Farm to Fork Summit scheduled for March 7 in Nevada
The seventh annual Farm to Fork Summit will take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, March 7, at the Nevada Community Center, 200 N. Ash St.
General admission is $45 online and $50 at the door. Farmers with 10 or fewer years of experience can email info@newgrowthmo.org for a discount code.
This annual gathering of Midwest farmers, buyers and supporters will focus on how to supply the demand for local food from Northwest Arkansas to Kansas City. These supporters include local health officials and school workers.
Patty Cantrell, the food system network builder with event organizer New Growth, said the summit will host people from across Missouri and eastern Kansas.
'It's all about building the businesses and the connections needed to make sure we can get local food for local markets,' Cantrell said. 'It's for the whole chain of businesses involved with local food, from the farmer through the people offering storage and distribution, all the way to the buyer. We're trying to help connect them and help them into the marketplace as well.'
Session topics will include:
• Marketing meat direct to consumers.
• Missouri food code and cottage food laws.
• Artificial intelligence for small businesses.
• Selling through regional food hubs.
• Preparing for a farmers market.
• Building healthy pastures.
There also will be a mushroom cultivation demonstration, Cantrell said. A highlight will be a locally sourced lunch catered by the Osceola High School FFA included with ticket purchase.
Cantrell said it's important to support local farmers and producers, who are are producing some of the highest-quality products out there.
'Having those businesses going and growing in our region is important for having those options in the market, not just at farmers markets but at grocery stores and schools,' Cantrell said. 'Having those products is important on one level for health, for people to have those options for really healthy foods, but also in our local economies to make sure those small businesses are in business and part of our communities.'
New Growth is a nonprofit organization working in rural Missouri and nearby communities to build small businesses, Cantrell said.
For more information on tickets, exhibitor space or to be a sponsor, go to newgrowthmo.org/farmtofork.
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