The Bear Butte Gardens Local Food Aggregation Model
Cultivating: Building Markets with Community in Mind
Friday, November 8th, 2024 – 1:00pm MT – The Wells Fargo Theater
Learn how Bear Butte Gardens is implementing a local foods aggregation model in the northern Black Hills region presented with Michelle & Rick Grosek.
Michelle & Rick Grosek operate Bear Butte Gardens, 5 miles outside of Sturgis, SD. They have a combination of organic vegetable gardens, small ruminants and poultry, a year-round farm stand, commercial kitchen, and vacation rental. The farm stand carries their farm products and the products of over 60 other regional producers. They also help aggregate local food products for area chefs and small restaurants.
Spiced Pumpkin – Fall Bouquet Class Flower Arranging Workshop with Jenny Behlings
Connections Across the Generations
Friday, November 8th, 2024 – 2:30 – 4:00 pm MT – The Joe Rovere | Minnilusa Pioneer Room
Spiced Pumpkin Fall Bouquet Class by Jenny Behlings. Hands on floral design class creating a fall centerpiece featuring a fresh pumpkin and dried flowers. Make, Display and take home. This workshop has a $10 fee. Registration required, limited to 20 attendees.
Jenny Behlings trained in floral design and greenhouse management at the University of Minnesota – Waseca then owned and operated a flower shop in Custer, SD for 35 years. She is certified through the American Institute of Floral Design and the Society of American Florists. She has designed at the White House; for national, state, and local events; and many, many weddings!
SARE Panel: Youth Led Sustainable and Ethical Beekeeping LAKOTA YOUTH DEVELOPMENT
Connections Across the Generations
Friday, November 8th, 2024 – 9:00am MT – The Joe Rovere | Minnilusa Pioneer Room
Established in 1992 and located on the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Reservation, LAKOTA YOUTH DEVELOPMENT (formerly Native American Advocacy Program) is a statewide, non-profit, grassroots organization serving persons residing on and off the lands of the tribal nations in South Dakota. Honey Lodge is a Lakota youth-led social enterprise offering raw honey and natural products.
Their mission is to “reclaim Lakota language, culture and spirituality by promoting education and healthy lifestyles for our youth through culturally based strategies”.
Marla C. Bull Bear, M.A. is Sicangu (Burnt Thigh) Lakota, a wife of Naca Charles W. BullBear, mother and grandmother and has been sharing traditional knowledge with youth for over 30 years. Mrs. Bull Bear, founding Executive Director of Lakota Youth Development (LYD) received her Master’s in Community Counseling from a tribal university located on the Rosebud Reservation Her passion is the work of Lakota Youth Development and its culturally specific prevention program, teaching self-sufficiency with land stewardship and youth development through Lakota language immersion, apprenticeships in bee keeping and cultural heritage tourism enterprises.
Join the Movement: Farm to School’s Impact and Future in South Dakota
Cultivating: Building Markets with Community in Mind
Friday November 8th, 2024 – 9:00am MT in the Wells Fargo Theater
Panelists include: Anna Tvedt, SDSU Extension; Megan EisenVos, Dakota Rural Action; Janelle Peterson, SD Department of Eduction; Malisa Nyles, SD Specialty Producers Association
Farm to School is gaining momentum in South Dakota! In this session, we will share recent data about farm to school in South Dakota, present a variety of opportunities for you to get involved, and explore future directions to continue making a stronger local food system in South Dakota through farm to school. Whether you’ve been involved for years or are reluctant about starting, this session is for you!
Megan EisenVos, MS, RD, LN and Anna Tvedt, MS, RD, LN are both dietitians and represent their respective organizations on the South Dakota Farm to School Network Core Team. Megan is a food systems organizer for Dakota Rural Action and co-owns and operates an urban vegetable farm (IronFox Farm) where she and her husband hold Farm to School and community education programs in Sioux Falls, SD. Anna is a nutrition field specialist for SDSU Extension and has a history with South Dakota Farm to School beginning with her graduate thesis project.
The Fungal Frontier: Advancing Sustainable Agriculture through Mushroom Production and Soil Building in South Dakota Alan Carner, Black Hills Mushrooms
Environmental Members of Our Community
Friday, November 8th, 2024 – 9:00am MT in the Stanford Adelstein Gallery
Alan Carner of Black Hills Mushrooms will give conference attendees a chance to talk with prospective growers. Alan will help encourage and inspire participants about the mushroom growing industry like utilizing bi-products in mushroom production. Carner will also be sharing his SCBG projects and findings.
Founded in 2018, Black Hills Mushrooms LLC is a dedicated enterprise situated in Rapid City, with a strong commitment to producing exquisite gourmet mushrooms and responsibly foraging certified wild mushrooms in the enchanting surroundings of the Black Hills. Their unwavering passion for mushrooms, education, food safety, and the remarkable Black Hills region drives our endeavors.
