Posts By seedstock
‘Grow Riverside’ Conference Presentations Posted to Growriverside.com; Seattle’s Local Food Action Initiative
April 2, 2014 | seedstockOver the next couple of days, we will be posting the presentations from the conference. For those of you not in attendance, the presentations from the conference explore local food and urban agriculture from the policy, technology, farm-to-school and market opportunity standpoints. The presentation below was put together by Richard Conlin, who served four terms on the Seattle City Council, from 1998 to 2013, and developed the Local Food Action Initiative to increase Seattle’s access to nutritional foods, reduce costs for farmers bringing their produce to markets in Seattle, and strengthen the security of our food supply. He also founded and currently co-chairs the Regional Food Policy Council.
Stay tuned for more presentations in the days to come!
Over 400 Attendees Gather at Sold Out Grow Riverside Conference to Drive Local Food System Development in City
March 21, 2014 | seedstockIf ever there was doubt about the interest, desire and motivation among the citizens of the City of Riverside to develop local agriculture strategies and solutions to reconnect with their agricultural roots and create economic opportunities that growers, advocates, government officials and other major stakeholders can leverage to foster a robust and sustainable local food future, it was allayed at the SOLD OUT ‘Grow Riverside: Citrus and Beyond!’ Conference Conference that took place at the Riverside Convention Center on March 19 – 20.
A diverse array of over 420 attendees from growers, ag entrepreneurs, local food advocates and distributors to City of Riverside officials, university students and professors from across California, business executives and California FFA members from Horte Vista High School were on hand to hear from some of the most innovative thinkers, experts and practitioners in the local and urban agriculture sphere.
The conference will return next year on March 5 – 6, so mark your calendars! In the interim, please stay tuned to GrowRiverside.com to learn about outcomes-focused activities, actions and initiatives that you can be involved with to help shape the future of the local food and agriculture in the City of Riverside.
Below is a gallery of images, tweets, facebook and instagram posts that summarize what took place at the game-changing Grow Riverside: Citrus and Beyond! conference.
Grow Riverside is SOLD OUT!!!!! Live Streaming!
March 18, 2014 | seedstockGrow Riverside has sold out! The event will, however, be streamed live via Ustream. So, if you can’t be there in person, you’ll still be able to watch the proceedings!
To stream the event live, go to https://new.livestream.com/accounts/6862664/events/2851208 at 8:30am tomorrow!
‘Grow Riverside’ Conference Featured in Press Enterprise: Officials Hope Conference Plants Seeds for Local Farms
March 16, 2014 | seedstockAlicia Robinson, staff writer for the Press Enterprise writes, “Though acres of concrete and buildings outnumber farms and citrus groves in the Inland area today, farmers and local officials want to get back to the area’s agricultural roots.
A conference scheduled in Riverside for Wednesday, March 19, and Thursday, March 20, aims to explain the value of locally-grown food, show there’s a market for it, and help people navigate the challenges of setting up a small farm.” Read more here!
“Grow Riverside” Urban Ag Conference Cultivates CURE Scholarship Competition Opportunity for Students
March 14, 2014 | seedstockScholars aching for an opportunity to help the environment, stimulate local urban agriculture, and, perhaps, win some financial compensation along the way have been offered a sustainable CURE.
Sponsored by the Citizens United for Resources and the Environment (CURE), in partnership with Seedstock’s “Grow Riverside: Citrus and Beyond!” conference, the CURE Challenge is open to full-time high school, college and university students. The contest charges participants with the task of developing economically viable strategies or land use plans to transform the future of local agriculture in Riverside. Scholarships in the amount of $1000, $500, and $250 will be awarded for the three best submissions.
“A young person’s ideas could be just the catalyst needed to revolutionize sustainable urban agriculture in the Riverside area,” said Malissa McKeith, CURE president. “By tapping into their passion for protecting the environment and developing a creative action plan, three students will secure scholarships for their efforts. It’s a winning opportunity for the students, the city, and the environment.”
Designed as a grassroots, community outreach program to engage youth creativity and entrepreneurship, the CURE Challenge will be launched at the “Grow Riverside: Citrus and Beyond!” conference, March 19-20 at the Riverside Convention Center. For additional information and competition rules, please visit http://www.growriverside.com/take-the-cure-grow-riverside-challenge/.
In addition to CURE, other sponsors providing support for the “Grow Riverside” event, include: Salted Pig Restaurant, Kaiser Permanente, Western Municipal Water District, UC Riverside, Riverside County Economic Development Agency, Riverside Public Utilities, Wicks Brewing Company, Galleano Winery, Riverside-Corona Resource Conservation District, California Baptist University, Riverside Community Health Foundation, Netafim USA, Adkan Engineers, Burrtec, Gless Ranch, Gresham Savage, and CR&R.
