Local Food Session Opportunities at 2025 State Extension Conference
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Collapse ▲The Local Food Program is excited to see everyone at the State Extension Conference January 6th-8th in Greensboro, NC! To help with finding session opportunities related to local food, we have created a table for easy access. There are lots of great options to choose from and we encourage you to register early to learn about new and existing programs and resources, network with others around local food topics, and get inspired to strengthen the local food system in your county!
JAN 6TH
| Date & Time | Session Title | Description | Presenters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 6, 2-3 p.m. | Farming Till The Day I Die: What Farmers Need to Know About Life Insurance and Long-Term Care Insurance | “I’m gunna farm till the day I die,” is a common and proud refrain in the farming community that reflects the strong work ethic that most farmers have. But odds are most farmers won’t be able to farm till the day they die: Statistics show that 70% of people who live to age 65 will need long-term care at some point in their remaining years. Long-term care can quickly deplete savings and put farms at risk for forced sales or sales of necessity to provide for healthcare costs. This presentation will cover the basics of Life Insurance and LTC Insurance as farm transition planning tools and empower agents to help farmers think beyond the “farming till the day I die” catch phrase and plan for contingencies. | Stephen Bishop and Noah Ranells |
| Jan 6, 2-3 p.m. | Local Food Program Roundup | Join the Local Food Program to learn about statewide programs and resources, discuss the role of Local Food Coordinators, and connect with other agents in your region and across the state. This session will start with a short presentation from the Local Food Program and be followed by regional breakouts for agents to discuss local food efforts in their area and connect with the state-level LFP. | Hannah Dankbar, Dara Bloom, and Morgan Marshall |
| Jan 6, 3:30-4:30 p.m. | Supporting Agritourism Development in Your County | Wondering where to start with agritourism and agritourism development to support farmers in your county? This session will provide an overview of agritourism – what it entails, challenges and benefits – as well as innovative and creative examples. Join us to share your ideas and challenges from work in your own community! | Ann Savage and Carla Barbieri |
| Jan 6, 3:30-4:30 p.m. | An Overview of Standards, Certifications, and Food Product Labels: Implications for Communicating with Extension Clients | This session provides an overview of the standards, certifications, and labels seen on food products, such as “organic”, “genetically modified”, and “cage-free”. In this overview, we will explore the meaning of new labels like genetically engineered, and the difference between verified and unverified label claims, share emerging research about how consumers interpret and interact with labels, and how agents can navigate potentially controversial conversations. | Katie Sanders, Dara Bloom, and Morgan Marshall |
| Jan 6, 3:30-4:30 p.m. | Cooking with Kids from the Garden | Magic unfolds when a child reaches into the garden and pulls out a carrot and enjoys a delicious snack. Research suggests children are more willing to try and taste anything they grow. This workshop aims to engage in hands-on, fun activities that bring the harvest from the garden to the table, with ideas for implementation in farm to school, 4-H club, and summer programming. | Morgan King, Liz Driscoll, Remi Ham and Wykia Macon |
| Jan 6, 3:30-4:30 p.m. | Helping farmers deal with drought/other natural disasters | Drought, flood, and other natural disasters bring critical opportunities to work with clientele, both in preparedness, and in recovery. Disaster response teams are organized at the state and county level. Agents and specialists should be directly or indirectly connected with the appropriate response teams as they work to support farmers and other landowners as the plan and respond at the local level. This session aims to improve your understanding of disaster response approaches and how you can help. | Matt Poore, Dale Monks, and Mike Yoder |
JAN 7TH
| Date & Time | Session Title | Description | Presenters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 7, 8:15-9:15 a.m. | Small Farms and the Future | In this session you will learn about how to effectively support small farms, local food systems, and sustainable/regenerative practices in your county. Topics related to community development, economic prosperity, food security, innovation, inclusion, available resources, and other opportunities and obstacles for small farmers and the Extension staff who support them will be discussed. | John Lyttle and William Landis Jr. |
| Jan 7, 8:15-9:15 a.m. | Strengthening Food Security: Approaches to Support Food Pantries | Agents play a role in assisting food pantries to address food and nutrition insecurity within their communities. This session will introduce agents to tools and resources that facilitate relationship-building with food pantries and support their efforts to assist in planning, community outreach, operations, and sustainability. Stories of successes and challenges will be shared and participants will brainstorm solutions and strategies that may be applied to their unique community needs. | Caren Maloy, Kim Eshleman, and Tammy Chase-Brunelle |
| Jan 7, 8:15-9:15 a.m. | County Programs for Ag Viability & Farmland Stewardship | American Farmland Trust estimated 1.7 million acres could shift to non-ag land uses from 2017 to 2040. In just 5 years from 2017-2022, the Ag Census indicated statewide losses of 302,386 acres (4%) of farmland, with some counties losing 25%. Innovative programs and policies are emerging across NC and nationwide to keep farmland and farmers part of all communities. Come explore the facts and become a farmland advocate. | Noah Ranells and Stephen Bishop |
| Jan 7, 9:45-10:45 a.m. | Community Garden Leadership Academy |
This training will introduce the Community Garden Leadership Academy (CGLA) as well as techniques and strategies to work effectively with diverse groups by focusing on the Community’ part of community gardening. Participants will leave with a better understanding of the resources they need to support their gardens’ development and connect to the statewide community garden network. |
