SPRING GREEN, Wis. — Back in person for the first time in five years, the Perennial Farm Gathering hosted by the Savanna Institute will take place Sunday, Oct. 6 to Tuesday, Oct. 8 at Monona Terrace in Madison. Chef Sean Sherman, founder of The Sioux Chef, will deliver the event keynote “The (R)evolution of Indigenous Foodways” alongside more than 20 sessions on food and farming practices focused on beneficial perennial crops.
Perennial fruit and nut crops such as elderberries, black currants, chestnuts, and hazelnuts are among the favorites on the agenda at this year’s gathering. Chefs Odessa Piper and Beth Dooley will host a session on “Culinary Creativity With the Fruits and Nuts of Agroforestry,” and forest farming expert Steve Gabriel will offer practical advice to growers in his session: “Why Trees Die (and what we can do to help them!).” Graziers Brett Chedzoy and Cherrie Nolden will share their journey in “Pushing the Boundaries Between Forest and Pasture: Tales from Two Ecologists Turned Farmers.” See more from the program here.
Free farm tours will be offered at Savanna Institute’s farm campus in Spring Green before the gathering on Saturday, Oct. 5, 1-5 p.m., along with live music, a cider press, and tastings.
Sponsors for the Perennial Farm Gathering include Compeer Financial, Canopy Farm Management, Agroforestry Coalition, Marbleseed, NĀTIFS, American Farmland Trust, River Hills Harvest, American Hazelnut Company, The Nature Conservancy, USDA National Agroforestry Center, University of Missouri Center for Agroforestry, Wisconsin Farmers Union, Wormfarm Institute, Alliant Energy, Cutler Fence, Meadowlark, Nature’s Path, Scattergood, Green Lands Blue Waters, Midwestern BioAg, Appalachian Forest Farmer Coalition, and Organic Valley.
Tickets for the Perennial Farm Gathering are now on sale at savannainstitute.org/pfg2024.
What: Perennial Farm Gathering, hosted by the Savanna Institute
When: Saturday, Oct. 5, 1-5 p.m. (Farm Tours, Spring Green);
Sunday, Oct. 6 – Tuesday, Oct. 8 (PFG2024, Madison)
Who: Perennial agriculture enthusiasts, farmers, foresters, chefs, Indigenous leaders, activists, researchers, policymakers, and investors
Where: Monona Terrace, Madison WI with Farm Tours in Spring Green, WI
— Savanna Institute