On April 25, the UNCG Teaching Fellows  hosted a forum on local foods, as part of NC Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner Steve Troxler’s Speakers Series on Local and Sustainable Agriculture.

The forum, free and open to the public, began at 6:30 p.m. in the Elliott University Center Auditorium and was preceded by a  reception before the forum in Cone Ballroom, Elliott University Center.

North Carolina farmers are becoming more aware of their impact on the environment. The “green” movement has caused some farmers to rethink the way in which they produce food and consumers to purchase more local foods. The crowd heard from farmers who focus on sustainable agriculture practices, restauranteurs, and others involved in the local foods market.

Speakers included: Kenneth Rudd and James Kenan, farmers; Chef Jay Pierce, Lucky 32 Southern Kitchen; Rick Cecil and Robert Smothers, Piedmont Triad Farmers Market; Dr. Michael McIntosh, UNCG professor of nutrition studies; and Dennis W. Quaintance, CEO and CDO, Quaintance-Weaver Restaurants and Hotels.

The forum was sponsored by the NC Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.