Minnesota Well Represented at the National Farm to Cafeteria Conference

Contributed by Stephanie Heim, University of Minnesota Extension

Workshop presenters from Minnesota, Grace Brogan, Carrie Frank, Ashley Bress and Kate Seybold (pictured L to R) pose for a photo with veggies at the 2018 National Farm to Cafeteria Conference.

In April, more than 20 people from Minnesota attended the National Farm to Cafeteria Conference. The conference is a biennial event hosted by the National Farm to School Network and brings together a diverse group of stakeholders from across the farm-to-cafeteria movement who work to CONTINUE READING source local food for institutional cafeterias, address inequities in the food system, and foster a culture of food and agricultural literacy across America. A total of 36 workshops organized into 12 topical tracks were presented during the conference. Leaders from Minnesota led five of these workshops!

Conference attendees from Minnesota especially appreciated the strong youth engagement, including 17-year old Haile Thomas, CEO of HAPPY (Healthy Active Positive Purposeful Youth) and the live performance of “Eat Fresh,” an original song performed by students from the Refresh Collective. Finally, Minnesota appreciated the opportunity to build and strengthen relationships with new people and—no surprise—we wanted more time to engage with each other!