(Media Update) Local Food Gets Center Stage at Tennessee Local Food Summit

NPT is proud to be a media partner for the upcoming Tennessee Local Food Summit, to be held Friday, December 2 – Sunday December 5 at Lipscomb University. The summit, organized by popular Volunteer Gardener segment host Jeff Poppen, a.k.a The Barefoot Farmer, will bring together consumers, farmers, gardeners, chefs, students, businesses and everyone interested in learning more about local food.

Hugh Lovel, farmer, multi-disciplinary scientist and regular contributor to Acres USA, will open the conference Friday night with “Why Care About Local Food, ” followed by a panel discussion exploring agriculture’s role on health, the environment, the economy and our consciousness. Dodd Galbreath, Executive Director of the Institute for Sustainable Practice, will give the keynote Saturday night. Other speakers scheduled include Shabari Bird, whose late husband Christopher Bird co-authored The Secret Life of Plants and Secrets of the Soil and Poppen, who has been involved in the local food movement for over 35 years.

Workshops on Saturday and Sunday will include tracks on The Science of Organics, Backyard Gardening and Food: The Best Medicine. Plenty of time will be available for one-on-one discussions with the speakers and each other in an effort to learn how Tennessee can grow its own food. The conference fee will include three locally grown and homemade organic meals, a social event Saturday night and a farm field trip Sunday afternoon. Attendees are invited to set up an exhibitor booth at no additional fee.

The full conference fee is  $100 for three days, which covers everything from parking, three meals, workshops with notable speakers and exhibitor talks. The one-day fee is $50.  Students and low income fee is $50 for three days and $25 for one day. Organizers say that no one will be turned away for financial reasons, and those willing can volunteer in the kitchen for their admission fee.  Attendees can pre-register online or by check, made payable to Tennessee Local Food Summit, to 304 Gainsway Ct., Franklin, TN 37069. Admission may also be paid at the door. Questions may be directed to Anne Nicholson at tnlocalfood@gmail.com or 615-426-3395.

A complete and updated schedule, as of this posting, is below. Those interested in the Summit are advised to check its Facebook page or the Barefoot Farmer page for more updates.

See you there!

FULL CONFERENCE SCHEDULE

Friday, December 2
6:00 Registration and Reception
7:00 “Why Care about Local Food?” – Hugh Lovel
8:00 Panel Discussion

Saturday, December 3
8:45 Opening Ceremony – Jeff Poppen and Dodd Galbreath
9:00 Tracks: Plants Grow (Hugh Lovel), Making Our Own Fertilizer
(Shabari Bird), Organic Health Care: Food as Pharmacy (Cassi Johnson)
10:00 Q&A with Speakers or Trade Show & Exhibitor Talks
11:00 Tracks: Excellence in Food (Hugh Lovel), Edible Landscaping (Adam Turtle), Nutrition (John Patrick & Andrea Wilson)
12:30 Lunch – Homegrown and Homemade
1:30 Community Announcements
2:00 Tracks: Agriculture Can Be Free (Hugh Lovel), It’s Easy to Grow Your Own Food (Eric Smith), Soil & Health (Dr. Steven Johnson)
3:00 Q&A with Speakers or Trade Show & Exhibitor Talks
4:00 Old- Time Farming (Jeff Poppen & Hugh Lovel), Permaculture Food Production (Susana Lein), The Future of Tennessee Agriculture (Elizabeth Murphy)
5:30 Trade Show & Exhibitor Talks
6:00 Dinner – A Biodynamic Banquet
7:30 Keynote Speech: “The Role of Education” – Dodd Galbreath
9:00 Social Activity (TBD)

Sunday, December 4
8:00 Service in the Chapel
9:00 The Science Of Organics (Hugh Lovel), Q&A with the Barefoot Farmer (Jeff Poppen), Social Networking and Eco-Psychology (Dodd Galbreath)
10:30 Break
1:00 Panel Discussion: “Creating More Local Gardens and Farms”
12:30 Lunch – Homegrown and Homemade
2:00 Informal Networking
3:00 Local Farm Field Trips (Glen Leven & Sulfur Creek)
5:00 Closing Remarks

LOCATION

Lectures: Ward Hall and McFarland Science Center
Meals and Exhibits: Bennett Campus Center