Southeast New England Agriculture Conference & Trade Show
Sunday, February 4, 2024
Bristol Aggie High School
For the past 16 years, SEMAP has hosted the Agriculture and Food Conference with the goal of bringing farmers and service providers together to share knowledge and learn about innovations in agriculture. We’ve decided to partner with a number of regional organizations to build a more comprehensive and holistic event for our farmers, fishers, market managers, educators, farm workers, and everyone who makes up our local food community. We’re thrilled to have Bristol County Agricultural High School, Buy Fresh Buy Local Cape Cod, Cluck and Trowel Farm, Massachusetts Farm Bureau Federation, NOFA-RI, OASIS on Ballou, Plymouth County Extension 4-H, and Pocasset Pokanoket Land Trust joining us to bring this new idea to life! This new, collaborative effort will bring together regional farmers and food producers for a day of community and learning around some of the most pressing issues facing our food system.
Meet the Keynote: Carmen Mouzon
We are so thrilled to announce this year’s keynote speaker, Carmen Mouzon! Carmen is the Director at The Farm School in Athol. Inspired by her rich family legacy of farming and a passion to reclaim their traditions, Carmen sought to reconnect with the land, food and her ancestors through agriculture, and has since worked with thousands of young people to help them build those same connections and find joy, healing, and peace in the land. As we prepare for the many challenges facing the next generation of agriculture and envision a thriving future food system, we could not think of a better person to kick things off at this year’s conference!
Tickets:
General admission is $65. Kids Conference tickets are $15 per child. Tickets are offered on a sliding scale and recommendations are provided at each level. We don’t want cost to be a barrier to attending – please choose the ticket level that is comfortable for you, even if it doesn’t align with our recommendation. Free tickets are available. All tickets include a locally sourced lunch!
Kids Conference:
A day at the conference for you doesn’t have to mean a boring day at home for your child! Your child can join 4-H staff, volunteers, and members for some fun and learning. These programs are open to youth age 5 and older. Kids are encouraged to leave devices like iPads or video games at home so we can all share in the day (phones are fine, we want you to be in contact if needed). We will have a waiver that includes parents phone numbers, allergies etc. but if you have any questions in advance, feel free to reach out to Meg Riley at mriley@plymouthcountyma.gov.
(9:30- 10:30) The Wonders of Wool: Don’t be sheepish! Let’s jump right into the day learning about how cool wool is from some of our 4-H youth that raise sheep. We will learn about washing wool, wet felting and needle felting.
10:30 snack/bathroom break
(11am till Noon) Getting your Backyard Bird Show Ready: You don’t need to be in 4-H to show poultry at most local fairs and this can be a fun way to show off your favorite bird. Our experienced 4-H youth will guide you through the steps you need to get your bird and yourself ready for the county fair. This program will use live chickens so if your child has any allergies or issues, let us know.
(Noon till 1:30) Lunch: You are welcome to take your child to sit with you for lunch or they can remain with the group in a designated area. Plan to drop your child back to us by 1:30pm.
(1:30 -3pm) Bristol Aggie Tour: Dreaming of when you get to go to high school with everything from livestock to ag mechanics? We will have some Bristol Aggie students lead us around campus and share what they love best about this very cool school.
3:00 snack/bathroom break
(3:30 – 4:30) Technology on the farm: You might not know it but farmers sometimes use some pretty cool tools to help on the farm. We aren’t talking about a pitchfork or even a tractor, we are talking about drones. We will have some fun putting together some lego style drones and learning about how drones are so helpful in agriculture.
4:30 Pick-up
Sponsorship and Trade Show Opportunities
Interact with our regional audience of farmers, fishers, gardeners, legislators, nonprofits, consumers and other food system stakeholders
| Sponsorship Benefits |
Lead Sponsor $5,000 |
Cultivator $2,500 |
Hoophouse $1,000 |
Amendment $500 |
Exhibitor $250 |
| Conference Registration | 6 Tickets | 4 Tickets | 2 Tickets | 1 Ticket | 1 Ticket |
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Local Lunch |
✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
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Table at trade show |
✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
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Logo on website |
Listed as Lead Sponsor | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |
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Ad in Conference Program |
Full Page Ad | ½ page Ad | ¼ page Ad |
⅛ page Ad |
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Recognition at conference |
Listed as Lead Sponsor | ✓ | ✓ |
✓ |
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Recognition in email marketing |
Listed as Lead Sponsor | ✓ |
✓ |
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Recognition in social media post |
Listed as Lead Sponsor |
✓ |
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Recognition as lead sponsor in SEMAP newsletter |
✓ |
For more Sponsorship information, please contact Susan Murray, Executive Director of SEMAP: smurray@semaponline.org (774) 400-7277
If you just want a table at the trade-show, this is the “Exhibitor” level of sponsorship. Included is one 6ft table (provided for you on site), plus entrance for 1 person to the conference and 1 local lunch. All sponsorship levels include a table at the trade show for sponsors wishing to have an in-person presence. We have a lower exhibitor rate ($100) for nonprofits and smaller organizations. Exhibitors will need to bring their own table cloth/covering. Electrical outlets are limited. We have limited space at the trade show, so sign-up now. For more Exhibitor information, please contact Karen Schwalbe, Executive Director of Mass Farm Bureau: karen@mfbf.net (508) 524-2601.
Workshops
Find the workshop schedule on our new conference website!
More details coming soon – bookmark this page for updates and announcements on the conference!
Thank you to the Conference Steering Committee!
Apolo Catala, OASIS on Ballou
Derek Costa, Bristol County Agricultural High School
Jan Martin, NOFA RI
Karen Schwalbe, Massachusetts Farm Bureau Federation
Laura Wilson, NOFA RI
Meghan Riley, Plymouth County 4H & Extension
Nate Erwin, Pocasset Pokanoket Land Trust
Sarah Cogswell, Cluck and Trowel Farm
Shannon Hickey, SEMAP
Susan Murray, SEMAP
Tara Racine, Buy Fresh Buy Local Cape Cod