Morden was the host site for the 22nd Annual Direct Farm Marking Conference held this past weekend.

The two-day conference is a partnership of the Manitoba Government and the Prairie Fruit Growers Association (PFGA), and is also supported by Direct Farm Manitoba.

The event is geared towards small farms that directly market products to consumers such as U-picks, farmers' markets, and agri-tourism.

ANGIE CORMIER SMALL
Angie Cormier

PFGA Executive Director Angie Cormier notes it's becoming a growing trend that people want to know more about where there food is coming from.

"Popularity of it [direct farms], yes, I think is definitely increasing," she said. "People are wanting to support local, so maybe there are more direct farms that are now coming up because it's a trend."

Topics this year included social media, berry research, and food processing.

Cormier notes attendance was average this year at about 115 over the two-day event.

The conference was funded in part through Growing Forward 2.