The Environmental Studies Program at Denison University is hosting a conference to bring together farmers, academics, writers, practitioners, public officials, students and other interested community members to discuss small farms, rural communities and sustainable agriculture. "Farming: People, Land and Community" will open on Thursday, May 24, and continue through Sunday, May 27.

Involved in the conference discussions will be noted authors and farmers Wendell Berry of Port Royal, Ky. and Gene Logsdon of Upper Sandusky; Fred Kirschenmann from the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture in Ames, Iowa; Wes Jackson from The Land Institute in Salina, Kan.; David Kline, an Amish farmer and author from Holmes County, Ohio; David Orr, faculty member in environmental studies at Oberlin College; and many others who think about agriculture in unconventional and imaginative ways. Participants with experience in rural development, ecology, sustainable food systems, community resource development, sociology, draft horses and philosophy will contribute to the conference discussions.

Two major events during the conference are free and open to the public - a concert and an ecumenical service. On Friday evening (May 25) there will be a bluegrass concert featuring the nationally recognized Kenny Sidle & Friends on the University's fine arts quad lawn (bordered by College, Broadway, and Plum). Kenny Sidle & Friends will begin playing their bluegrass and old country tunes at 7:30 p.m. The rain site is in Burke Hall auditorium.

The conference will also include an ecumenical service cosponsored and hosted by the First Baptist Church in. The 11 a.m. service will be a celebration of the values found in agricultural and rural communities. The Rev. Kim Keethler-Ball will preside over the service, which will include readings and reflections by conference participants Wendell Berry and Sister Christine Pratt. It also will include periods of Quaker-like silence in which members of the congregation might speak. Open to all community members, the service will include music focused on agricultural themes performed by the First Baptist choir

The "Farming: People, Land and Community" conference also will celebrate the premiere issue of the magazine started by David and Elsie Kline of Holmes County sharing the same title. In addition to discussion-based sessions, the conference will include field trips to Amish farms in Holmes County, the Spray Brothers farm in Mt. Vernon, Stratford Ecological Center in Delaware, and to the Logsdon farm and garden in Upper Sandusky. The conference will also feature a selection of locally grown foods, a unique photography exhibit of rural America by Gregory Spaid, stargazing at the Denison University observatory, and an evening barbeque and square dance at the Flying J farm in Johnstown, Ohio.

Single day registrations are $65 ($50 for students); full conference daytime registration includes meals but not lodging and costs $195 ($140 for students); and full conference registration is $275 ($220 for students).

More information about the conference is available by contacting Sarah Baird, environmental studies program manager, at (740) 587-5684, or at the Web site: www.farmingconference.org

Denison University, located in, was founded in 1831 and is a privately supported, coeducational college of liberal arts and sciences, offering three different bachelor's degrees (B.A., B.S. and B.F.A.) among 39 majors. Some 2,000 full-time undergraduate students represent 47 states and 34 foreign countries. Denison is fully accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools and is a member of the Great Lakes Colleges Association (GLCA) and a founding member of the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC). Denison's chapter of Phi Beta Kappa was established in 1910. Dale T. Knobel is Denison's 19th president. Denison's endowment funds are approaching $500 million.

About Denison:

Denison University, founded in 1831, is an independent, residential liberal arts institution located in Granville, Ohio. A highly selective college enrolling 2,100 full-time undergraduate students from all 50 states and dozens of foreign countries, Denison is a place where innovative faculty and motivated students collaborate in rigorous scholarship, civic engagement and the cultivation of independent thinking.

For press inquiries:

Name

Barbara Stambaugh

Position Title

Director, Media Relations

Primary Email

stambaughb@denison.edu

Business Phone

(740) 587-8575