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Urban Agriculture Working Group

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Urban Agriculture Working Group

Cultivating leaders in Rochester's urban ag community to organize and empower urban growers to improve urban ag policy, resources and education.

03/31/2026

Hard to believe the 2026 Rochester Urban Agriculture Conference was already over a week ago!

Thank you to all the gardeners, community members, workshop hosts, tabling organizations, Fruition Seeds, caterers, volunteers, and everyone else who attended!!

And thank you to all the behind the scenes help from East High School staff and our UAWG committee members.

We can't wait for the 2027 Conference!!

If you attended the conference and want to be more involved in the Urban Agriculture Working Group contact us using the email link on our home page.

03/19/2026

We can't wait to see everyone Saturday!

If you registered and can no longer attend the conference, please cancel your registration so we can let people on the waitlist get tickets!

03/16/2026

In addition to the wonderful workshops and Gift of Seed, the UAWG is happy to once again offer lunch to all attendees.

This year we are excited to welcome Shahrazad Catering to provide a delicious Mediterranean lunch for everyone!

Want more info on Shahrazad Catering for your own events: https://www.shahrazadcatering.com/ or find on Facebook at Shahrazad catering

03/15/2026

In addition to all our wonderful workshops, the UAWG is excited to have Petra Page-Mann from Fruition Seeds and their glorious The Gift of Seed back again to finish out the conference!

Gift of Seed description: Fruition Seeds grows and gifts regionally adapted seeds as well as stories, songs and experiences to cultivate cultures of caring gift economy. Let's grow a more abundant Rochester together! Together, let's cultivate gift culture as well as community as we receive hundreds of varieties of regionally adapted seeds as gifts, nourishing all generations to come. Expect puppets! And lots of seeds! And to come alive as we explore living in ways both old and new. If you'd love to bring seeds to gift your fellow urban growers, we love you and come 30 minutes early to add them to the cornucopia! When attending the Gift of Seed, please plan to stay for the entire experience. See here for more details on what to expect: https://www.fruitionseeds.com/learn/blog/an-invitation-to-receive-seeds-as-gifts-from-fruition/

03/14/2026

Today's workshop highlight is Starting a Worm Bin led by Katie Nuber, Equicenter.

Workshop description: Learn about home and small-scale composting while helping to create a worm bin. Worm composting or vermiculture is a cold processing method of re-purposing your kitchen and yard waste scraps into natural fertilizer and can be kept indoors or outside. All attendees will have a chance to win the worm bin that will be raffled off at the end of the workshop.

We can't wait to hear from Katie and see everyone at the conference!

We currently have a waitlist if you weren't able to get your tickets before they sold out: https://rocurbanag2026.eventbrite.com/

03/13/2026

Today's workshop highlight is Rochester Community Food System Plan: Opportunity for Advocacy led by the Rochester Food Policy Council.

Workshop description: The Rochester Community Food System Plan is a major planning effort that has been underway for two years, “to understand the local food system better across city neighborhoods and develop recommendations to inform policies, partnerships, and initiatives to improve food access, health, and resilience.” Participants will discuss the draft plans recommendations for action, short, medium and long-term, and brainstorm on the most effective paths to implementation.

We can't wait to hear from the FPC and see everyone at the conference!

We currently have a waitlist if you weren't able to get your tickets before they sold out: https://rocurbanag2026.eventbrite.com/

03/12/2026

Today's workshop highlight is Irrigation 101 for Small Scale Growers led by Steve Reiners, Horticulture, Cornell University.

Workshop description: How can we make watering our gardens and farms more effective and efficient? Join us for a hands-on session exploring irrigation basis and how to set up a drip irrigation system that works for your growing space. In this workshop, participants can expect to learn about different irrigation methods for in ground, raised beds, and container growing systems. Nozzles, hoses, emitters, gauges, drip lines, pumps - so much lingo! We’ll discuss the various components - what’s necessary and what’s not, and see examples of various set ups. There will be opportunity to connect and share with fellow growers about watering strategies.

We can't wait to hear from Steve and see everyone at the conference!

We currently have a waitlist if you weren't able to get your tickets before they sold out: https://rocurbanag2026.eventbrite.com/

03/11/2026

Today's workshop highlight is Effective Collaboration for Social Justice-Centered Gardening Education led by Brandon White, Freedom Scholars & CCE Monroe 4H.

Workshop description: Our Roots Across Water workshop will have the following objectives: 1) Illustrate the integration of justice-oriented garden education offerings from two distinctly different organizations 2) Explain the impact of effective collaboration on student and family's lives 3) Explain the practices and commitments needed for the effective collaboration to take place 4) Provide opportunities for participants to identify how these practices and commitments could potentially impact their current or future collaborations.

We can't wait to hear from Brandon and see everyone at the conference!

We currently have a waitlist if you weren't able to get your tickets before they sold out: https://rocurbanag2026.eventbrite.com/

03/10/2026

Today's workshop highlight is Breed What You Grow: Seed Saving and Participatory Crop Improvement led by Gregory Vogel, Plant Breeding, Cornell University.

Workshop description: The goal of this workshop is to introduce participants to fundamental concepts and techniques in seed saving and plant breeding. The workshop aims to empower participants with the knowledge needed to confidently save seed of their own preferred varieties or breed new varieties adapted to their local environment and conditions. The workshop will include a mixture of demonstration/lecture, as well as hands-on activities including performing controlled pollinations and processing both wet-seeded and dry-seeded crops. Finally, the workshop aims to introduce a participatory plant breeding project on African eggplant and invite participants to get involved if they are interested..

We can't wait to hear from Gregory and see you at the conference!

We currently have a waitlist if you weren't able to get your tickets before they sold out: https://rocurbanag2026.eventbrite.com/

03/09/2026

Today's workshop highlight is Starting a Farm: Access to Land Panel Discussion led by Val Aalbregtse, Amanda Grisa, Melinda Friday, Johnnie Mull.

Workshop description: In Rochester, would-be and new farmers struggle to find land. Three farmers will tell the stories of their quests to find a place to grow food that is clean and affordable. Amanda Grisa, Genesee Land Trust’s Director of Farmland Protection, will talk about resources for land access in Rochester/Monroe County and share information on the Regional Navigator program.

To attend this workshop and more, register now for the 2026 Rochester Urban Agriculture Conference: https://rocurbanag2026.eventbrite.com/

03/08/2026

Today's workshop highlight is Urban Permaculture and Tiny Food Forests led by Patty Love, Barefoot Ecological Design.

Workshop description: With some simple reimagining of how we utilize growing spaces, we can maximize productivity to reap an abundant harvest even from a small garden bed or land space. What if we gardened like nature does? In this workshop we will: introduce permaculture design principles; introduce edible/food forest gardening; introduce polyculture design basics; discuss some particularly useful plants; discuss challenges and gifts of sub/urban gardening; discuss some particularly useful techniques, & propose specific tiny food forest polycultures and practices.

To attend this workshop and more, register now for the 2026 Rochester Urban Agriculture Conference: https://rocurbanag2026.eventbrite.com/

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