The San Juan Islands Agricultural Summit is back in 2015. This year it’s on Lopez Island, Friday and Saturday, February 27 and 28.  Food-lovers, farmers, regional experts, chefs and local food and farm advocates will gather for two days of education, inspiration, and camaraderie.

Keynote by internationally renowned writer and visionary, Gary Nabhan, will inspire and inform on the benefits of maintaining local heritage and place-based food systems. Award-winning author Thor Hanson will talk on Friday evening about his newly released book, The Triumph of Seeds.

Attendees can choose one of the hands-on workshops on Friday, February 27th. Back by popular demand: humane, on-farm slaughter with Farmstead Meatsmith workshop; and biochar production and kiln demos. New this year: baking with local grains with Jonathan Bethony McDowell, resident baker at the Washington State University Research and Extension Center Bread Lab in Mt. Vernon; writing your own farm plan with experts from the SJ Islands Conservation District.

Twenty-four compelling Saturday sessions will be led by regional experts: farmland changing hands, funding for farmers, connecting with organic seed markets, building soil fertility, growing nutrient-dense vegetables, rules and regulations for value-added production, pollinator health, local grain production and end-uses, malting, tips on marketing and more.

The “Taste of Lopez” on Friday night, just before the keynote address, will feature food and wine from the Lopez Island food & farms community.

For more detailed information about the 2015 San Juan Islands Agricultural Summit schedule and to register, go to http://sjcarc.org/summit/. Questions? Contact summit@sjcarc.org/.