2026 National Rural Grocery Summit Agenda

The 2026 National Rural Grocery Summit program can be viewed here:

2026 NRG Summit Program (pdf)

Tuesday, May 5

Welcome Recepetion

Wednesday, May 6

Welcome and Opening Plenary

Jon Steinman, Food Systems Thinker, Author, and Educator
More than a Grocery Store

Breakout Session #1

Community Co-op Conversions: An Exit Strategy That Preserves Local Grocery Access

Leslie Watson, Cooperative Development Services; Tracy McIntyre, Montana Cooperative Development Center

Making the Case for Rural Grocery through Mapping and Data

Sean Park, Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs; Melanie Canales, RAFI; Dylan Halpern, University of Chicago

Connecting Rural Grocers, Healthcare and Community Nutrition Access

Nikki Johnson, North Dakota State University Extension and University of Minnesota Extension; Abby Gold, University of Minnesota; Kate Welshons, University of Minnesota Extension

Local Connections: A Grocery Store at the Heart of Rural Community

Brenda and Matt McCasson, Velva Foods; Gillian Lavik, Dakota Medical Surgical Center; Shaundra Ziemann-Bolinske, NDSU Extension; Jodi Bruns, Leadership and Civic Engagement Specialist; Jan Stankiewicz, NDSU Extension; Lesley Jones, NDSU Extension

Lunch and Afternoon Plenary

Panel, Securing the Store’s Next Chapter: Transition Planning in Rural Grocery
Featuring: Regena Lance, Mildred Store; DuWayne Ditterich, Ditterich Mercantile; Pat Tracy, Tracy's Market
Moderator: Carly Whorton, Grocery Consultant and Transition Coach

Networking, Exhibitor, and Poster Session

Visit with conference sponsors and exhibitors and learn about their offerings to support rural grocery. Fill in your exhibitor passport and your poster session passport to enter to win a free trip to the 2028 National Rural Grocery Summit!

Poster Presenters:

A Community Tool to Map and Measure Rural Food Access, Rebecca Mitchell, Brown University; Ashley McCarthy, USDA Agricultural Research Service; Meredith Niles, Brown University
“A Decidedly Rural Strategy”: Dollar General’s Impact on Food Access in Iowa, Eliana Hornbuckle, Brown University Urban Studies Program
AgriCluster to MegCluster: Value Added Food to Market Hubs, Bevin Brooks, LionBerry (by Mama Pajama LLC); Jenny Doty, K-State Extension
Beyond the Aisles: Rural Groceries as Anchors of Health and Equity, Pam Gulleson, Foundation for a Healthy ND; Megan Langley, StrengthenND; Nicole Benson, Blue Zones Project
Bridging Access & Supply Through Nutrition Incentives & Local Procurement, Caitlin Stuart, Nourish Colorado; Meta Jo Riseling, Walsh Community Grocery
Bridging the Gap: Strengthening Support for North Dakota’s Small Farms through NDSU Extension, Julie Garden-Robinson, North Dakota State University
Connecting Farmers and Buyers to Grow the Organic Marketplace in Rural Communities, Bridget Gilmore, Rodale Institute
Creating a partnership with WIC: Leverage your location to improve food access in your community, JoDell Geilmann-Parke, Utah Department of Health and Human Services - WIC
Expanding Food Access: Partnering with Rural Grocers to Grow the Double Up Food Bucks Program, Joseph Ramirez, Sustainable Food Center
Feasibility Study and Business Plan for a Grocery Store in Elmore, Alabama, Stacey Ingram, Director of Research; Jerry Ingram, President, Southeast Research Inc
Improving Healthy Food Access in Rural Food Retail Through the Food Retail Assessment (FRA) Tool, Jade Owen, Oklahoma Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust; Christi Erwin, University of Oklahoma Health Campus

Breakout Session #2

Cold Chain Wholesale Distribution: Results from a Northern Wisconsin Study

Michelle Miller, University of Wisconsin CIAS

Battling Bigness: How Federal and State Officials Can Fight for Fairness in the Grocery Industry

