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Please note that the conference workshops and time slots posted here are subject to change.  We will be working with workshop facilitators and presenters, and will post changes as needed. 

Sunday, February 10th 

Pre-conference Sessions, Saratoga Springs Hilton 1-5 p.m.

1. Mapping Institutional Procurement in the Northeast: An Intensive Peer Networking Session
   • Leaders: Peter Alison, Farm to Institution New England; Kathy Lawrence and Thomas Forster, School Food FOCUS; Kelly Erwin, MA Farm to School Project; Christine James, John Merck Fund
   • Focus: This advanced session digs deep into the status and future direction of procurement by Northeast institutions including schools, colleges, hospitals, and governmental agencies. See details.

2. Effective Communication for Emerging Leaders: Core Skills & Innovative Ideas for Working with Groups
   
   • Leaders: Lisa Fernandes, East Local Foods Coalition of Maine, with Doris Huang, Amanda Beal, Eva Agudelo Winther, Chelsea Lewis
   • Focus: This training will help new leaders build effective communication skills to gain trust and credibility with food system stakeholders of various backgrounds and points of view.
   • Attend this session if you want to design better meetings, participate more effectively in meetings or if you want to enhance your skills to get credibility and trust among existing and new colleagues.  This session is particularly suited to helping you increase your effectiveness with a broad and diverse range of stakeholders from different backgrounds.              See details.

3. Calling All Northeast Food Hub Practioners
   • Leaders: Michael Rozyne, Red Tomato; Ann Karlen, Fair Food; Jeff Farbman, Wallace Center
   • Panelists: Jesse Singerman,  consultant Iowa; Sue Futrell, Red Tomato; Terry Appleby, Hanover Cooperative
     
   • Focus: A practitioners’ exploration of food hubs from historical and contemporary perspectives leading to possible formation of a Northeast food hubs network. See details.

4. Policy Planning Round Table:  by invitation

• Leader: Amy Little, NESAWG and Annette Higby, New England Farmers Union
• Focus: This meeting is geared to people in organizations actively working on federal policy.  See details.

5. Food System Financing: A Practitioners’ Roundtable by invitation 

             Contact John Rhoads John.Rhoads@trfund.com

 7 - 9 PM Registration Open in Lower Lobby

Monday, February 11th

7:00 – 8:30            Registration in Lower Lobby

                              Breakfast - Saratoga Ballroom

8:30  Opening Plenary: NESAWG at 20: ARE WE READY for the next Twenty?

A multi-media leadership journey backward and forward in time.  Part history, part strategic anticipation, part entertainment, this rollicking conference opener will take us on a spin through the food movement set against the tunes, technologies, and tempests of the past two decades.

• Co-hosts: Michael Rozyne, Kathy Lawrence
• Produced by: Michael Rozyne, Kathy Lawrence, Joanna Hamilton, Ian DeLeon, and Devanshi Purohit

9:30   Plenary: Race, Gender and Class in the Food Movement

• Keynoter or panelists: Angela Park, Diversity Matters
• Focus: Our food and farm movement will not succeed unless we include everyone. Angela will offer a candid examination of the institutional underpinnings of race, class, and gender biases.  She'll share her perspectives on the past two decades of social justice work in the environmental and food movements.

10:15      Break & Displays in Gallery

10:45     Concurrent Topical Workshops:

1.   Hubs and Chains

• Presenters: Jeff Farbman, Wallace Center; Eva Agudelo Winther, New Entry Sustainable Farming Project; Kyle Foley, Farm Aid; Dennis Derryck, Corbin Hill Farm
• Focus: The latest thinking and action, from the ground up, on local and regional food hubs and supply chains.

2.   Food System Assessments and Metrics

• Presenters: Molly Anderson, College of the Atlantic; David Conner, University of Vermont; Mari Pierce-Quinonez, NESAWG and  Southeastern Massachusetts Food Security Network
• Focus: Frameworks and tools for evaluating food systems at various scales, and for measuring progress in our work.

3.   Building Your Advocacy Toolbox: Strategies for Successful District Organizing on the Food & Farm Bill

• Presenters: Nadia Johnson, Just Food; Lindsey Lusher-Shute, National Young Farmers Coalition; Juli Obudzinski, National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition
• Focus: Hands-on training on building an effective policy advocacy campaign for your food system issues.

4.   Access to Land

• Presenters: Gary Bloss, Josie Porter Farm; Diane Held, American Farmland Trust; Kathy Ruhf, Land for Good Farmland Trust
• Focus: Studies and strategies focused on farmland access, availability, and affordability in our region

5.    Urban Agriculture Policy

• Presenters: Betsy Johnson, Massachusetts Food Policy Alliance; Kate Clancy, food systems consultant
• Focus: Analyses of public policies that both support and undermine urban farming, and the role of local food policy councils

6.   Youth and Students in Our Movement

• Presenters:  Taura McMeekin, Grounded Knowledge; Diane Picard, Massachusetts Avenue Project; Shanel'le Olivier, Shavel'le Olivier & Holden Pierre, Mattapan Youth for Food and Fitness
• Focus: Four of the many amazing projects that engage youth and students in our movement. Get how-to information and get inspired!

7.  Food Chain Workers

• Presenters: Liz Henderson, NOFA/NY & Agricultural Justice Project; To be Determined, Restaurant Opportunities Center; Michelle Maxwell, Roxbury Farms; Joseph Sanches, Brandworkers (to be confirmed)
• Focus: Actions, issues and challenges in the struggle for fairness for all farm and food system workers

12:15   Lunch on your own, downtown Saratoga Springs

2:00   Work Group Session #1

This is a working conference, and Work Groups are one place where good work happens. In this first of two sessions, participants will take an overview of the issues, and get up to date on Work Group activities.

