Brief Summary of Minutes of Annual Meeting

The Local and Regional Food Systems: Annual Meeting of the SERA 47 Multi-State Initiative took place over Zoom Meetings on Tuesday, December 9, 2025, 10:00 am to 11:30 pm CT (11:00 am to 12:30 pm ET). SERA 47 and non-SERA 47 members were encouraged to attend the meeting. The meeting started with a 30-minute kickoff including Welcome, Introductions, and an Overview of the SERA 47 Multi-State Initiative by Chair, Kenrett Jefferson-Moore. She provided an introduction to SERA 47, introduced the leadership team, and prepared everyone for the annual meeting. All attendees introduced themselves. Kenrett was followed by John Green who discussed the next stage for SERA 47​ and Local and Regional Food Systems’ (LRFS) new S-project proposal objectives​. Discussion centered on proposed objectives for the next project cycle, including expanding research and Extension resources related to aggregation, processing, and distribution infrastructure; strengthening the local and regional food systems workforce through training, education, and leadership development; increasing research-based production, marketing, and sustainability resources for producers; and addressing emerging gaps related to demographics, infrastructure, consumer behavior, and education. Members also discussed the formation of four working groups: (1) Successful Models of Local and Regional Food Systems, (2) Sustainable Agriculture in Local and Regional Food Systems​, (3) Marketing Local and Regional Food Systems, and (4) Building Resilient Communities and Food Security​. John also emphasized the importance of formally joining SERA 47 through NIMSS to support approval, reporting, and impact documentation.

The SERA 47 Administrative Advisors Address was given by Dr. Gary Thompson (University of Arkansas), Cindy Morley (University of Arkansas) and Dr. Aaron Smith (University of Tennessee). Each advisor provided words of support to SERA 47 for what had been accomplished and the objectives of the group. Further discussion focused on the shift in proposal focus and development, with participant questions addressed and clarification provided regarding how these changes will impact the direction of SERA 47. Next, Courtney Brown formally introduced and described each of the SERA 47 working groups and invited participants to join the groups aligned with their interests. To promote increased learning and collaboration, SERA 47 outlined expectations for the newly identified working groups, including hosting an initial meeting to establish annual objectives and communication structures, organizing one Tea & Coffee Hour webinar, and assisting with planning future annual meetings through working group updates and leadership identification. The discussion also included reminders to complete the working group survey and introductions from current working group chairs, Eleanor Green and Dr. Tim Woods, who shared ideas and plans for their respective groups.

A call for speakers had been sent out to the SERA 47 listserv to give quick presentations on local and regional food systems projects. Five speakers were selected to present during the Lightning Talks. Presenters, organizations, and presentation titles are below:

Moderator – Dr. Kaylee South, Virginia Tech, SERA 47 Co-Chair

Timekeeper – Grace Langford, SRDC, SERA 47 Admin Support

• Hannah Dankbar, NC State Extension Local Food Program - NC State University; Small Farm Boot Camp: NC State Extension
• Dara Bloom, Department of Agricultural and Human Sciences, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences & Community-based Food Systems for the Center for Environmental Farming Systems (CEFS) - NC State University; Getting to Scale with Local Food Purchasing in Farm to ECE: Buying Models to Grow the Market
• Virginie Zoumenou, Dietetics and Nutrition in the Department of Human Ecology, Extension Nutrition and Health Programs - University of Maryland Eastern Shore; Building Small Producer Capacity for Stronger Local Food Systems
• Mitchell Doss, Institute for Advanced Learning and Research - Virginia Tech; Strengthening Southern Virginia’s Food System Through Producer Engagement, Institutional Procurement Needs, and Emerging Aggregation Models
• Kaylee South, School of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Virginia Tech; Utilizing Controlled Environment Agriculture Technologies in the Local and Regional Food Systems -Scale Livestock Production and Marketing: Snapshots from a Diversified Operation

After each of the speakers presented, this session concluded with a general Q&A session where they were asked questions from the other participants and shared contact information, active surveys, and other ways to engage with their programs.

The last session of the annual meeting included Southern Rural Sociological Association (SRSA)/Southern Association of Agricultural Sciences (SAAS) Annual Planning Announcements and Call to Action/Adjournment. The session included an address from the incoming Chair, Kaylee South. Future goals for this year are to re-activate working groups, continuing the Tea and Coffee Hour Webinar, and gave a Working Group survey reminder. Call for action included announcing the open Secretary position on the leadership team, providing information on how to join SERA 47, and invitation to join the SERA 47 listserv. She reminded the group of the in-person 2026 annual meeting during the SRSA/SAAS Conference to be held in Louisville, KY in February. The meeting was adjourned.

