Friday - February 6, 2008
3:00 - 5:00 pm
Mapping the Dots
Clear Lake United Methodist Church
508 2nd Avenue North - Clear Lake, IA
A limited
number of participants will be invited to this working session to
map North Iowa's local food system. There is no fee for
the Friday
afternoon session but registration is required by Jan 22nd.
Friday's session will form the basis for Saturday's activities.
For further information,
contact conference coordinator, Dick Schinnow, at 641/696-5706 or
schinric@hotmail.com.
5:30
- 8:00 pm
Slow Food Event
Lake
Coffee & Bakery
Plaza 210 on Hwy 18 East
A
fundraiser to support the Iowa Network for Community Agriculture's
ongoing local food work. Tickets available foe a suggested
donation of $20. For more information contact Lisa Stokke at
641/529-0445.
5:30 pm - Wine
tasting and Socializing
6:30 pm -
Featured Guest, Kurt Michael Friese
Enjoy a
delicious sampling of wine, local foods and conversation about the
benefits of local foods for communities. The featured guest is
Kurt Michael Friese, owner of restaurant Devotay in Iowa City ,
member of Slow Food Board of Directors, and author of A Cook's
Journey: Slow Food in the Heartland, published last year.
Saturday - February 7, 2009
Clear Lake United Methodist Church
508 2nd Avenue North - Clear Lake, IA
7:30 - 8:30 am
Registration
and Continental Breakfast
9:00 am
Welcome,
Introductions and Presentation:
From Idea to
Action
Members of the South West
Iowa Food & Farm Initiative (SWIFFI), hosts of the 2005 conference, will
share their experience with growing a local food system. This
presentation will also feature members of North Iowa’s
current food network.
10:30 - 11:00 am
Break
11:00 - 12 noon
Taking Steps in North Iowa
Led by members of
SWIFFI, small discussion groups will generate ideas to move North
Iowa's local foods agenda forward over the next two years.
12 noon - 1:30 pm
All Iowa Potluck Lunch
Join us in this long INCA
tradition. Please bring a hot or cold dish that will serve at
least six people. INCA will provide the beverages and table
service. Staff will receive your dish when you register, keep hot dishes
hot and cold dishes cold and set the buffet.
INCA's Annual Meeting will be held during lunch.
1:30 - 2:30 pm
Workshop One
(see details below)
2:30 - 3:00 pm
Break
3:00 - 4:00 pm
Workshop
Two
(see details below)
4:30 - 5:00 pm
Gathering Up the
Day
This is the opportunity for participants to share ideas and
aspirations they're taking home with them, and to talk about their
plans and hopes for their local food system.
_________________________________________________________________________
Workshop One
1:30 - 2:30 pm
Scaling up to Fill
the Plate
Whether you are thinking about starting a new farm, enlarging the
one you already have, or considering niche strategies like extending
your seasons, this session is sure have something for you.
Join Chris Blanchard, of Rock Spring Farm in Spring Valley, MN and
local framers for this discussion about how you can expand our local
food network.
How to Buy Local
Meat
Are you interested in buying locally grown meat for your family
table? Paul Willis of Niman Ranch which is located near
Thorton and Lorna Coady of the Ventura Locker will answer questions
like where to buy, what to look for, and how to utilize a locker for
processing.
What's So Big about
"Local"
Buying locally grown and processed food has implications beyond
filling our stomachs. Chef Kurt Michael Friese from Iowa City
and Kelli Miller from Sugar Creek Farm near Osage will lead a
discussion on the various ways that healthy food contributes to
other aspects of our lives.
Local Food and
Health - What's the Connection?
We're already aware of how the prevalence of obesity and associated
chronic diseases continues to sky-rocket in adults and children.
How do current food policies contribute to these problems?
Join Angie Tagtow in a discussion about what we can do to create
healthier people and a healthier society.
Connecting the Dots
- from Idea to Action
Okay, we've mapped our local food system and discussed its strengths
and weaknesses, but where do we go from here? And how do we
get there? And who are the participants going to be?
This session, facilitated by Kamyar Enshayan of the North Iowa Food
Working Group, will discuss how we move from idea to action.
_________________________________________________________________________
Workshop Two
3:00 - 4:00 pm
Which Market Should
You Choose?
Is the market you are selling at the most profitable for you?
Join Chris Blanchard for a session examining the opportunities and
criteria for decision making as you devise an effective marketing
strategy for the products you are growing.
Cooking and Eating
Seasonally
You've decided that eating local foods is a great idea but how do
you put them on the table year round? Get into the kitchen
(literally) with Ames chef Donna Priztgintas and Nancy Clark from
ISU Extension as they discuss canning, freezing, drying, and that
oh-so-important meal planning.
Local Government and
Community Agriculture
Get a view of the economic synergy that took place when Woodbury
County's Director of Rural Economic Development tailored policy and
programs that support the growth of community agriculture.
Presented by Rob Marqusee who provided the leadership for this
community effort.
Large Scale & Local
More and more institutions from schools to hospitals to care centers
are looking to go local. Join Iowa State University Food
Director Nancy Levandowski and North Iowa Area Community College
Food Director Ken Weber for a discussion of the opportunities and
challenges as large scale operations explore local.
Young Folks and
Local Agriculture
We've all heard how young people can't afford to get into farming,
but that's not true when it comes to sustainable agriculture where
farmers can thrive on relatively small parcels of land where
industriousness and inventiveness replace the need for extravagant
equipment. Dr. Linda Barnes from Marshalltown Community
College will lead a discussion about the opportunities and support
that exist for those wanting to become growers of food.
