Small Farm Central is off to PASA to present in the tradeshow this Thursday, Friday, and Saturday so be sure to stop by if you will be at the conference.

This is a trip back to my Alma Mater (Penn State University), so it will be nice to have a look around despite the fact that I don't know anyone from my college days who lives there anymore.

I will be back next week with more web marketing discussions. Any specific questions I can help you with? I got a lot of great questions at Eco-farm which definitely helped direct the talk in a way that was more useful for the average farmer. So help guide this blog -- send an email or leave a comment.

Thanks to the folks at Eco Farm for inviting me to speak at the conference over the weekend. The talk generated a lot of lively discussion and it seemed like everyone left with at least a few new tips and confidence in their ability to drive their web marketing forward.

The powerpoint file and resource sheet are available for download below if you would like them:

• Powerpoint slides (Powerpoint, 2.4 MB)
• Resource list (Microsoft Word, 28 K)

One of the great pleasures of the trip was seeing Thomas Cameron and Billi Davis from Rancho Durazno. That is the farm I worked on for two years to help start their CSA program. I learned so much from both of them about farming and life, so it was great catching up and sharing the weekend with them.

Billi Davis, Simon Huntley, and Thomas Cameron

It was a pleasant surprise to meet the folks from Butte Mountain Organic Farm who have been members of Small Farm Central for a while. I got the following picture with a new member, Glen from Mother Flight Farm in Washington state.

Farmers united by Small Farm Central.

The rain cleared on Saturday for the drive back to San Francisco, so I took the coastal road. Maybe slower, but what a gorgeous drive past artichoke farms, fields hugging the ocean, and ragged beaches.

A coastal view between Monterey and San Francisco.

Small Farm Central is taking a trip to Pacific Grove, CA for the Eco Farm conference at the end of this week (Jan. 23-26).

On Friday, I am giving a talk on web marketing for farms. This will not be a advertisement for Small Farm Central, just a general overview of how and why to get your farm online.

Here is the description listed in the program for the talk:

Tending Technology: How to Market your Farm with New Media
The Internet can be intimidating, confusing and time consuming, but a website can be an amazing asset to your farm. New media can save time, increase your visibility in the community, create paths for communication during the off-season, and encourage contact between farm customers. Learn quick and easy techniques for successful Internet marketing with email mailing lists, websites, e-commerce, and farm blogs. Find out how tending technology can take your farm to a new level.
Presenter: Simon Huntley, Small Farm Central, Pittsburgh, PA.

I will also have a table in the tradeshow, so be sure to stop by for a chat if you will be at the conference.

It is officially farming conference season; that time of year when farmers come together to forget about the struggles of the previous year and get excited about the possibilities for next season. So few of us Americans are farmers anymore that throughout most of the year when farmers are focused on their own corner of the world, communication is almost always with people outside of the agricultural community. Whether dealing with farm customers, phone support from the computer manufacturer, or a surly checkout person at the grocery store, there are few people to commiserate with that really understand the highs and lows of working a farm.

It is wonderful to watch the smiling faces of farmers at these conferences when they talk to friends and vendors. They can tell the stories of the year knowing, for once, that they do not have to explain all that background ("Yes, I am actually a farmer" "Well, food actually comes from a farm somewhere not the grocery store" "No really, I'm a farmer").

I am not working on a farm any more as these web projects seem to take enough of my time (see these soft hands?), but going to a conference like Acres USA is still a refreshing experience. It is gratifying to look prospective Small Farm Central members in the eye and tell them about the service and show them a demo. This product is for farmers who just want their web marketing to work and it is gratifying to remember that this is a big help in a farmer's life in finances, time-management, and professionalism. In whatever we do in life, it is important to look up and see the broader picture of the daily work. Going to a farming conference rejuvenates my drive for Small Farm Central just as much as farmers are renewed when they know that they are among equals.

A hearty welcome to the new faces who signed up during the conference and hopefully many more farmers I talked to will join over the next few months. Thanks also to Chris Deatrick who graciously hosted me while I was in Louisville. He corrected my pronunciation of the city's name and took me on a great tour of the city.

Photo by merfam.

The Small Farm Central booth.

Thanks everyone who came by the Small Farm Central booth at the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association annual conference. I had a great time and feel energized by the excitement of farmers in North and South Carolina. I look forward to working with many of the farmers I met.

If you are coming to this site through literature that I handed out at the conference, let's chat: info@smallfarmcentral.com or 412-567-3864.