^{December 16, 2025, 12:00 - 1:30 pm ET}

_{Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center,}

_{One Partnership Cir, Abingdon, VA 24210}

Registration link: https://tinyurl.com/4j4sfwr2

What happens when a hurricane closes highways, when a processing facility shuts down, or when a season of heavy rain or drought ruins crops? These kinds of disruptions affect how food moves from fields and waters to our tables.

 At this listening session, we’ll talk about how people across Virginia can prepare for different challenges like these. The goal is to be proactive instead of reactive before and after these shocks to minimize immediate and lasting effects. Together, we’ll explore and listen to your ideas for building a food system that is dependable, adaptable, sustainable, and fair to everyone, no matter what comes our way.

Who Should Attend: 

● Farmers/Producers (Aspiring and Current) 

● Faith-based and Community Organizations

● Extension 

● Local Government & Regional Commissions 

● Processors, Aggregators, Distributors, Markets 

● Funders 

Data from these listening sessions will be used to inform future food system resilience planning for the state. 

If you have any questions, please contact Lia Kelinsky-Jones at kelinskyjones@vt.edu. Register here.

"Virginia Cooperative Extension is a partnership of Virginia Tech, Virginia State University, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and local governments, and is an equal opportunity employer. For the full non-discrimination statement, please visit ext.vt.edu/accessibility."