Yankton, S.D.- The annual South Dakota Local Foods Conference (SDLFC) is celebrating its tenth year. The 2020 event, Nov. 5-7 will be the first held entirely online. The SDLFC Planning Committee looks forward to discussing the new opportunities that this year has brought to local small-scale and specialty producers through the virtual conference.

“2020 has obviously been a year of many challenges, but along with that, we have seen a renewed interest for local foods. This year’s conference will help our members, consumers, and the state of South Dakota benefit from these changes,” Kathleen Rykus, S.D. Specialty Producers Association, said.

About the Conference

The SDLFC provides educational programming and networking opportunities for producers, chefs, grocers, consumers, local food enthusiasts, and resource providers of specialty crops and other local food products. Anyone with an interest in local foods is encouraged to participate.

Keynote Speakers

The SDLFC  will feature keynote speakers David R. Montgomery, a MacArthur Fellow and professor of geomorphology at the University of Washington, and Charlotte Smith, a farmer and owner of 3 Cows Marketing in Oregon.

Montgomery will speak on Friday, Nov. 6 at 5pm CST. His address focused on soil health is entitled ‘Growing a Revolution, Bringing Our Soil Back to Life.’

Charlotte Smith will be speaking on Thursday, Nov. 5 at 5pm. This dynamic presentation will offer practical advice on starting, growing and marketing your farming business.

Both presentations will be one hour in length and held via Zoom. In addition to the keynote speakers, the event will include additional presentations, panels, and demonstrations over the 3-day period. For a schedule visit the registration website.

Sponsors

The SDLFC is hosted by a collaboration of partners including the South Dakota Specialty Producers Association, SDSU Extension, Dakota Rural Action, USDA Rural Development, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service of South Dakota, and the Great Plains Tribal Chairmen’s Health Board.

Registration

Registration is $30 per person for the 3-day event. Register for the SD Local Foods Conference on the Eventbrite Ticketing Page or find the link at www.sdspecialtyproducers.org.

Questions

Direct any questions to conference organizers at SDSPAinfo@gmail.com or 605-681-6793. For more information visit South Dakota Local Foods on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/SouthDakotaLocalFoods) or the SDSPA website. (http://www.sdspecialtyproducers.org/)

Links

Keynote Speaker David Montgomermy’s Website

Keynote Speaker Charlotte Smith’s 3 Cows Marketing Website