Source: NCSU COLLEGE OF AG & LIFE SCIENCES, 8/11/15

Hundreds of farmers, chefs and industry leaders will convene in Winston-Salem on Oct. 12-13 for the Carolina Meat Conference, the largest local and pasture-based meat event in the country.  The fourth annual conference, hosted by NC Choices, is a nationally recognized event focused on bringing together independent meat producers, processors, James Beard award-winning chefs, scientists, field experts, industry buyers and allied professionals for two days of unique, hands-on learning and networking opportunities.

NC Choices, an initiative of the Center for Environmental Farming Systems, promotes sustainable food systems through the advancement of the local, niche and pasture-based meat supply chain in North Carolina.

More than 20 innovative class sessions will include topics such as Taking the Leap: Transitioning from Passive to Proactive Grazing Strategies; Macro Economics 101: How Larger Economic Forces Impact Local Pork, Beef, & Poultry Producer’s Bottom Line; What’s the Buzz? Vaccines, Hormones, Antibiotics, Growth Promotants and GMOs; and many others. The conference also includes pop-up butchery demos, special technical tracks for professionals, cutting-edge culinary and regulatory education and opportunities for social networking.

The conference’s keynote address will be delivered by Allan Savory, internationally acclaimed founder of the Savory Institute. Savory is perhaps best known for his thought-provoking message, “only livestock can save us,” addressing holistic management of sheep, cattle and other animals as a method of improving pastureland and reversing climate change. Savory has been awarded the Banksia International Award highlighting environmental excellence and the Buckminster Fuller Challenge Award, proposing solutions to complex global problems. Savory was featured on TED’s “Ideas Worth Spreading” in 2010 and addressed the United Nations Framework on Climate Change in Germany 2011.

For more information about the Carolina Meat Conference, please visit http://www.carolinameatconference.com/
For more information about NC Choices, please visit http://ncchoices.ces.ncsu.edu/.

NC Choices is an initiative of the Center for Environmental Farming Systems, a partnership of NC State University, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University and the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. CEFS develops and promotes just and equitable food and farming systems that conserve natural resources, strengthen communities and provide economic opportunities in North Carolina and beyond. For more information, visit http://www.cefs.ncsu.edu/