Bridging the Gap: Selling to Food Service and Retail

February 28, 2007 (Registration deadline: Feb. 20, 2007)

Charlie Rose Agri-Expo Center, Fayetteville, NC

This conference is designed for farmers and Extension personnel from Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina

Registration: 8:30 a.m.

Adjourn: 2:30 p.m.

Cost: $12 for government employees, $25 for all others

Sponsors: North Carolina Cooperative Extension, North Carolina Soil and Water Conservation

Proposed Agenda/Speakers

Welcome – Richard Reich, Assistant Commissioner for Agricultural Services, NC Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services; Johnny Wynne, Dean, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, NC State University
Is there a Market Out There? - Annette Dunlap, MBA, Extension Associate, Value-Added and Alternative Agriculture, NC State University
Work Smarter, Not Harder … How Can Distributors and Retailers Make Your Life Easier? – Craig Watson, Sysco Corporate Office; Ron Bold, owner, Capital City Grocery, Raleigh, NC
Farm-to-Schools: Selling Local Produce to Schools - Gary Gay, NC Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Food Distribution Division
Tools to Help You – David B. Williams, Chief, Nonpoint Source Programs, Soil and Water Division, North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources
Legal Issues in Direct Marketing - Ted Feitshans, North Carolina Cooperative Extension Specialist, Agricultural and Resource Economics, NC State University
Lunch
Product Liability Insurance – Robert Caldwell, NC Grange Mutual Insurance
Good Agricultural Practices: How to Avoid E. coli and Other Food-Borne Diseases in Produce - Lynn Turner, Professor of Food Science, NC State University
Marketing to Restaurants … The Restaurant's Story
Marketing to Retail … How we Did It – Faylene Whitaker, Whitaker Farms, Climax, NC