm.org or call (831) 655-9924 for more information.

February 2-4 – Horse Expo Pomona will take place at the Fairplex in Pomona, CA. Special events include Project Cowboy, shopping, Horse Expo University, Trail Symposium, Young Rider Park, Breed Walk, The Equine Art Gallery, and more. Visit www.horseexpoevents.com or call (800) 352-2411 for more information.

February 3-4 – The New Hampshire Farm and Forest Exposition “Opening Doors to Our Future” will be held at the Center of New Hampshire – Radisson Hotel Manchester in Manchester, NH. Event includes educational sessions, meetings, awards ceremony, auction, and FARMO bingo-type game. Visit www.nhfarmandforestexpo.org for more information.

February 10-11 – The Virginia Biological Farming Conference “Transitioning to Organic Agriculture” will take place at the Holiday Inn – Koger Conference Center in Richmond, VA. The conference will provide educational presentations concerning ecological agriculture. Keynote speakers include Will Allen with Growing Power Milwaukee, and Renee Catacalos and Christian Melendez from ECO City Farms. Deadline for early registration is January 25. Call (540) 291-4333, email vabfconference@live.com, or visit www.VABF.org for more information.

February 14-16 – The 2012 World Ag Expo will take place in Tulare, CA. An estimated 100,000 attendees from 72 countries will attend the largest agricultural show of its kind with 1,500 exhibitors displaying cutting-edge agricultural technology and equipment on 2.6 million square feet of show grounds. For more information, call (800) 999-9186 or visit www.worldagexpo.com.

February 18-19 – The Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association’s 33rd Annual Conference: “Sowing the Seeds of Our Food Sovereignty” will be held in Granville, OH. Keynote speakers include Woody Tasch, founder and chairman of the Slow Money Alliance and Andrew Kimbrell, public interest attorney, activist, author, and executive director of the Center for Food Safety. Visit www.oeffa.org or call (614) 421-2022 for more details.

March

March 3 – The Annual Meeting of the Heartland Highland Cattle Association will be held in Branson, MO.  Everyone is welcome. The focus of the meeting will be marketing techniques of Highland cattle and beef. For more information email heartlandhighlandcattle@gmail.com, call (417) 345-0575, or visit www.heartlandhighlandcattleassociation.org.

March 3-4 – The 19th Annual Organic Growers School Spring Conference will be held at the University of North Carolina – Asheville. This event brings producers and consumers together to celebrate food and community, to teach, and to learn. Contact Meredith McKissick at (828) 582-5039 or email Meredith@organicgrowersschool.org for more information.

March 14-15 – The Midwest Poultry Federation Convention will take place at the Saint Paul River Centre in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Visit the largest regional poultry show in the U.S. while visiting the exhibit hall and the Welcome Reception to network with attendees and exhibitors. Visit www.midwestpoultry.com or call (763) 682-2171 for more information.

April

April 12-15 - Equine Affaire will be held in Columbus, OH. This educational horse exposition offers a full schedule of training clinics encompassing a wide array of equestrian sports presented by leading coaches, competitors, and trainers from throughout the country. Each day there are non-stop presentations by well-known experts in the horse industry along with one of the largest horse-related trade shows in North America. Dozens of breeds are also showcased in the Breed Pavilion and in breed demonstrations throughout the weekend.  The Youth Pavilion offers educational presentations and fun activities for young horse enthusiasts, and the Fantasia evening show provides entertainment that you won't want to miss! Visit www.equineaffaire.com, check out Facebook, or call (740) 845-0085 for details.

April 18-21 – The Small Farmer’s Journal 2012 Horsedrawn Auction & Swap will be held at the Fairgrounds in Madras, OR. Swap meet, horse trade fair, clinics and demonstrations all four days. Call (800) 876-2893, (541) 549-2064, email auction@smallfarmersjournal.com, or visit www.smallfarmersjournal.com for more information.

April 19 – A Highland Cattle Auction sponsored by the Heartland Highland Cattle Association will be held in Norwood, MO, at the Norwood Sale Barn. The auction is at 4pm and will include registered and unregistered Highland cattle, cows, bulls, heifers, and steer. For more information, call Jerry Delcour, (417) 369-0505 or (417) 693-0858, email heartlandhighlandcattle@gmail.com, or visit www.heartlandhighlandcattleassociation.org.

April 21 - The Northeast Highland Cattle Association's Annual Meeting will be held at the Spy Glass Ridge Winery in Sudbury, PA at 10:30am. For more information, visit highlandcattle.org/nehca or call Donna at 585-392-9062.

April 21 – The Boyle County 4-H Poultry & Small Farm Animals Auction will be held at the Boyle County Fairgrounds in Danville, KY. Auction starts at 11am, consignments accepted from 8am until 10:30am. For more information, contact Beverly Devins at (859) 326-6289.

April 28 – The 2012 American Chinchilla National Show will take place at the Wayne County Fairgrounds in Palmyra, NY. Visit www.waynecountyfair.org for more information.

April 28 – The Florida Cracker Horse Association’s Annual Spring Gathering and Business/Membership Meeting will be held at RO Ranch south of Mayo, FL. Visit www.roranch.org/ for information on the meeting facilities. Contact Pennie Flickinger at PFF@srwmd.org or (866) 813-1617 for more information.

