The 8th Annual Local Food Summit
Monday February 15th, 8:30am - 5:00pm
Washtenaw Community College, Morris J. Lawrence Building
Please join us to celebrate and work toward Local Food for Everyone at the 8th annual Local Food Summit!
This year’s opening Keynote Panel will address the topic of “Local Food for Everyone: Farmer and Food Justice Perspectives,” with panelists Megan DeLeeuw, Farmer, Owner, and Founder of Manchester’s Hand Sown Farm, and Shane Bernardo, Outreach Coordinator at Detroit’s Earthworks Urban Farm. The discussion addressing the perceived conflicts in these perspectives and also their necessary alignment will be moderated by Dr. Stefanie Stauffer. Dr. Stauffer recently earned her PhD in Sociology from UC Davis, with a focus on urban agriculture and local, sustainable food systems. She is currently an instructor on Race and Ethnicity at WCC, and Program Manager at the Tilian Farm Development Center in Ann Arbor. She is the founder and operator of Nightshade Farm Industries, a small batch farm to jar business, making hot sauce and salsa with heirloom and Ark of Taste peppers and tomatoes from her farm fields.
This year's Summit will also feature a celebration of Local Food Victories, and--back by popular demand--a food-themed story slam! A locally sourced lunch will bring us together around the table, and will be followed by breakout sessions. This year’s sessions include presentations by organizations like the Washtenaw Food Policy Council, Argus Farm Stop, and ZingTrain. Sessions will highlight topics including visioning your farm business, farm-to-school gardens, soil health, seasonal cooking, permaculture basics and more.
Youth (ages 5 to 18) are invited to join in these workshops, or to participate in activities including planting, taste education and food chemistry in this year’s Local Food Summit Youth Track!
Register by February 8th to reserve a space for $40 (Youth $20), or register for $50 up until the day of the Summit. Registration includes breakfast and lunch, coffee and snacks. Details about scholarship and sponsorship opportunities are available on our website, localfoodsummit.org.