Morgan Malone and Alyssa McKim |
| Jan 7, 9:45-10:45 a.m. | Resilient Food System Work in Extension: Putting all the pieces together | Hear an update on county and cross-county work to build a resilient food system in Wake County, and work together in small groups to plan your own strategic food security actions. | Trevor Hyde and Sydney Mierop |
| Jan 7, 1:00-4:00 p.m. | What’s New in Farm to Early care and Education (Farm to ECE) | This two-part session will showcase new, cross-program resources in Farm to ECE’s key areas (local food purchasing, garden-based education, and food-based learning), developed by CEFS, NC State’s SNAP-Ed Steps to Health Program, and More PEAS Please!, with input from agents. We’ll provide an overview of Farm to ECE, a planning tool for agents interested in interdisciplinary programming, and an agent panel discussing Farm to ECE implementation experiences, with time for discussion. | Dara Bloom, Shironda Brown, Jocelyn Dixon, Michelle Estrada, Kyle Hood, Virginia Stage, Jackie Sugg, and Ashley Szilvay |
|
Jan 7, 1:00-2:30 p.m. 2:30-4:00 p.m. |
Ready. Set. Farm! Part 1 Programs & Resources for New Farmers Part 2 Navigating Client Request, “I want to start a … farm?” |
Extension has a series of programs and resources available statewide to support new and beginning farmers. The first part includes a panel representing available programs and resources curated by Extension specifically for new and beginning farmers and followed up with a facilitated discussion about leveraging these resources and identifying program and resource needs and practical strategies to better serve this audience in your county. The art of providing the right help and direction along with knowing the resources to recommend for client self discovery is important. This presentation and open discussion will focus on the practicalities of providing help to a demanding audience. |
Hannah Dankbar, Stephen Bishop, Robert Branan, Angel Cruz, Meredith Favre, Aaron Moore, Donna Rewalt, Debbie Roos, and Derek Washburn Derek Washburn and Susan Kelly |
| Jan 7, 1:00-2:30 p.m. | Hot Topics in Food and Fresh Produce Safety | This session will provide an overview of new and important information that agents who work with fresh produce growers across NC should be aware of – implementation of the FSMA Produce Safety Rule harvest and Post-Harvest Water requirements, the FDA Food Traceability Rule (204d Rule), and a new training program available for frontline workers at small, entrepreneurial food processing companies. | Chip Simmons, Lynette Johnston, Kate Nicholas, and Elena Rogers |
| Jan 7, 2:30-4:00 p.m. | Final rule on Pre-harvest agricultural water for produce farms | This session will provide an overview of the requirements for agricultural water used before produce is harvested. This is part of FSMA’s Produce Safety Rule and it was finalized by the FDA on May 1, 2024. During this session we will discuss which produce farms are impacted, the requirements, and timelines for compliance. We will also discuss how these requirements compare to GAP audits. | Elena Rogers and Chip Simmons |
JAN 8TH
| Date & Time | Session Title | Description | Presenters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 8, 8:30-9:30 a.m. | Supporting New and Beginning Farmers with Farm Incubators | Incubator farms are a proven way to offer land, resources, and training to decrease barriers for early-career farmers and prepare them to start farming businesses. This session will provide basic knowledge of incubator farms, summarize various structures and common themes from a case study of eight incubator farms in NC, and offer suggestions of how Extension agents can connect and support landowners, beginning farmers, and incubator farms in their county. | Robyn Stout, Stephen Bishop, Morgan Marshall, Mike Ortosky, and Noah Ranells |
| Jan 8, 8:30-9:30 a.m. | Digging into Farm to School | Farm to School programs allow FCS, 4-H and Hort/Ag to dig into creating healthier school environments together. Extension is well-positioned to support schools in programming and PSE work around gardening, cooking and nutrition, and procurement of local food. This workshop will include hands-on activities, introduce our farm to school online course offerings, and connect you with resources to support Farm to School efforts in your community. | Remi Ham, Marcus Cyprian, Liz Driscoll, Morgan King, Wykia Macon, and Allison Walker Allen |
| Jan 8, 8:30-9:30 a.m. | Fundamentals of vegetable production under high tunnels | This presentation explores the fundamentals of vegetable production under high tunnels, focusing on best practices to optimize yield and quality. It covers environmental control, soil management, and crop selection tailored to protected cultivation. Emphasizing the benefits of season extension and improved resource use efficiency, the talk will highlight key considerations for managing temperature, humidity, and pests. Practical insights will be provided to enhance sustainability and profitability in high tunnel vegetable production systems. | Emmanuel Torres |
| Jan 8, 10:00-10:30 a.m. | Farmland Preservation, Ag Tax, and Impacts of Growth | This session covers the economic impact of residential growth in rural and suburban communities, methods and rationale for farmland preservation, and the latest issues in ag taxation. The information will be helpful for addressing a wide array of questions about ag taxes, farm estate planning, local government finance and the impacts of residential growth, and how best to preserve farmland into the future. | Roderick M. Rejesus, Nicholas Brown, and Jeff Dorfman |
| Jan 8, 11:15 a.m.- 12:15 p.m. | Junior Master Gardener: Growing Good Kids through Gardening | How do you cultivate the curiosity of kids into plant systems agriculture? The Junior Master Gardener ® (JMG®) Program is an international 4-H youth gardening program of the Cooperative Extension network. JMG engages children in novel, “hands-on” group and individual learning experiences that promote a love of gardening, develop an appreciation for the environment, and nurture science inquiry. From crafting plant nutrient disorder fashion shows to grass-heads, this workshop will be full of fun and engaging activities. | Liz Driscoll and Emily Eldridge |