Organized for the city of Riverside by Seedstock co-founder Robert Puro, the conference has been formulated as a model for cities looking to enhance local agriculture. Conference registration is filling up fast and reservations for the opening night “Citrus Circle Dinner” are limited. To register for the conference, please visit http://growriverside.eventbrite.com
About Seedstock
Seedstock is a social venture that fosters the development of robust and sustainable local food systems through consulting services and the use of a variety of tools, including the news and information blog Seedstock (http://www.Seedstock.com ) and live events. Seedstock works with government agencies, municipalities and all private sector stakeholders to create a sustainable food ecosystem of innovation, entrepreneurship and investment.
About the City of Riverside
The City of Riverside made the navel orange a symbol of bounty and a household staple in California. Today the City maintains more than 1,000 acres of citrus groves. As Riverside continues to grow, so does local pride for the City’s rich agricultural history and consumer demand for healthful local foods. A full 11 percent of the city’s total acreage is designated for agricultural use, unparalleled for a Southern California city of its size. Riverside’s growers, local government officials, and residents are at the forefront of innovation as a city devoted to sustainable local agriculture.
Take the CURE | Grow Riverside Challenge!
March 3, 2014 | seedstock
Turn your passion for protecting the environment into an action plan that can revolutionize agriculture in Riverside …and you may win a scholarship!
The CURE Challenge seeks creative strategies or land use plans that will improve and protect the environment, benefit the local community, and most importantly, that are economically viable.
The Cure Challenge is offering three scholarship awards: $1000, $500 and $250, to the three students who come up with the best strategies or land use plans to transform the future of local agriculture in Riverside.
The CURE Challenge is being offered to college and high school students and will serve as a grassroots, community outreach program to engage youth creativity and entrepreneurship. Read More
Seedstock’s “Grow Riverside” Sustainable Agriculture Conference Enhances Event with Nationally Known Experts
February 26, 2014 | seedstockRIVERSIDE, Calif. — Spearheading the movement to assist cities develop more urban sustainable farming within their environs, the “Grow Riverside: Citrus and Beyond!” conference continues to expand its stellar program lineup with notable authorities in resource management, agricultural growth strategies and public policy. The March 19-20 event presented by Seedstock in partnership with the City and Community of Riverside will be held at the Riverside Convention Center.
Appearing as opening night keynote is Richard Conlin, who created Seattle’s local food initiative while serving as a City Councilmember. Conlin will talk about how to develop and establish urban sustainable agricultural policies – from land-use to funding efforts.
“Local food policy is a key element in creating environmental sustainability, economic prosperity and improved public health,” Conlin said. “I hope my experience can help provide guidance on how to put this into practice.”
Conlin’s “Citrus Circle Dinner” presentation will culminate the farm-to-fork dining event sponsored by The Salted Pig, Downtown Riverside’s gastro pub noted for incorporating local citrus into both its cocktail and culinary creations.
Conference participants also will garner insight from several newly added speakers. Salted Pig owner and Riverside native, Ronaldo Fierro, will join Don Nishiguchi, regional local produce buyer for Whole Foods Market, Martin Anenberg, founder of So Cal Farm Network, and Gayle Shockey-Hoxter, Program Chief for the County of Riverside Department of Public Health, Nutrition & Health, in exploring the “Marketing Opportunity for Local Agriculture.” Leah Di Bernardo, executive chef for E.A.T. (Extraordinary Artisan Table), will assist in an examination of “The Value and Meaning of Local Agriculture.” Noah Fulmer, director of capacity building at Local Orbit and co-founder and former executive director of Farm Fresh Rhode Island, will collaborate on a review of “Local Ag Growth Strategies.” Mark Hoddle, director of the Center for Invasive Species at UC Riverside, along with fellow experts, will consider the economic viability of growing citrus in Riverside.
From left to right: Richard Conlin, former Seattle City Councilmember who established the city’s Local Food Action Initiative; Leah Di Bernardo, exec. chef at E.A.T. Extraordinary Artisan and Slow Food Movement proponent; and Don Nishiguchi, Regional local produce buyer for Whole Foods Market for the Southern Pacific region.
Rounding out the conference will be several pragmatic offerings, including: “Resources and Responsibility” – how a city’s land, water, energy and community resources can be sustainably managed and leveraged to create a successful local agriculture economy; as well as, “From Start to Finish: Setting up an economically viable operation on a 1 – 2 acre plot.”
Organized for the city of Riverside by Seedstock co-founder Robert Puro, the conference has been formulated as a model for cities looking to enhance local agriculture. For additional information pertaining to the event, ticket prices, panels, program speakers, and registration, please visit www.growriverside.com.
About Seedstock
Seedstock is a social venture that fosters the development of robust and sustainable local food systems through consulting services and the use of a variety of tools, including the news and information blog Seedstock (www.Seedstock.com) and live events. Seedstock works with government agencies, municipalities and all private sector stakeholders to create a sustainable food ecosystem of innovation, entrepreneurship and investment.
