11th Annual Southwest Marketing Network Conference:
Local Roots - Regional Connections
July 15-17, Alamosa and San Luis Valley, CO
The last day to register online is July 11!
This summer's conference will focus on Farm to School and related issues of distribution, food safety, increasing local production, sustainable production practices, education, and civic engagement.
On Monday July 15th there is an afternoon tour, starting at 1 p.m., of traditional farms in the San Luis Valley with a farm-fresh dinner to follow. The Conference will be held Tuesday and Wednesday July 16 and 17 at the Inn of the Rio Grande, in Alamosa.
Draft Agenda for the Conference
The goal of the conference is to provide maximum opportunity for farmers, educators and administrators, non-profits, agencies and policy makers to explore the breadth of what Farm to School programs offer to each of them, to learn together and network across sectors.
By exploring our own roles, and understanding the roles others play, we can team up to increase opportunities for farmers to expand markets, for children in our schools to learn about growing food, good nutrition and healthy lifestyles, and for agencies and policy makers to promote economic development by establishing sustainable local food systems.
The theme of the conference is networking, so there will be lots of networking time before and after sessions, during meals and Wednesday afternoon from 1:30 until 4 p.m. Flip charts and message boards will be available to aid in organizing group discussions during networking time. So bring your ideas and set up a discussion!
The Sessions will cover major themes, but to inspire cross pollination, panelists representing four, cross-cutting topics will be responsible to bring up issues in any session and will lead a wrap-up discussion on Wednesday morning.
There will be space set aside in the facility for folks who would like to prepare poster presentations and provide exhibits. Please contact Le Adams at le@farmtotablenm.org if you would like to reserve a table
The first day, Monday, our Agricultural Heritage Tour in the San Luis Valley will include visits and participation in: Climbing the Stations of the Cross; Visiting Vega, the oldest continuously used commons; the Acequia System; Season Extension methods; Walking with the Herbs, and, a very special Local Foods Dinner that you will not want to miss.
The 11th Annual Southwest Marketing Network Conference: Local Roots - Regional Connections is sponsored by the Southwest Marketing Network, Farm to Table, USDA Outreach and Assistance to Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers, Healthy Community Food Systems, San Luis Valley Local Foods Coalition and The Christensen Fund.
The major funder of this project is USDA, National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
In accordance with Federal law and U.S. Department of Agriculture policy, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, religion, sex, and familial status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC.