Local Food, Farm Plan Team summit brings diverse group together

Randi Reeder

The Local Food and Farm Plan Team will have a diverse gathering from various sectors of the local food economy Tuesday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the Scheman Building at Iowa State.

The keynote speaker will be nationally recognized public artist and teacher David Dahlquist from Des Moines. According to the event’s website, he will talk about creating a local sense of place that embraces food, community, history and culture.

Since 1988, Dahlquist has completed more than 50 large-scale public commissions across the country. His commissions for private, public and institutional clients range from tilework and sculpture to major architectural installations. Currently, he is creative director at RDG Dahlquist Art Studio.

This summit is a time when the Local Food and Farm Plan Team would like to celebrate the successes and discuss the challenges and obstacles that are still major issues today.

The Local Food and Farm Program was created in 2011 by Senate File 509 to build Iowa’s local food economies and promote job growth.

The Local Food and Farm Plan team, according to its website, hope that the summit will be able to get participants to engage in a lively discussion on the next steps in the right direction toward the building of a thriving local food system in Iowa.

Below is the schedule:

9 a.m. — Welcome

9:30 a.m. — Keynote speaker, David Dahlquist

10:30 a.m. — Break

11 a.m. — Plenary session

Noon — Lunch

1 p.m. — Workshop 1

2:30 p.m. — Break

2:45 p.m. — Workshop 2

4:15 p.m. — Break

4:30 p.m. — Final plenary session, Craig Chase with the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture and the coordinator of the Local Food and Farm Plan

5 p.m. — Adjourn

6 p.m. — Iowa Local Foods Dinner (ticket required)