[FIG-ALL] Tri-State Local Food Conference, Fairfield IA, Sept. 4

[Erin R Orwig]

This looks like a great conference. I'm planning on going. 

Tri-State Local Food Conference to focus on producing sustainability, Sept. 4

 

            Fairfield, (Iowa) – Students receive a discounted rate to attend the Tri-State Local Food Conference at the Fairfield Arts and Convention Center, September 4 from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Register by August 31 and students can enjoy the conference and a delicious local food meal for only $35. 

            The conference is designed for farmers, consumers, educators and others interested in producing a sustainable local food system to grow food, grow lives and grow the local economy.  Three different “tracks” of the conference program will look at Farm To Institution programs and purchasing, tools for producer innovation, and food system advocacy.

           Interested to have delicious and healthy meals served at schools, hospitals, assisted living and nursing homes, and available at your grocery store?  Find out how to bring locally grown products into the mix from the Farm To Institution track.  Two sessions will examine Farm To School (F2S) programs, starting with a discussion on what state and funding resources are available to help communities and school districts establish F2S programs and why F2S programs are so important to the health of our youngest generation.  F2S State and Regional Directors Maury Wills and Sara Tedeschi, and Kellogg Food and Society Fellow Registered Dietician and Environmental Nutrition Consultant Angie Tagtow lead the first round of information, and are followed by F2S program organizers Gary Cuneen (Seven Generations Ahead, Illinois), Kiersten Firquain (Missouri Bistro Kids), and NE Iowa’s Farm To School Project’s Joan Lubke in a second session assessing and evaluating community resources needed to launch F2S programs and keep them nourished.

The last session in the Farm To Institution track features Nancy Levandowsky from Iowa State University’s Dining program and New Pioneer Coop’s Local Produce Coordinator Mike Krogh.  They will discuss how they go about sourcing local food and the requirements they have for purchasing local produce.  All of these sessions will provide valuable insight to any institution interested in purchasing local foods.

            Made for producers, the Producer Innovation track opens the ground for expanding farm operations and farm profitability.  In the first session, two farms and one farm cooperative share lessons learned about the successes and considerations of direct-marketing their produce through farm shares, or community supported agriculture.  Rebecca Graff from Fair Share Farm will be on the panel, as well as Joanne Roepke-Bode (Fresh Connections) and Amy Brucker (Good Earth Food Alliance).

Next, producers can learn about agri-tourism as a way of diversifying farm income and hear from producers that have made agri-tourism a vibrant aspect of their farm.  Kathy Hohl from Kathy’s Pumpkin Patch and Art and Vera Gelder of Walk-About Acres will talk about how their farms evolved into designated destinations while Iowa State Extension’s Marsha Laux outlines resources available for producers interested in expanding their farm operations to include agriculture-enthusiastic tourism.

The third panel session invites producers to look into online marketing with Ina Cernusca (Missouri Exchange), Ray Hansen (Iowa Market Maker), and Sandy Shetler (Illinois Market Maker).  These Extension specialists will discuss the opportunities and successes made available to producers as online markets create a year-round marketplace for direct sales.

The third track of the Tri-State Local Foods Conference will be of special interest to local food systems advocates.  With Rich Pirog (Associate Director, Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture), Sarah Hultine (Community Development Specialist, University of Missouri), and Lindsay Record (Local Food Coordinator, Illinois Stewardship Alliance) sitting in for two consecutive panels, advocates will be able to catch up on the latest local food systems developments and interact with other advocates to find ways to collaborate and help each other with local food systems work.

The food system advocacy track wraps up with Matt Russell, State Food Policy Project Coordinator and Coyote Run Farm proprietor as he talks about how current food policy is affecting efforts to grow the local food systems and what changes should be lobbied for.

The Tri-State Local Food Conference will open with Denise O’Brien, an organic farmer and family farm advocate for over 30 years. O’Brien’s interest in agriculture policy came from the experience of her and her husband’s dairy farm of 20 years. She helped start several progressive programs to combat corporate farming influence on the family farm, and in 1994 she launched the Women, Food and Agriculture Network, an organization supporting women in farming. 

            Iowa State University economist Dave Swenson will also speak at the Conference, discussing the benefits of a healthy local economy and focusing on the area-wide economic gains that result from increased local foods production and consumption. Swenson will incorporate humor while discussing local foods and economic impact.

            “Local food continues to gain interest and momentum all around us, “says organizer Detra Dettmann. “Just look at the how the White House vegetable garden has gotten so much press this year.” 

          The Tri-State Local Food Conference is sponsored by Pathfinders Resource Conservation and Development, Hometown Harvest of Southeast Iowa, The Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, Fairfield Iowa Convention and Visitors Bureau, Everybody’s Whole Foods, Radish Magazine, First National Bank, Iowa State Bank, Libertyville Savings Bank, MidWest One Bank, Ag Marketing Resource Center, North Central SARE, University of Illinois Extension, University of Missouri Extension, and Iowa State University Extension.

            Tri-State Local Food Conference advanced registration is $45 with discounts available for students and Buy Fresh Buy Local members. Contact Elisabet Humble, 641-472-6177 or visit travelfairfieldiowa.com for more information.

Technical Assistant
Illinois Value-Added Sustainable Development Center
Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs
Western Illinois University
Phone: 309.298.3467