SRAP Live: Building a Socially Responsible Food Future
SRAP Live will feature community members impacted by the harms of factory farms, food and agriculture journalists, thought leaders in socially responsible food systems, and much more! The free online event will take place on Wednesday, April 24, and Thursday, April 25.
Register today to learn how industrial livestock operations may be impacting you and how to advocate for a socially responsible food future.
Schedule
You have the option to attend either one or both sessions. Participants can select to listen in either English or Spanish.
10:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. PT / 1:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. ET
Welcome
10:05 a.m. - 10:15 a.m. PT / 1:05 p.m. - 1:15 p.m. ET
SRAP Executive Director, Sherri Dugger, opens SRAP LIVE: Building a Socially Responsible Food Future with a welcome address.
Panel 1
Pushing Back on Factory Farm Biogas
10:30 a.m. - 11:45 a.m. PT / 1:30 p.m. - 2:45 p.m. ET
Factory farm biogas has seen explosive investment and growth in recent years, but communities and allies are battling this industry scheme from the local level all the way to D.C. Panelists will discuss how methane digesters are hitting the ground, as well as opportunities to oppose incentives for this false climate solution.
Panel Moderator: Chloe Waterman
Panelists:
- Kim Dupre
- Samantha Krop
- Keith Schneider
- Patty Lovera
Panel 2
Mobilizing at the State House
12:00 p.m. - 1:15 p.m. PT / 3:00 p.m. - 4:15 p.m. ET
Each year new state legislation aims to prop up the industrial livestock system. Hear how advocates are beating back the powerful Big Ag lobby and teaming up with elected officials to find solutions that support regenerative food systems, social justice, climate initiatives, public health, and more.
Panel Moderator: Ashlen Busick
Panelists:
- Kendra Kimbirauskas
- Lisa Doerr
- Jane Egan
- Melissa Vatterott
- Charlotte Jameson
10:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. PT / 1:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. ET
Networking with Coffee
10:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. PT 1:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. ET
Join SRAP staff for a virtual mid-summit coffee break to meet fellow attendees and discuss the work we do to ensure a socially responsible food future. Led by Craig Watts and Ashlen Busick.
Panel 3
Utilizing Data For Food Systems Advocacy
10:40 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. PT / 1:40 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. ET
The U.S. food system offers plenty of data that can help to tell compelling stories about the impacts we face and the solutions we seek. Hear how these food systems advocates collect and effectively use data in their work.
Panel Moderator: Cole Dickerson
Panelists:
- Yanqi Xu
- Ethan Duke
- Daisha Wall
- Kasey Neiss
Panel 4
Collaborating for a Socially Responsible Food Future
12:15 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. PT / 3:15 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. ET
Working together and amplifying voices is critical to achieving large-scale food systems change. Panelists will discuss movement building and collaboration opportunities in food and agriculture advocacy.
Panel Moderator: Jake Davis
Panelists:
- Starla Tillinghast
- Craig Watts
- Emily Miler
Keynote Address
1:30 - 1:45 p.m. PT / 4:30 - 4:45 p.m. ET
Author and SRAP Board Member Austin Frerick delivers SRAP Live’s keynote address.
