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Northland College to host Wisconsin Local Food Summit on Feb. 1-2

January 24, 2013

Northland College will host the 7th Annual Wisconsin Local Food Summit next week Feb.1-2. The focus of the 2013 summit is "Common Ground: Everyone Eats!" The Wisconsin Local Food Network (WLFN) is sponsoring the event.

The Wisconsin Local Food Network chose the Chequamegon Bay region as the location for this year's summit because of the area's commitment to growing a local foods economy. Nathan Engstrom, regional sustainability coordinator at Northland College, will share information about its Local Foods Initiative. The initiative seeks to increase the presence of foods from growers in the Chequamegon Bay area on campus through a regional partnership.

"It's great to come together and hear other people's success stories, hear what challenges they've faced," said Engstrom. "This is a particularly compelling moment for the summit because there's a lot of good work happening in the Chequamegon Bay region and state where new farms are being launched and existing operations are expanding."

Mary Pat Carlson is the executive director of Algoma, Wis., nonprofit The Farm Market Kitchen. She will present on food processing models being used by her group and others to enhance local foods systems.

"The ones that I provide the most assistance to are community-based or small-scale food processing facilities that have an impact on community-based economic development," she said. "They tend to be shared facilities where a number of different food processors contract for time and services."

The experiences that will be shared at the summit serve to support projects that grow local foods economies, according to summit presenter Jason Fischbach, agriculture agent for UW-Extension in Ashland and Bayfield counties.

"A whole lot of learning is the main goal here," said Fischbach. "The folks that are involved in local food development work in our region will hopefully come away with some good ideas that we can implement locally. Hopefully, we'll see some new projects and ideas launched."

Keynote speakers for the 7th Annual Wisconsin Local Food Summit include Mike Wiggins, Jr., chairman of the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. Wiggins will provide insight into Ojibwe harvesting methods and how treaty rights play a role in the tribe's cultural food system. Sharon Adams, program director and co-founder of Walnut Way Conservation Corporation, also will offer a keynote address on her experiences with organizing initiatives that promote healthier, sustainable communities.

Those interested in learning about the Wisconsin Local Food Summit can contact Jane Hansen at (715) 339-5345. Information on how to register early is available online at www.wilocalfood.wordpress.com/summits.