Purdue Extension conference to feature speakers, trade show tailored to small farmers, horticulture producers

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The 2026 Indiana Horticulture and Small Farm Conference will take place at the Hendricks County Fairgrounds on March 3-5. This year’s merged conference, hosted by Purdue Extension and the Purdue Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, will offer education and farmer-to-farmer networking for Indiana horticultural crop growers and small farmers. 

“Attendees can look forward to great educational sessions, networking with other farmers as well as Purdue and ag agency personnel, meeting with trade show exhibitors, and great locally sourced food,” said Amy Thompson, event co-chair and Purdue Beginning Farmer coordinator. 

Attendees can choose sessions from 11 different tracks, including fruit, vegetables, resilient agriculture and livestock. Session speakers include farmers and Purdue Extension and Purdue horticulture experts with many years of firsthand experience. 

“There is something for everyone with the variety of content we offer, like improved pruning techniques for apples and peaches, using wool pellets for mulching crops, raising quail as urban livestock, food safety updates from the state and our Purdue team, and soil health and farm financial viability,” said Laura Ingwell, event co-chair and associate professor of entomology. 

The event’s keynote speaker will be Marty Travis, author of “My Farmer, My Customer” and an expert in food aggregation, marketing and local supply chain logistics. For more than 20 years, Travis helped to create more sustainable supply chains by building resilient food systems that uplift farmers, chefs and communities. 

A trade show, which will run all three days, will offer attendees the opportunity to meet with a range of commercial and nonprofit organizations. Applications for trade show vendors will be open through Feb. 24 or until spots fill up. For trade show questions, please contact Nathan Deppe at ndeppe@purdue.edu or 765-494-7265.  

Attendee registration is open online through Feb. 24. People may register for one day, two days or three days, which costs $85, $160 or $240 respectively. Lunch is included in the registration fee. On-site registration will be available for the same prices, but meals will not be included. To register or learn more, visit puext.in/IHSFC26. 

The Hendricks County Fairgrounds are located at 1900 E. Main St., Danville, Indiana. More information about the event can be found here. PARP, CCH and CCA continuing education credits will be available.  

General conference questions can be directed to Thompson at afthompson@purdue.edu. Participants under 18 years of age must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.   

If you are in need of accommodations to attend this program, please contact Thompson at afthompson@purdue.edu by Feb. 17. For special dietary needs, contact Thompson at afthompson@purdue.edu by Feb. 24. If you need an interpreter or translator, please contact Thompson at afthompson@purdue.edu by Feb. 17. 

Follow the conference on Instagram or Facebook at @PurdueDFFS, with the hashtag #PurdueSmallFarms.