April 28 – The Johnson County Steer and Heifer Open Show will take place at the Johnson County Fairgrounds in Franklin, IN. For more information,  please call Emily Stewart at (317) 412-1235.

May

May 12 - The 6th Annual Pineywoods Cattle Registry and Breeders Association Cattle Sale will be held at the Stone County Fairgrounds in Wiggins, MS. For more information, contact Jess Brown, (601) 270-1619, email cowpencreek1@aol.com, or visit www.pcrba.org.

May 29 – Mt. Bruce Station’s Annual Spring Fiber Day will be held in Romeo, MI. Spend a day in the country and learn how you can also be part of this heritage of the land and fibers and help pass it along to others and future generations. Visit www.sheepstuff.com, email uhlianuk@sheepstuff.com, or call (810) 798-2568 for more information.

June

June 2 – The SVF Foundation Annual Visitors Day will take place in Newport, RI. The SVF Foundation’s mission is the cryopreservation of endangered breeds of livestock. The public is invited to meet with SVF staff, veterinarians and scientific advisors at the historic Swiss Village. Along with a self-guided tour of the historic architecture and rare breed displays, scientists will be offering liquid nitrogen demonstrations as well as in-depth explanations of the science behind cryopreservation and the need for genetic diversity in agriculture. For more information, visit www.svffoundation.org, call (401) 848-7229 or e-mail info@svffoundation.org.

June 2-3 – The Mother Earth News Fair will be held in Puyallup, WA. This fun-filled, family-oriented sustainable lifestyle event features dozens of practical, hands-on demonstrations and workshops on everything from beekeeping to using solar electricity. Visit http://www.motherearthnews.com/fair for more information.

July

July 7-14 – The American Dairy Goat Association National Show will be held at The Ranch – Larimer County Fairgrounds in Loveland, CO. For more information, contact ADGA, PO Box 865 Spindale, NC 28160, by phone at (828) 286-3801, email adga@adga.org, or visit www.adga.org.

July 9-12 – The National Association of Agricultural Educators Region VI Summer Conference “Agriculture Education is Sweet” hosted by the Pennsylvania Association of Agricultural Educators will be held in Grantville, PA. Agriscience teachers from Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, and New York are invited. Contact Krista Pontius at kpontius@greenwoodsd.org or (717) 589-3116, ext. 1209 for more information.

August

August 16-18 – The American Cream Draft Horse Association Annual Meeting will take place in Spencer, Iowa. Events include a ground handling demonstration, Scandinavian dinner, “meet the horses”, banquet, meeting, and play in Okohoji. Visit http://www.acdha.org/ for more information.

September

September 18-20 – The 6th National Small Farm Conference “Promoting the Success of Small Farmers and Ranchers” will be held at the Memphis Convention Center in Memphis, TN. Successes in small farm activities will be shared as well as innovative ideas in research, extension and outreach to strengthen collaborations and partnerships among state specialists who work to ensure that small farmers and ranchers not only survive, but thrive in today’s economy. For more information, contact Linda Buchanan at (615) 963-1827 or by email at lbuchanan6@tnstate.edu.

September 22-23 - The Mother Earth News Fair will be held in Seven Springs, PA. This fun-filled, family-oriented sustainable lifestyle event features dozens of practical, hands-on demonstrations and workshops on everything from beekeeping to using solar electricity. Visit http://www.motherearthnews.com/fair for more information.

September 29-30 – Mt. Bruce Station’s annual Sheep and Wool Festival will be held in Romeo, MI. Come and experience a day "at the farm" by enjoying a leisurely walk around the farm, smell the beautiful perennial flowers grown to dye wool with and we also collect from surrounding woods, fields and other areas for a native collection. Visit www.sheepstuff.com, email uhlianuk@sheepstuff.com, or call (810) 798-2568 for more information.

October

October 13-20 – The 2012 American Dairy Goat Association Annual Convention will be held at the Double Tree Hotel Boise-Riverside in Boise, ID. For more information, contact ADGA, PO Box 865 Spindale, NC 28160, by phone at (828) 286-3801, email adga@adga.org, or visit www.adga.org.

October 14-20 – The 2012 American Dairy Goat Association Convention will be held by the Treasure Valley Dairy Goat Association at the Doubletree Riverside in Boise, ID. This week long event usually hosts between 300 and 500 dairy goat breeders and will include educational programming, daily speakers, seminars, clinics, and an extensive vendor area and hospitality room. Visit http://tvdga.weebly.com/ for more details.

October 20 – The American Suffolk Horse Association 2012 Annual Meeting will be held in Ledbetter, TX.

November

++++November 9-10 – The American Livestock Breeds Conservancy's 2012 Annual Conference will be held in Cary, NC at the Embassy Suites Raleigh-Durham/Research Triangle. Programs will be held at the Embassy Suites with some clinics taking place at local farms. For more information, contact (919) 542-5704 or visit www.albc-usa.org. To book your room at the conference hotel now, Click Here!

December

December 1-2 – Mt. Bruce Station’s Christmas Weekend will take place in Romeo, MI. Enjoy Christmas Shopping at the Farm and meet Mt. Bruce Station's Mary & Joseph and watch and participate as they prepare for the new born king. The stable will be filled with the smell of fresh clean straw, eager shepherds, and woolly sheep! Visit www.sheepstuff.com, email uhlianuk@sheepstuff.com, or call (810) 798-2568 for more information.