Upcoming Food Summits and Conferences in Michigan
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EmailThere are many food summits and conferences happening in Michigan in March 2018.
Michigan Farmers Market Conference
Tuesday, March 6 – Wednesday, March 7, 2018
*Event information obtained from MIFMA website.
The theme of this year's Michigan Farmers Market Conference is “Cultivating Community at Farmers Markets.” The two-day conference will feature educational sessions led by experts in farmers market management and related fields. Workshop topics include tips for building a social media presence, information about using technology to process EBT Bridge Cards, guidelines for conducting food demonstrations at farmers markets, and more. There will be two tracks, one with sessions for beginning market managers and one for advanced market managers. The conference features keynote speaker Amanda Edmonds and includes a conference social on Tuesday, March 6.
Event Details
Tuesday, March 6, 8:00 am – 8:00 pm & Wednesday, March 7, 8:00 am – 6:00 pm
MSU Plant and Soil Sciences Building
1066 Bogue St., East Lansing, MI 48824
Conference Website: http://mifma.org/conference/
Detroit Food Summit 2018
Thursday, March 8 – Friday, March 9, 2018
*Event description written by Amy Kuras and Kibibi Blount-Dorn, Detroit Food Policy Council.
The Detroit Food Policy Council is gearing up to host hundreds of people working to build a better food system at the 8th annual Detroit Food Summit. This year’s event is titled “It Takes a Village: Reclaiming Our Power in The Food System.” The summit will feature two keynote speakers: Dr. Monica White, who will focus on the history of Black farmers and agricultural cooperatives, and environmental justice activist Naim Edwards. There will also be presentations on the Farm Bill, food access programs at Eastern Market, the newly released Detroit Food Metrics Report, the Detroit Healthy Grocer Initiative, Food as Healing, and the Community Health Pipeline program. The two days will include 20 workshops that will cover topics of food policy, access to healthy food, food and wellness, food system sustainability, food and culture, and food system economics. There will also be an advocacy action area where people can write letters to their legislators, register to vote, and sign petitions advocating for fair wages for restaurant workers. Below is a video recap of a past Detroit Food Summit.
Event Details
Thursday, March 8, 9:00 am – 5:00 pm & Friday, March 9, 9:30 am – 4:00 pm
Benson and Edith Ford Conference Center
Alfred A. Taubman Center for Design Education, College for Creative Studies
460 W. Baltimore Ave, Detroit, MI 48202
Conference Website: http://detroitfoodpolicycouncil.net/events/detroit-food-2018
All About Food Conference hosted by Macomb Food Collaborative
Tuesday, March 20, 2018
*Event information obtained from Macomb Food Collaborative website.
The Macomb Food Collaborative is hosting its “Farm to Fork” themed All About Food conference on March 20th. The day will open with a keynote panel sharing various successes within the local food system. There are 12 different workshop options throughout the day, including topics like vegetable gardening basics, legislative advocacy tips, farmland conservation models, farm to school initiatives, and reducing food waste.
Event Details
Tuesday, March 20, 8:00 am – 3:30 pm
Macomb County Family Resource Center
196 North Rose Street, Mount Clemens, MI
Conference Website: http://www.macombfood.org
The Northwest Michigan Food & Farming Network Summit
Wednesday, March 21, 2018
*Event information obtained from Food & Farming Network website.
The Food and Farming Network of Northwest Michigan will host its annual summit on March 21st in Traverse City. The summit will be an opportunity to learn more about what’s happening in the local food community and to network with others interested in food and regional food systems.
Event Details
Wednesday, March 21, 2018, 4:00 p.m. – 6:00p.m.
Monkey Fist Brewing Company
329 E. State Street, Traverse City, MI
Conference Website: https://foodandfarmingnetwork.org/