Events & Calendars

Events & Calendars

A calendar of upcoming food systems, farmers, Black food spaces, and food council conferences, with a focus on 2026 events.

Farmers and Sustainable Agriculture

FARMCON 2026: A conference for forward-thinking agricultural entrepreneurs, producers, and investors to gain insights and strategies.
- Dates: January 7–8, 2026.
- Location: Kansas City, MO.
Future Harvest Annual Conference: The 27th annual conference on sustainable agriculture, focusing on community building among farmers.
- Dates: January 22–23, 2026.
- Location: Silver Spring, MD.
Practical Farmers of Iowa: An annual conference for farmers and community members.
- Dates: January 9–10, 2026.
- Location: Des Moines, IA.
EcoFarm Conference: The 46th annual gathering of the EcoFarm community.
- Dates: January 21–24, 2026.
- Location: Pacific Grove, CA.
Organic Vegetable Production Conference: A conference for organic farmers.
- Dates: January 31–February 1, 2026.
- Location: Madison, WI.
PASA Sustainable Agriculture Conference: A conference for professionals in sustainable agriculture.
- Dates: February 5–6, 2026.
- Location: Lancaster, PA.
American Farm Bureau Annual Convention: A convention for Farm Bureau members.
- Dates: January 9–14, 2026.
- Location: Anaheim, CA.
Regenerative Agriculture 2026: Focuses on regenerative farming, carbon reduction, and biodiversity.
- Dates: March 24–26, 2026.
  Location: Chicago, IL.

Food Systems and Council Conferences

Sustainable Foods Summit North America: An event focusing on AI, regenerative agriculture, and sustainable ingredients.
- Dates: January 28–29, 2026.
- Location: San Francisco, CA.
National Food Policy Conference: A conference to discuss food policy.
- Dates: March 3–4, 2026.
- Location: Washington, D.C..
FMI Midwinter Executive Conference: An invitation-only event for food industry executives.
- Dates: January 21–24, 2026.
- Location: Chula Vista (San Diego), CA.
FMI Annual Meat Conference: An education and networking experience focusing on meat and poultry products.
- Dates: March 2–4, 2026.
- Location: National Harbor, MD.
FMI SQF Conference: A gathering for food safety and quality professionals.
- Dates: March 9–12, 2026.
- Location: St. Louis, MO.
National Anti-Hunger Policy Conference: Sponsored by the Food Research & Action Center.
- Dates: April 26–28, 2026.
- Location: Washington, D.C..
IAFP Annual Meeting: The largest food safety conference.
- Dates: July 26–29, 2026.
Location: New Orleans, LA.

Conferences on Black Food Spaces and Food Sovereignty

Annual Black in Business Luncheon: A business luncheon.
- Dates: February 7, 2026.
- Location: TBA.
The Restaurant Success Summit: Empowering Owners of Color: A summit aimed at empowering owners of color.
- Dates: May 4, 2026.
- Location: TBA.
Maryland African Restaurant Week Festival: A festival celebrating African cuisine.
- Dates: June 13, 2026.
- Location: TBA.
Atlanta African Restaurant Week Festival: A festival celebrating African cuisine.
- Dates: October 17, 2026.
- Location: Atlanta, GA.
Indigenous Food Sovereignty Summit: A conference celebrating Indigenous food systems and food sovereignty.
- Dates: TBA 2026.
- Location: Michigan State University and the University of Michigan.
2026 SAFSF Forum: A conference for funders involved in equitable and sustainable food and agriculture.
- Dates: June 22–25, 2026.
Location: Savannah, GA

Upcoming Events in Florida

Florida Food Policy Council Events & Calendars:
- Location / Format: Statewide / online
- Timing: Ongoing
- Why it matters for food policy council work: This is the obvious home base. FLFPC’s calendar is framed around food systems, farmers, Black food spaces,food council conferences, and 2026 events.
Florida Farm to School Conference:
- Location / Format: Tampa Convention Center in 2026; next conference expected April 2027.
- Timing: 2026 completed; 2027 upcoming.
- Why it matters for food policy council work: Very strong fit. Topics included school gardens, food waste reduction, nutrition education, local procurement, scratch cooking, food safety, and partnerships between schools and farmers. That is food policy council gold.
Florida Farm to School Farmers Market Expo / Farm Tours:
- Location / Format: Tampa / Plant City area
- Timing: Part of 2026 conference
- Why it matters for food policy council work: Good for farmer-school procurement relationships. The 2026 tours included Wish Farms in Plant City, Sweetwater Community Organic Farm in Tampa, and Meacham Organic Farm in Tampa.
UF/IFAS Global Food Systems Institute Events Hub:
- Location / Format: Gainesville / statewide / academic network
- Timing: Upcoming events currently “stay tuned”
- Why it matters for food policy council work: Worth monitoring because GFSI is directly aligned with food systems transformation, workshops, webinars, and conferences.
UF/IFAS Future of Food Forum
- Location / Format: University of Florida, Gainesville
- Timing: Annual / flagship event; latest public page highlights prior forum
- Why it matters for food policy council work: Strong policy/research target. UF describes it as a one-day gathering of academics, students, business leaders, farmers, growers, and policymakers focused on food systems transformation.
Florida Organic Growers Events / Organic Office Hours:
- Location / Format: Virtual / Florida-based
- Timing: Thursdays, 4–5 PM ET
- Why it matters for food policy council work: Good for farmer engagement, organic transition, Farm Bill opportunities, certification, local food systems, and sustainable agriculture education
Florida Local Food Project Symposium: 
- Location / Format: Central Florida / Florida Organic Growers network
- Timing: 2026 symposium appears to have occurred
- Why it matters for food policy council work: Highly relevant. Public posts describe the symposium as part of a statewide local food movement, with lightning talks, legal essentials, farm tours, and culinary demos.
Introduction to Florida Urban Agriculture 2026
- Location / Format: UF/IFAS Extension Polk County
- Timing: April 9, 2026
- Why it matters for food policy council work: Good model for local food policy programming around zoning, urban growing, land use, community gardens, and food access.
Florida Local Food Project Symposium:
- Location / Format: Central Florida / Florida Organic Growers network
- Timing: 2026 symposium appears to have occurred
- Why it matters for food policy council work: Highly relevant. Public posts describe the symposium as part of a statewide local food movement, with lightning talks, legal essentials, farm tours, and culinary demos.
Farm to Fork 2026 Workshop Series:
- Location / Format: Florida / in-person and virtual
- Timing: Monthly series
- Why it matters for food policy council work: Relevant for community education: agriculture, gardening, healthy cooking, livestock, tropical fruits, and food literacy.
Fleet Farming Weekly Swarm Rides
- Location / Format: Orlando
- Timing: Saturdays at 9 AM in 2026
- Why it matters for food policy council work: Urban agriculture + community volunteerism. Good for local food access, neighborhood food production, youth/community engagement, and policy storytelling.
Southwest Florida Small Farmers Network Meeting
- Location / Format: Collier County / SW Florida
- Timing: Spring 2026 occurred
- Why it matters for food policy council work: Good farmer-networking space. UF/IFAS described it as an opportunity to learn about organic production in Florida, connect with farmers, and meet representatives.
Florida Association for Food Protection Annual Education Conference
- Location / Format:Crystal River, FL
- Timing:May 19–21, 2026
- Why it matters for food policy council work: More food safety/regulatory than justice-oriented, but useful for policy councils tracking local food entrepreneurship, cottage foods, institutional procurement, and public health rules