Central State University’s Dayton location will host the Black Indigenous People of Color Food and Farming Network’s 2025 Conference, which starts Friday.
The BIPOC Food and Farming network is a statewide alliance in Ohio that centers on the experiences of people of color working in the food or ag sector.
The network's executive director, Patty Allen, said they don't hold any formal membership but have over 2,000 people on their mailing list.
"We're a statewide organization and an estimate would be about 500 people statewide identify as members or allies," she said.
The BFFN’s annual event will host activities and workshops alongside an outdoor community market.
“You don't have to be a farmer to participate and come celebrate the heritage and contribution that various cultures and nationalities bring to agriculture and food,” said Jada Williams, chair of this year's conference.
Food trucks will also offer fresh, local food at the event.
"We have Terri Gates, we'll have Heavenly Taste Food Truck, which is a gourmet sandwich and loaded fry food truck," she said. "Then we have Queen's Table Food Truck, [which] is quoted 'the home of the fishbowl.'"
Conference visitors can attend a mixer at West Social Tap from 6 to 11 p.m Friday with entrepreneurs, creators and community leaders.
"There will be light bites, conversation and just a chance outside of the workshops and skill-shares where people will be able to start building those connections," Williams said.
She said a full day of festivities will take place, with workshops from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. A total of 14 presenters will be participating in the workshops or skill-shares.
“One of the things that most people are really excited about is the small business legal aid clinic for BIPOC farmers," Williams said. "So we will have an attorney on site that will be able to provide 15-minute consultations.”
The community market will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. with around 20 local vendors and information booths.
"We'll have makers there, different organizations will come to provide information," Williams said. "So it'll be a really fun time, both outside and inside."
Allen said their partner and USDA-funded Local Land and Market Access, or L.L.A.M.A., will offer specialized workshops including basics of land leasing.
"We also are having an organization out of Arkansas that does succession planning and they will talk about heir property rights and how to maintain family farming," she said.
Visitors can also tour three area farms including Edgemont Solar Garden, Efinity Harvest Farm and Eden's Harvest before an RSVP-only awards dinner that will feature produce, like okra, brown at Agraria.
The awards ceremony will honor Te'Lario Watkins II, a 16-year-old, nationally recognized youth entrepreneur, urban farmer, and advocate for food justice, who founded Tiger Mushroom Farms at the age of 7.
Watkins has been growing gourmet mushrooms for local farmers markets, restaurants and grocery stores ever since. Williams said he'll receive the Young Professional Award, and Dayton's Edgemont Solar Garden will receive the Excellence Award.
Allen said this conference and the work that the network does would not be possible without the help of their sponsors which include the Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association, the City of Dayton and Central State University Extension.
"Our OG partners include Nationwide and the Ohio Farmers Bureau. We also have Farm Credit Mid-America, which is actually the sponsor of our awards program this year," she said. "I would be remiss if I did not mention the Yellow Springs Community Foundation, which has provided transformative grants to help us move our network to the next level."
More information about the BFFN and its annual conference can be found at bipocfoodandfarmnetwork.org.
