Healthy Communities Coalition of Lyon and Storey Counties will host a food summit to focus on developing a sustainable food system that supports the health, nutrition, and economics of western Nevada from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday at the Silver Stage High School in Silver Springs.The conference will address a broad range of inter-related topics impacting the food systems in Lyon, Storey, Mineral, Churchill, Carson and Washoe counties. Keynote speakers include USDA Rural Development Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan, who has led USDA's “Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food” initiative, and David Berliner, an educational psychologist who is nationally known for his lectures on the impact of childhood poverty and poor nutrition on academic achievement.Panelists include USDA Rural Development, University of Nevada Cooperative Extension, Western Nevada College staff from the Specialty Crop Institute and the annual Small Farm Conference, regional farmers, food bank, food co-op, and social services directors, nurses, behavioral health experts, doctors, high school agriculture interns, public policy and economic development experts and more. Admission is free. To attend, contact Christy McGill at 775-351-8242 or 775-246-7550.
