Get ready for our 13th Annual FIELD School in 2024 - join us in Madison, Wisconsin in partnership with Fairshare CSA Coalition and University of Wisconsin-Madison Dane County Extension - October 28 - 30, 2024! We host the National FIELD School in a different community each year. We move the annual conferences across the country to create regional equity and to experience and honor the land and climates where our networks of apprenticeship and incubator farmers thrive. We annually bring together over 45-60 organizations from almost every US state (and Canada) to participate in workshops, breakout and open space sessions, goal setting and networking opportunities. Peer-to-peer sharing informs beginning farmer trainers about how they run successful incubator and apprenticeship training programs. Folks gather ideas for their farms and programs, and spent time building relationships with people passionate about our collective work. We also host field trips to local incubator and apprenticeship projects to see programs' land-based facilities, farm/ranch operations, and to learn together how each incubator farm and apprenticeship training program is unique. We often hear from farmer participants during these tours to get a holistic perspective on participants' involvement in the programs.
We look forward to sharing more program details as they are developed, so stay tuned and keep up to date with details on our webpage: https://nesfp.nutrition.tufts.edu/national-and-state-networks/field-school!
The National FIELD School will be held at the Memorial Union Conference Center located at 800 Langdon St, Madison, WI 53706.
Detailed program schedule and workshops will be available in early September.
2024 Conference Schedule:
Monday, October 28 - learning about the local farming community with our hosts:
Field Trips to local Wisconsin-area incubator and apprenticeship training programs. Buses will leave promptly at 8:00 AM and return late afternoon.
Networking Reception on Monday evening at a hip local venue in Madison!
Tuesday, October 29 - Wednesday, October 30 at the Memorial Union Conference Center - learning from each other through networking and information sharing:
Plenary speaker
Concurrent Workshops with Incubator Farm and Apprenticeship Program Tracks
Round Table Discussions, Open Space, and Peer Networking
Registration is Open - Early Bird Discount through 9/13/24
We are excited to see the registrations for this year's FIELD School start flowing in! 2024 Registration Fees are as follows:
3-day (all inclusive, Mon - Wed): $325; this includes field trips, lunch and networking reception; all conference workshops and lunches/snack breaks each day.
2-day (Tuesday/Wednesday): $275 (includes lunch)
1 day (Tues OR Wed): $175 (includes lunch)
Monday full day (field trip + lunch + networking reception): $90
Field trip only (includes bus and lunch): $55
Networking reception only (includes food and drinks): $45
Early Bird Registration Discount!
Register by September 13th for Early Bird Discount of $50 off the full registration price of a 1-day, 2-day, or 3-day ticket! Use Registration code: 2024EARLYBIRD to apply the discount!
Scholarship Applications - Due September 13th
If you require a scholarship to attend the FIELD School, please complete the 2024 FIELD School Scholarship Application form by September 13th to be considered for registration discounts or travel support. Please apply early as a limited number of scholarships are available.
Hotel and Travel Logistics
The FIELD School will be held at the Memorial Union located at 800 Langdon St, Madison, WI. Parking is available on campus and a campus map can be found here.
Reserve your room at one of the following hotels (reserve rooms by Friday 9/27 to lock in the discounted rate!):
• Graduate Madison (601 Langdon St., Madison, WI 53703) - Rates will be $149/night (breakfast not included); Parking is valet-only and costs $34.95/night. You can make reservations at this link or call 608-257-4391 and mention the room block name of “FIELD School.”
• Hampton Inn & Suites Madison Downtown (440 West Johnson St., Madison, WI 53703) - Rates will be $179/night but includes a hot breakfast. Parking is $20/night. You can make by calling 608-255-0360 The room block is called the “FIELD School.”
Stay tuned for our FIELD School Program Lineup and Registration!