This workshop invites BIPOC and other historically under-served farmers, processors, distributors, and food outlets to share their successes and innovations in providing food for our communities. The event intends to create space for expanded networking and strengthening connections among and between communities to create equitable, fair supply chains.

Fifteen speakers from the Upper Midwest will share their experiences in building capacity to produce, process, distribute, and feed our communities, detailed below.  The agenda includes opportunities to discuss and explore ideas and approaches with participants at roundtable sessions. The panel sessions will be translated for Spanish and Hmong speakers.

Marbleseed is sponsoring the event, with funding from the USDA LFPA program, Organic Valley, Cultural Conservancy, and Slow Food USA. Key partners organizing the event include the WI Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin, University of Wisconsin (including CIAS!), REAP Food Group, Wisconsin Farmers Union, and the Great Lakes Intertribal Food Coalition.

To register and learn more go to: https://web.cvent.com/event/638d18c5-6c11-4dec-a52a-37c20764746f/websitePage:8208a07f-0c0d-4807-8dda-7eb1356197e7 You can also find a link on the Marbleseed website for the conference. Go to the Organic University page and this session is listed at the end as an afternoon session. See you there!

Building distribution: partnerships from farmer to community efforts for strengthening food systems

• Steph Dorfman, Feeding Wisconsin
• Jen Falck, (Oneida) Department of Agriculture and Food Systems, Menominee Nation
• Isaiah Skenandore, (Oneida) farmer provider
• Sherri Tussler, Hunger Task Force  
• Jon Greendeer, (HoChunk), farmer provider

Building production and processing capacity for wholesale

• Regi Haslett-Marroquin, Tree Range, on poultry processing
• Tara Roberts Turner, Wisconsin Food Hub Coop, on vegetable wholesaling
• Xiong Thao, Good Acre Food Hub, on grower support (invited)

Connecting across the supply chain: building Farm to School, retail and restaurant capacity

• Rodrigo Cala, Latino Economic Development Corporation, on organizing farmers to joint market in the Twin Cities
• Venice Williams, Alice’s Garden & Sherman Phoenix, on retailing local food
• Sean Sherman, (Oglala), Owamni restaurant/ Indigenous Food Lab, on supplying food to restaurants

Other speakers include Dan Cornelius (Oneida), University of Wisconsin-Madison, workshop convener; Lori Stern, Marbleseed; April Yancer, Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection; Gary Besaw, Menominee Nation Department of Agriculture and Food Systems; and Sarah Lloyd, Wisconsin Farmers Union.