Registration will open at 8:15am. The registration process may take a couple minutes. Solar Roast coffee, granola bars, and other light snacks will be served. Lattes and other breakfast items will be available for purchase! From

We will start our day with a Land Acknowledgment, Language Justice Statement, remarks and updates from Pueblo Food Project and Pueblo Count Extension Office, key announcements for the summit, and review our community agreements.

Wood, Water, Fire, and Food: The Social and Environmental Benefits of Restoring Forests of the Arkansas Watershed
Pondering our social, economic, and environmental needs, the first sensation most of us have is conflict, that they are truly incompatible. But the more we dig, and the more questions we ask, a different reality materializes. John Giordanengo of the Economic Restoration Institute will share details of the new “working watersheds” program, and how local businesses have the power to turn a fire-prone forest into a source of renewable energy, jobs, clean water, and food.That is, watersheds that work well ecologically and economically.
Speakers: John Giordanengo, Economic Restoration Institute, Stephen Rudolph, Colorado State Forest Service, and John Christensen, Native Lumber

Room A - Food Systems | Agrivoltaics In Action
Agrivoltaics is the use of land for both solar energy and agricultural production. Following last year's keynote panel on innovative applications of agrivoltaics, the Colorado Agrivoltaic Learning Center (CALC) will present on the economic opportunities and benefits of agrivoltaics for farmers, ranchers, and landowners in Southern Colorado.
Speaker: Carolita Landers, Colorado Agrovoltaic Learning Center

Room C - Agriculture | Rooted in the Arkansas Valley: Women Ranchers, Working Lands, and Regenerative Futures
Join Annie and Samantha—two Pueblo and El Paso County ranchers—for a candid, boots-on-the-ground conversation about what it really takes to raise beef and hay in southern Colorado. Drawing from their own operations and lived experience, they’ll share their individual paths into soil health and regenerative agriculture, including the challenges, trade-offs, and wins along the way. This session centers on stewarding working lands in SE Colorado while strengthening local food systems, supporting rural communities, and building resilience for the next generation of producers. Expect practical insights, real talk, and a strong sense of place.
Speakers: Annie Overlin &, Samantha Meldon, Farmer and Rancher

The Barb - Food for You | Balance & Renewal: Herbal Allies of Early Spring
As the light returns and the earth begins to awaken, there's a shift to welcome anew. This session explores the energetics of the Spring Equinox and highlights the first herbal allies of spring in Colorado for harmony, gentle detoxification, and more. Participants will learn how to connect with these herbs through simple preparations and seasonal rituals, including live medicine making to support the seasonal transition.
Speaker: Ryley Henninger, Herbalist

Room A - Food Systems | SNAP & Nutrition: Understanding changes and new standards
Participants will have a better understanding of how these programs work, what changes are ahead, how ideas around food systems and food security are shifting in government, and how to best prepare for the change in our food systems landscape. Food is not and should not be a partisan issue. Active involvement/understanding in where your food comes from can safeguard you and your family from changes in the food system.
Speaker - Monique Marez, Eptimizo LLC

Room C - Agriculture | From the Front Yard to the Back Forty: Rethinking Weed Management
Annie and Samantha—Pueblo County ranchers raising beef and hay—invite you to take a fresh look at weeds, from stubborn yard invaders to large-scale pasture and hayfield challenges. In this session, they’ll explore why weeds show up where they do, what those plants are telling us about soil conditions and management history, and how scale changes your options. Drawing on both small-plot and ranch-level experience, they’ll share practical, realistic weed management techniques—from cultural and mechanical approaches to grazing, timing, and long-term soil health strategies. The focus is on reducing weed pressure while supporting healthy soils, productive land, and resilient landscapes across SE Colorado.
Speakers: Annie Overlin & Samantha Meldon, Farmer and Rancher

The Barb - Food for You | Creating Strong Local Food Economies with Pueblo Food Project
“Buy local” is more than just a slogan used to encourage community members to buy from locally owned businesses, for Pueblo Food Project it’s a value to be upheld. Purchasing locally is an incredible way to create stability in our economies and uplift growing entrepreneurs. In this session learn how PFP integrates local into their work and get a better understanding of the real difference investing in local can make for small economies like Pueblo!
Speaker: Megan Cover & Serena Sakkal, Pueblo Food Project

Room A - Food Systems | City as Farm
In this interactive session imagine the transformation of a normal city full of resource drains into a city of abundant yield available to everyone. After a short presentation, Jayme Domejka will spark your creativity. In small groups you’ll investigate what it would look like to transform our neighborhoods into thriving spaces that meet the basic needs of those who live! Topics may include food production, micro energy, placemaking, community engagement, water use and conservation, other topics.
Speaker: Jayme Domejka, Wild Oasis Permaculture

Room C - Agriculture | Colorado Insects in a Changing World
Colorado Insects in a Changing World explores how insects across the state are responding to shifting climates and landscapes. Using familiar Colorado insects as touchstones, this talk introduces the basics of insect biology while highlighting the incredible diversity, camouflage, and survival strategies that allow insects to persist in tough and changing environments. From clever disguises to life-cycle timing and behavior, the presentation connects everyday insect encounters to bigger themes of biodiversity, adaptation, and why insects matter in Colorado’s ecosystems, now more than ever.
Speakers: Melissa Schreiner, Colorado State University - Fort Collins

The Barb - Food for You | From Bees to Beetles: Pollinators of common food crops in Southeastern Colorado
Did you know, 75-88 percent of plant and food crops require an animal pollinator (bees, wasps, flies, beetles, butterflies, moths, birds, bats) for reproduction? Nearly all fruits and many vegetables in gardens, and orchards need pollinators to produce crops and to set seeds for the next growing season. In this presentation, learn what pollinators are associated with popular garden, orchard and yard plants that are cultivated in southeast Colorado. Also learn more about optimizing environmental conditions for increasing the abundance and diversity of pollinators.
Speaker: Tamara Ivahnenko, Xerces Society

Palmer Land Conservancy - Forging a Path Forward in an Uncertain Water Future
From Pueblo Chile to Rocky Ford melons, farmers in the Lower Arkansas Valley share one critical resource—water. In this closing keynote, Palmer Land Conservancy will explore the water challenges facing farmers in the Lower Arkansas Valley and the profound weight they carry to preserve their way of life. Palmer’s work began along the Bessemer Ditch in eastern Pueblo County, where the agricultural community’s future is under threat. We will share the pioneering tools and approaches that Palmer is developing to provide the community with creative options and resources needed to sustain a pillar of Pueblo’s core identity: agriculture. The room is filled with advocates and changemakers already invested in this work, and this keynote is a call to action: protect the land, water, and communities we hold dear.
Speakers: Jolene Collins, Palmer Land Conservancy

Thank you for joining us this year. A feedback link will be provided closer to the event. 

Conference participants will get to explore ideas, try products, and support local food businesses at the Maker’s Market and Idea Fair. See what’s happening with local foods and take home some goodies to share with family and friends! Enjoy local beer and wine at the market!