The Wallace Center at Winrock International is pleased to announce that registration is now open for the 2014 National Food Hub Conference to take place March 26-28 in Raleigh, N.C. This event will bring together food hub managers and their staff, technical assistance providers, public agency staff, community organizations, funders, and investors over two and a half days for engaging presentations, trainings, networking, tours, technical assistance and peer-learning opportunities.
“The first national food hub conference in 2012 received rave reviews from attendees, leaving hubs with new, actionable information and connections,” said John Fisk, director of the Wallace Center. “Keynoted by former USDA Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan, the nuts-and-bolts focused conference solidified national support for food hubs as a core strategy in scaling up regional food systems. This year’s conference will host an expanded audience in North Carolina, a true hotbed of regional Good Food work, and is sure to move the needle on the amount of healthy, fair, affordable, green local and regional food consumed in the U.S.”
The theme for this year’s conference is “Building Capacity for Healthy Regional Food Systems.” Sessions will focus on the diverse aspects of food hubs and regional food systems, including: hub management and technology; feasibility studies and business planning; financing; health and food access impacts; and challenges and opportunities for various markets such as retail, online, and farm-to-school. Tours of food hubs and area food businesses will be available.
Businesses or organizations interested in sponsoring the conference can learn more here. Get more information, as well as proceedings from the 2012 National Food Hub Conference.