Madison to host Farm to Cafeteria conference in June

Madison will host a conference on farm to cafeteria food production in early June, officials said.

The eighth National Farm to Cafeteria Conference will be held from June 2-4 at the Monona Terrace Convention Center, bringing more than 1,500 visitors to the city, Mayor Paul Soglin announced at a news conference Wednesday morning at the Terrace.

The event will include dozens of skill-building workshops, speakers, short courses and local field trips to farm-to-cafeteria sites and numerous networking events.

Madison was chosen as host for its “vibrant local food movement, strong farm to institution networks and thriving agricultural industry,” officials said in a news release. The conference and city will partner locally with the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems; Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection; and Community GroundWorks bring broad farm to cafeteria and on-site garden experience, workshop and training expertise, and local perspective to the conference planning committee.

The conference focuses on sourcing healthy, local food for institutional cafeterias and connecting communities and children to where their food comes from, according to a news release.

Find more information about the National Farm to School Network online at farmtoschool.org.