SRAP Live Panelists
Ashlen Busick
Ashlen Busick is the director of SRAP's Food & Farm Network. She grew up on a family farm in Northern Missouri next to one of the state’s largest corporate hog operations. Read More
Cole Dickerson
Cole Dickerson serves as the manager of SRAP's Water Rangers program. His passion for environmentally and socially responsible food systems grew out of his love for carrots and snack peppers. Read More
Lisa Doerr
Lisa Doerr chaired a coalition of six townships that successfully blocked the Wisconsin Farm Bureau and other industry proxies from passing state laws that ban local ordinances. Read More
Sherri Dugger
Sherri Dugger serves as SRAP's executive director. With nearly two decades of experience editing magazines and books, Sherri now puts her media and public relations experience to work in the agriculture field. Read More
Ethan Duke
Ethan Duke grew up in rural northern Appalachia in western New York State, near the headwaters of the Genesee River, which was once home to the native tribes of the Iroquois Federation. Read More
Kim Dupre
Kim Dupre is a farmer's daughter who in 2001 found herself near a dairy CAFO and biogas digester in rural Wisconsin. Her experience turned her into an advocate for clean water, extending her reach beyond her local community to protect public health and safety. Read More
Jane Egan
Jane Egan is a dedicated community organizer and environmental activist who for more than 50 years has served as a board member and fundraiser for various non-profit organizations in Nebraska. Read More
Austin Frerick
Austin Frerick is an expert on agricultural and antitrust policy. He worked at the Open Markets Institute, the U.S. Department of Treasury, and the Congressional Research Service before becoming a Fellow at Yale University. He is a seventh-generation Iowan and first-generation college graduate, with degrees from Grinnell College and the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
Charlotte Jameson
Charlotte Jameson holds the position of Chief Policy Officer at Michigan Environmental Council. A good environment and society in Michigan isn't possible without the right laws, decisions, and procedures, which is where Charlotte comes in. Read More
Kendra Kimbirauskas
Kendra Kimbirauskas serves as the Senior Director of Agriculture and Food Systems at SiX. Kendra oversees SiX’s rural, sustainable agriculture and food systems work. She works with national staff at SiX, and in-state and national partners to promote progressive agriculture policies and legislation in key states across the country. Read More
Samantha Krop
Samantha Krop is the Neuse Riverkeeper and Sound Rivers’ Director of Advocacy, monitoring the health of the Neuse and its many tributaries, from Durham to Havelock. Read More
Patty Lovera
Patty Lovera is the policy advisor for the Campaign for Family Farms and the Environment, a coalition of state and national groups working to fight factory farms. Read More
Emily Miller
Emily Miller has been a staff attorney at Food & Water Watch since 2021. She is dedicated to combating the polluting and exploitative practices of factory farms through legal and regulatory advocacy. Read More
Kasey Neiss
Kassandra Neiss, Director of Research and Data Activism at FrontLine Farming, holds a Master's in cultural anthropology from the University of Denver and a Bachelor's degree from Hampshire College in U.S. ethnic studies and oral history. Read More
Starla Tillinghast
Before becoming a critical care nurse, Starla Becker-Tillinghast milked cows on dairies for years eventually running a small dairy at age 15. She milked by hand and transported cans of milk to the nearest town. Read More
Melissa Vatterott
Melissa Vatterott serves as the policy director at the Missouri Coalition for the Environment (MCE). Her journey with MCE commenced as a legal intern, focusing on agricultural permit review and conducting research on the food system landscape. Read More
Craig Watts
Craig Watts is the director of SRAP's Contract Grower Transition Program. He is a former contract chicken grower for poultry giant Perdue. He made headlines when he teamed up with Compassion in World Farming USA to expose animal issues rampant throughout the company's operations. Read More
Betty Velasquez
Betty Velasquez is a Colorado Native; she was born in the San Luis Valley and currently resides in La Junta, Colorado, with her husband of 36 years. She recently retired from the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment after working for 27 years as a Migrant and Seasonal Farmworker Outreach Worker, a State Monitor Advocate, and then as the Regional Director for the Southeast and South-Central Workforce Regions. Read More
Daisha Wall
Daisha Wall is an environmental advocate with a long-established interest in environmental equity, community involvement, and educating those around her about many environmental topics. She currently serves as the community science manager for CleanAIRE NC. Read More
Yanqi Xu
Yanqi Xu is an investigative reporter at the Flatwater Free Press, Nebraska’s first statewide nonprofit newsroom. She has written extensively about nitrate contamination in Nebraska’s groundwater, which earned two national journalism awards. Read More
About SRAP
For more than 20 years, SRAP has served as a mobilizing force to help communities protect themselves from the damages caused by industrial livestock operations and to advocate for a food system built on regenerative practices, justice, democracy, and resilience. Learn more at sraproject.org