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Kristine Reiner November 12, 2024 No Comments

A very special thank you to all of those that participated in this year’s 2024 South Dakota Local Foods Conference! It is our hope you had a great time cultivating community connections through various discussions, workshops and keynotes centered around the importance of supporting local foods systems and producers!

The Local Foods Conference celebrates all aspects of the local food system and our goal is to have learning experiences available for everyone, from growers to processors, retailers, culinary professionals, small business owners, researchers, educators, community organizers, students, and youth.

Our conference planning committee works year round to put on this locally sourced grassroots event. Please share your feedback with our conference planning team to better the user experience for future guests.

Please share your experience with us by filling out this short evaluation survey.

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SDSU Registration Crew!
The Pioneer Room
The Journey Museum Art
Attendees
Attendees
SARE Panel
Attendees
Pumpkins supplied by Garden of Weedin’ Farm
Attendees
Table Decor
Geb, our guide for this year’s event!
SDSU Horticulture Table
Jenny Behlings Flower Center Piece
Breadroot Table
SARE Table
Attendees
Breakfast
Nell’s Gourmet
Breakfast
Breakfast
Table Decor Drawn by 2nd Graders
Attendees
Alan Carter, Blackhills Mushrooms
Attendees
Farm To School
Farm To School
Farm To School
Delicious Breakfast
Delicious Breakfast
Delicious Breakfast
Mama’s Batch Granola
USDA NRCS Table
Dakota Food Fresh Table
Table Decor Drawn by 2nd Graders
Keynote: Mariah Gladstone
Keynote: Mariah Gladstone
Attendees
Keynote: Mariah Gladstone
Keynote: Mariah Gladstone
Keynote: Mariah Gladstone
Bear Butte Gardens Aggregation
Geb and his new pet!
Listening Session with Blake Pulse
Listening Session with Blake Pulse
Attendees
Dakota Rx Program with Geb and Jared.
Pupmkin Workshop
Pupmkin Workshop
Pupmkin Workshop
Pupmkin Workshop
Pupmkin Workshop
Pupmkin Workshop
Pupmkin Workshop
Pupmkin Workshop
Pupmkin Workshop
Pupmkin Workshop
Pupmkin Workshop
Pupmkin Workshop
Pupmkin Workshop
Pupmkin Workshop
Our Pumpkin Winner!
Pupmkin Workshop
Pupmkin Workshop
Pupmkin Workshop
Pumpkin Winner Announcement
First, second and third place!
First, second and third place!
First, second and third place!

Online Marketing – What Trends Work with Kristine Reiner of Cash Cow Co-op

Kristine Reiner October 21, 2024 No Comments
Kristine Reiner - Cash Cow Co-op

Online Marketing – What Trends Work with Kristine Reiner of Cash Cow Co-op

Cultivating: Building Markets with Community in Mind

Saturday, November 9th, 2024 – 9:00am MT The Wells Fargo Theater

During our Online Marketing – What Trends Work presentation we’ll delve into the world of SEO, web design, and cutting-edge digital strategies to propel your online presence to new heights.

You’ll emerge with the knowledge and confidence to drive organic traffic, improve search engine rankings, and create user-centric online experiences. Marketing is expensive, but it doesn’t have to be.

Kristine Reiner, co-founder of Cash Cow Co-op, has dedicated her career to promoting initiatives that prioritize direct to consumer connections and sharing healthy food options to consumers. With a background in education, communications, website development, marketing and branding, she has a deep commitment to making a positive impact for environmental sustainability.

Reiner hopes to help bring awareness to sustainable efforts by crafting compelling narratives, coordinating outreach campaigns, and fostering longterm organic partnerships; she strives to inspire action and drive meaningful change.

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Building Resilience in the South Dakota Local Food System Blake Pulse, Graduate Research Assistant

Kristine Reiner October 21, 2024 No Comments

Building Resilience in the South Dakota Local Food System Blake Pulse, Graduate Research Assistant

Environmental Members of Our Community

Friday, November 8th, 2024 – 2:30pm MT in the Stanford Adelstein Gallery

Join us for an interactive session focused on building a more resilient local food system in South Dakota. Over the past 18 months, Blake Pulse and the research team at South Dakota State University have conducted interviews and focus groups with various stakeholders in the local food landscape.

This session will highlight key features and findings of resilient local food systems, exploring their interactions at the state level and the impact of rurality. Additionally, participants will have the opportunity to provide feedback and share their initial reactions to the study’s findings. Your insights will contribute to the ongoing development of a stronger local food system in South Dakota.

Blake Pulse is a graduate research assistant at South Dakota State University, pursuing a master’s in Biological Sciences. He is currently working on a grant-funded qualitative research project aimed at building a more resilient local food system in South Dakota. Blake’s passion for local food began at a young age when he owned and operated a small dairy goat farm near Salem, where he sold milk and value-added products to his community. This commitment to local food has continued throughout his collegiate career, reflected in his coursework and advocacy for local procurement at the dining hall on campus.

