On November 6th, over 50 NC State Extension professionals gathered together in Manteo, NC to “Go Local!” for the first ever joint conference between NC State Extension Community Rural Development (CRD), NC State Extension Local Food Program, and the North Carolina Association of Community Development Extension Professionals (NCACDEP). The mission of the CRD program leverages, connects, and strengthens the research and education in Extension Programs to transform communities and promote economic prosperity while the main objective of t he Local Food program is to promote the production, marketing, and consumption of food grown and caught within North Carolina. This joint conference held nothing short of both of these goals. The majority of the conference sessions were spent in downtown Manteo where sessions were held in local businesses such as Dare Arts, Mia’s Bake Shop & Tea Room, Bough & Vine, and NouVines. In addition to promoting and supporting local small businesses, the group also had the chance to participate in a mobile learning workshop to the NC Coastal Federation in Wanchese, a historic walking tour of downtown Manteo, and a walk with the Mayor.Concurrent sessions aligned with the program areas and the Local Food program got to host three relevant sessions: 

• “Building Capacity With the Local Food Program Team”, led by Hannah Dankbar, Morgan Marshall, and Allison Walker Allen 
• “Developing Community Partnerships and Funding Collaborations through Food System Strategic Planning”, led by Niesha Douglas and Robyn Stout“Cultivating Local Food Systems: The Essential Role of County-Based Coordinators”, led by Hannah Dankbar, John Lyttle, Wykia Macon & Trevor Hyde

Other local food related sessions included:

• Connecting Food Festivals with On-Farm Research, led by Mark Seitz
• Words Matter: Communicating Agriculture in the Urban Food System, led by Barbara Worley & Sam DeRosa
• Marketing Local Food in the Age of Social Media, led by Madison Lawson & Howard Wallace
• Succession Planning Considerations and Non-Timber Niche Markets for Landowners, led by Kurt Smith, Jameson Boone

Situated on Roanoke Island and part of the beautiful Outer Banks, Manteo is home to Dare County and thrives on local tourism. Approximately 800 square miles with less than half of that actually being land, Dare County has a booming seafood industry with many local eateries serving fresh catch seafood. Conference attendees got to experience these delicious options at many of the restaurants during the week and were grateful to Dr. Michelle Eley, Community & Economic Development Specialist at NC A&T University and Susan Kelly, Assistant Extension Director for County Operations at NC State Extension for hosting the conference dinner at Blue Water Grill & Raw Bar. The group gathered after lunch on Thursday for Book Club Discussions. When registering, conference attendees had the opportunity to choose between two books: “Leadership and Self-Deception: The Secret to Transforming Relationships & Unleashing Results” and “Edible North Carolina: A Journey Across a State of Flavor”. Each participant got a copy of a chosen book and discussions were led by Heather Schaffer and Hannah Dankbar, respectively. 

The conference wrapped up on November 8th with an inspiring and educational closing address from Secretary of State, Elaine Marshall. In 1996, Elaine Marshall became the first woman elected to a statewide, executive branch office in North Carolina. A former teacher, small business owner, and private practice attorney, Secretary Marshall presented her most current project, Rural Rise. Under Secretary Marshall’s administration, more than 2 million businesses have been formed; she has pioneered e-commerce in government, protected investors and intellectual property owners, and promoted financial capital formation.

Extension staff left Manteo refreshed and inspired to return to their communities to continue the long-term and deep work that goes into community and local food system development.