Northwest Arkansas Local Food Network

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Northwest Arkansas Local Food Network

Your go-to source for all things locally grown and raised in Northwest Arkansas.

🌱 About the Northwest Arkansas Local Food Guide 🌱

🍅🌽 We're your dedicated source for all things local food in the NWA region.

🌾 Our Mission: We're passionate about fostering a thriving local food community by connecting consumers with the abundance of locally grown and raised food.

🚜 Coming June 2024: Explore our comprehensive guide to area farms, farmers markets, CSAs, and agritourism opportu

nities. Whether you're looking for the freshest produce, pasture-raised proteins, or a fun on the farm experience, we've got you covered!

💚 Join our community of local food enthusiasts as we celebrate the richness and diversity of local food in Northwest Arkansas. Follow along for updates, events, and tips on how you can support our local farmers and enjoy the best of what our region has to offer.

29/12/2025

2025 was a year of real impact—and we're just getting started making sure local food has a place at everyone's table. Will you help us carry this momentum into 2026 with an end-of-year gift? You can donate now using this link: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/donation-form/support-northwest-arkansas-local-food-network-this-giving-season

Here's what we accomplished together:
1. That's us—Brett & Shelly co-founders and directors—grateful to be doing this work alongside this incredible community!
2. We put 13,000 Local Food Guides into hands across our region—and the response was really inspiring. People are using it, loving it, sharing it, and telling us how it's helping them (re)connect with local food and community.
3. We piloted our Local Food Access Guide, distributing 2,000 guides in English and Spanish through community partners. It highlights programs working to get healthy food into every corner of our community—because everyone deserves access to healthy, fresh food!
4. Through our Double Your Dollars program (in partnership with UAMS ICHI), we matched over $40,000 in SNAP, WIC, and Senior Farmers Market vouchers. That's $40k in extra purchasing power for families who need it most and $40k going directly to our local farmers.
5. And in a huge milestone: we became a 501(c)(3)🎉🎉! We're now officially an independent nonprofit, and we formed an incredible board of directors—Fran Free, Ashley Niblett, James Maginot, and Jerra Toms (not pictured, but very much a presence!). We couldn't ask for better people to walk alongside us on this journey and help guide this work forward.
6. We brought 250 folks together at the NWA Regional Food Systems Conference—two days of learning, collaboration, and building connections (and really, really great food).
7. And we spent time continuing to get to know our local food system - visiting farms, capturing photos, and gathering stories. In 2026, we're excited to share more of the faces and voices behind the food you love.

None of this happens without you—our community, our partners, our supporters. Thank you for being part of this journey!

22/12/2025

🥕 List your farm in the 2026 Northwest Arkansas Local Food Guide!

Do you have a farm that serves the NWA region? Let's get you registered! The Local Food Guide is a free magazine that educates and connects consumers to sources of locally grown foods. Each year we print and distribute thousands of copies across our communities. As a resource growing rapidly in popularity, you don't want to miss your opportunity to be listed!

Registration details:
✅ FREE to register
🕘 Takes 5-10 minutes to complete
✋ Deadline is February 1st
💻 Register now at https://form.jotform.com/253424497740159

Questions? Reach out to [email protected].

19/12/2025

Last week we had the absolute honor of hosting the first annual Northwest Arkansas Local Food Systems Conference. We feel confident speaking for everyone who attended in saying that folks left feeling inspired, connected, excited, optimistic, and well...literally full from all of the incredible food.

Northwest Arkansas has all the pieces to build a strong, robust local food system. We have incredible farmers invested in their way of life, organizations dedicated to supporting them, and passionate change makers across every industry that touches touches our food system in some way. This conference was our opportunity to share, learn, and dream together—farmers, food entrepreneurs, nonprofit leaders, and community members all in one room, talking, sharing ideas, and figuring out the best ways to move forward as a region.

Over 250 people joined the conversations across two days. We learned, networked, shared successes and failures, and ate incredible locally sourced meals together. Thank you to everyone who came, presented, asked tough questions, and stuck around to keep the conversation going. We can't wait to build on this momentum and start planning next year's conference!!

We cannot thank our sponsors enough for helping us launch this inaugural event in such an impactful way.

We'll share more photos soon and would love to see yours from the event!

12/12/2025

Yesterday we had the privilege of attending the Northwest Arkansas Local Food Systems Conference at The Jones Center in Springdale, AR. Surrounded by growers, educators, chefs, market leaders, and innovators, we left feeling energized, encouraged, and deeply aligned with a community rooted in sustainability and local food resilience.

This conference wasn’t just an event, it felt like a milestone on our journey as full-time chestnut farmers after over 50 years of combined experience working at Walmart corporate. Stepping away from an office world into regenerative farming has been a leap of faith, but gatherings like this remind us exactly why we made the transition.

ChestnutsInTheOzarks.com

01/12/2025

⏰ LAST CALL! Registration for the NWA Local Food Systems Conference closes Wednesday, December 3rd.

Are you a farmer or dreaming of starting/growing your food business? This is your chance to:

✨ Connect with 30+ regional support organizations
✨ Network with 200+ farmers, buyers, supporters, and local food advocates
✨ Eat delicious locally sourced and thoughtfully prepared meals
✨ Find answers to your toughest business challenges
✨ Discover resources to help you grow

Only a handful of spots left – don't miss this incredible day!

Register now → nwalocalfood.com/conference or at the link in our bio.