They offer a year-round supply of cultivated gourmet mushrooms, while the wild mushroom harvests align with their respective seasons. Since 2019, owner and operator, Alan Carner, has been certified by the FDA-recognized educational course conducted by Mushroom Mountain, LLC, a trusted agency approved by authorized state health departments or the Department of Agriculture.
Wild & Indigenous Foods with Akaya (Amanda) Ruiz, Bringing the Sacred Back to the Black Hills HeSapa
Environmental Members of Our Community
Saturday, November 9th, 2024 – 10:30am MT in the Stanford Adelstein Gallery
Interactive learning about wild & indigenous foods from Akaya (Amanda) Ruiz, that can be foraged throughout the HeSapa (Black Hills) and prairies of Western South Dakota. Come explore your senses as you learn plant identity through touch & smell at my interactive booth.
Akaya (Amanda) Ruiz is currently a PhD student at SDSU. She recently earned her Master’s Degree in Plant Sciences and is an alumni of Oglala Lakota College where she earned a dual degree (Bachelors of Science in Natural Science and an Associates Degree in Lakota Studies) during the global pandemic.
Amanda has earned an array of certifications, awards and accomplishments both internally and among Indigenous national conferences. Amanda is deeply rooted in her passion for serving the He Sapa (Black Hills) community, and has been involved in youth education for almost her entire life (but we won’t publicly age her!) Her braided background in STEM, community gardens, youth education and enhancing local food security systems through culturally significant plants has led to a vast array of internships at NASA, USDA-ARS and things she had to practice annunciating.
She currently serves as the Vice President of The Bringing the Sacred Back to the Black Hills HeSapa and volunteers on the Black Hills Region Youth and Family Services (YFS) Garden planning committee. Her current passion project is designing an Indigenous youth demonstration and education memorial garden.
Join SD farmers and SDSU students as they discuss on-farm research trials related to reducing tillage and incorporating cover crops for vegetable production.
This session will celebrate collaboration by highlighting how farmers and universities can work together to explore research questions, learn new ideas, and support innovation. The farmer presenters will share eastern and western SD production challenges and opportunities, and the students will dig into the data. Come ready to ask questions and bring home ideas for research trials on your farm! Panelists include: Kristine Lang, SDSU Extension; Michelle Grosek, Bear Butte Gardens; Kjersten Oudman, Blue Sky Vegetable Co.; Connor Ruen & Hannah Voye, SDSU Graduate Research Assistants
Kristine Lang is a South Dakota State University Assistant Professor and Extension Consumer Horticulture Specialist based in Brookings, SD. She holds a Ph.D. in Horticulture and Sustainable Agriculture from Iowa State University. Her horticultural career has included working in private-sector, university, and nonprofit organizations across four Midwestern states.
Michelle Grosek grows certified organic vegetables at Bear Butte Gardens, 5 miles outside of Sturgis, SD. A combination of high tunnel growing, and outside garden growing is utilized to grow a full variety of vegetables for CSA, an on-farm year-round store, and local chefs and small restaurants.
Kjersten Oudman cultivates plants and community at Blue Sky Vegetable Co. in Worthing, SD. Blue Sky Vegetable Co. is a Community Supported Agriculture farm focused on providing their farm share members with delicious vegetables and a connection to each other and the farm. When not farming, Kjersten and her husband, Dirk, spend their time chasing their two energetic kids and a lovable black lab who never tires of playing fetch.
Hannah Voye is in her second year pursuing a Master of Plant Science at South Dakota State University. Originally from Wisconsin, she studied Horticulture with an emphasis in sustainable fruit and vegetable systems at the University of Wisconsin – River Falls. Since arriving in South Dakota, Hannah has loved learning from and collaborating with growers through the SARE funded Soil Tarping Project.
Connor Ruen is a SE Minnesota native and moved to Brookings, SD to attend South Dakota State University to earn a bachelor’s degree in agronomy and minors in horticulture, soil science, and crop protection. He is currently a second-year plant science graduate student, focusing on the effects of clover living mulch and tillage practices on soil health, weed suppression, and the yield of broccolini. His research aims to help farmers improve their efficiency and improve their soil health.
McCrory Gardens and South Dakota State Arboretum are botanical gardens and an arboretum located on the South Dakota State University campus in Brookings, South Dakota. Located at 631 22nd Ave, Brookings, SD 57007
Connecting people and plants through education, discovery, research and enjoyment of the natural and built landscape.”
We are incredibly thankful to have as a sponsor for the 2024 South Dakota Local Foods Conference!
Breadroot Natural Foods Cooperative is a community-owned grocery store that has been nourishing the Black Hills since 2000. While we are a cooperative, meaning we’re proudly owned by over 2,700 community members, everyone is welcome to shop with us — no membership is required.
We’re passionate about supporting local farmers, ranchers, and producers, and we strive to strengthen the Black Hills community through the food we offer. You can become a Member-Owner for just $20 a year and enjoy additional benefits, but anyone can enjoy our selection of fresh, local, and natural products without joining. At Breadroot, it’s about community, quality, and accessibility for all.
We are so appreciative to have Breadroot as a sponsor for the 2024 South Dakota Local Foods Conference!
