This event brings together members of our community to share a table, a story, and a meal, while supporting our local food system.

This incredible four-course meal will be prepared by local chefs utilizing local ingredients. 

We are excited to have Wendy Johnson as our keynote speaker. She is an organic and conventional grain farmer and a grazier in Floyd County. She and her husband Johnny own and operate Jóia Food & Fiber Farm, a diversified organic perennial-based farm growing food-grade perennial Kernza® and other small grains, grazing ewes, grass-finishing lambs and cattle, custom grazing cow/calves and selling direct to consumer meats and other edibles. They collaborate with other local farms to help build a robust food shed. She founded Counting Sheep Sleep Company in 2020, a wool bedding business utilizing their sheep’s wool. Wendy also co-manages her family farm with her father, a 1000 acre conventional row-crop farm implementing soil health practices. In the last five years, Wendy and Johnny have invested in agroforestry practices, adding trees and shrubs to enhance diversity and resiliency to the land and animals. Wendy is an active advocate of all things organic, perennial and promoter of diverse enterprises and people on the land. Her curiosity, passions and experiences in food and farming have led her to leadership opportunities as chair of the Iowa FSA state committee, former board member and chair of Practical Farmers of Iowa, steering committee member of the Rodale Institute Midwest Organic Center, farmer consultant and policy co-lead for Climate Land Leaders, board member of Perennial Promise Growers Cooperative, Regenerative Agriculture Foundation and Floyd County Board of Adjustments. 

February 7, 2024

The event is on February 7th from 5:30-8 pm at the Diamond Events Center (5307 Caraway Ln, Cedar Falls). Social Hour is 5:30-6:30 p.m. with appetizers and a cash bar. Dinner and program begins at 6:30 p.m. 

Menu

The locally sourced menu includes: 

Course 1: Butter Board and Hummus (served during the social hour)
Course 2: French Onion soup
Course 3: Beef Burgundy with mashed potatoes and gravy 

Vegan option: Quinoa Polenta Cakes with marinated mushrooms

Course 4: Apple cobbler 

Ticket Options (The deadline to purchase tickets is January 22nd at midnight! )

There are a limited number of tickets available for this event and we may sell out prior to the deadline of January 22, 2024 at midnight .

Individual Ticket: $30

Farmer/Producer Ticket: $20

(with a Grow.Eat.Play directory membership) 

Table for 8 people=$200 

Scholarships 

The scholarship application can be found here and the deadline is January 18th at midnight. While we do not require specific proof of financial need, submitting this scholarship application indicates that purchasing a regular priced ($30) ticket for the Farm to Fork local food dinner is a financial hardship for you at this time. 

Friends of Cedar Valley Regional Food & Farm Network. 

This $30 purchase will be used to support scholarships for individuals who cannot afford a full price ticket and used towards UNI Local Food Program’s events that support local food producers.

Contact Jodie Huegerich at jodie.huegerich@uni.edu with any questions about this event.