The Kansas Rural Center will host its annual Farm and Food Conference on Nov. 16-17 in Wichita at the Hotel at Oldtown. This will mark the first year KRC has brought the conference to Wichita.

This year’s program will explore the theme “Framing Our Future: What Is Right About Food, Farming and Communities in Kansas.” It will highlight diverse people, communities, farms and organizations that are working to build resilience and community wealth in the face of challenges.

The conference promises to have something for a broad spectrum of attendees - conventional and organic farmers, beginning and established farmers, conservationists and environmentalists, and local food advocates and community leaders.

The keynote Nov. 16 will be Mary Hendrickson, rural sociology associate professor at the University of Missouri and contributor to the recently published “Harvesting Opportunity: The Power of Regional Food System Investments to Transform Communities.”

A daughter of the prairie Plains and deeply rooted in rural communities, Hendrickson will speak on local food for regional economies and creating community wealth.

Nov. 17 will feature David Montgomery and Anne Bikle, authors of “The Hidden Half of Nature: The Microbial Roots of Life and Health.” They will speak on the connections between soil health and human health, and the farming practices needed for a transformation in agriculture and health.

Each day will also feature 12 to 15 workshop sessions including practical sessions on production and marketing, farm transition options for the next generation, conservation practices and management, panels and roundtable discussions from experts, and sessions on state policy, community and civic organizing efforts in Kansas.

The mission of KRC — a nonprofit research, education and advocacy organization founded in 1979 — is to promote the long-term health of the land and its people through research, education and advocacy that advance an economically viable, ecologically sound, and socially just food and farming system. For more information, visit kansasruralcenter.org.

Call for sponsors
The conference each year would not be possible without the support of sponsors. KRC invites sponsors to help support this growing conference. Sponsors can network with more than 200 participants each year by hosting an exhibitor booth.

Other sponsorship opportunities include submitting an ad in the conference program, or helping with the costs of local food, scholarships for students and beginning farmers to attend, and more. Sponsorship allows KRC to produce a top-quality conference complete with experts, diverse workshops, exhibits, locally sourced food and other opportunities.

Register
Cost to attend the conference is $70 per day, or $135 for both days, which includes access to all presenters, a light breakfast, lunch and snacks both days, and a Friday evening social hour. Both days will include a lunch from locally sourced ingredients and will offer conference attendees time for networking and visiting exhibitor booths. To register, visit the Kansas Rural Center. 

Source: Kansas Rural Center