Feb. 7-8, 2020 in Athens, Ga.
2020-02-7 08:00:00
SATURDAY, February 8th
Track 1: Farm to School
(All sessions have been approved by GeorgiaPDS for 1 clock hour of continuing education credit for early care providers)
Harvest of the Month: The Science of Getting Kids to Eat their Veggies
Gina Cook, Quality Care for Children; Shannon Holbrook, Quality Care for Children; Debbie Kibbe, Georgia Health Policy Center
Target Audience: Farm to School Educators, Early Care Providers, Farm to School Advocates, Stakeholders, and Parents
In this workshop, participants will learn easy steps to integrate Farm to Early Care activities as part of the daily routine through Harvest of the Month lessons.
Fueling Georgia’s Future with Farm to School
Holly Thaw, Georgia Department of Education; Kelley Toon, Georgia Department of Education
Target Audience: Farm to School Educators, Early Care Providers, Farm to School Advocates, Stakeholders, and Parents, Nutritionist
This session will demonstrate how the Farm to School movement connects all parts of the food system with all aspects of the school day. Students across Georgia are enjoying local foods during breakfast and lunch and learning how their time in the cafeteria connects to the classroom. Food-based learning experiences support the whole child including their health and academic performance.
Month-by-Month School Garden Planning
Brooke Lewis-Slamkova, Apalachee High School; Missy Crane, Barrow County Schools
Target Audience: School Administrators, Teachers, Farm Partners
This session will give new and seasoned school gardeners a month by month look at what should be happening in your garden including ideas and tips to make growing easier for everyone. There will be a focus on how to prepare your school garden for the summer months and how to utilize it for other activities as well.
Composting: YOU can be as smart as an Elementary Student
Michelle Gambon, Community Sprouts
Target Audience: Farm to School Educators and Advocates, Teachers, Parents
Learn how student lead, Earth Ambassador composting programs are maintained, expanded and sustained across a metro city school district. Trained by Master Gardener Michelle R. Gambon, students become experts in managing their lunchroom vegetative waste. True story, compost makes sustainable ties to curriculum and gains School Administration, Parent and Community support.
Track 2: Georgia Food Oasis
Food access in Georgia–what do we know and where do we go?
Jerry Shannon, UGA Dept. of Geography
Target Audience: Community Organizations, Residents, Planners
This session will review current research on access, including ongoing discussion of whether a focus on food deserts is a meaningful way to address the issue and alternative framings such as food apartheid. Participants will also be invited to collaborate in identifying ways that local and sustainable food systems in Georgia can help address disparities in food access.
Seguridad Alimentaria – Food Security in Spanish Speaking Communities
Evan Daily, Open Hand; Anna Baggett, Atlanta Regional Commission
Target Audience: Community Organizations, Planners, Residents
This session, presented by Open Hand and Atlanta Regional Commission, will share the focus of their collaboration and determining the food security status of the Metro Atlanta area’s Hispanic community. This 75-minute session will highlight the replicable asset-based food security assessment tool, initial findings, and lessons learned.
Community Food Solutions with Forsyth Farmers Market
Jeb Bush, Forsyth Farmers Market
Target Audience: Community Organizations, Planners, Farmers Market Managers
This session will explore the innovative community strategies and programming of the Forsyth Farmers Market in Savannah, GA.
Creating a Community Food Forest at Brown’s Mill
Lindsey Mann, Sustenance Design; Celeste Lomax, Trees Atlanta, Friends of Browns Mill Food Forest
Target Audience: Community Organizations, Planners, Landscape Design, Community Food Advocates
As lead designer of the conceptual master plan, Mann speaks to the initial vision behind the Food Forest, as well as ecological design specifics. As a member of the local community at Brown’s Mill, Lomax has been in the garden since groundbreaking, building community through her knowledge of growing, making herbal preparations and teaching. They will discuss various strengths and challenges of the project. From different perspectives, they maintain a focus on unity.
Track 3: Food is Medicine
(All sessions have been approved by GeorgiaPDS for 1 clock hour of continuing education credit for early care providers)
Soil and Gut Microbiome and Implications for Health
Dr. Hitesh Chokshi, Mayflor Farms; Chris Edwards, Mayflor Farms
Target Audience: Healthcare Professionals, Consumers Interested in Improving their Health Outcomes
An introduction to research and trends on soil and gut microbiomes and their associations with health and disease.
Dishing Up Preventive Healthcare
Kendall Singleton
Target Audience: Nutrition Professionals and Healthcare Professionals, Community Advocates Interested in Healthcare
Learn how nutrition professionals working in community health settings can tap into reimbursement dollars by becoming participating providers with insurance networks.
Plant-Strong Healthcare Initiatives
Rebecca Portman, Forward Food; Jason Patel, Forward Food
Target Audience: Healthcare Professionals, Community Advocates Interested in Healthcare
Join Forward Food to learn how healthcare systems to provide healthy, sustainable menu choices to their staff, visitors and patients. Hear firsthand from Chef Jason Patel on how he worked within a hospital system to bring more fruits and vegetables to the center of the plate while utilizing produce from local farmers and markets. A food demonstration will bring this presentation to life!
Food System Literacy: Navigating Media Messages to Find “Good” Food
Melinda Hemmelgarn, Food Sleuth LLC
Target Audience: Community Health and Good Food Advocates
Learn how to pull back the curtain on media messages about food and agriculture to find “food truth,” and know which questions to ask to find “good” food. Attendees will leave the session with a core set of key questions, and an understanding of messaging strategies and media literacy/critical thinking skills as they apply to our larger food system.
Track 4: Traditions
Seed Saving 101
Chris Smith, The Utopian Seed Project
Target Audience: Farmers, Gardeners, Homesteaders, Educators
Seed saving is an essential tool for self-sustainability, as well as regional adaptations, heirloom preservation, and having lots of fun in the garden! This introduction to seed saving offers the knowledge and skills set you up for seed saving success in your gardens and on your farms. The class will cover basic flower botany, pollination, isolation tools and techniques, seed harvest, processing, and storage.
Composting Techniques — Worms are the Way!
Lisa Sehannie, Master Composter
Target Audience: Farmers, Gardners, Homesteaders, Educators
Learn how you can use worms to compost food waste and produce casings, known as “black gold” for your garden or farm! This presentation will include where these systems can be implemented, methods for implementing these systems, and how increasing awareness can help these programs to be more successful, on both a small and large scale and the steps to follow to get started with a vermicomposting system.
Growing Your Medicine
Noelle Fuller, University of Georgia
Target Audience: Farmers, Home Gardeners, Consumers, Educators
Come learn about the basics of growing medicinal herbs and the benefits and uses of 4 herbs that everyone should have in their farm or garden.
The Whole Okra: A Seed to Stem Celebration
Chris Smith, The Utopian Seed Project
Target Audience: Farmers, Gardeners, Chefs, Culinary Enthusiasts, Educators
Whether you are a market farmer, home gardener, or adventurous chef, this session will open a world of possibilities for the southern crop often written off by the un-enlightened. Chris Smith has run okra trials on over 125 different varieties of okra to explore varietal diversity and culinary potential and shares information ranging from cultivation research and varietal breeding to okra marshmallows and okra seed oil. He may still have some okra pickles to share!