21st Annual Local Foods Conference slated Oct. 16-18

BISMARCK - The 21^st Annual Local Foods Conference will be held Thursday, Oct. 16 through Saturday, Oct. 18, at the Chieftain Conference Center, 60 4th Ave S, Carrington, ND.

"Building Resilience in a Vibrant Ecosystem" is the theme of the three-day conference, which is sponsored by the North Dakota Department of Agriculture (NDDA) and the North Dakota Farmers Market and Growers Association (NDFMGA).

"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," Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring said. "There will also be plenty of opportunities for participants to network with each other."

The conference will kick off Thursday evening with a workshop and social hosted by FARRMS. New this year, the Local Foods Conference Farmers Market is open to the public on Friday, Oct. 17, from 4 - 7 p.m. in the Chieftain Conference Center parking lot. Several engaging sessions are scheduled for Friday and Saturday.

The conference brings together farmers, ranchers, food businesses, educators, Extension staff, nonprofits, cooperatives and community leaders to strengthen North Dakota's local food system. Registration for both the conference and farmers market is available at https://www.ndda.nd.gov/local-foods-conference. The first 25 first-time North Dakota attendees will get their conference fee reimbursed by NDFMGA when attending the conference.

For further questions, please contact Jenna Nieters, NDDA local foods marketing specialist, at 701-328-2659 or [email protected], or Keith Knudson, NDFMGA executive director, at [email protected].