A one-day summit featuring the Local Foods movement aims to appeal not only to area grocers, restaurateurs and producers, but also to homemakers, cooks and food fans. Dakota Rural Action will host its inaugural Local Foods Summit on Sunday, July 12, at the Dahl Arts Center.

The free public event will offer workshops with information for producers, consumers and restaurateurs. Registration begins at 11 a.m. The 45-minute workshops begin at noon on the main event stage and the Cyclorama room. Each session will include questions from the audience.

Deborah Madison, author and founding chef of the Greens Restaurant in San Francisco, will speak at a ticketed reception at 5 p.m. after the workshops. Madison will share perspective from her travels to more than 100 farmers markets throughout the nation, her management of Santa Fe, N.M., farmers market, as well as her wealth of knowledge concerning local foods and healthy eating.

Rebecca Terk, board president of the Vermillion Area Farmers Market, and Sandra Vannemann, state administrator of the Electronic Benefits Transfer/Food Stamp program, will discuss how the Vermillion farmers market became the first in South Dakota to use electronic funds transfer technology, providing low-income families with access to their local farmers market this season.

"Our ability to accept these forms of payment has increased both the number and the cash amount of purchases; benefiting vendors, customers and the local economy as a whole," Terk said in a news release.

There also had been great customer demand for these options. By using a South Dakota Market Grower Grant to help buy the required software and technology, the local farmers market organizers have had a number of people and families use the debit and EBT payment options at the market.

"The response has been great," Terk said.

Organizer Stephanie Trask of Dakota Rural Action said the afternoon panel discussion on value-added marketing of local food will examine the balancing act between health concerns and more access to local foods.

The panel will look at providing solutions for producers in marketing their locally produced foods, which have undergone some level of processing such as canning or baking, Trask said. Panelists will include Rep. Don Kopp, Robert Wyerich of the South Dakota Department of Agriculture and Joel Schwader, a local producer of the state dessert: kuchen.

Contact Jomay Steen at 394-8418 or jomay.steen@rapidcityjournal.com.

If you go

What: Local Food Summit, free public workshops Sunday, July 12, at The Dahl Arts Center

When:

• 11 a.m. to noon, registration and coffee.
• Noon to 1 p.m. - Using EBT Cards at Your Farmers Market, Sandra Vannemann and Rebecca Terk
• 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. - Home Composting and Healthy Soil, Cathie Draine
• 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. - Montana Farm to Restaurant Connection, Annie Conely, Western Sustainability Exchange
• 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. - Herb Gardens and Homemade Spices, Tony Schmidt
• 3:15 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. - Panel Discussion "In a Pickle: Value-Added Marketing and State Regulations," panelists: Joel "The Kuchen Man" Schwader, S.D., Department of Agriculture representative Robert Weyrich, state Rep. Don Kopp and Conely.
• 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. - Deborah Madison, keynote speaker, at reception and mixer with local food appetizers, wine and silent auction. Tickets: $35, available at The Dahl Arts Center, The Corn Exchange and The Main Street Market. For information, call Stephanie Trask at 718-4957.