Achieving Food Sovereignty Through Collective Action
Jenn Pfenning, President, National Farmers Union, Hannah Dwyer, Region 8 Coordinator, National Farmers Union
Jenn Pfenning is the President of the National Farmers Union since November 2022. She has been farming with her family at Pfenning’s Organic Farm in New Hamburg, Ontario for thirty years. She enjoys working alongside local and migrant workers to produce food that serves her passion for healthy living, food justice, and strong community. She served on the Foodshare Toronto Board of Directors for seven years, the Waterloo Region Food System Roundtable and is a past president of the Organic Council of Ontario. 
Hannah lives and grows on Sinixt and Ktunaxa territory on the north shore of the Kootenay River. She is the regional coordinator for the NFU is BC, a food and land policy researcher, and somewhere in the messy middle between working on organic farms and running a community  farm - while still getting used to being a mom. Working on the land and growing good food is a privilege for which Hannah is very grateful, and it is important to her that these endeavours are embedded within collective efforts to create livable futures for all of us.

The NFU has been bringing farmers together to resist corporate control of the food system and  fight for food sovereignty for over fifty years. Food sovereignty is, in short, food systems by the people, for the people. The NFU has a rich history of advocating for food systems that meet human needs, without violating human rights, while caring for the earth and protecting future generations’ ability to feed themselves and each other. Through research, grassroots organizing, and political engagement, the NFU has played an important role in numerous significant policy wins for socially and environmentally just agriculture. This session will share stories and lessons from the NFU’s fight for food sovereignty in Canada, and support SIFI farmers to deepen connections with the broader movement for food sovereignty in order to strengthen their ability to affect systemic change that benefits their farms and communities. 

Greenhouse Organic Vegetable Production in Containers
Shawn Dirksen, Northstar Organics
Shawn owns Northstar Organics, a 10 acre certified organic greenhouse and field crop farm in Central Saanich.  He grew up on a farm in the Niagara Region that was a similar mix of greenhouses and field vegetables.
This workshop is made possible by Victoria Box & Paper Ltd.; Vancouver Island's Choice for Paper, Packaging & Janitorial Products.

Bio Amendments Trial for Nutrient Management in Annual Vegetable Production
Program Manager at FED Urban Ag, Ash Whelan and PHD Candidate and Eco Soil Labs UVIC, Brooke Hayes
Brooke and Ash will be discussing the role that microbially robust compost and inoculants play in healthy soil, plant yield and other indicators like pH and decomposition rates. We will highlight the findings of our 2025 Project titled "Bio Amendment Trial for Nutrient Management in Annual Lettuce Production" and discuss practical tips for farmers and growers to apply biological amendments in an efficient, affordable way.

Biosecurity for Small-Scale Livestock Producers
Julia Smith - Small-Scale Meat Producers Association Executive Director / Blue Sky Ranch & Tristan Banwell - Small-Scale Meat Producers President , Spray Creek Ranch
This session explores practical biosecurity strategies tailored to organic and pasture-based livestock systems, drawing on SSMPA’s multi-year Farmed Animal Disease Project. Panelists highlight key disease risks for poultry, pigs, sheep, and cattle—including AI, PCV2, PRRS, parasites, and MOVI—and share realistic approaches that fit small-scale farm realities. The presentation focuses on right-sized biosecurity, pasture design, wildlife management, and emergency preparedness. Participants leave with actionable steps and access to new SSMPA biosecurity tools and resources.

Mid Career Decision Making
Blake Hunter, Good Seed Land
Blake is a Metis farmer who started his journey in broad-acre organic grain production in SK, and has shifted gears upon moving to Vancouver Island into small scale herb and seed production and garden coaching to help other people connect to the land. Blake will share a brief history of the timeline of his 20 year farming journey starting in SK and moving here to Vancouver Isle. Reflections on organic production from 80 broad-acre to 1/5 acre. Experiences in mid-career decision making to stay on the land but re-jigging the scale and the type of operation to fit his family and life better. Touching on the reasons why we shift gears because we want greater sustainability for the land, and connection to the land for our emotional, mental, and spiritual "sustainability".
Finally, Blake will include a bit on how his methods and protocols as farmers relates to the effectiveness and nutrition of the medicinal herbs and foods that they grow; how hands on creates a totally different product than machine grown.

