Convening Agenda / FamilyFarmed Expo 

As we enjoy the fall harvest, we invite you to a gathering of two strategic days of networking, sharing information and continuing to build the Wallace Center's National Good Food Network. The National Good Food Network is designed to connect and support regional efforts to take good food – healthy, green, fair, affordable food – beyond the direct-to-consumer realm and into larger-scale, wholesale channels, and this first National Convening will contribute to creating invaluable connections and sharing of knowledge that will lay the groundwork and advance our learning toward scaling-up and moving "more good food to more people".

National Good Food Network Agenda

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Pre-Convening

Note: Pre-convening Events are open to representatives from Regional Lead Teams, and Advisory Council Members. In addition, representatives from Regional Lead Team Applicants are invited to our morning session, “Developing Metrics and Progress Evaluation.”

Tuesday, November 18

8:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. / Developing Metrics and Progress Evaluation  

Shanna Ratner, founder of Yellow Wood Associates, a rural economic development consulting firm, and program evaluator for the National Good Food Network, will lead a training session on developing metrics and implementing evaluation. With a background in agricultural economics, and over 23 years working with community organizations, local, state and federal governments, and community development foundations, Shanna will provide an in-depth training on developing and using metrics for program design, evaluation and learning as well as kick-off evaluation activities for the Good Food Network. This training session will provide an opportunity to get your program evaluation questions answered.

12:00 p.m. – 1:15 p.m. / Lunch

12:30 p.m. – 1:15 p.m. / Welcome / Framing the Network / Introductions

1:15 p.m. – 2:15 p.m. / Challenges & Opportunities to Your Regional Work

What are your region’s barriers to success? How can you harness the knowledge and experience of our growing Network to appropriately scale up Good Food? In this highly interactive session, you’ll work in small groups with other Regional Lead Team organizations to discuss your own challenges, learn from your Network colleagues and bring your experiences to bear on the challenges of other Regional Lead Teams.

This is the first of two panels moderated by Regional Lead Team (RLT) members and designed to share and strengthen expertise around the fundamental strategies of the National Good Food Network: building a Network and getting more good food to more people.

In this panel discussion, RLT organizations will share their stories of bringing together people, energy, ideas and resources to do more and do better. You’ll hear from your colleagues around the country about what works, what doesn’t, and how to create and strengthen relationships that yield both value and results.

3:45 p.m. – 4:15 p.m. / Break

 4:15 p.m. – 5:45 p.m. / Successful Strategies for Producing, Moving and Marketing Good Food

This is the second of two panels moderated by Regional Lead Team (RLT) members and designed to share and strengthen expertise around the fundamental strategies of the National Good Food Network: building a Network and getting more good food to more people.

In this panel discussion, RLT organizations will discuss challenges, opportunities and successes in getting good food from farm to fork.   Practitioners will share knowledge about aggregation, storage, distribution, marketing and retail connections with the intent of providing a snapshot of their thriving value-chains.

This discussion will provide the Wallace Center, RLTs, and the Advisory Council time to discuss challenges and opportunities as we build and grow the National Good Food Network. We’ll explore strategies for leveraging the expertise and resources of the Network and begin to shape the role of the Advisory Council in the Network moving forward.

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Convening

Tuesday, November 18

7:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.   Dinner [RSVP Required]

Wednesday, November 19

8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. / Welcome and National Good Food Network Vision

In this panel discussion, practitioners from along the value chain will discuss their role in the Network, and share thoughts on how to transform our relationships and knowledge into a powerful vehicle for scaling up and bringing more good food to more people. The panelists, who represent a cross section of the value chain, will speak directly to what they have to give to and gain from this community of practice, and reflect on how we can shape the National Good Food Network to meet our needs and the needs of our communities.

9:00 a.m. – 10:15 a.m. / Panel: Aggregation and Distribution Models I – Logistics

This is the first of two moderated panels on innovative aggregation and distribution models, designed to examine successful strategies for moving more good food. 

This panel will explore the logistics of aggregation, including storage, grading, processing and transportation from the point of view of practitioners and professionals working on the ground. Panelists will include for-profits and non-profits from across the value chain.

10:15 a.m. – 10:45 a.m. / Break

10:45 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. / Panel: Who Buys Good Food?

These folks do! This panel will feature buyers who work for national and regional for-profit and non-profit enterprises that represent diverse elements of the good food value chain. The panelists will share their experiences in sourcing regionally and will discuss the opportunities and challenges they see in scaling up the purchasing and distribution of more good food. 

12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. / Lunch

1:00 p.m. – 2:15 p.m. / Panel: Aggregation Models II – Moving the Story with the Product

This is the second of two moderated panels on innovative aggregation models, designed to detail successful strategies for moving more good food.

This panel will focus on the innovative strategies that farmers, aggregators, and buyers are employing to ensure that the Good Food story accompanies the product all the way from the field to the table.   More than just good branding, this panel will discuss how Good Food values are incorporated, sustained and communicated through relationships between producers, distributors, buyers and consumers. 

2:15 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. / Break

2:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. / Peer Consulting Group Sessions

The National Good Food Network Convening will build upon large group sessions with opportunities for group discussions and Q&A with our panelists and other Network practitioners. Each Peer Consulting Session will feature an experienced consultant, expert or panelist, and will be limited to 10 conference participants. These 30 minute sessions will provide an opportunity for participants to ask questions or discuss issues with others from the Network.

There will be three 30 minute sessions, featuring conversations on aggregation, distribution, marketing, transportation, food access, policy, etc. The majority of consultants will be pre-selected, although space will be available for interested participants to select and form their own sessions on site at the Convening. Many session leaders will be available for multiple time slots.

2:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. / Peer Consulting Groups, Session I

3:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. / Peer Consulting Groups, Session II

3:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. / Peer Consulting Groups, Session III

4:00 p.m. – 4:15 p.m. / Break

Can businesses, nonprofits and social service providers team up to produce and distribute more good food for all?  This panel will examine the changing shape of the food access landscape and how the Network—from foundations and other nonprofits to businesses and community leaders—can work together to meet these challenges and expand sustainable access for underserved communities

5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. / Break

6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. / Reception

Our local foods reception will showcase foods from a range of local farms and producers, with an opportunity for informal networking.

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Thursday, November 20

9:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. / Panel: Putting Value back in the Value Chain

Yesterday they were called supply chains—the integrated elements that moved product from the field to the table in a systematic fashion.  Today, we refer to value chains as part of the strategy to ensure that the social and environmental values that we plant take root and end up on the table with the consumer.   Panelists will discuss current and ongoing value chain research, and innovative business models based on value chain strategies.    

10:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. / Break

11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. / Financial Resources for Food Systems

Engaging greater numbers of producers, value chain enterprises, and consumers in the work to build a new food system will require both significant effort and significant resources. A range of panelists, representing private foundations, social enterprise investors, and government agencies, will discuss the financial resources available to for-profit enterprise and nonprofit organizations to support the work of scaling up to more good food.

12:30 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. / Closing Remarks

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FamilyFarmed Expo

FamilyFarmed.org brings together dozens of local farmers and food producers with direct consumers and trade buyers from supermarkets, restaurants, distributors, and more. The EXPO features educational workshops for the public, farmers and trade; cooking demos from some of Chicago’s best chefs; films about food; kids activity area; bookstore; plenary sessions and an organic café.

Meet: The 2008 FamilyFarmed EXPO is a three day gathering of Chicago-area fans of locally grown and responsibly produced food and artisanal goods. Join the crowd and join the fun!

Learn: Friday’s plenary and seminar sessions feature business-to-business connections. Saturday and Sunday are jampacked with cooking demos and interactive seminars and Kid’s Corner.

Shop: Over 120 exhibitors offer a wide selection of local food, gifts and lots of useful info. Provision your Thanksgiving table or fill your holiday gift list, while supporting local, family-run businesses.

For more information, visit the FamilyFarmed Expo Website.

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