Gallery

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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Native Tea Time Workshop

Kristine Reiner October 21, 2024 No Comments

Native Tea Time Workshop with Mariah Gladstone, Piikuni (Blackfeet) and Tsalagi (Cherokee)

Connections Across the Generations

Friday, November 8th, 2024 – 12:45-2:15pm MT – The Joe Rovere | Minnilusa Pioneer Room

For thousands of years, Indigenous people have hunted, fished, farmed and foraged for food on this continent. Mariah practices many of those traditions today and teaches others how to incorporate indigenous foods into their contemporary diets.

She will bring a variety of plants she has grown and foraged that have traditionally been used to make tea, such as cedar, yarrow and mint. She will make some teas for participants to sample, then work with them to create their own personalized teas to take home. Throughout this hands-on workshop, Mariah will also discuss traditional Native foodways, changes that took place with colonization, and what is happening with the Indigenous Food Movement today.

Mariah Gladstone, Piikuni (Blackfeet) and Tsalagi (Cherokee), grew up in Northwest Montana on and near the Blackfeet Reservation. She graduated from Columbia University with a degree in Environmental Engineering and returned home where she began her work on food advocacy. She developed Indigikitchen, an online cooking platform, to revitalize and re-imagine Native foods. She then earned a Master’s degree at SUNY-ESF in the Center for Native Peoples and the Environment. Mariah has been recognized as a Luce Indigenous Knowledge Fellow. She has shared the importance of reconnecting to traditional foods at events throughout North America and abroad, as well as through appearances on the Today Show, CBC, and more.

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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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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.

Spiced Pumpkin – Fall Bouquet Class Flower Arranging Workshop

Kristine Reiner October 20, 2024 No Comments

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

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.

Wild & Indigenous Foods with Akaya (Amanda) Ruiz, Bringing the Sacred Back to the Black Hills HeSapa

Kristine Reiner October 20, 2024 No Comments

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.