Activity 1: SERA 47: Tea and Coffee Hour Webinars

The SERA 47 Tea and Coffee Hour Webinars continued in 2025. These webinars are designed to have members and outside speakers present on outreach and research activities being done to support local and regional food systems and provide discussion among webinar attendees and the speaker. The webinars are recorded and posted on the SERA 47 website and shared through the listserv. They are hosted once a quarter. Below are the three webinars that were hosted within the reporting period. A webinar was not held in Q4 due to the virtual annual meeting being held during this time. The outcome of these webinars included engaging the membership base of SERA 47, building connections with non-members, and developing content for the website.

• March 13, 2025; Presenter: Eleanor Green, M.S., Mississippi State University & Tim Woods, Ph.D., University of Kentucky; Topics: Local Food and the Delta Scholars Program & Farmer’s Markets and Community Engagement; http://youtube.com/watch?v=P_NPuNlTp-s

10 webinar attendees and 1 view of the webinar recording.

• June 5, 2025; Presenters: Kenrett Jefferson Moore, Ph.D., Obed Quiacoe, Ph.D., Jarvetta Bynum, M.S., Mecca Straughter, M.S., and Destiny West, North Carolina A&T University; Topic: Value-Added Agricultural Products and Consumer Preferences; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dU9heYtYGI

9 webinar attendees and 4 views of the webinar recording.

• September 11, 2025; Presenters: Joshua Stoll, Ph.D. and Jessica Joyce, the University of Maine, Audrey King, Ph.D., Oklahoma State University, Kaylee South, Ph.D., Virginia Tech; Topic(s): The Local Catch Network and the Local Seafood Summit, Rural Renewal Symposium & Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) Summit East; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Xpwvkp3yHE

12 webinar attendees and 6 views of the webinar recording.

Activity 2: Hosted Working Group Meeting: On May 8^th, SERA 47 hosted a Working Group meeting that resulted in the identification of four priority focus areas: (1) successful models of local food systems, (2) marketing local food systems, (3) sustainable agriculture in local food systems, and (4) building resilient communities and food security. Since this working group meeting, two working group chairs have been identified (Eleanor Green and Dr. Tim Woods), and a survey was distributed to gather interest for working group participation. 9 working group attendees.

Activity 3: Submitted a Panel Session for the Southern Rural Sociological Association (SRSA)/Southern Association of Agricultural Scientists Annual Meeting

The SERA 47 leadership team submitted a proposal to organize and host a panel session during the joint SRSA/SAAS Annual Meeting and was accepted.

Title: Resilient Local and Regional Food Systems: Lessons and Opportunities Post-COVID

Louisville, KY; February 1-2, 2026

SERA 47 leadership team members will participate in a panel session focused on strengthening local and regional food systems in response to supply chain disruptions, extreme weather events, and ongoing challenges to farm community vitality. The panel, consisting of SERA 47 leadership will highlight collaborative research and Extension efforts related to local and regional food systems, including adaptive supply chain models, climate-smart practices, and community-based approaches to enhancing economic viability and food security. In addition, the history of SERA 47 and future directions of the team including transitioning to a multistate S-project will be presented. These activities are intended to facilitate dialogue among researchers, Extension professionals, and policymakers to identify actionable strategies, promote policy alignment, and support the development of resilient food systems. There will be time for Q&A, and informal networking.

Activity 4: Journal of Rural Social Sciences Special Issue on Local and Regional Food Systems

SERA 47 supported and contributed to the development of a call for abstracts for a special issue of the Journal of Rural Social Sciences focused on local and regional food systems. In partnership with the Southern Rural Development Center, this activity aims to advance multidisciplinary scholarship addressing emerging challenges and opportunities in local and regional food systems, including supply chain disruptions, extreme weather events, and rural community vitality. The special issue invites original research, systematic reviews, and development-oriented manuscripts that inform policy and practice, with an emphasis on outreach and education and a focus on the southern region of the United States. 6 abstracts were submitted to-date; 4 were invited to submit full manuscripts.

Activity 5: Website Update

The SERA 47 website was updated during this reporting period to provide an informational and updated site for members and the public to easily access information about the group and resources that the group develops. Updated information includes current leadership team, webinar recordings, and the 2025 annual meeting.  The website is hosted by Extension Foundation and managed by the Southern Rural Development Center. The website link is here: https://sera-47.extension.org/

Activity 6: Virtual Annual Meeting

The leadership team planned and hosted the Virtual Annual Meeting on December 9^th, 2025. See pages 1 and 2 for details.

Activity 7: Transitioning from SERA 47 to an S-Project

SERA 47 leadership discussed the transition from the current SERA initiative to a formal S-Project. Members engaged in a guided conversation focused on clarifying the purpose, scope, and value of making this shift. The discussion explored how an S-Project structure can strengthen long-term collaboration, enhance research and Extension integration, improve accountability and visibility, and better position the group for funding and national impact.

SERA 47 was included in the publicly disseminated Annual Report of the Southern Rural Development Center entitled, “Shaping Tomorrow Together.” https://srdc.msstate.edu/publications/annual-report/2025-annual-report-shaping-tomorrow-together