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Attend the Arkansas Farm to School Conference at the Heifer Village, Little Rock, AR

THE CONFERENCE IS FULL. New applicants are being wait listed.

November 12, 2009
Heifer Village, Little Rock

THE CONFERENCE IS FULL. New applicants are being wait listed.

Bringing together educators, small resource farmers, policy makers and more, the Arkansas Farm to School Conference, hosted by Heifer International at Heifer Village, hopes to establish a Farm to School movement in Arkansas, resulting in improved nutrition in our schools while bettering the economic futures of rural farmers in the state.

Together we can raise a generation of healthy Arkansans who are connected to and nourished by our local food system.

Public Lectures

While Arkansas Farm to School Conference attendees explore ways to initiate Farm to School programs in Arkansas, the University of Central Arkansas will be taking a closer look at America's food system and the growing issue of obesity in the U.S. as part of their Challenge Week 2009: “Just Food: Farm-to-Fork Food Systems for 21st Century Communities.” The public is invited to attend all public lectures at UCA. Two are included in the Arkansas Farm to School Conference:

Marion Nestle: The Food Revolution
Wednesday, November 11: 7:00 pm
Ida Waldron Auditorium in Main Hall on the University of Central Arkansas Campus, Conway
Free admission. Reservations not required.

Marion Nestle, the Paulette Goddard Professor in the Department of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health at New York University and author of Food Politics: How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition and Health, will speak about the Food Revolution. 

Joel Salatin: Sustainable Farming and Federal Food Policy
Thursday, November 12: 7:00 pm (Local Food Information Fair: 6:00-7:00)
Arkansas State House Convention Center, Little Rock
Free public lecture and book signing. Reservations not required.
Sponsored by UCA and Heifer International 

Joel Salatin, renowned “grass farmer” of Polyface Farm in the Shenandoah Valley and author of Everything I Want to Do is Illegal: War Stories from the Local Food Front, will speak about sustainable farming and federal food policy. Come early to learn about local food sources in Arkansas during the Local Food Information Fair which begins at 6:00 pm. Download Salatin lecture flyer.  

Conference Schedule

Note: Below is a brief schedule of Arkansas Farm to School conference events. Please download the full schedule PDF and the session descriptions PDF for specific times and details.

Pre-Conference Activities – Wednesday, November 11th
Note: Pre-conference activities are not included in the conference registration fee. Each field trip costs $30, includes a local foods lunch and requires a 15-person minimum.
8:00 – 3:00 pm Field Trips (Download the field trip schedule PDF)
Farm Field Trips
  • Option A: Heifer Ranch (8:00 am Check-in)
  • Option B: Urban School Gardens - Dunbar Garden and Felder Farm (9:00 am Check-in)
  • Option C: Farm Visit (9:30 am Check-in)
4:15 – 9:30 pm Marion Nestle Presentation at UCA in Conway

Part of the UCA Honors College lecture series, “Just Food: Farm-to-Fork Food Systems for 21st Century Communities.” (Bus departs Little Rock at 4:30 pm for private recEption. Free public lecture begins at 7 pm, followed by Q&A and book signing.)
Conference Schedule – Thursday, November 12th
7:00 – 8:15 am Conference Check-in
8:30 – 10:00 am  Morning Plenary Sessions
“Keynote Address: “Lunch Lessons: Changing the Way we Feed our Children”
– Chef Ann Cooper
10:15 – 11:45 noon Concurrent Break-out Session 1
11:45 – 12:45 pm Local Foods Lunch
1:00 – 4:00 pm Concurrent Break-out Sessions 2 and 3
4:15 – 5:00 pm Closing Plenary Session: “The Future of FTS in AR:
Insights, Recommendations & Commitments”
5:30 – 6:45 pm Private Reception for Conference Participants with Joel Salatin
6:00 - 7:00 pm       Farm to School/Local Food Information Fair
7:00 – 9:00 pm Public Presentation and Book Signing with Joel Salatin
Free public event co-sponsored by UCA Honors College as part of their lecture series,
“Just Food: Farm-to-Fork Food Systems for 21st Century Communities.”
Downtown Little Rock location.
See the list of presenters and/or panelists involved in the Arkansas Farm to School Conference.
See the Arkansas Farm to School Presenter and Panelist Bios.
See the list of Arkansas Farm to School Conference Planning Partners.

Accommodations

Comfort Inn & Suites, Downtown at The Clinton Library
707 Interstate 30, Little Rock, AR 72202
Phone: 501-687-7700, extension 2012
www.comfortinnlittlerock.com
Ask for “Farm to School” Rate: $78 for single or double, including continental breakfast.

For more information about the Farm to School Conference
E-mail: HeiferVillage-registration@heifer.org
Phone: (877) 870-COWS (2697) or within Little Rock (501) 907-COWS

For more information on Farm to School in general, please visit www.farmtoschool.org.
For more information on our sponsors, please visit Arkansas Community Foundation, Arkansas Department of Health and Arkansas Department of Education