Employment, Payroll and Subsidies: Wisdom Gleaned from a Quarter Century as a Mentor and Employer
Heather Stretch, Organic Farmer at Northbrook Farm and co-owner of Saanich Organics
Heather has been farming for 25 years, and during that time has mentored many apprentices and hired many farm hands.  Several of her former apprentices and employees have gone on to run their own farms, or to interesting careers in other facets of agriculture, which she considers among her biggest successes.
In this session we will talk about how to bring out the best in your staff, whether they are hourly farm hands, apprentices, or volunteers.  From tiny farms that host a few friends for occasional work parties, up to large operations with year round staff, many of the principles are the same, and when the stars align, the most productive workplaces are also the most satisfying and rewarding for the staff.  Heather will share what she's learned, and hopes everyone comes ready to share their experiences too.

This workshop is made possible by Cafe Brio. Cafe Brio is a creative restaurant offering a menu that reflects the bounty of the seasons and terroir of Southern Vancouver Island and the surrounding region. They love to work with local Farmers and suppliers and strongly believe in building the future of our local supply chains and community.

Integrating Flower Crops for Market Sales
Erin Bett - Fierce Love Farm
Erin and her partner Jon run Fierce Love Farm, a mixed veg/flower/berry operation in Qualicum Beach. She has been growing flowers commercially, both on her farm and other BC farms, since she started farming in 2012.  
This presentation is an intro to incorporating cut flowers into existing small vegetable farms and market gardens. We will look at both the production and marketing side of growing fresh flowers commercially, and share our tips for developing this new revenue stream on your farm.

Winter Vegetable Cropping
Robin Tunnicliffe - Farmer at Sea Bluff Farm and Saanich OrganicsRobin has been successfully farming in the winter on the South Island for over 20 years. December is the most profitable month for Sea Bluff Farm. Robin is always learning, and gambling with planting dates and new varieties. She writes for farming publications, she’s a conference junkie and she loves feeding her customers all year round.
from Robin, "I want to share my experience with market farming in the winter months. I’ll get into the nitty gritty details about planting dates, favourite varieties, succession planning, harvest and marketing tricks. I’ll also talk about drainage and bed prep tips for long and bountiful production"

Basic Carpentry for Farmers
Jon Rozinsky - Fierce Love Farm
A quick look and dive into some helpful skills, tools, and resources for performing carpentry on farms of any scale.
This workshop is made possible by Ethereal Fabrications. Supporting the local agricultural community by building anything from walk-in coolers, flame weeders, wash stations in addition to offering mechanical services, metal fabrication and carpentry work. 

IPM 101
David Spencer - owner and vice-president of Applied Bio-nomics.
David will present predators and applications for common pests in field and landscapes for the South Island, as well as provide tips and strategies to get the most out of your pest control programs.

Dry Farming with the Institute for Sustainable Food Systems
Naomi Robert and Micheal Robinson - Institute for Sustainable Food Systems KPU
Micheal Robinson is a Research and Extension Associate, at the Institute for Sustainable Food System, KPU and also currently a graduate student at UVIC working in the Ecogastronomy research group. Naomi is a Senior Research Associate and Extension Associate at the Institute for Sustainable Food Systems, Kwantlen Polytechnic University, where she draws on her background in climate science, agricultural science and policy to bridge academic, practitioner, and community initiatives. She is also a PhD candidate and sessional instructor at Simon Fraser University, where her research and teaching focus on the impacts of consolidation in Canadian food and agriculture and how to centre equity and ecological integrity through economic reform.
During the 2025 growing season the Institute for Sustainable Food Systems partnered with local growers to host Dry-Farming demonstration sites on Southern Vancouver Island. During this presentation we will cover what dry-farming is, how to assess your site or farm for dry farming capacity, and how our trial sites did during over the course of the year. 

