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2024 WEEK AT A GLANCE
From Monday, October 7th to Wednesday, October 9th, immerse yourself in a dynamic lineup of sessions, panels, networking events, and immersive experiences.
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The main day of content is happening on Tuesday, October 8th, at the Machine Shop in NE Minneapolis
Now in its sixth year, FAI has become a must-attend gathering for individuals, entrepreneurs, and companies alike, drawing attendees from Minnesota and beyond. This year, we're diving headfirst into regenerative agriculture practices, delving into the development of sustainable supply chains, focusing on how we can ensure the health of both people and the planet. From on-farm practices to the consumer's table, we'll explore the crucial shifts needed to preserve our planet and nourish future generations.
Join us as we navigate the major shifts shaping the future of food and agriculture. Together, let's pave the way for a healthier, more sustainable tomorrow. See you at FAI!
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REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN!
10/7: MONDAY*
11:00 AM – 5:15 PM
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Tree Range Farms Tour Join us on Monday, October 7th, to kick off Food | Ag | Ideas Week​ with an immersive and inspiring event hosted by Naturally Minnesota​ and Tree Range Farms​ at Salvatierra Farms, in Northfield, MN. Dive into a day of exploration, education, and dialogue centered on regenerative agriculture and sustainable farming practices. Event Highlights: Delicious Lunch: Enjoy Tree-Range Chicken and vegetarian options while networking and learning about climate-smart agricultural practices from our science team. Farm Tour: Discover the innovative Poultry-Centered Regenerative Agroforestry System and witness the transformation from conventional farming to sustainable practices. Panel Discussion: Engage in a dynamic conversation with industry leaders on scaling up regenerative practices with integrity, followed by an interactive Q&A session. In this panel, industry leaders and PCRA ecosystem members will explore both the opportunities and challenges facing the regenerative agriculture movement. They will discuss how this farmer-driven model can scale effectively while maintaining its core principles of integrity and environmental stewardship. Don't miss this opportunity to gain valuable insights into the future of regenerative agriculture and its impact on our ecosystems. Don't miss this pivotal event that promises to be a platform for learning, collaboration, and advocacy, reinforcing Naturally Minnesota's commitment to innovation in food and agriculture. This event is the opening event for Food, Ag, Ideas Week​ 2024 - If you are attending FAI 2024 you will receive a 50% off discount code to use toward this event in your registration confirmation email. (Bus transportation from Minneapolis Included!) Speakers: Asa Bielenberg - Food Ops Landon Plagge - Green Acres Mills Carolyn Gahn - Applegate Diane Christofore - Regen Alliance Tedd Pederson - Tree-Range Farms
6:30 PM - 8:30 PM
Join us for the largest conjoined Food and Agriculture ecosystem happy hour in Minnesota. We are thrilled to announce the opening reception happy hour for FAI Week will be in collaboration with Reuters Bridge2Food and will be hosted at Minneapolis Grain Exchange. Don't miss out on this historic night of collaboration and connection for the Food and Agriculture community. We will kick off the week here in remarks from Compeer Financial CEO Jase Wagner, MN Commissioner of Agriculture Thom Petersen, and Consul General of Canada Beth Richardson.
10/8: TUESDAY
Events Hosted at Machine Shop in NE Minneapolis
8:00 AM – 9:00 AM
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CHECK IN & BREAKFAST
9:00 AM – 9:40 AM
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OPENING KEYNOTE: Generations in the Making: Why NOW is the Time for Regenerative Agriculture Opening keynote featuring Suzanne Sengelmann - Chief Growth Officer at Lundberg Family Farms
9:40 AM - 10:00 AM
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INTRODUCING KEY PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS Building a supply chain takes buy-in and partnership from many organizations – meet some of the key stakeholders who worked to build this event and are critical in helping move your supply chain from conventional to regenerative. The Key Partner Organizations include : Rodale Soil Carbon Initiative Mad Ag Merge Impact
10:00 AM - 10:40 AM
FARMER PERSPECTIVES ON MANAGING RISK, REWARD, PRICING, AND STRATEGIC PLANNING WITH BRANDS Coming straight from the Farmer – learn about the dynamics on farm that make it challenging for Farmer’s to pursue regenerative practices, how that influences pricing down the chain, and what you can do to support adoption and market development for them. We’ll cover pricing, the timing of contracts, the impact of crop insurance (or lack thereof), the added cost of regenerative certification, intensive management practices needed, and the type of brand engagement that makes it possible. Speakers: Luke Peterson - A Frame Farms Matt Maier - Thousand Hills Lifetime Grazed Noreen Thomas - Doubting Thomas Farms Sandy Syburg - Rye Revival David Stennes - Arcola Farms
11:00 AM – 11:40 AM
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SCALING UP: UNDERSTANDING PROCESSING AND DISTRIBUTION OPERATIONS IN A REGEN WORLD Getting a Farmer to produce regenerative products is one thing, but getting those products processed, certified, shipped, and into the hands of Brands takes more effort than conventional due to many limitations. Learn how pricing and contracting – a critical piece in the chain – impacts availability to brands. Additionally, we’ll discuss infrastructure bottlenecks with equipment, processing lines, tolling policies, and aggregation of these resources will either accelerate or limit adoption in the regenerative supply chain. Speakers: Alex Heilman - Mad Markets Joe Rouleau - Ciranda John Strohfus - Field Theory Richard Tufton - Regenified
