Ogallala Commons
Ogallala Commons, in partnership with K-State Research and Extension Wild West District, invites food producers, gardeners, food crafters, and the interested public to attend the Cimarron-Arkansas Rivers Local Food Summit on Tuesday, March 11, at the Seward County Activity Center Meeting Rooms (1810 Stadium Ave.) in Liberal from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The tour will provide information and peer-to-peer learning for vegetable and meat producers, as well as networking opportunities.
Doors will open at 9 a.m. for registration and exhibit viewing, with a “Getting Started in Food Production & Marketing” session beginning at 9:30 a.m.
Before lunch, breakout sessions will be presented by Megan Cramer, Director of Communications for Shop Kansas Farms, Manhattan, and Shannon and Leigh Ann Vermillion, owners of The Shed in Plains.
After lunch, Chad and Tiffany Ziebart, owners of Meade Locker & Processing, will present a session entitled “Local Meat Production & Processing.”
Afternoon breakout sessions will be offered by Steve and Kandy Michel, owners of Prairie Wind Produce in Garden City and Bertha Mendoza, K-State Research and Education SNAP-ED Extension Agent, Garden City.
Closing out the Summit will be a presentation on “Organic Production, Transition, & Certification for Specialty Crops” offered by Dr. Tammy Counts, Director/Community Liaison, Kansas Black Farmers Association, Kansas City, Mo.
Dr. Darryl Birkenfeld, Deputy Director, Ogallala Commons, will wrap up the event with an overview of activities for building the Cimarron-Arkansas Rivers Foodshed.
The fee for attending the summit is $20 per person, and those interested are asked to register by March 4. Anyone can register online at this link: shorturl.at/zg6O0 or by emailing or calling Darryl Birkenfeld (
