Register Now for 2021 S.D. Local Foods Conference
By: South Dakota Specialty Producers Association Posted On: September 30, 2021
Yankton, S.D.- The annual South Dakota Local Foods Conference (SDLFC) is scheduled for Nov. 4-6, 2021. This year’s SDLFC is a three day, virtual event celebrating local food production and use in South Dakota. All supporters of local food are invited to attend, listen to, and discuss presentations on specialty crop production, industry challenges, new technologies & opportunities, and local food projects happening in South Dakota and neighboring states.
The SDLFC will feature two keynote speakers. On Thursday evening, Rob Hage of Blind Butcher Brewery Co. will tell the story of how his family unexpectedly turned a machine shed into a small batch brewery.
Our Friday Keynote speaker is Jean-Martin Fortier, a farmer, educator and award-winning author of the best-seller “The Market Gardener- A Successful Grower’s Handbook for Small-Scale Organic Farming.” Fortier is a recognized authority on small-scale organic vegetable production whose work has inspired hundreds of thousands to embrace a vision of agriculture that is human-scale, ecological and profitable.
Two tracks of breakout sessions are offered during the conference on topics including: agritourism, farm to school, S.D. food cottage laws, integrated pest management, cover crops, food preservation, pricing & budgeting, chickens & eggs, and more.
The North Central Region-Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (NCR-SARE) Farmers Forum is a traveling annual event giving farmers, ranchers, researchers and others the chance to share information about sustainable agriculture practices with a national audience.
The forum is scheduled for Thursday evening. These presentations focus on research, demonstration, and education projects that promote profitable practices that are good for the environment and community. The projects highlighted in these presentations and the Farmers Forum are funded by grants from NCR-SARE, a USDA funded program that supports and promotes sustainable farming and ranching by offering competitive grants and educational opportunities.
Registration is open now until Nov. 1, with tickets available for $35. The first 100 registrants can request a free goodie box, which will include a book published by SARE, an event program, and other sponsored gifts.
Register for the SD Local Foods Conference on the Eventbrite Ticketing Page (https://www.eventbrite.com/e/
The SDLFC is hosted by a collaboration of partners including the South Dakota Specialty Producers Association, SDSU Extension, Dakota Rural Action, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service of South Dakota, Sicangu Community Development Corporation Food Sovereignty Initiative, Bear Butte Gardens, Sturgis Chamber of Commerce, and the Wizipan Leadership and Sustainability Initiative and Lakota Youth Development.
Event sponsors include NCR-SARE, SD-SARE, NRCS, Monument Health, Xanterra, the SD Soil Health Coalition, and through support by the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program at the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture.
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/
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Links
The Market Gardner – Jean – Martin Fortier– https://www.themarketgardener.
Blind Butcher Brewery- https://www.
NCR-SARE: www.northcentral.sare.org
Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/
