Nov. 1-2 conference in Pierre to feature local food systems

The 2019 South Dakota Local Foods Conference will feature keynote speaker Kelsey Ducheneaux on Friday, Nov. 1. Ducheneaux is a fourth-generation beef rancher, member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe and Natural Resources Director for the Intertribal Agriculture Council. 

The SDLFC is Nov. 1-2, at the RedRossa Italian Grille conference area in Pierre, SD. This regional event will provide networking opportunities, vendor booths, meals using local foods, and educational sessions on tools for success, production, and collaborative ideas. Growers, processors, chefs, school and institutional staff, and consumers interested in local foods are encouraged to attend.

Ducheneaux works to effectively support the enhancement of Indian agriculture and food systems. She will present ‘Embracing our Tribal Sovereignty to Promote Local Food Systems.’ She will share her perspective on ways we can embrace our diversity across the state to support more regenerative production practices, producer friendly agricultural environments, and community-driven food systems.  

“We all have expertise to offer, problems to present, and communities that we want to see fed. Let’s gather our skills together to create more ‘right place, right time’ scenarios and move our communities a few steps closer to that regenerative, local food system that we all see out there on the horizon,’ said Ducheneaux. 

Friday evening will also feature a ‘Nose to Tail Chef Experience’ hosted by Drifters Bar & Grille. Guests can enjoy local foods paired with drinks from a variety of South Dakota vineyards and breweries during a sit-down meal guided by Drifters Head Chef, Uriah Steber, and Chef Matt Wilson from the REDCO- Rosebud Economic Development Corporation’s Food Sovereignty Initiative. Event tickets are included in the 2-day registration or are available for purchase online for $75.

Carol Ford, a Minnesota vegetable producer specializing in Deep Winter Greenhouse (DWG) production, will provide the keynote address on Saturday, Nov. 2. She is the author of the ‘Northland Winter Greenhouse’ manual and is an educator with Minnesota Extension.

Breakout sessions offered during the conference will feature: DWG production, organic production, integrated pest management, producing for restaurants, producer farm innovations & tools, no-till food gardening, farm homesteading, the Thermo Greenhouse Community Project, getting your product on shelves, agritourism, financing, web presence, the ‘Beef to School’ project in Wall, SD, Audubon Conservation Ranching, Food is Medicine, Farm to School, integrating production into institutions, resource providers, tribal initiatives, grants, food hubs, farmers market resources and more. 

Register for all events by 5 p.m. CT Oct. 24 at https://sdlocalfoods.org. The full 2-day registration is $150/person (includes the Friday evening Chef Experience). A single 1-day registration is $80/person (does not include Chef Experience). Check the website to learn more about student rates and travel scholarships for professionals working in local tribal food systems. After Oct. 24 registration cannot be guaranteed and will include an additional $25 fee if space is available. 

The SDLFC is hosted by a collaboration of partners including Dakota Rural Action, the South Dakota Specialty Producers Association, SDSU Extension, USDA Rural Development, South Dakota Agricultural Heritage Museum and the Rosebud Economic Development Corporation.

Anyone with an interest in local foods is encouraged to attend. Direct questions about the conference to Eowyn (eowync@dakotarural.org) or Jordan (jordan@dakotarural.org) or call 605-697-5204 x 250.