Plan now to attend the Nebraska Sustainable Agriculture Society’s Healthy Farms Conference, Feb. 8-9 at the Ramada Midtown Hotel in Grand Island. On-line registration is available at www.sustainablenebraska.org.

The Healthy Farms Conference has been hosted by the Nebraska Sustainable Agriculture Society for over 40 years. The conference facilitates farmer-to-farmer training with sessions aimed at equipping farmers, aspiring farmers, foodies, and advocates with the skills and knowledge about sustainable agriculture.

Denise O'Brien, co-founder of the Women, Food and Agriculture Network, is a keynote speaker planned for the event. This Iowa-based organization's mission is to "...engage women in building an ecological and just food and agricultural system through individual and community power."

Joey Jones, founder of the Grassfed Network, will be the other keynote speaker at the Healthy Farms conference. Jones has been involved in the grass-fed beef market for over 17 years. He created GrassfedNetwork.com - an online resource with ongoing monthly trainings for livestock producers, in which they learn how to improve the way they raise animals on grass.

Brent Lubbert, Nebraska Sustainable Agriculture Society president said, "We are grateful to welcome these individuals to speak at our Healthy Farms conference. They each provide years of expertise in sustainable agriculture and in educating fellow farmers and ranchers."

This year's conference theme is "Revitalize." The conference’s breakout sessions are divided into three tracks: Soil and Ecosystem Revitalization, Community Revitalization, and Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) Farmer Forum.

Lubbert said, "We are honored to be partnering with SARE at this year's conference. The Farmers Forum is an annual event giving farmers, ranchers, and others the chance to share information about sustainable agriculture practices. We're very fortunate to have this be a part of our conference."

In addition to sessions, the conference has exhibits about local food, holistic health, sustainability, natural resources, and marketing. A locally-sourced dinner will also be served on Friday night featuring food grown by many of the conference attendees and supporters.

A full conference agenda and on-line registration is available on the Nebraska Sustainable Agriculture Society’s web site: http://www.sustainablenebraska.org/.