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Category Archives: DirectAgSummit
Call for Presentations & Posters for the 2019 Nat’l Direct Ag Summit
Jen O'Brien April 17, 2019SAVE THE DATE: The 2nd annual National Direct Agricultural Marketing Summit will take place from October 7-9, 2019 in Rosemont, Illinois (Chicago-area). FMC will also be hosting pre-Summit activities, including a state association leader meeting, an emerging issues panel, and business development fair with small group and one-on-one consulting for farmers market managers on topics such as organizational…
See you at Summit: Jen Cheek
Allie Vrtachnik August 17, 2018Meet 2018 Direct Ag Summit Speaker, Jen Cheek: Jen Cheek is the Executive Director of the Farmers Market Coalition. Previously working in urban planning and landscape architecture, Jen Cheek has collaborated with the National Park Service, the Environmental Protection Agency, and numerous nonprofit and private organizations to create civic meeting spaces, preserve natural areas, and design…
See you at Summit: Marian Weaver
Allie VrtachnikMeet 2018 Direct Ag Summit Speaker, Marian Weaver: Marian Weaver is the Program Manager for FMC’s Farmers Market Metrics, a system designed to empower market managers and leaders to collect data and transform that data into actionable metrics. She has spent the past two years engaging directly with market leaders across the country, offering technical assistance…
See you at Summit: Lihlani Nelson
Allie VrtachnikMeet 2018 Direct Ag Summit Speaker, Lihlani Nelson: Lihlani Nelson is the Associate Director at the Center for Agriculture and Food Systems (CAFS). She is originally from Boston, and received her BA from Harvard in Human Evolutionary Biology. She has a background in agriculture and food systems, having recently received a dual masters from UW Madison…
See you at Summit: Emily Spiegel
Allie VrtachnikMeet 2018 Direct Ag Summit Speaker, Emily Spiegel: Emily Spiegel is the Assistant Professor of Law at the Vermont Law School. Before joining the Center for Agriculture and Food Systems at Vermont Law School in 2017, Emily was a consultant and law fellow at the Duke Environmental Law and Policy Clinic. She has been an International Agricultural…
See you at Summit: Leigh Hallett
Allie Vrtachnik July 19, 2018Meet 2018 Direct Ag Summit Speaker, Leigh Hallett: Leigh Hallett is the Executive Director of the Maine Federation of Farmers’ Markets. The Maine Federation of Farmers’ Markets runs statewide programs that help sustain Maine farms, connect market farmers, strengthen farmers’ markets, and widen access to locally-grown food for all. Leigh has been the Executive Director since 2014,…
See you at Summit: David Smiley
Allie VrtachnikMeet 2018 Direct Ag Summit Speaker, David Smiley: David Smiley is the Local Food Campaign Program Coordinator for ASAP. His work includes facilitating the operations of the Local Food Guide and Appalachian Grown branding program, and providing marketing, promotions, and technical assistance to farms, businesses, and tailgate markets. David is the former market manager for…
See you at Summit: Adrienne Akers
Allie VrtachnikMeet 2018 Direct Ag Summit Speaker, Adrienne Akers: Adrienne Akers is the Market Manager of Kokomo Downtown Farmers’ Market (KDFM) in Kokomo, IN. After experiences working as a grant writer, interning in a DC museum, learning about native plants at a restoration nursery, working in a library, and as a teacher, Adrienne became familiar with the…
See you at Summit: Erin Molnar
Allie VrtachnikMeet 2018 Direct Ag Summit Speaker, Erin Molnar: Erin Molnar is the Director of Local Food Programs at Countryside Conservancy, a non-profit in northeastern Ohio dedicated to connecting people, food, and land. Her first role at Countryside was on-site support for its farmers’ market; her passion for and understanding of local agriculture and food production, coupled…
See you at Summit: Corey Chatman
Allie VrtachnikMeet 2018 Direct Ag Summit Speaker, Corey Chatman: Corey Chatman is a program manager at the Experimental Station, a not-for-profit incubator of innovative cultural projects and small-scale enterprises located on the south side of Chicago. He began working there on healthy food access projects in the early part of 2010. One of his first projects…
