2016 Community Grains Conference

Previous The 2016 Community Grains Conference is designed as a progress report and celebration of Community Grains’ work to date, as well as a working meeting to deepen our understanding of the next steps in our most critical mission — to build a robust Northern California grain economy. In this conference, we look to our community of farmers, bakers, scientists, policy wonks, and educators, alongside all conference attendees, for wisdom and collective solutions — and we invite you to be a part of this important work! We are particularly excited that David Montgomery, geologist and co-author of The Hidden Half of Nature: The Microbial Roots of Life and Health, will be our keynote speaker. He’ll be discussing the potential of microbes as a revolutionary and revitalizing force in agriculture. Our conference will take place on April 9 & 10, 2016, at St. George Spirit and Oliveto, respectively. Delicious food and drink (and you guessed it, bread made from local, organic grains) to be served both days. We look forward to seeing you there! Day 1: Saturday, April 9, 2016, 6-9 PM St George Spirits, 2601 Monarch St, Alameda, CA 94501 We’re kicking off the conference on Saturday, April 9th, with a welcome reception and evening discussion followed by cocktails and dinner overlooking the city lights at St. George Spirits. Welcome reception begins at 6pm, opening remarks begin promptly at 6:30pm. Day 2: Sunday, April 10, 2016, 9AM – 4:15PM Oliveto Restaurant, 5655 College Ave, Oakland, CA 94618 On Sunday, we’ll hold a series of panel discussions focusing on the “how’s” and “why’s” of building a local grain infrastructure, including seed supply, good farming, soil health, and the need for transparency. Light breakfast, lunch, and afternoon nosh to be served. SEE BELOW FOR TICKET & SCHEDULE INFORMATION Questions? Get in touch at ANSWERS@COMMUNITYGRAINS.COM Powered by Eventbrite Schedule for April 9, 2016 Speakers and panelists will be added as confirmed. Continue to check back here for updates! Welcome Reception (Begins promptly at 6pm) Light snacks and refreshments to be served. Opening Remarks: Goals for the Granary (6:30pm) Bob Klein, Owner/Founder of Community Grains The Baker & Farmer Connection (7-8pm) What do bakers and eaters gain from a closer connection to farmers growing their grain? What does it mean to bake with non-commodified grain? Craig Ponsford, Ponsford’s Place in Marin, CA Matt Kreutz, Firebrand Bakery in Oakland, CA Josey Baker, The Mill in San Francisco, CA Tom Hunton, Camas Country Mill in Eugene, OR Dinner & Drinks (8-9:15pm) Enjoy El Tonayense tacos and St. George Spirits small-batch cocktails under the stars and overlooking the beautiful Bay. Schedule for April 10, 2016 Speakers and panelists will be added as confirmed. Continue to check back here for updates! Opening Remarks: Goals for a Granary (9am) Fritz Durst, Tule Farms Paul Muller, Full Belly Farm Heather Crawford, Community Grains CFO Keynote: David Montgomery (9:30am) David R. Montgomery is a geologist and Professor of Earth and Space Sciences at University of Washington, Seattle. He is also the co-author of The Hidden Half of Nature: The Microbial Roots of Life and Health The Need for Seed (10am) Currently, many breeding techniques are conflated with advancements and negative perspectives around GMOs. Let’s take a moment to explore the full range of breeding techniques. Can we develop an acceptable standard? How do we build a long-term supply of good, clean seed? Brook Brouwer, Organic Seed Alliance Matthew Dillon, Clif Bar & Company, Seed Matters Approaches to “Good” Farming (11am) Wheat from nutrient rich soil has become a major focus for us – linked to some definition of “good farming”. What do we mean when we say good farming? Agroecology, regenerative farming, advanced rotation systems, no-till, poly-cultures – what methods can we look to? Can we or should we set a standard? David Montgomery, University of Washington Fritz Durst, Tule Farms Paul Muller, Full Belly Farm Tom Hunton, Camas Country Mill {Break for lunch at 12:30p} Notes from the Lab: The “Whole Grain” Difference (1:30pm) David Killilea presents his findings on the nutritional value of 100% whole grain. David Killilea, nutrition scientist at the Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute (CHORI) in California Identity Preserved Standards: Beyond Transparency (2:15pm) Here we make the case for transparency and its value in the marketplace – from farming, to processing, to distribution, to what constitutes “whole grain”. How expansive can we expect our transparency standards to be? Who, if anyone, should be held accountable? And who is listening? Bob Klein, Owner/Found of Oliveto and Community Grains Scale: How big is too big? (3:15pm) Once the roots of a local grain economy begin to take hold along all points in the supply chain, how do we rebuild a system that avoids the pitfalls of commodification? Though the local grain infrastructure is still in its beginning stages, we see the need for long-term planning and innovative farming systems (such as adopting wheat as a rotation crop). What is the potential for making California a “wheat state” and what are the limitations of scale? Stefanie Boucier, Farm Fuel, Inc.  Closing Remarks (4:15pm)