My first time attending FARM. Twenty years since my first ever folk alliance international. Might be 21 actually.....18 years since the first Little Red Hen Room. Going to NERFA this year, too. Hooray! The Midwest and Canadian Prairies are ripe with an urgent independent spirit lurking in all of its corners. It is first and foremost our goal to nurture this spirit throughout the Midwest and Prairies by doing all we can to foster a sense of community among our members. As members of a community, we believe in helping each other to develop skills, build networks, and find ways to present our art in both traditional and non-traditional venues. We encourage presenters to cooperate in booking touring musicians and we encourage touring musicians to assist each other along the way. It makes sense for all of us, performers and presenters alike, to come together as often as we can to meet, talk, learn from, dance and sing with each other. Together we will continue to promote the growth of the ever changing world of folk music and dance for future generations. This is the spirit found at our annual FARM gatherings. We invite you to participate by attending our conference, contributing your talents or otherwise reaching out to this supportive community.