Food Dialogues series to continue in Minnesota

Aug 07, 2015

Event scheduled for Tuesday, August 11th

In an effort to create open avenues of communication when it comes to GMOs, animal health and food production, a panel of experts will hold discussions in Minnesota on Tuesday, August 11^th.

The discussion, entitled “Farm to Consumer: Bridging the Gap between Consumer Concerns and Food Production and Sourcing Decisions” is part of the U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance’s Food Dialogues series.

The event will be moderated by Alan Bjerga, an agriculture policy journalist for Bloomberg and will feature:

Bertrand Weber, director of Minneapolis Public Schools Culinary & Nutrition Services
Bill Gordon, a corn and soybean farmer from Gordon Farms in Worthington, Minnesota
Greg Reynolds of Riverbend Farm in Delano, Minnesota
Jen Haugen, a Registered Dietician
Jorge Guzman, executive chef at Surly Brewing
Rochelle Krusemark, a corn, soybean, pork and beef farmer from Trimont, Minnesota
Steve Peterson, former director of sustainable sourcing at General Mills
Steve Polski, senior director of sustainability for Cargill

"We're excited that this panel line-up includes diverse and local perspectives on food production and sourcing," said Randy Krotz, CEO, U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance (USFRA). "By bringing together voices from across the spectrum to a local setting, the discussion will dive deep into consumer concerns and what local food companies, large corporations, organizations and Minnesota farmers are doing to better adapt and communicate."

The panel discussion is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, August 11^th at the Mill City Museum with a check-in and reception beginning around 5:30pm and the discussions starting at 7:00pm.

People interested in attending the event must register; those who are unable to attend, a recording will be uploaded on Thursday, August 13^th.

Video: What’s at Stake in Every Slice | On The Brink: Episode 7

Six hundred Canadian farms grow grain for Warburton's under custom contract — and that partnership exists because of Canadian plant breeding. Now the man responsible for maintaining it is sounding the alarm.

Adam Dyck is the program manager for Warburton's Canada, a company that produces over two million loaves of bread a day for more than 20,000 retail locations across the UK. He's watched Canadian wheat deliver thirty years of yield gains and quality advancements that make it worth sourcing at scale — and shipping across the Atlantic. But he's also watching the investment conditions that produced those gains come under pressure. Dyck makes the case for a new funding mechanism that brings both public and private dollars into wheat breeding before Canada's competitive window starts to close.