2024 Good Food Forum + Expo in Tucson!

Are you passionate about good food and interested in shaping Arizona’s food future? Join us for Local First Arizona’s Good Food Forum + Expo this year in Tucson at El Conquistador Hilton Resort. This event is a celebration of Arizona’s local food system. This year’s event is themed “Building Arizona’s Resilient Food Future,” and it’s a convergence of minds and expertise dedicated to thinking through how our state will grow and eat in the coming decade.

The combined conference and food expo welcomes all participants in our local food system to connect, share educational insights, broaden local food relationships and business connections and strengthen communities across the state.

2024 GOOD FOOD FORUM + EXPO Date: Tuesday, August 27, 2024
Time: Doors open at 8:00 a.m.
Forum: 9:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Expo: 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Location: El Conquistador Hilton Resort, 10000 N Oracle Rd, Tucson, AZ 85704

Tickets Cost: $89

FORUM DETAILSForum Registration Opens
8 a.m.
Welcome
Presidio II + IV | 9 a.m.

Speaker:
Patty Emmert | Director of Resilient Food Systems, Local First Arizona
Mayor Regina Romero | Mayor of Tucson
City of Oro Valley | Speaker TBA

Opening Keynote
Presidio II + IV | 9:25 a.m.
Getting Food to the People: Best Practices for a Resilient Food System

Keynote Speaker:
Don Guerra | Barrio Bread Founder & Owner

BREAKOUT SESSION 1
Presidio I | 10 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.
Getting Paid for ‘Good’ Growing Practices
Through programs including the University of Arizona and Arizona Association of Conservation Districts Climate-Smart grants, the Rural Energy for America Program, and Irrigation Efficiency Program, learn how to get paid for water conservation and sustainability practices. If you grow desert-adapted and/or low-water-use crops and use conservation practices, you can receive payments and marketing assistance. Plus, learn about USDA/NRCS conservation programs and their eligibility requirements, how to register your farm with FSA, and next steps to start the process.

• Jason Lowry | Local First Arizona, Sustainability Initiatives
• Sharma Torrens | Arizona Association of Conservation Districts
• Jesús Garcia | Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum and Mission Garden
• Ginger Sykes Torres | Farm Service Agency
• Jamilah McCoy | Natural Resources Conservation Service
• Moderator: Mary Werner | University of Arizona, School of Geography, Development & Environment

Agave | 10 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.
The Meaning of Food: Nurturing Body and Spirit
Food is more than a list of nutrients on a label. Food heals and brings community together – on top of that, it tastes good! Nowadays, however, Native foods aren’t always on the menu. Fortunately, Native communities around Arizona are working to change that. Join our panel of Indigenous chefs, nutritionists, and community educators for a deep dive into the nutritional, medicinal, and community value of ancestral foods.

• Denella Belin | Nella’s Kreations
• Rosemary Sullivan | Hualapai Tribe, Department of Health Education and Wellness
• Shawni Laffoon | Colorado River Indian Tribes Nutrition and Physical Activity Program
• Moderator: Susan Sekaquaptewa | University of Arizona, Tribal Extension Program

Presidio III | 10 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.
How to Grow Food in Hotter and Smaller Places
As Arizona’s climate continues to warm, farmland is lost to development, and growers are asked to make do with less water, how do we continue to grow food? Hear from growers using diverse and innovative models to address these challenges and learn how to be a steward of the soil so that water stretches farther.

• Yadi Wang | Oatman Flats Ranch/Oatman Farms and DRY Cooperative
• Desireé Arevalo | Flowers & Bullets
• Emily Heller | Bene Vivendo
• Moderator: Sharrona Moore | University of Arizona Cooperative Extension, Urban Ag Production, Small-Scale, Beginner Farmer Program

BREAKOUT SESSION 2
Presidio I | 11:00 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.
Innovative Ways To Open up More Capital for the Farm
Accessing USDA funding and grants often involves covering some upfront costs. How can you access money to pay for those expenses? This is where innovative finance comes into play. Learn about bridge loans and micro-grants and how they can be used to access other sources of capital or help pay for upfront expenses. Also, learn about the new Southwest Regional Food Business Center whose mission is to improve opportunities for food and farm businesses across Arizona, California, Nevada, and Utah by serving as a regional hub.

• Jackie McGuire | Growth Partners
• Rafael Tapia | Rooted Relative Fund and Local First Arizona, Tribal Community Connections
• Russ Yelton | White Mountain Economic Development
• Juan Escareño | Potlikker Capital
• Moderator: Kimber Lanning | Local First Arizona

Agave | 11:00 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.
The Way of Our Ancestors: Foraging, Farming & Hunting
By incorporating ancestral techniques and innovations, such as sustainable farming practices, organic farming methods and traditional foraging and hunting, tribes have been able to revitalize traditional foodways and create a more resilient food system for all communities. Listen to this panel of Indigenous farming experts who are ensuring that Traditional Farming Knowledge and Cultural practices continue to thrive and nourish communities for generations to come.

• Darrel Yazzie | Diné College
• Clayton Harvey | White Mountain Apache Co-Op and Ndée Bikíyaa, The Peoples’ Farm
• Shalitha Peaches | Foster Young Apache Gatherers and White Mountain Apache Farm Co-Op
• Andrea Carter | Native Seeds/SEARCH
• Moderator: Ciara Minjarez | Local First Arizona, Resilient Food Systems

Presidio III | 11:00 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.
Stories We Tell About What We Eat
Stories are powerful ways to relate to what we eat and influence how we view the role of food in our lives. Learn how storytelling can be used to connect people with where their food comes from, attract a loyal customer base, bring in some humor, and create narratives that foster a larger cultural shift in the way we eat.

