Peace Garden News

The 21st Annual Local Foods Conference is scheduled to take place from October 16 to 18 at the Chieftain Conference Center in Carrington, North Dakota. The event is sponsored by the North Dakota Department of Agriculture (NDDA) and the North Dakota Farmers Market and Growers Association (NDFMGA).

This year’s conference will focus on “Building Resilience in a Vibrant Ecosystem.” According to Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring, “This year’s conference includes in-depth sessions focusing on marketing for small businesses, food safety, season extension strategies, Farm to School, soil health and community food access. There will also be plenty of opportunities for participants to network with each other.”

The conference will begin Thursday evening with a workshop and social event hosted by FARRMS. A new addition this year is the Local Foods Conference Farmers Market, which will be open to the public on Friday, October 17 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the Chieftain Conference Center parking lot. Sessions are planned throughout Friday and Saturday.

The event aims to bring together various stakeholders including farmers, ranchers, food businesses, educators, Extension staff, nonprofits, cooperatives and community leaders in order to strengthen North Dakota’s local food system. Registration details for both the conference and farmers market can be found at www.ndda.nd.gov/local-foods-conference. The NDFMGA will reimburse the registration fee for the first 25 first-time North Dakota attendees who participate in the conference.

For more information or questions regarding the event, contact Jenna Nieters, NDDA local foods marketing specialist at 701-328-2659 or jnieters@nd.gov; or Keith Knudson, NDFMGA executive director at ndfmga@outlook.com.