FINDING YOUR FUTURE IN FOOD SYSTEMS - A WEBINAR SERIES
Welcome to Finding Your Future in Food Systems, a series produced by students for students, emerging professionals, and professionals in transition
Each episode features food systems professionals representing a variety of sectors and locations. Speakers share details of their organization's mission and work culture, as well as insights from their own professional journey. Questions from the audience are encouraged and curated to help participants better navigate their own job searches. Watch the recordings to better understand the diversity of work roles involved in local/regional food systems development.
OCT 16, 2024 - Dawn Spears of Ashawaug Farm (RI), Jared Krawitz of Closter Farm & Livestock Co (NJ), Tianna Rose Neal of Starlit Roots (GA). View recording.
SEP 18, 2024 -Lydia Hsu of Georgia Organics (GA), Ryann Monteiro of Organic Farmers Association (IL), Katrina Klein of Where Food Comes From Organic (CO). View recording.
MAR 26, 2024 -Joe Sewall of Central Coast Food Web (OR), Nathalie America Muñoz of the Berkeley Food Institute (CA), Lina Ghanem of Saba Grocers Initiative (CA). View recording.
FEB 27, 2024 -Delaney Gobster, Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies (WI), Kathia Ramirez, Pinelands Preservation Alliance (NJ), Ben Rasmussen, Nat'l Center for Frontier Communities (NM). View recording.
OCT 24, 2023 - Patty Laskowski Morren of Grassworks Inc (WI), Melanie Wong of Groundwork Center for Resilient Communities (MI), Ash Glover-Ganapathiraju of Ojaswe Co (WA). View the recording.
SEPT 26, 2023 - Duane Stanton of Hudson Valley Agribusiness Development Corporation (NY), Elyse Perambo of Green Mountain Farm- to-School (VT), Sammie Paul of MEANS Database (DC). View recording.
APR 18, 2023 - Evan O’Neal & John Wang of The Food Project (MA), Jesse Rye of Farm Fresh Rhode Island (RI), and Stef Funk of the Chicago Food Policy Action Council (IL). View the recording.
APR 5, 2023 - Marie Spiker, University of Washington (WA), Alissa Bilfield, University of Washington (WA), Eli Wheat, University of Washington & Sky Root Farm (WA). View the recording.
MAR 14, 2023 - Elizabeth Langgle-Martin of The Nashville Food Project (TN), Ash Dawson (GA) and Eugenia Gusev of the International Rescue Committee New Roots Program. - View the recording.
OCT 19, 2022 - featuring Dan Blaustein-Rejto of The Breakthrough Institute (DC), David Gibson Jr of Amy's Kitchen (CA), Betsy Rakola of USDA-AMS (DC) - View recording
MAR 8, 2022 - featuring Maggie Kane of A Place at the Table (NC), Richard Morris of Cultivating Charlottesville (NC), and L Ron Pringle of Interfaith Food Shuttle (NC). View recording here.
FEB 8, 2022 - featuring Margaret Smith of The Common Market (TX), Mickey Davis of Boulder County Farmers Markets (CO), and Anne Hayes of The Food Project (MA). View the recording.
OCT 19, 2021 - featuring Michelle A.T. Hughes of the National Young Farmers Coalition (DC), Yeun Byun of Fresh Approach (CA), Scott Snodgrass of Agmenity (TX): View the recording
This is an ongoing series.
Episodes from Fall 2021 thru Spring 2023 were produced by Nika Colley and Joy Davis, with support from Gretchen Burmeister and Hawa Barry.
Episodes starting in Fall 2023 were produced and hosted by Queen Guobadia, with support from Jordan Kuzmich, Eric Dong, and Rachel Horne.
Episodes starting in Fall 2024 were produced and hosted by Jeffrey Xue, with support from Ryann Monteiro, Benjamin Quint and Isabel Gallegos.
oN LEVEL GROUND: PROGRESSIVE MODELS IN FARMLAND TENURE & WORKING WATERWAY aCCESS - A WEBINAR SERIES
VALUE CHAIN INNOVATORS - A WEBINAR SERIES
Michelle Ajamian
Dec 8, 2021
Michelleis principal owner of Shagbark Seed & Mill, an organic grain processing facility in Athens, Ohio, that she and her partner, Brandon Jaeger, started in 2010. She is a 2015 recipient of the Outstanding Woman in Innovation award. Michelle and Brandon founded the Appalachian Staple Foods Collaborative (ASFC) in 2009, an informal network that led to the launch of Shagbark Seed & Mill. Michelle brought ASFC to Rural Action in 2019, to support new enterprises and advance high-nutrition staple crops on a regional scale. The webinar will provide ample opportunity for interactive learning from Michelle as an accomplished business owner and activist.