About the City of Riverside
The City of Riverside made the navel orange a symbol of bounty and a household staple in California. Today the City maintains more than 1,000 acres of citrus groves. As Riverside continues to grow, so does local pride for the City’s rich agricultural history and consumer demand for healthful local foods. A full 11 percent of the city’s total acreage is designated for agricultural use, unparalleled for a Southern California city of its size. Riverside’s growers, local government officials, and residents are at the forefront of innovation as a city devoted to sustainable local agriculture.
Denis Wolcott, 213-200-1563
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‘Grow Riverside’ Conference to Focus on Sustainably Re-integrating Agriculture into Cities
February 12, 2014 | seedstock
Re-integrating agriculture into cities, developing economically viable urban farming operations on small plots of land, exploring how best to implement policy to support and foster such endeavors – these are but a few of the important issues and opportunities that will be examined in depth at the upcoming Seedstock ‘Grow Riverside’ conference on March 19 – 20 at the Riverside Convention Center in Riverside, CA.
The conference will focus on the development of urban agriculture strategies and solutions that cities can use to reconnect with their agricultural roots and create economic opportunities that investors, citizens, growers, government officials and other major stakeholders can leverage to foster a robust and sustainable local food future.
The event is PRESENTED in partnership with the City and Community of Riverside by SEEDSTOCK, a social venture that fosters the development of robust and sustainable local food systems through the use of a variety of tools, including the news and information blog seedstock.com, live events and consulting services.
Register now to receive the Seed Saver Special Rate to learn from and interact with these experts:
http://growriverside.eventbrite.com
We have an exciting list of expert speakers from across the sustainable agriculture spectrum including:
Richard Conlin – Former Seattle City Councilmember and prime mover behind Seattle’s ‘Local Food Action Initiative,’ passed in 2008, that envisions an exciting new urban agriculture model that is good for the economy, the environment, and our health.
Dr. Glenda Humiston – California State Director for U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development. Humiston brings over 25 years of experience working on public policy development and program implementation supporting sustainability.
Rodney K. Taylor – Director of Nutrition Services, for the Riverside Unified School District. A noted pioneer, and expert in farm-to-school salad bars, he is particularly known for establishing the “Farmers’ Market Salad Bar” (FMSB) program in 1997, while working as Director of Food and Nutrition Services in the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District, in Santa Monica, California.
Pierre Sleiman – Founder of Go Green Agriculture, a company that builds high tech mini-farms in or near large cities. Pierre is a young entrepreneur, who has become involved in the mission of accelerating the movement towards local and sustainable farming and fostering interest in youth to choose agriculture as an exciting career.
Curt Covington – Managing Director, Agribusiness Banking Division for Bank of the West. With 34 years of agricultural banking experience, Curt is responsible for managing the growth and performance of the bank’s $1.5 billion regional agricultural loan portfolio.
Bob Knight – Founder of Old Grove Farm Share, which make local growers sustainable by connecting them to local families and school districts via direct sales.
Leah Di Bernardo – Partner in Cultivating Good and Co-leader of Slow Food Temecula Valley. Di Bernardo is also the award-winning Chef of E.A.T Extraordinary Artisan Table, a locally grown Eatery in the Temecula Valley. Dedicated to providing farm foraged, hand crafted fair, since 2002. E.A.T’s business-mission statement champions purchasing local and supporting your neighbors, as this stimulates the region’s economy and creates conviviality, loyalty & community.
Hassan Ghamlouch – Co-founder of The Grove, a 10-acre organic family farm located in the Riverside ‘Greenbelt’. The Grove is committed to Organic growing practices with an emphasis on sustainable farming and conserving natural resources.
Register now to receive the Seed Saver Special Rate to learn from and interact with these experts:
http://growriverside.eventbrite.com
Additional notable speakers include:
Representative Mark Takano – California’s 41st Congressional District
Val Dolcini – State Executive Director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency (FSA)
Paula Daniels – Founder of the Los Angeles Food Policy Council
Don Webber – Partner, Cultivating Good, Inc. and Owner of Harvest 2U
Dwight Detter – Local Forager, Whole Foods Market
Etaferahu Takele – County Director/Area Advisor Farm Management/Agricultural Economics
Milt McGiffen – Cooperative Extension Vegetable Crops Specialist & Plant Physiologist
Gabriel Ruiz – Unity Farm
David Rosenstein – Founder of EVO Farm and Chair of the Aquaponics Association – Western Region
Fortino Morales III – Community Garden Coordinator at University of California, Riverside
Rickey Smith – Founder of Urban Green
Noah Fulmer – Farm Fresh Rhode Island
Rick Pruetz (FAICP) – Founder of Planning & Implementation Strategies
Gregg Warren – American AgCredit
Erika Block – Local Orbit
John Gless – Gless Ranch
Robert Hewitt – USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)
Clay Monroe – Principal Account Manager for the City of Riverside Public Utilities Department
… and more!
Register now to receive the Seed Saver Special Rate to learn from and interact with these experts:
http://growriverside.eventbrite.com
Donate to the Riverside Food Systems Alliance