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
HIGHLIGHT REEL: UPCOMING INNOVATION IN THE REGENERATIVE LANDSCAPE We’ll hear from three leaders in the industry about innovations that will accelerate and support the pipeline of regenerative agriculture – from new crops and market development, upcycling technologies, and measuring soil and water system impacts. 1:00 - 1:20: Forever Green by Katharine Chute 1:20 - 1:40: Upcycling Case Study - The Kernza Grain Chain Closed Loop by Sue Marshall (Net Zro) 1:40 - 2:00: Measuring Impact on Farm by Beth Robertson-Martin (Merge Impact) Speakers: Beth - Merge Impact Sue Marshall - Net Zro Katharine Chute - Forever Green
2:00 PM - 2:40 PM
CHARTING A NEW COURSE: UNLEARNING TRADITIONAL SOURCING STRATEGIES FOR REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE As a brand, understanding the key shifts in activity, engagement, and monitoring when you move from conventional to regenerative ingredients can be a murky path. There are many facets to consider including forecasting and planning, contract building, variations and flexibility in quality specs and therefore formulations, overall sourcing strategy changes and much more. Having visibility to these roadblocks and potential new steps and milestones and having the right partners at the table to help navigate them is a critical piece to successfully building a regenerative supply chain. This session will be the brands crash course on what and what not to do as you embark on your regenerative ingredient journey. Sponsored by Lundberg Family Farms. Speakers: Charlotte Vallaeys - Cascadian Farms Corinne Shindelar - All Natural Strategies Keith Bearden - Alter Eco Foods Emily Griffiths - Lil Bucks
3:00 PM - 3:40 PM
FROM RETAILERS TO CONSUMERS: HOW TO BUILD A REGEN BRAND THAT RESONATES Building a climate smart brand can be daunting – how do you translate the value proposition and the premium price point to both the retailers carrying your brand and the consumers picking your product up off the shelf? Understanding the consumer pull, which consumer values translate to sales, and what motivates those retailers and consumers to understand how to market to both. Hear from retailers, data providers, and brands on how they have tackled this challenge, what lessons were learned from the roll out and adoption of organic that can be applied here, and what value and positioning will resonate the most as you build that brand. Speakers: Ryan Pintado-Vertner - Smoketown Strategies Alyssa Vescio - Whole Foods Laura Kuykendal - Frontier co-op Suzanne Senglemann - Lundberg Brittany Moore - SPINS
Lessons Learned from Indigenous Farming and the Role They Play in Decolonising our Food System
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM
5:00 PM - 6:00 PM
STAKEHOLDER SOCIAL HOUR Key stakeholder organizations and partners will have tables during the final hour where attendees can connect with them directly and learn more their role in the ecosystem and when may be a good time to engage them.
10/9: Wednesday
Partner Events Off Site​
1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
The Power of Procurement (with The Good Acre) SPOTS ARE LIMITED. Please only register for this session if you are plan to attend. Community institutions, such as schools, hospitals, universities, and government entities, and for-profit organizations have significant purchasing power. While sometimes perceived as more expensive, local and values-based procurement can lead to long-term cost savings through reduced waste and stable local supply chains, while building a stronger, more positive reputation by aligning their purchasing practices with the values of their communities. Join The Good Acre for a conversation focused on how shifting a portion of procurement dollars can impact multiple dimensions, benefiting immediate stakeholders, the broader community and environment. Participants will hear from organizations that have adopted local purchasing practices, from key learnings and considerations in starting a local purchasing program to successful strategies that can be implemented at your organization. Rodney Borden, Vice President, Fresh Foods, Lunds & Byerlys Terese Hill, Supervisor, Community Advancement Food Systems Strategy, Fairview Health Services Heidi Skoog, Owner and Founder, Serious Jam
Evening​
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AURI Connects: Fields of Innovation will be hosting an adjunct, private event on Wednesday, October 9th from 4 - 7:30pm. Kernza Showcase: Field to Glass will feature and gather Kernza perennial grain's supply chain stakeholders – both current and curious! - in the brewing and distilling industry to highlight its distinct flavor profile and how to leverage its unique value proposition. The formal program will explore: Differentiating the value proposition of Kernza and effectively marketing its message to a growing consumer demand for climate positive products. Current supply chain strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities from crop production to transforming raw Kernza grain into a useful and viable brewing and distilling industry ingredient. Actualizing the ecological benefits at landscape scale while providing delicious new beverage options. Limited spots remain; if interested in attending, please email Alexandra Ostlund at aostlund@auri.org.
* = Off-Site Event
PRESENTING PARTNER
