2023 Great Plains conference will look at food through multiple lenses

"Plant to Table: Food Production, Culture and Consequences on the Great Plains," April 18-20, will feature keynote presentations, panels, hands-on workshops and dinner experiences.

The Center for Great Plains Studies will host its 48th annual interdisciplinary conference focused on regional issues April 18-20 at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.

This year’s topic is “Plant to Table: Food Production, Culture and Consequences on the Great Plains” and will focus on three major categories: Indigenous food sovereignty movements; the long-standing significance of the meatpacking industry and related topics of labor, immigration, and health and safety standards; and the environmental impacts of food production and consumption.

The event features a combination of keynote presentations, panels, hands-on workshops and dinner experiences, giving attendees a nuanced look at food on the Great Plains in the past, present and future. The conference is meant for a broad audience, including the general public, scholars, students, business owners, community leaders and lifelong learners. Tickets are available here.

Featured speakers include:

Sarah Vogel, author of “The Farmer’s Lawyer,” a memoir about her landmark class action lawsuit against the federal government on behalf of 240,000 family farmers facing foreclosure during the 1980s farm crisis
Taylor Keen (Omaha), Creighton University instructor and founder of Sacred Seed, which educates about and celebrates Indigenous agricultural lifeways
J. Arbuckle, professor and extension rural sociologist at Iowa State University, focused on improving the environmental and social performance of agricultural systems
Rose Godinez, senior legal and policy counsel for ACLU Nebraska, who advocates for meatpackers’ rights and safety
Aubrey Streit Krug, director of ecosphere studies at The Land Institute, who will speak about building more just and enduring food cultures for the region
Chef Anthony Warrior (Sicangu-Bad Nations and Absentee Shawnee/Mvskoke Creek), who will give two cooking workshops and create an Indigenous food tasting experience

The conference is supported by Nebraska U.’s College of Arts and Sciences, Ethnic Studies and Indigenous Studies, College of Law, Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources, College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Agricultural Research Division, College of Education and Human Sciences, Nebraska Extension, and Office of Research and Economic Development; the University of Nebraska at Kearney; and the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s College of Public Health. It is presented in partnership with the Consulate General of Canada in Minneapolis.