Only TWO DAYS Remain to Get Early Bird Discounted Tix for “GrowRIVERSIDE: The Future of Local Food” Conference

March 22, 2015 | seedstock

RIVERSIDE, CA – Only 2 DAYS REMAIN to obtain Early Bird DISCOUNTED REGISTRATION Tickets for the “GrowRIVERSIDE: The Future of Local Food” Conference (Purchase here: http://growriverside.eventbrite.com). The event, to be held June 11-13, at the Riverside Convention Center, will assist cities in examining and developing solutions to develop and strengthen their urban agriculture and local food infrastructure. Experts in farming small plots, new business creation, local food marketplace development and community food access will come together to offer solutions on how Riverside can become a model for other cities to follow.

In compliment to featured keynote presentations on “How the Local Food Market Opportunity Strengthens Community, Environment and Economy,” “Developing Business Models to Support Small Farmers and Strengthen the Local Food System,” and “The Importance of Local Food in Addressing the Nutrition Needs of Riverside’s and by extension America’s Children,” the two-day program will offer a series of panels including:

• Local Food Access for All – An exploration of how to make fresh and local food available to all in an economically viable manner; addressing food deserts and food access in Riverside and beyond;

• Building a Local Food Market – A discussion of how to scale the local food marketplace in Riverside and beyond via the creation of food hubs, appealing to institutional buyers from hospitals to schools;

• Local Agriculture Innovation – an examination of various technologies (aquaponics, irrigation technology, et al) as well as new business models (CSA, direct marketing) enabling the development of economically sustainable small-scale farming operations;

The program, organized for the City of Riverside by Seedstock co-founder Robert Puro, has been formulated as a model for any and all cities looking to enhance local and urban agriculture. The deadline to purchase tickets at the “early bird” price ends Tuesday, March 24. For additional information pertaining to the event, ticket prices, program speakers, and registration, please visit www.growriverside.com

Click here to purchase your Early Bird Special Ticket!

CONFIRMED SPEAKERS INCLUDE:

Mark Winne – Co-founder of the Connecticut Food Policy Council
Robert Egger – Founder and President of L.A. Kitchen
Dwight Detter – Local Forager for Whole Foods Market
Viviana Franco – Executive Director of From Lot To Spot
Fortino Morales III – UC Riverside Community Garden Coordinator
Rodney K. Taylor – Director of Nutrition Services, for the Riverside Unified School District
Robert Tse – State Broadband Coordinator for USDA CA Rural Development
Erika Block – Local Orbit
Bob Knight – Founder of Inland Orange Conservancy and Old Grove Orange, Inc.
Rishi Kumar – Founder of The Growing Home
David Rosenstein – Founder of EVO Farm & Chair of the Aquaponics Association – Western Region
Pierre Sleiman – Founder of Go Green Agriculture
Krysia Zajonc – CEO and Co-founder of Local Food Lab
Jim Bergantz – Sales Engineer at Agra Tech, Inc.
Mateo Aguilar – Co-founder of Local Food Lab
Hop Hopkins – Co-founder of Panther Ridge Farm
… and more!

More information on the conference: http://growriverside.com

Click here to purchase your Early Bird Special Ticket!

 

97 Percent of All U.S. Farms are Family-Owned, USDA Reports

March 20, 2015 | seedstock

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) reports that family-owned farms remain the backbone of the agriculture industry. The latest data come from the Census of Agriculture farm typology report and help shine light on the question, “What is a family farm?”

“As we wrap up mining the 6 million data points from the latest Census of Agriculture, we used typology to further explore the demographics of who is farming and ranching today,” said NASS Statistics Division Director Hubert Hamer. “What we found is that family-owned businesses, while very diverse, are at the core of the U.S. agriculture industry. In fact, 97 percent of all U.S. farms are family-owned.” Read More

GrowRIVERSIDE Announces Community Food Systems Expert, Mark Winne, as Opening Day Keynote

March 12, 2015 | seedstock

GrowRIVERSIDE organizers, Seedstock and the City of Riverside, are pleased to announced that Mark Winne, former executive director of the Hartford Food System and co-founder of the Connecticut Food Policy Council and Community Food Security Coalition among others, will deliver the opening keynote address at the GrowRIVERSIDE Conference on June 11.

From 1979 to 2003, Mark Winne was the Executive Director of the Hartford Food System, a private non-profit agency that works on food and hunger issues in the Hartford, Connecticut area. During his tenure with HFS, Mark organized community self-help food projects that assisted the city’s lower income and elderly residents. Mark’s work with the Food System included the development of commercial food businesses, Connecticut’s Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program, farmers’ markets, a 25-acre community supported agriculture farm, a food bank, food and nutrition education programs, and a neighborhood supermarket. Read More

“GrowRIVERSIDE Community Gathering” to Explore Upcoming Conference and Local Food Entrepreneurs

March 1, 2015 | seedstock

Interested in learning more about the upcoming GrowRIVERSIDE and networking with local food entrepreneurs, growers and community advocates? Then you won’t want to miss the first in a series of “GrowRIVERSIDE Community Gatherings” on Thursday, March 26 at The Boathouse at Fairmont Park from 5:30pm – 8:30pm come where you’ll have the opportunity to learn more about the upcoming 2nd Annual GrowRIVERSIDE Conference (June 11 – 13) and how you can participate in and help to develop a vibrant local food system in the City of Riverside.

“GrowRIVERSIDE Community Gatherings” will function as nexuses for networking, community building and solution development around the core local food system issues in the City from growing new food businesses and farmers to resident concerns and food access. Read More

Experts in Local Food System Development, Urban Agriculture to Highlight “GrowRIVERSIDE” Conference in June

February 26, 2015 | seedstock

RIVERSIDE, Calif., Feb. 26, 2015 /PRNewswire/ — A stellar roster of sustainable urban agriculture experts is slated to impart insight and ingenuity at the 2nd Annual GrowRIVERSIDE Conference: The Future of Local Food.

Presented by Seedstock in partnership with the City of Riverside, the event, scheduled for June 11-13, fosters the growth of a sustainable local food and agriculture system that benefits communities, environments and economies in Riverside and in cities supporting these endeavors.

“This year, GrowRIVERSIDE will dive deeply into the nuts and bolts of what it takes to develop and strengthen a city’s urban agriculture and local food infrastructure,” said Robert Puro, Seedstock co-founder and GrowRIVERSIDE conference organizer.  “Experts in farming small plots, new business creation, local food marketplace development and community food access will come together to offer solutions on how Riverside can become a model for other cities to follow.” Read More

Riverside, CA Restaurateur Ronaldo Fierro Talks Benefits and Challenges of Sourcing Food Locally

February 24, 2015 | seedstock

Riverside restaurateur Ronaldo Fierro believes in locally-produced food—it tastes good, it’s good for the economy, and it’s important for the health and vitality of Riverside, California, and its residents.

Owner of The Salted Pig, a downtown Riverside gastropub, and W. Wolfskill, a Riverside craft cocktail bar, Fierro has always strived to source ingredients as locally as possible.

“Since the beginning, our goal was to use local produce,” he says. Fierro defines local as within a 30-mile radius of downtown Riverside. Read More

USDA Announces $9 Million to Support Community Food Projects Program

February 19, 2015 | seedstock