20/11/2025

🍽 We're thrilled to have Wood Stone Catering & Events preparing our locally sourced lunch for the NWA Local Food Systems Conference!

If you've been part of the food scene in NWA in the last two decades, you know Jeremy Gawthrop and Clayton Suttle. Founders of Greenhouse Grille, they were a large part of our region's farm-to-table movement. We couldn't be more grateful to have their talents showcasing what's possible when you cook with ingredients from our own backyard.

This lunch will be a true celebration of our region's abundance—You don't want to miss this meal!

Can't make the full conference? We still have a few Lunch & Keynote tickets available—enjoy this incredible locally sourced meal plus an inspiring presentation from Philip Ackerman-Leist.

Register now → nwalocalfood.com/conference

19/11/2025

⏰ Early bird pricing ends THIS FRIDAY 11/21 for the NWA Local Food Systems Conference!

Now's the time to register so we can plan the delicious locally sourced lunch and finalize all the details to make the experience a great one!

What's waiting for you:
- 30+ exhibitors with resources and connections
- Specialized tracks for farmers AND food entrepreneurs
-Curated sessions, inspiring speakers, and meaningful networking
-Option for Lunch and Keynote only, to enjoy a locally sourced meal and an inspiring talk by our Keynote, Philip Ackerman-Leist, author of Rebuilding the Foodshed.

Perfect for anyone looking to build connections in our local food system....Don't wait—secure your spot before Friday!

Register now → nwalocalfood.com/conference or at the link in our bio.

Questions? We're here to help! Email [email protected]

06/11/2025

✋Who's coming to the NWA Local Food Systems Conference?

From farm equipment to watershed conservation, food hubs to farmers markets - We have 30+ exhibitors bringing the resources, connections, and solutions for your food business.

Whether you're looking to scale your operation, protect your land, access new markets, or connect with fellow food systems innovators, you'll find your people here.

To register or for more info, head to nwalocalfood.com/conference.

👀 The current list of exhibitors below!

*Abundia App
*Arkansas Cooperative Extension
* Arkansas Department of Education
*Arkansas Farm Bureau
* Arkansas Food Innovation Center @ Market Center of the Ozarks
* Arkansas Small Business Technology Development Center
* Arvest
* BCS Tractor
* Beaver Watershed Alliance
* Bella Vista Farmers Market Foundation
* Center for Arkansas Farms and Food
* Certified Naturally Grown
* Circle K Ranch
* The Conservation Fund
* Community Clinic
* Cobblestone
* Food Loops
* H2Ozarks
* Illinois River Watershed
*Mindful Farmer
* My HR Pros
* NCAT/ATTRA
* NWA Land Trust
* Rogers Local Food Market
* Southern SARE
* Spring Creek Food Hub
* Transfarmation
* UAMS Institute for Community Health Innovation

04/11/2025

We're thrilled to welcome Philip Ackerman-Leist as our keynote speaker at the NWA Local Food Systems Conference!

Philip is a farmer, author, educator, and consultant who has spent decades exploring food systems innovation and building resilient communities. He's the author of Rebuilding the Foodshed: How to Create Local, Sustainable, and Secure Food Systems and has helped design farms, homesteads, and food facilities around the world.

From building the nation's first online graduate program in food systems to raising American Milking Devon cattle in Vermont, Philip brings a farmer's pragmatism and a collaborative vision for the future of local food.

Can't make the full conference? We're offering a Lunch & Keynote ticket! Join us December 10th for a delicious, locally curated meal followed by Philip's inspiring talk about building stronger regional food systems. Tickets are limited.

Register today: nwalocalfood.com/conference

🍎Northwest Arkansas Local Food Systems Conference
📆 December 10th, 2025
📍Jones Center, Springdale, Arkansas

21/10/2025

🎉 REGISTRATION IS OPEN!

The NWA Local Food Systems Conference
📆 December 10-11 | Jones Center, Springdale
🎟 Early bird pricing ends November 21st!

Join us for the inaugural gathering of Northwest Arkansas's local food community! This conference brings together farmers, food entrepreneurs, buyers, and regional leaders for educational sessions, inspiring speakers, collaborative discussions, and meaningful networking. We're creating space to strengthen relationships, share resources, and build a more connected food system across our region.

Whether you're a farmer, food entrepreneur, chef, buyer, or passionate supporter of local food—this is your opportunity to connect, learn, and grow together.

Planned in partnership with Center for Arkansas Farms and Food, Arkansas Food Innovation Center at Market Center of the Ozarks, and Spring Creek Food Hub.

Learn more about the conference, educational sessions or register today → nwalocalfood.com/conference

30/09/2025

📣 We're thrilled to announce the inaugural Northwest Arkansas Regional Food Systems Conference!

📅 SAVE THE DATE: December 10, 2025
📍 The Jones Center, Springdale
🎤 December 10: Full conference day
🛠️ December 11: Workshops & skill-building sessions for farmers

Calling all farmers, food makers, restaurant owners, and local food champions - this is YOUR event to learn, connect, and grow together. The conference is presented in partnership with regional organizations and key leaders to bring you valuable resources and facilitate collaborative discussions that lift our entire food system!

Stay tuned for exciting announcements about speakers, sessions, exhibitors, and how to register!

💼 Want to exhibit or sponsor? This is a fantastic opportunity to connect with our region's thriving food community. Reach out to learn more!

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http://www.nwalocalfood.org/

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