• Gary Hickey | Charro Steak
• Christa Lebron | Chez Peachy
• Moderator: Shane Reiser | Tucson Foodie

BREAKOUT SESSION 3
Presidio I | 12:00 p.m. – 12:45 p.m.
Game-Changers: Selling to Schools, Hospitals, and SNAP Markets
Institutional food procurement holds more power than any other market channel to benefit local producers and revolutionize the way we feed people. Public and private institutions, such as schools, hospitals, and government programs, spend billions of dollars on food purchases each year. It’s time for local producers to gain access to this giant market so our kids and communities are fed fresh, local produce and protein. Hear from people who have found creative ways to enter institutional market channels and sell food from small-acreage producers to schools, hospitals, and food assistance programs.

• Anne Costa | HonorHealth, Desert Mission
• Elyse Guidas | Activate Food Arizona
• John Rueb | Forever Yong Farm
• John Benedict | Desert Sky Produce and the Local Co-op
• Moderator: Audra Christophel | Southwest Community Food Bank

Agave | 12:00 p.m. – 12:45 p.m.
Food Back: Shaping an Indigenous Future With Integrity
Trading, sharing, and… selling? A lot has changed since Columbus got lost. Native communities in Arizona carry on traditions of sharing, trading, and distributing food for free, though the need for money in today’s society can create pressure or threaten these practices. As interest in eating desert foods increases and using technologies such as GMOs expands, there is a risk of sacred and medicinal plants becoming commodities, facing significant consumer price increases, or losing their nutritional and medicinal value. Join this panel of Indigenous farmers and activists for discussion on how to preserve and expand ancestral food practices while preserving their integrity.

• Evie Reyes-Aguirre | Tonatierra
• Selina Jesus | Native American Advancement Foundation
• Amy Juan | San Xavier Co-op Farm
• Moderator: Valerie Nuvayestewa | Tutskwa Oqawtoynan

Presidio III | 12:00 p.m. – 12:45 p.m.
Serving the Desert: How to Eat the World Around Us
What does it mean to eat what the landscape that we live in already provides? Local foragers and flora experts discuss foods native to the Sonoran Desert that are deliciously, and perhaps surprisingly, edible – like prickly pear cactus, agave, acorns, sumac berries, cholla buds, mesquite pods, tepary beans, yucca blossoms, and much more. Tucson chefs will show us what this looks like by sharing perspectives and ideas on how to incorporate these native foods into our daily plates. Also, learn about the challenges and opportunities growers and food businesses face in making desert foods a larger part of the way that we eat.

• Pablo Valencia | Scratching the Plate
• Maegan Lopez | Mission Garden
• Phyllis Valenzuela | San Xavier Cooperative Farm Catering
• John Slattery | Desert Forager
• Moderator: Devon Sanner | Zio Peppe

LUNCH
12:45 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Buffet Style, Included in Forum + Expo ticketBREAKOUT SESSION 4

Presidio I | 1:30 p.m. – 2:15 p.m.
Beef up Your Profit Margins With Value-Added Products
Being profitable in the ag and food business is challenging. Finding ways to bring more value to customers in an engaging, creative, and transparent way is key. As people lead busy lives and cook less, they are willing to pay a premium for someone else to make good food for them, especially when it aligns with their values of health, nutrition, and environmental stewardship. Getting into the value-added space is a way to increase profit-margins, create a niche market, and connect people to who grows their food. In this panel, learn from people who are doing just that.

• Tim Petersen | Arizona Grass Raised Beef Company
• Christopher Hudson | Benny Blanco Tortillas
• Molly Carney | Dirt Lady Bread
• Moderator: Danielle Corral | Connecting Ag

Agave | 1:30 p.m. – 2:15 p.m.
Bringing the Resources to the Rez
Nonprofits and business programs owned or supported by tribes play a critical role in developing sustainable food systems. To ensure success, it is important to understand the funding process, management practices, and weaving of ancestral foods and practices with modern-day norms. Creating sustainability and job opportunities is essential for building a strong foundation for future food systems within all communities. Braid together REZources and develop practices for the generations to come at this panel of successful Indigenous farm owners and food producers.

• Monica Nuvamsa | Hopi Foundation
• Bryn Fragua | Flower Hill Institute
• Tudor Montague | Spirit Mountain Roasting Company
• Daune Cardenas | Pascua Yaqui Development Corporation
• Moderator: Josh Moore | Colorado River Indian Tribes

Presidio III | 1:30 p.m. – 2:15 p.m.
Uniting Arizona to Make Lasting Change
The Inflation Reduction Act and other federal investments have created opportunities for unprecedented levels of funding for climate-smart agriculture, purchasing of local food, developing technical assistance programs, investing in rural development, and expanding renewable energy programs. How do state partners, government officials, stakeholders, and producers work together to ensure that these temporary funding sources have a long-lasting and tangible impact? And that the communities that these programs intend to benefit are served in ways that they want? Join this panel discussion to develop ways to create collaborative pathways and partnerships to ensure a resilient food future in Arizona.

• Clara Migoya | The Arizona Republic
• Jessie Gruner | Pinnacle Prevention
• Paul Brierley | Arizona Department of Agriculture
• Patty Emmert | Local First Arizona, Resilient Food Systems
• Sara El-Sayed | Swette Center
• Moderator: Rebecca Serratos | Manzanita Outreach

GOOD FOOD EXPO OPENS AT 1PM

You can expect the latest local food products, facilitating connections between local chefs, retailers, and emerging food entrepreneurs. This is an excellent opportunity to explore Arizona’s culinary delights and connect with the driving forces behind our local food economy.