Sacramento, California - Food Tank and Visit Sacramento’s Farm-to-Fork Program have announced the full speaker list for the first annual Farm Tank conference on September 22 during Sacramento’s Farm-to-Fork Celebration.
Farm Tank will include a diverse lineup of panelists—including farmers, business-owners, researchers, corporate leaders and other experts—who will gather at the Hyatt Regency to discuss the future of the food system. Several local leaders are also part of the lineup—California Department of Food & Agriculture Secretary Karen Ross will serve as the Summit’s morning keynote.
“We are thrilled that so many important voices will come together in Sacramento to discuss the challenges, solutions, and opportunities that exist within our food system,” said Farm-to-Fork Director Nicole Rogers of Visit Sacramento. “We look forward to the opportunity to share the Sacramento region’s incredible farm-to-fork story with the Farm Tank attendees.”
In addition to speakers’ panels, Farm Tank’s second day, September 23rd, will allow attendees the opportunity to experience hands-on learning excursions to regional farms, distribution centers, restaurants, and other sites to highlight the greater Sacramento area’s key role in the country’s food system.
“Food Tank is incredibly excited to convene some of the most influential experts on food and agriculture in the country. We hope that Farm Tank will highlight environmentally, economically, and socially sustainable ways to nourish both people and the planet,” says Danielle Nierenberg, President of Food Tank.
Registration and more Farm Tank details can be found at http://farmtank.eventbrite.com/
Farm Tank 2016 Day One Itinerary (September 22 at Hyatt Regency Sacramento)
Opening Keynote: Navina Khanna, Co-Founder and Field Director, Live Real
Welcome: Nicole Rogers, Director, Farm to Fork, Sacramento Convention and Visitors Bureau
Welcome: Danielle Nierenberg, President, Food Tank
Keynote: Secretary Karen Ross, California Department of Food and Agriculture
Panels
Food Transparency
Moderator: Julia Mitric, Food and Sustainability Reporter, Capital Public Radio
Keynote: Eric Holt-Gimenez, Executive Director, Food First
Panelists:
Nikiko Masumoto, Farmer, Masumoto Family Farm
Thomas Reynolds, Vice President of Program, Partnerships, and Learning, CARE International
Kate Tscharner, Marketing Manager, California Farm Bureau
Hannah Freeman, Director of Produce and Floral, Fair Trade USA
Marcia Ishii-Eiteman, Senior Scientist, PANNA
Bruce Goldstein, President, Farmworker Justice
Food Tech
Moderator: Beth Ruyak, Insight Host, Capital Public Radio
Keynote: Michiel Bakker, Director, Global Food Services, Google
Panelists:
Jim Nelson, CEO, Sunworks, Inc.
Zachary Scott Dashner, Barilla Center for Food and Nutrition (BCFN)
Nick Papadopoulos, CEO & Co-Founder, CropMobster
Gabriel Youtsey, CIO, University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR)
John Purcell, Hawaii Business and Technology Lead and Vice President, Monsanto
Andrea Lepore, Founder & Creative Director, Hot Italian/Food Factory
Afternoon Keynote: Saru Jayaraman, Co-Director and Co-Founder, ROC United
Infrastructure
Moderator: Twilight Greenaway, Managing Editor, Civil Eats
Keynote: Robert Egger, Founder and President, L.A. Kitchen
Panelists:
Mary Kimball, Executive Director of the Center for Land-Based Learning (CLBL)
Oscar Villegas, Supervisor (District 1), Yolo County Board of Supervisors
Thaddeus Barsotti, Co-Owner, Farm Fresh to You
Keith Knopf, COO, Raley’s Family of Fine Stores
Tom Chan, CEO, General Produce
Blake Young, CEO, Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services
Food Business
Moderator: Hsiao-Ching Chou, Director of Communications, Institute for Systems Biology
Keynote: John Church, Executive Vice President of Supply Chain, General Mills
Panelists:
Nick Kastle, Director of Marketing and Business Development & Business Unit General Manager, The Morning Star Company
Matthew Dillon, Director of Agricultural Policy and Programs, Clif Bar & Company
Jennifer Maloney, Food Chain Sustainability Manager, Bayer CropScience
Richard Waycott, CEO, Almond Board of California
Matt Wadiak, Founder & COO, Blue Apron
Soren Bjorn, Executive Vice President, Driscoll’s
Sustainable Protein
Moderator: Tom Philpott, Food and Ag Correspondent, Mother Jones
Keynote: Sheila Bowman, Seafood Watch Manager of Culinary & Strategic Initiatives, Monterey Bay Aquarium
Panelists:
Michael Passmore, President, Passmore Ranch
Nicolette Hahn Niman, Rancher, Lawyer, and Author
Roz Naylor, Director of the Center on Food Security and the Environment, Stanford
Jesse Solomon, Founder and CEO, Emmer & Co.
Closing Keynote: Michael Dimock, President, Roots of Change