South Dakota Ag News Headlines Regional Researchers to Explore Foodsheds South Dakota Ag Connection - 02/19/2010 The University of Minnesota Regional Partnerships and Healthy Foods, Healthy Lives Institute invite University research faculty and graduate and post-graduate students to participate in the upcoming conference, "Re-localizing our Foodshed: Models and Methodologies in Cross-Disciplinary Research." The two-day symposium and workshop is scheduled for March 15 and 16 and will take place in Coffman Memorial Union on the East Bank Campus. "Increasing numbers of communities and institutions are calling for and initiating a substantial overhaul of the American food system. The shared vision for this rapidly growing movement reflects a commitment to vital rural communities, healthy landscapes and people, and a robust food culture and agriculture that is more regionally based, sustainable in practice and intimate in scale," says Kathryn Draeger, Ph.D., statewide director of Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships and an adjunct assistant professor at the University of Minnesota. This symposium will convene faculty, staff and students from north central academic institutions with visiting experts and community partners to discuss novel models and methodologies to meet public needs associated with redesigning our food system, with a special focus on foodshed analysis and food systems planning. Researchers from Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin and Iowa are invited to attend and network with their colleagues at neighboring institutions." For more information and to register please visit www.regionalpartnerships.umn.edu or www.hfhl.umn.edu. Copyright © 2010 - USAgNet.com. All Rights Reserved.