Ron Knox, Institute for Local Self-Reliance; Justin Stofferahn, Minnesota Farmers Union; Claire Kelloway, Open Markets Institute; Corey Christianson, KC’s Country Markets; Wayne Isaacson, A Clean Plate Grocery

Expanding GusNIP Impact Through Statewide Collaboration: Centralized Models for Advancing Rural Grocery Access

Chelsea Matzen, National Grocers Association Foundation; Jazzmine Brooks, Iowa Healthiest State Initiative; Sam Hedges, Virginia Fresh Match; Hannah Thornton, Sustainable Food Center

A Scalable Model for Local Food Production and Rural Grocery Integration

Zachary Paige, Board President; Ryan Pesch, General Manager, Manna Food Cooperative

Breakout Session #3

Data-Driven Business Decisions to Sharpen Rural Grocery Operations

Joel Haskard, Clean Energy Resource Teams Co-Director; Zachary Paige, Program Coordinator for Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems, University of Minnesota Extension RSDP

Farm Stops - A Novel Retail Store Model to Grow Local Food Economies

Laura Matney, General Manager; Casey Miller, External Training Manager, Argus Farm Stop

The Basics of Governance for Community Grocery Stores

Chris Dilley, Food Co-op Initiative

Grocery Retail for All: Strengthening Independent Operators in Underserved Communities

Ertharin Cousin, Food Systems for the Future; Sean Park, Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs

How Do Small Grocers Navigate Market Dynamics? A Roundtable Discussion

Featuring: Kiki Hubbard and Paulina Jenney, Seedhead Strategies

The North Dakota Association of Rural Electric Cooperatives is conducting a study on market concentration in grocery supply chains and emerging challenges to independent grocer viability. Researchers will share preliminary data from a state-wide survey of North Dakota grocers and invite participants to share their stories about how the marketplace has changed over the last ten years, including whether and how these changes have influenced their store performance and profitability. Findings from this study will be used to identify solutions that support small and local grocers. Light snacks and beverages provided.

Who is invited: Anyone who identifies as a small or independent grocery store owner is invited to participate. The roundtable will not be open to the press, and participants will have the option of remaining anonymous in all records created from the conversation. There is no cap on the number of participants that can attend.

Exhibitor Fair

Evening Reception and Award Ceremony at Brewhalla

Thursday, May 7

Workshops

Connecting Capital to Rural Communities: How HFFI Programs and the FARE Fund Support Rural Retailers

Bridget Palombo, The Food Trust; Anne Misak, Equitable Food Systems, Reinvestment Fund

Real World Solutions for Today’s Retail Challenges

Jimmy Wright, Wrights Market

State-Supported Tools for Rural Grocery: Examples from Three State Programs

Illinois State Program

Colorado State Program

Iowa State Program

John O’Conner, Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity; Sean Park, Illinois Institute of Rural Affairs; Mickey Davis, Colorado Department of Agriculture; Lisa Bates, Assistant Director Community and Economic Development; Courtney Long, Food Systems Program Manager and AgMRC Director, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach

Surviving and Thriving in Today’s Grocery Landscape: Strategies to Build Sales and Loyalty

Jeanie Wells, Mighty Community Markets

Breakout Session #5

Bending the Economic Curve: Overcoming Today’s Hurdles with Smart Excess Inventory Solutions

Mark Fleming, Natural Choice Foods

Restoring the Flow: Aligning Rural Grocery for Growth and Succession

Phillip Brooks, Fresh Potential

Proven Ideas for Local & Regional Sourcing: Examples from Hanover Co-op Food Stores

Additional Resource

Allan Reetz, Local Food Factors

Innovative Partnerships in GusNIP: How Grocers are Using Nutrition Incentives to Boost Sales and Support Local Agriculture

Erica Raml, Fair Food Network; Ashley Cavender, Appalachian Resource Conservation and Development Council; Kate Miller-Corcoran, Rural Health Network of South Central New York; Meta Jo Riseling, Walsh Community Grocery Store; Allison Russell, Russell Farms; Laurel Smith, Nourish Colorado