Small Farm Equipment
Heather Ramsey
Heather started farming in 2010, coming from a non-farming background in the suburbs of Burnaby.  She shares her experience using and caring for the small gasoline engines used on a wide range of farm equipment, with a keen eye to what it's like to learn these skills from scratch
Avoid costly downtime, learn to do your own small engine maintenance! We'll start with an overview of how small engines work, then cover five basic areas of pre- season maintenance: air filters, fuel system, spark plugs, engine oil, and cooling. Key steps will be demonstrated

Water Licensing and Drought Preparedness
Foster Richardson
This talk will give a practical overview of water licensing in B.C., highlight available funding for farm water infrastructure, and discuss key considerations for drought resilience and water management on agricultural operations.
Foster Richardson is a Professional Agrologist with experience in crop production and water management. He has supported agricultural project design and implementation across BC since 2018, including work on regional adaptation strategies, and projects to support the agriculture sector adapt to climate change. Foster is the BC Dairy Living Lab project manager, contracts to the Ministry of Agriculture as the Vancouver Island Agricultural Water Resource Consultant and consults directly with farmers on water and nutrient management. 
Session sponsored by Logic League Consulting Ltd. Logic League is a values-driven, community-centric disaster risk management firm working with local governments and First Nations.  "We recognize that disasters are not natural, but rather the outcomes of collective decisions and actions."

Farmworkers Transitioning Into Farm Owners
El Cyr and Ari WesthaverIn this interactive session, Ari and El will guide participants through a facilitated conversation meant to spark ideas, invite reflection, and cultivate networking amongst farmers and farm workers at all stages of their farming career. The goal of this session is to use the collective experience within the room as a jumping off point for conversations about not only what it means to make the transition from farmworker to farm owner, but also how we, as a community of farmers, can make that transition feel more supported!
El's farming career spans over half a decade and has taken them across the country, from intensive small-scale vegetable production in PEI to growing food and flowers right here on the Saanich peninsula. In this time, El has been involved in farm worker organizing on both a regional and national scale through the National Farmers Union and now balances their farm work with a new adventure in library sciences.  Originally from the Fraser Valley, Ari Westhaver grew up surrounded by vast blueberry fields and fifth-generation dairy operations, many of which have since changed hands as the valley's population has shifted and urbanized. This early exposure to agriculture and what happens when farmland is lost caused Ari to develop an early interest in the intersection between land, agriculture, and policy. Before moving to Vancouver Island in 2024, Ari farmed across the Lower Mainland for seven years and was deeply involved in the National Farmers Union, where he developed a keen interest in agricultural labour policy. Since leaving the Mainland, Ari has taken on a role with Young Agrarians that allows him to work directly with folks who are starting farms!

Grazing for Resilience: Multi-Species Strategies for South Vancouver Island
Julia Smith - Small-Scale Meat Producers Association Executive Director / Blue Sky Ranch & Tristan Banwell - Small-Scale Meat Producers President , Spray Creek Ranch
Join fellow producers for this interactive session about what rotational and multi-species grazing looks like on South Vancouver Island. We’ll cover practical fencing and pasture strategies, wet-season management, and how pigs, poultry, cattle and other species can fit into a regenerative system. This is a chance to explore what’s working locally and what support is needed to build stronger grazing programs across the region.

Reports form the Field
Matthew Kyriakides, Professional Agrologist and PhD Candidate (Ecogastronomy Research Group, University of Victoria)
Matthew is a Professional Agrologist with over 10 years of experience in crop production, land management, and agricultural reclamation. His work focuses on practical strategies to improve soil health and farm viability, drawing on applied research and direct on-farm experience.
This presentation draws on a three-year field trial evaluating how different input and management strategies influence soil health, crop performance, and farm economics during the early stages of agricultural reclamation. The session will focus on practical findings, trade-offs, and lessons learned from implementing these strategies under real-world conditions, with an emphasis on what the results mean for farm decision-making.
The research was conducted at the Sandown Centre for Regenerative Agriculture (W̱S͸ḴEM territory, North Saanich) and was supported by the MITACS Accelerate program. Results presented reflect an ongoing, multi-year study and should be interpreted as early-stage findings.
This workshop is sponsored by the Sandown Centre for Regenerative Agriculture. Sandown Centre for Regenerative Agriculture is located on 13.5 acres of public land in North Saanich and offers a range of programs to engage the public in regenerative agriculture. This includes the Sandown Farm, to provide produce for school meal programs and directly to consumers through their on-site market and CSA program, an incubator farm program, a community gardens, Growing Young Farmers, and more