South Dakota Grasslands – More Than Just Grass with Laura Kahler, South Dakota Grasslands Initiative & Tanse Herrmann, NRCS

Kristine Reiner October 21, 2024 No Comments

South Dakota Grasslands – More Than Just Grass with Laura Kahler, South Dakota Grasslands Initiative & Tanse Herrmann, NRCS

Environmental Members of our Community

Friday, November 8th, 2024 – 1:00pm MT in the Stanford Adelstein Gallery

An introduction to the substantial loss of grasslands in South Dakota, the importance of our grasslands to the state’s economy, ecology, and human communities, and how the South Dakota Grasslands Initiative invites you to play a role in supporting the grasslands, as an urban or rural resident.

The proof that managing for soil health across the landscape really works lies in the fact that these operators continue to advance their skillsets and grow their operations where the five soil health principles are being intentionally implemented. These same operations are managing resource concerns by treating the source of their problems rather than seeking band-aid type fixes that only temporarily relieve issues.

Laura Kahler is the director of the South Dakota Grasslands Initiative, a collaborative network for diverse organizations, agencies & individuals to join together in support of the grasslands.

Laura’s background is in Agriculture Education, and she ranches with her husband in Tripp County, raising commercial cattle, Targhee sheep and Red Wattle pigs. Her favorite ways to enjoy the grasslands are through hunting with her labrador, riding horse in the pastures, and taking her three young children outside to learn the names of the various plants.

Tanse Herrmann SD NRCS State Grazinglands Soil Health Specialist has developed a passion for soil health through relationships with producers who have implemented soil health management decision-making systems on their diversified crop and livestock grazing operations and seeing the positive impacts soil health has on yields, animal performance, financial well-being, and overall quality of life.

Tanse is a former SD State FFA officer, South Dakota Agricultural & Rural Leadership alum, and enjoys team roping as well as outdoor recreation with his wife and two children from their small ranch operation near Sturgis.

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Cooking Up Connections with Kjersten Oudman, Blue Sky Vegetable Co. & Dr. Joseph Robertson, Mato Ohitika Analytics LLC

Kristine Reiner October 21, 2024 No Comments

Cooking Up Connections with Kjersten Oudman, Blue Sky Vegetable Co. & Dr. Joseph Robertson, Mato Ohitika Analytics LLC

Connections Across the Generations

Saturday, November 9th, 2024 – 9:00am MT

Growing fresh food is challenging enough, but how do we encourage eating it? After connecting through family and because of good food, Dr. Joseph Robertson and Kjersten Oudman sensed a need for teaching people how to cook fresh vegetables. They paired together and have been offering cooking classes to the members of Blue Sky Vegetable Co.’s Farm Share. Over three years, the cooking classes have connected people to the farm and to one another.

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.

Dr. Joseph Robertson is a citizen and enrolled member of the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate of the LakeTraverse Reservation. He is the founder and chief data scientist of Mato Ohitika Analytics LLC. Joseph works with grass root organizations and community groups with cutting edge data science solutions. Asa chef, Joseph works with Blue Sky Vegetable Company to bring cooking classes to the CSA shareholders and works to strengthen farm to table initiatives through community organizing.

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Introduction to Beekeeping with Bobbie Chambers Wilson, Agroecology Specialist/Apiarist

Kristine Reiner October 21, 2024 No Comments

Introduction to Beekeeping with Bobbie Chambers Wilson, Agroecology Specialist/Apiarist

Environmental Members of our Community

Saturday, November 9th, 2024 – 9:00am MT – The Stanford Adelstein Gallery

Bobbie Chambers Wilson is a native of Clear Lake, South Dakota, who happily moved back to South Dakota two years ago from the East Coast.

Beekeeping knowledge honors South Dakota and the long history and tradition of beekeeping in our state. This course will teach basic information about honeybees, beekeeping, and honey harvesting.

Bobbie is an Agroecology Specialist and Apiarist (Beekeeper) working for Ecdysis Foundation at Blue Dasher Farm in Estelline, South Dakota, also keeps bees at her home apiary in Brookings, South Dakota. Bobbie started reading and learning about honey bees in 2003, got her first personal hive in 2005 and completed the Masters Beekeeping curriculum at Cornell University, as well as the New York Honey Producers Program.

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The Bear Butte Gardens Local Food Aggregation Model with Michelle and Rick Grosek, Bear Butte Gardens

Kristine Reiner October 21, 2024 No Comments

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.

SARE Panel: Youth Led Sustainable and Ethical Beekeeping LAKOTA YOUTH DEVELOPMENT

Kristine Reiner October 20, 2024 No Comments

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

Kristine Reiner October 20, 2024 No Comments

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

Kristine Reiner October 20, 2024 No Comments

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.