2023 EXPO AGENDA

Saturday, October 21st

-SCHEDULE-

7:30am—Morning check in begins in the Lower Campus Center at Carroll College

8:30am—Welcome and Special Messages

9:00am-10:30am—Morning sessions

10:45am-12:00pm—Mid-morning sessions

12:00pm-1:45pm—Lunch and MSU Student Poster Session

1:45pm-3:00pm—Afternoon sessions

3:15-4:45pm—Group brainstorming session: Moving the Needle Together

5:00pm-7:00pm—Happy hour with appetizers, silent auction, closing statements. Live music by Aaron & Nann Parrett!

7:00pm-onward—Downtown “after party” (location TBD)

-CONFERENCE SESSIONS-

MORNING SESSIONS 

State of the Food System: Helena Reports on its Community Food System Assessment- Helena is one of three Montana communities that AERO currently is supporting in conducting their own in-depth assessment into the state of their local food system. A year into this 18-month process, come hear from Helena community stakeholders about what’s working in the system now, where the gaps are, and their proposed next steps for taking action to build a more reliable and functional local food system that serves everyone. Michal De Chellis, AERO’s Community Assessment Program Manager, will lead the discussion and also share about the community assessments underway in Billings and the Fort Belknap communities. No recording available.

On-Farm Water Conservation in Montana: Stories from the Field- As the Mountain West continues to face worsening drought conditions that impact food production, water conservation in agricultural production is a growing concern. The LOR Foundation’s Field Work initiative offers grants to farmers and ranchers to implement innovative water projects, with the overarching goal of supporting those in the field who may have potential solutions for improving water efficiency in the future of agriculture. Hear from the LOR Foundation and grant recipients across Montana, and learn practical solutions and technologies for stewarding on-farm water usage. View session recording here.

Feeding Ourselves Sustainably by Centering Justice, Equity and Sovereignty in Our Action- Foundational to the well-being and sustainability of all communities—indigenous and settler alike—is reliable access to nourishing, healthy food for all. It not only nourishes the body and soul, it can provide critical financial stability to the community’s local economy. In this session, we will hear from: Kara Snyder (Helena Food Share), Gretchen Boyer (Land to Hand Montana), Sharon Small (Netsema’aestsehe’e, Red Eagle Woman; Northern Cheyenne’s People’s Partner for Community Development), and Lisa Lee (Montana Partnership to End Childhood Hunger, MT-PECH). These four women powerhouses will share how their community social enterprises are centering food justice, food sovereignty and food equity in their programs to ensure a sustainable, nourishing future for everyone. View session recording here. 

MID-MORNING SESSIONS

On-Farm Renewable Energy, REAP and the IRA- Learn about new programs and funding opportunities through the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), including the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP), and get inspired by Montana farmers and ranchers who are converting their operations to renewable systems. In this session, we will hear from Makenna Sellers, Executive Director of the Montana Renewable Energy Association (MREA), and Stacie Peterson, Energy Program Director for the National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT) and manager of NCAT’s Agrisolar Clearinghouse. View session recording here. 

Grow Montana: How Our State’s Food Policy Coalition is Shifting the Narrative to a Self-Reliant Montana Food System- Grow Montana is a broad-based food policy coalition whose common purpose is to promote community economic development and education policies that support sustainable Montana-owned food production, processing, and distribution, and that improve all of our citizens’ access to healthy Montana foods. We’ll be inviting your input and participation in this interactive session as we move forward with our initiatives of a Food Sovereignty Partnership, NW & Rocky Mountain Regional Food Business Center steering committee involvement (together with MT Dept of Agriculture’s Andy Fjeseth), and our engagement with the 2023 Farm Bill. View session recording here. 

Farmland Preservation in Urban and Rural Settings- Montana’s agricultural lands are ecologically, economically, socially and historically essential, yet increased development pressure is causing farms and ranches to disappear at an alarming rate. In this session, we will explore strategies for farmland preservation, both in rural and urban contexts. Dr. Neva Hassanein (University of Montana) will describe the vision behind Missoula’s Corner Farm Village, which integrates farmland and strategic development opportunities, and Travis Vincent of Prickly Pear Land Trust will share about rural land conservation efforts in the Helena area. We also will hear from Christian Meny of Montana Audobon about stewardship incentive programs to protect grassland bird habitat. View session recording here. 

AFTERNOON SESSIONS

How Abundant Montana is Moving the Needle on Local Food- Abundant Montana is our state’s Local Food Megaphone! We’re now two years into our expanded multi-media educational and marketing platform. Come learn how AMT is making it easy for anyone to find and choose local food. We’ll take you behind the scenes of our annual Local Food Guide magazine and Meet Your Farmer videos, and share stories from local producers and food businesses who are thriving by building their Montana markets. View session recording here. 

DIY Energy Demo: Old School Energy Self-Sufficiency! Tried and true techniques to reduce your energy footprint! AERO Member and Helena local Ann Wilsnack will demonstrate some of the technologies and practices she and her family have employed to live lightly in their urban Helena home for over 20 years. No session recording available. 

Thoughtful Community Design for a Growing Population: Exploring Land Use Planning, Affordable Housing and Climate-Friendly Design- Montana is a great place to live, and the word has gotten out. How do we keep up with the levels of growth we have seen in recent years while also ensuring that Montana communities remain affordable and retain the characteristics that give them their particular sense of place? In this session, we will explore design and land use planning solutions for Montana cities to help us reduce our carbon footprint, meet our housing needs, and generally plan for the future. Panelists include Gallatin County Senior Planner Garrett McAllister, MEIC’s Sustainable Communities Policy Director Ann Schwend, and ‘agrihood’ researcher Amaia Sagroniz of MSU Bozeman. View session recording here. 

AFTERNOON GROUP SESSION

Moving the Needle: Group Brainstorming Session- This year’s Expo tours and sessions all center around the theme of building whole-community engagement with local food, stewardship agriculture, and renewable energy. Our vision is reliable and resilient Montana-based food systems that nourish us and future generations. But how do we together grow this movement, and go beyond just ‘preaching to the choir’? Bring your own knowledge and expertise, and any learnings from the day’s sessions, and come ready to participate and collaborate in this group brainstorming session that gets at the heart of our theme. No session recording available.