Notes from the 2019 PA-WAgN Symposium

To the PA-WAgN Membership,

Dori here, co-chair of PA-WAgN's Symposium Subcommittee.  I am happy to share that after nearly a year of planning with a dedicated team, the 2019 PA-WAgN Annual Networking Symposium – Growing Rural Urban Perspectives was a huge success!  The event was held in Philadelphia, Pa for the first time ever at the Temple University Howard Gittis Student Center made possible through a generous presenting sponsorship by the Temple Center for Sustainable Communities, many other wonderful sponsors, and a USDA Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program Grant.  There were more than 200 women farmers, growers, and food advocates in attendance making the 2019 symposium our largest yet.  We had diverse representation from rural and urban audiences and across the food systems sector, also making this year's symposium our most diverse to date.  With more than 30 presenters, 10 workshops, lightning talks and dynamic presentations, this year's symposium was certainly one for the books.

The program opened with Lyn Garling sharing an acknowledgement of the Lenape peoples, the indigenous community on whose land our conference took place.  Patty Neiner, PA-WAgN lead organizer, also shared her very personal and ongoing experience confronting white privilege and white supremacy driven by her work with PA-WAgN.

Our keynote speakers Leah Penniman, co-Director of Soul Fire Farm and author of Farming While Back, and Audra Mulkern, founder of the Female Farmer Project shared inspirational visions for the future of agriculture and building a more equitable and just food system. Members of PA-WAgN's Steering Committee – Tracie Haines and Jen Schneidman Partica – shared more about PA-WAgN's work to connect rural and urban women growers and food advocates (WRUN) and transition to a justice-oriented organization rooted in principles of racial, economic, and social justice.

In a series of breakout sessions and lightning talks, we heard from seed keepers and herbalists, grazers and fiber farmers, policy and legal experts, and much more.  There was conversation and brainstorming around critical policy issues affecting young farmers and transitioning farmers, there was group collaboration around equitable research concepts and ways to leverage PA-WAgN's research opportunities, and networking lunch conversations around a variety of topics including social justice in agriculture and seed stories.

Thank you to all who made the 2019 symposium possible, our wonderful sponsors, volunteers, committee members, staff, speakers, facilitators, and attendees. We are forever grateful for your support and couldn't have done it without you!

With gratitude,

Dori Cross

(PA-WAgN Symposium Subcommittee Co-Chair)

Sponsors

Temple University for Sustainable Communities

PA Preferred

Department of Conservation and Natural Resources

Ephrata National Bank

Kitchen Table Consultants

Lady Moon Farms

MOM's Organic Market

Over the Moon Farm

PASA, Sustainable Agriculture

Penn State: Ag Economics, Sociology, and Education

PA Farmers Union

Slow Food Philly

Temple University: Fox Management Consulting

Rushton Farms

Riverwards Produce

AgChoice & Mid-Atlantic Farm Credit

East End Food Coop

Farm to Table Western PA-Buy Fresh Buy Local

NE Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education

Solar CITIES: Global Biogas Education

USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service

Spiral Path Farm

Trellis Legal LLC

Empire Kosher Poultry

Kretschmann Family Organic Farms

Pennsylvanic Horticultural Society

Sisters of Saint Joseph

The Fertrell Company

USDA Wildlife Services

The University of Scranton SBDC

Delaware Valley University

PA State Farm Services Agency

Pennsylvania Certified Organic

USDA Ntional Agricultural Statistics Service

Penn State Extension Agricultural Alternatives

Farm to City

Bucknell Farm

Lauren Smith

Carolyn Sachs

Speakers

Leah Penniman

Audra Mulkern

LaVerne Baker Hotep

Annie Warmke

Carie Starr

D. Rooney

Carolyn Sachs

Justine Lindemann

Raquee Bey

Dr. Dana Harris-Yates

Lan Dinh

Amirah Mitchell

Dorene Pasekoff

Claire O'Brien

Asata Brown

Emily Carlson

Nefertari Muhammad

Sasha Hubert

Jeri Robinson-Lawrence

Irina Lawrence

Megan Whitmer

Shadyra Chambers

Folami Irvine

Desiree Thompson

Linda Shanahan

Katelyn Melvin

Jade Banks

Sandy Miller

Adrienne Nelson

Karen Gardener

Michelle Kirk

Marlene van Nelson

Monica Paper

Michaela Hofflemeyer

Hannah Whitley

Facilitators

LaVerne Baker Hotep

Elise Flemming

Abigail Appleman

Brielle Underwood

Kesha Morant Williams

Kathy Braiser

Mary Barbercheck

Hamil Pearsall

Tiara Council

Noelle Warford

Nykisha Madison-Keita

Karyn Hopkins

Sabine Carey

Dr. Dana Harris Yates

Lyn Garling

Susan Parry

Maria Gorgo-Gourovitch

Molly Berntsen

Volunteers

Lana Mejias

Ana Canova

Tiana Williams

Jess Chou

Brittany Mumma

Jaagrit Randhawa

Madison Rios

Childcare

Cindi Hughes

Pre-Conference Programs

Sandy Miller

Natural Dairy

Roy Pitz Barrel House

NYFC: Southeast Chapter

Longwood Gardens

Symposium Subcommittee

Molly Berntsen

LaVerne Baker Hotep

Raqueeb Bey

Lauren Smith

Patty Neiner

Maria Gorgo-Gourovitch

Dorothy Cross