Whether you’re an active Work Group member or a newbie to the issue, this is the place to connect. The second session will focus on identifying specific Work Group actions.

Check back here to get more details on the Work Groups

A.  Diet, Access and Geography

• Leaders: Joanne Burke, UNH; Jennifer Wilkins, Cornell University; Amanda Behrens The Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future

B. Food Systems Planning

• Leaders: Julia Freedgood, American Farmland Trust; Erica Campbell, VT Farm to Plate

C. Food Safety

• Leaders: Steve Gilman, NOFA Interstate Council
  

D. Infrastructure

• Leaders: Chelsea Lewis, VT Dept. of Agriculture; Sam Fuller, NOFA/Vermont

E. Distribution

• Leaders: Ann Karlen, Fair Food; Michael Rozyne, Red Tomato

F. Research and Assessment

• Leaders: Molly Anderson, College of the Atlantic; Clare Hinrichs, Penn State University

G. Labor and Trade

• Leaders: Liz Henderson, NOFA/ New York and Ag Justice Project; Mary Jo Dudley, Cornell Farmworkers Program; Rachel Winograd, CATA
  

3:30   Break and displays

4:00   Concurrent Topical Workshops

1.    Using Technology to Strengthen Regional Food Systems &

       Promote our Work

• Presenters: Mari Pierce-Quinonez, NESAWG; Mallory Sustick, Plovgh; Erika Block, Local Orbit
• Focus: Technology is transforming local food economies and markets around the world. This session will offer an overview of how technology is influencing a shift in the way we communicate, connect, collaborate and manage our work to grow local and regional food systems.

2.   New Research on Food Hubs

• Presenters: Becca Jablonski, Cornell University; Sarah Brannan, Local Economies Project
• Focus: Two recent studies will shed lihgt on food hub successes and challenges

3.   Enhancing Food Security with Regional Food Systems

• Presenters: Stephen Goetz, Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development; Kate Clancy, food systems consultant
• Focus: Hear the latest on this major regional research project and what it has to offer for your own work

4.   Farm to Fork Financing

• Presenters: John Rhoads, The Reinvestment Fund; Dorothy Suput, The Carrot Project; Ela Chapin, Vermont Housing and Conservation Board
• Focus: For advocacy and farm support groups to learn the financing options for producers and other food chain players, and how to help them succeed in their quest to secure capital

5.   Food Justice, Access and “Deserts”

• Presenters:  Zach Chissell, Real Food Farm; Daniel Wallace, Coastal Enterprises, Inc.; Maura Beaufait, Bowdoin Street Health Center
• Focus: Access to quality food is a challenge in both urban and rural settings. Learn the latest thinking and on-the-ground work to address access and remedy “food deserts.”

6.    Planning for Urban-Rural Connections

• Presenters: Ann Wallace, The Funders Network for Smart Growth; Amanda Behren, John Hopkins Center for a Livable Future; Taylor Hawes, University of Buffalo School of Architecture & Planning; Jeff LaJava, Pace University School of Law
• Focus: How to link rural and metropolitan food system interests through land use, transportation and economic development planning efforts

7.   Jobs and Careers in Food Systems

• Presenters: Jennifer Hashley, New Entry Sustainable Farming Project; Lauren Melodia, Milk Not Jails; Wes Hanna, Second Wind CSA
• Focus: Job opportunity through all food system doors—farmers, entrepreneurs, advocates. What does it take to find meaningful food systems work...and where?

8.    Food System Visions

• Presenters: Niaz Dorry, Northwest Atlantic Marine Alliance; Amanda Beal, Eat Loacl Foods Coalition of Maine; Steve Gilman, NOFA; Molly Anderson, College of the Atlantic; Joan Burke, Food Solutions New England & UNH; Tom Kelly, Food Solutions New England & UNH
  
• Focus: Food visionaries discuss strategies for unifying visions that lead to economically sustainable, just, and resilient food systems that go beyond the land and incorporate the sea.

5:30    Break & Displays  in the Gallery

6:00    Reception in the The Saratoga Hilton Pavillion

6:45    Dinner, Saratoga Ballroom

8:00    Plenary: Twenty Years Theater, Part 2

• Leaders: Michael Rozyne, Kathy Lawrence
• Focus: A bit of celebration, a bit of transition

8:30 – 11:00     Dance party with live music by the Bernstein Barr Trio

Tuesday, February 12th

7:00     Breakfast in Saratoga Ballroom

7:15    People of Color Caucus

Focus: People of color are central to the food system as growers, food processors, consumers and activists; yet, is our presence truly felt throughout the Food Movement?  The People of Color Caucus will be a unique opportunity for NESAWG attendees to discuss, share, and connect on how to continue to foster equity within our network and within the movement.
 
Moderator: Vivien Morris

8:00   Work Group Session #2

This session will focus on possible Work Group actions.

A. Diet, Access and Geography

B. Food Systems Planning

C. Food Safety

D. Infrastructure

E. Distribution

F. Research and Assessment

G. Labor and Trade

Open Space option

A welcoming space to convene your own session. We’ll announce it, and whatever happens is what’s meant to happen!

9:30     Break

10:00   Plenary: Climate Change and the Northeast Food System

• Panelists: Dorn Cox, Tuckaway Farm and New England Farmers Union; Doug Boucher, Union of Concerned Scientists; Cameron Wake, UNH (invited)
  
• Focus: What can we do (besides worry) to cope with climate
  change as part of a larger vision for increased food system resilience? This panel will consider scientific, cultural, political and practical perspectives toward specific goals for changes in the food system.

11:15     Wrap-up

• Work Groups Reports
• Closing remarks

12:15     Adjourn