Rebecca Thistlethwaite
Sept 29, 2021
Rebecca is the director of the Niche Meat Processor Assistance Network (NMPAN), an Extention community of practice for niche meat producers and processors housed at Oregon State University. She brings 23 years of experience in agriculture, including running her own successful pasture-based livestock and poultry farm for a number of years. The webinar focuses on the shift felt nationwide during COVID-19 outbreaks when smaller, more agile meat processors were able to operate and support farmers in ways that large processing companies could not. Rebecca also discusses barriers for start-ups, including the shortage of skilled labor, investment expenses, and policies.
Suzan Erem
May 27, 2021
Suzan Erem is the executive director of Sustainable Iowa Land Trust (SILT) in West Branch, Iowa.
Suzan will speak on SILT's "Circle our Cities" campaign to ground local food systems in permanent local farms. The goal of the campaign is to surround 10 Iowa cities with 10 permanent table food farms in 10 years, and to encourage other cities to learn from and adopt the approach.
Learn how the SILT model takes land speculation and mortgage interest out of the equation for the benefit of future healthy food farmers.
Megan Larmer
Mar 18, 2021
Megan Larmer is the Senior Director of Regional Food Programs for the Glynwood Center for Regional Food & Farming in Cold Spring, NY. This webinar will focuses on Glynwood's Local Food for Every Table initiative, a holistic regional approach to increase food access during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic. Attendees will learn about Glynwood's farm donations to local hunger relief organizations; Glywood's coordination of a revolving loan fund to expand accessibility to CSA for those using SNAP; and Glynwood's Food Sovereignty Fund to contract with small-to-mid scale Hudson Valley farms that follow regenerative agricultural practices, the majority of whom are led by people who identify as BIPOC, LBGTQ+ and/or women.
Joshua Stoll
Feb 25, 2021
Josha Stoll is a co-founder of the Local Catch Network. LCN supports small and community-based fishermen, harvesters, and seafood businesses. As a community of practice, the network includes fishermen, organizers, researchers, and consumers throughout North America who are providing local, healthful, low-impact seafood via community-supported fisheries and direct-marketing arrangements.
Since 2011, Josh has worked closely with LCN members and partners to elevate small and community-based fisheries. LCN has 200+ members committed to a shared core of values and striving to elevate local and regional seafood systems.
Carla Norwood
Dec 10, 2020
Carla Norwood, PhD, shared details of the ways in which Working Landscapes advances economic development, environmental resilience, and improved nutrition in the rural communities of Warren County, North Carolina.
Most of her work focuses on building stronger linkages between rural communities and nearby urban areas.
Working Landscapes is a regional leader in aligning stakeholders and decision-makers across the food supply chain to achieve health, economic, and social equity goals.
NAFSN GOOD FOOD TALKS
Good Food Talk: A Sharing of Healing Work
Facilitated by Gail Myers of the NAFSN Leadership Circle and featuring Karen Spiller and Curtis Ogden, both of Food Systems New England, sponsor of the 21-Day Racial Equity Challenge.
produced by NAFSN and the Wallace Center
May 27, 2020
Best Practices in Diversity, Inclusion, and Racial Equity Training in Food Systems
Uprooting Racism in the Food System: Seeding Sovereignty for Black and Brown Farmers
Hosted by Bakari McClendon of the NAFSN Leadership Circle, and featuring Kimberely Carr and Rich Pirog, both of the Center for Regional Food Systems at Michigan State University, and Leah Penniman of Soul Fire Farm and author of Farming While Black.
produced by NAFSN
Oct 23, 2019
NAFSN WEBINAR ARCHIVES
Note: you may need to download an Adobe Connect add-in to see these webinars
Land Justice, Black Agrarianism and the Freedom Movement: Emerging Voices
produced by NAFSN, Farms to Grow, and Food First
Jan 2017
We Traded our MetroCards for Tractors: Going from Urban Agriculture to Rural Farming
produced by NAFSN
Dec 2016
Collaborative Pathways to Change: Tools for Just and Sustainable Food Systems Networks
produced by NAFSN and the Interaction Institute for Social Change
Nov 2016
Food Systems Networks "Circle Forward": Innovations in Collaborative Governance
produced by NAFSN and Circle Forward
Oct 2016
Experience of People of Color in Food Systems Work
produced by NAFSN and the Lyson Center for Civic Agriculture and Food Systems
Mar 2015