On Oct. 13, every PFI member with a current membership expiring after Jan. 9, 2027 will have received an email titled “Your PFI Conference Registration Code” to the primary email address associated with your membership.
- If you cannot find this email, you can use the “resend my code” feature on the registration page to have it resent.
- If you purchased or renewed your membership after Oct. 12, your PFI conference registration code is in the confirmation email from your membership transaction.
Still need help? Please email gro.sremraflacitcarp@ofni or call the PFI office at (515) 232-5661. We are here to help!
We received feedback from attendees that we should include meals in the ticket prices. We listened and implemented this change at the 2026 conference, including meals with the purchase of an individual ticket for both days of the conference: Friday lunch, Saturday breakfast, and Saturday lunch. Any attendees wanting to attend the Friday supper will still need to purchase those tickets separately at $20.
Farm and household and organizational memberships will need to pay $35 per additional person attending on their ticket to cover the cost of meals. Farm and household members can bring up to 9 additional people and organizational members can bring up to 4 additional people per registration.
The following meals are included with registration:
- Short Course (Thursday): Lunch
- Friday: Lunch
- Friday dinner is an optional add-on for $20
- Saturday: Breakfast and lunch
Complimentary morning and afternoon snacks and continuous coffee are also provided.
This was a complex decision that we considered carefully. In the past, additional attendees registered for free, but meal tickets had to be purchased separately.
At the 2025 conference, we received many complaints and saw confusion around meal tickets, especially when some sold out. To improve clarity and experience, we now include meals with everyone's registration.
Additionally, we have experienced issues with people registering for free and then not attending. Because we prioritize purchasing food from our members and local producers, and the actual cost of meals in 2025 was $125 per person, we needed a way to recover part of that cost without selling separate meal tickets.
We believe the $35 per day rate remains an excellent value and improves the overall conference experience.
If you have a Farm and Household or Lifetime membership, you can register an additional 9 people for a discounted rate under your primary ticket only if they live in your household or are employed on your farm.
As an Individual or Access member, only you can receive your member discounted ticket.
You may call the office at (515) 232-5661 if you’d like to upgrade to a Farm & Household membership and then register household or farm members under your membership.
Refund requests are honored before our preregistration deadline of Dec. 23, minus an $8 processing fee. No refunds are available after that date.
Yes, only ticketed attendees may attend sessions. Single-day passes are available.
Yes. Only ticketed attendees may visit the exhibitor hall.
Unfortunately, the nearby lots, garages and street parking require payment. More info about nearby parking is on the logistics page. If you find a place to park free in Des Moines, check if you can get to the conference using the Dart Bus. Google Maps or Apple Maps are quite useful for navigating the bus system.
There are EV charging stations located on the first and third floors of the 5th and Keo Parking Garage. If you are staying at the Hilton, there is a charging station located near the front entrance lobby.
You can download the brochure on our website.
If you’d like a copy mailed to you, or multiple copies to share with friends, email your request with your mailing address to gro.sremraflacitcarp@ofni or call us at (515) 232-5661.
Due to the arrangement of the hotel block, PFI is adding room nights up to 3 days before or after the conference on an as-needed basis with the Hilton. If you would like to book in that window, please contact our office manager, Valeria Cano Camacho Tidemann, by email or by phone at (515) 232-5661. She’ll get you sorted ASAP!
You likely reached a corporate or third-party reservation line, which doesn't handle block rates. Call the Hilton Downtown directly at (515) 241-1456.
We may be able to accommodate some requests beyond what was listed on registration. Please call the PFI office at (515) 232-5661 and ask to speak with Liz Kolbe about a dietary request. In some cases, for example, a severe corn allergy, it may make more sense for us to set up an exception for you to bring your own food into the conference.
Due to insurance requirements at the Iowa Events Center, PFI is not able to offer childcare for the 2027 Annual Conference. We know having childcare available is critical for many families, and we apologize.
Instead, we will provide two "Family Lounge" spaces – an activity room and a quiet room. A family member will need to accompany children in the Family Lounges at all times. We will also allow families to bring one additional adult (18+) (grandparent, uncle, cousin, neighbor, etc) to be with the child(ren) in the Family Lounge. This "childcare support" ticket is complimentary. If parents are planning to split time in sessions and in the Family Lounge, we prefer that both parents register as conference attendees.
Children are also welcome to attend sessions with their parents! There is no registration charge for children aged 7 and younger. Registration in the Family Lounge also gives us an accurate count for kid-friendly meals that are served in a separate meal line.