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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!

USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service Sponsorship

Kristine Reiner November 6, 2024 No Comments

 USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service

Supporting America’s Working Lands

“As the USDA’s primary private lands conservation agency, we generate, manage, and share the data, technology, and standards that enable partners and policymakers to make decisions informed by objective, reliable science. 

And through one-on-one, personalized advice, we work voluntarily with producers and communities to find the best solutions to meet their unique conservation and business goals. By doing so, we help address climate change and ensure the long-term sustainability of American agriculture. We’re also focused on the American farmer, especially those underserved by our programs as well as those trying to break into new markets, like organics.”

We are incredibly thankful to have USDA NRCS as a sponsor for the 2024 South Dakota Local Foods Conference!

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Native Tea Time Workshop

Kristine Reiner October 21, 2024 No Comments
Native Tea Time Workshop

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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Youth Track – 2024 Schedule

Kristine Reiner October 21, 2024 No Comments

Cultivating Community Connections

During this time, kids will get the opportunity to create a variety of different crafts centered around local foods.

Sensory Local Foods

Led by Sydney Trio, McCrory Gardens

Saturday, November 9th, 2024 – 9:00am MT The Board Room

Youth can have fun exploring their senses! We will go through the five senses and see how we can use each sense looking at local produce. There will even be a guessing game where kids will feel and smell different produce!

Local Foods & Garden Moves!

Led by Anna Tvedt, SDSU Exension

Saturday, November 9th, 2024 – 10:30am MT The Board Room

Youth will start by playing a game to identify foods that are produced in South Dakota and the five food groups. Then, grow like a plant with garden yoga and end with making a fruit and vegetable crown craft.

Creative Hour!

Led by Sydney Trio, McCrory Gardens

Saturday, November 9th, 2024 – 1:00pm MT The Board Room

During this time, kids will get the opportunity to create a variety of different crafts centered around local foods such as painting pumpkins and paper crafts.

Anna is a registered dietitian and serves as a Nutrition Field Specialist for SDSU Extension. Anna provides nutrition expertise to South Dakotans statewide through programs like farm-to-school. Anna has helped create the SD Crunch Off and Grow Getters materials for SD youth.

Sydney is the Education Coordinator/SDSU Extension Horticulture Assistant at McCrory Gardens in Brookings, SD. Sydney works with visitors of all ages, planning different educational programming and providing tours of the Gardens. This is Sydney’s second year helping out with the Local Foods Conference and Youth Track!

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.