Written by Christina Daniels, Farm Apprentice
Every year, the Coverdale Farm Preserve team packs their notebooks, reusable mugs, and curiosity and heads to the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (PASA) Conference. Each time, we return inspired, energized, and full of ideas to bring back to Coverdale Farm Preserve, from improving soil health and refining farm efficiencies to strengthening the human side of farming.
Why PASA Is a Coverdale Farm Preserve Favorite
We leverage PASA each year to connect with fellow farmers, swap ideas, learn new practices, and stay on top of agricultural trends that directly impact our work at Coverdale Farm Preserve. The conference is a mix of practical, science-based learning and community building and Coverdale Farm Preserve loves both.
Some of our team’s favorite stops every year include the book recommendation and take a book, leave a book table, along with the community seed-sharing station. There is nothing quite like heading home with new reading material and seeds that carry stories from farms near and far.
Learning, Growing, and Getting Our Hands Dirty (Figuratively Mostly)
Our team spread out across dozens of sessions, covering atopics relevant to small farms, regenerative systems, and people-powered agriculture. A few highlights included:
Poultry-centered regenerative agroforestry intensive
High-yield winter root growing and storage
Digging into soil organic matter: science and strategies for building organic matter over time
Each session sparked ideas we’re excited to explore further, whether that’s improving soil health, refining farm efficiencies, or strengthening the human side of farming.
Running Into Friends and Clients
One of the best parts of PASA is the people. We loved running into familiar faces throughout the conference, including Harvest Market of Hockessin, one of our valued clients and a PASA sponsor. Seeing local partners supporting sustainable agriculture on a bigger stage is always a highlight.
We also crossed paths with our friends at the Food Bank of Delaware. Conferences have a way of reminding us how interconnected this work really is, even when we forget to snap a photo together.
Compost, But Make It Mobile
The photo shows a very eye-catching, spray-painted shipping container. That container belongs to Ecotone Renewables, a Pittsburgh-based company that brought their mobile composting unit to PASA.
Ecotone handled composting all food waste from the event, turning it into their product known as “soil sauce.” This unit is their first mobile compost system, with plans to expand in the future. While CFP doesn’t currently use their products, we love seeing innovative approaches to closing the loop on food waste and soil health.
Heading Home Inspired
As always, PASA left us feeling connected to the land, our community, and the growing network of farmers and advocates who make sustainable agriculture possible. We cannot wait to bring these ideas back to Coverdale Farm Preserve and continue growing together.
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