2026 Farm Stop Conference
March 12, 2026 - March 15, 2026 Over the 4 days you can choose from Argus Farm Stop tour, two day of National FarmStop Conference, and FarmStop School.
Registration Deadline: March 15, 2026 - 04:00PM
Washtenaw Community College, 4800 E Huron River Drive, Ann Arbor, MI 48105
Contact: Email : farmstopconference@gmail.com
"Farm Stops are year-round, every-day markets that support small-scale farmers and strengthen local and regional food systems. They do so mostoften by operating on a consignment model, which gives producers a fair price, flexibility with their time and products, and provides more directconnections with consumers"
-Kathryn Barr, author of "How to Start a Farm Stop"
After the tremendous success of the Farm Stop Conference in 2024 and 2025, we are proud to present the third Farm Stop Conference in February of2026!
With about two dozen farm stops now successfully up and running, another dozen or so approaching launch, we want to bring the community together once again to learn from one another, share best practices, and envision the role we'd like to see farm stops play in our local foodecosystems.
Whether you operate a farm stop already, or think that you may one day want to open one in your community, our goal is to provide content useful
to you as you move forward.
With that in mind, we are putting together an ambitious slate of local food thought leaders, and are planning a full lineup of panels on everything from fundraising and farmer relationships, to best practices for staffing your store and which agencies may be supportive offarm stop development in your state. Of course, there will also be plenty of time for networking and lots of delicious, locally sourced food.
Schedule
Feb. 12th starting at 1 pm Argus Farm Stop Tours (Optional)
Join us for a 30 minute guided tour of the Argus Farm Stop Packard Market. Thesetours will fill up in advance, so reserve a space in the "Conference Add On" sectionbelow!
Feb. 12th 5 pm to 7 pm Welcome Reception at Cobblestone Farm (Optional)
Join us for a Welcome Reception a the beautiful Cobblestone Farm in Ann Arbor. Letus know you are coming in the "Conference Add On" section below!
Feb. 13th 8 am to 5 pm The National Farm Stop Conference Day 1
Hear from farmers, retailers, food policy experts and more in curated sessions focusedon selling local food. Breakfast, lunch, snacks, and beverages will be provided.
Hosted at Morris Lawrence building on the campus of Washtenaw Community College.
Feb. 14th 8am to 4 pmThe National Farm Stop Conference Day 2
Hear from farmers, retailers, food policy experts and more in curated sessions focused on selling local food. Breakfast, lunch, snacks, and beverages will be provided.
Hosted at Morris Lawrence building on the campus of Washtenaw Community College.
Join us for a class on what makes a farm a farm stop: selling local food. Spend timewith Argus managers learning how we sell local produce and local meat. Breakfast andlunch will be provided.
Farm Stop School will fill up in advance, so reserve a space in "Conference Add Ons"
Keynote Speakers
Mark Winne-Friday Keynote
From 1979 to 2003, Mark Winne was the Executive Director of the Hartford Food System, a Connecticut non-profit food organization. He is the co-founder of numerous organizations including the Community Food Security Coalition and the State of Connecticut Food Policy Council. He was a Kellogg Foundation Food and Society Fellow and a member of the U.S. Delegation to the 2000 Rome Conference on Food Security. As a writer on food issues, Mark’s work has appeared in the Washington Post, The Nation, Sierra, Orion, and Yes!, to name a few. He is the author of five books: Closing the Food Gap, Food Rebels, Guerrilla Gardeners, and Smart Cookin’ Mamas and Stand Together or Starve Alone, Food Town USA, and most recently, The Road to a Hunger-free America: Selected Writings of Mark Winne.
Through his own firm, Mark Winne Associates, Mark speaks, trains, and writes on topics related to community food systems, food policy, and food security. He also serves as a Senior Advisor to the Center for a Livable Future at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Mark lives and writes in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Website: www.markwinne.com
Stacey Abrams- Saturday Keynote
Stacey Abrams is a New York Times bestselling author, business owner and political leader whose innovative approach has continued to break barriers and support transformational progress. A prolific author, she has written award-winning political thrillers, children’s books, romantic suspense novels, and non-fiction books. She previously served as Minority Leader in the Georgia House of Representatives, and she was the first Black woman to become the gubernatorial nominee for a major party in United States history. Abrams has devoted her career to democracy protection, and voting rights, tackling policy issues and building a more equitable future. She is also a serial entrepreneur and business advisor. In 2020, Abrams founded Sage Works Productions, Inc., a media company dedicated to leveraging the power of storytelling to craft creative solutions and engage.
General Conference Registration Information
Includes registration to the National Farm Stop Conference.
Farm Stop Operator Registration ($137.00*) + Fees and Processing
If you are operating a brick and mortar, year round retail store primarily selling local food on consignment, you are a farmstop operator. We have a limited number of subsidized tickets for farm stop operators, available to those that need areduced price, available on a first come, first served basis. Limited to two reduced registrations per farm stop.
We are able to offer a very limited quantity of reduced rate tickets for those that need them. They are available on a first-come, first served basis.
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