WHEN: August 4-5, 2024
WHERE: Texas State in San Marcos
COST: $120+
The Southern Family Farmers and Food Systems Conference will bring you 2 days of educational sessions hosted by 80+ expert speakers addressing 8 tracts of learning:
Crops
Livestock
Business
Start-up
Innovation
Cooperatives
The Big Picture
Niche Topics
Stay tuned for speaker and session announcements! In the meantime, check out the schedule for a preview of the range of offerings you can expect.
Small group consultation halls for more in-depth leaning
Keynote speakers to inspire and inform.
Exhibit Hall featuring 50+ ag-focused organizations, agencies & businesses
Silent auction with food and agriculture goodies.
Opportunities to connect with farmers, ranchers, food system leaders, farm support organizations, and agricultural businesses.
On Monday, we will host a mushroom block giveaway, inviting attendees to collect up a few blocks (first‑come, first‑served). These blocks, sourced from local farms, support sustainable fungal education and soil health projects throughout Central Texas
Visitors will have the opportunity to learn how to use mushroom blocks to build healthy, fungal-rich soil for home gardens, small farms, school gardens, and community spaces. Mycology and soil team members will be on hand to offer tips and guidance on block use across various growing methods and mycoremediation techniques.
Why tune in:
It’s part of a larger mission to divert spent substrate from waste streams and turn it into valuable soil-building tools. The program annually keeps over 700,000 lbs of organic waste out of landfills and offsets large amounts of CO₂ emissions.
It's a hands‑on way to deepen knowledge about fungi’s role in regenerative agriculture—with one block, you can seed long-term benefits in your soil.