Alliance Announces National Geographic’s Dennis Dimick as Summit Speaker
Dimick to discuss the ‘Future of Food’
February 25, 2015 – Dennis Dimick, executive editor at National Geographic magazine, will address attendees at the Animal Agriculture Alliance’s annual Stakeholders Summit, to be held May 6-7, 2015 in Kansas City, MO. Early registration is now available for the 2015 edition of the Alliance’s showcase event, themed “The Journey to Extraordinary.”
Dimick, who grew up on a hay and sheep farm in Oregon’s Willamette Valley, led the production of National Geographic’s 2014 Future of Food series. The series, produced over eight months, was a multimedia journey exploring how to feed a growing and hungry planet. Within the Future of Food, National Geographic tackled topics including hunger, the use of biotechnology, large-scale production methods and sustainability.
In addition to the Future of Food series, Dimick also guided the creation of other major projects for National Geographic, including “7 Billion”, a 2011 series on global population, and “Global Warming: Bulletins from a Warmer World”, a 2004 project on climate change. Dimick holds degrees in agriculture and agricultural journalism from Oregon State University and the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
“The Future of Food series fits perfectly into this year’s Summit theme, The Journey to Extraordinary,” said Kay Johnson Smith, Alliance president and CEO. “Consumers are increasingly engaged in learning more about food production, as evidenced by National Geographic’s dedication to exploring the topic. Many of the topics covered in the series, such as sustainability and emerging technologies, will also be areas of focus at the Summit. We are very confident this spotlight on the Future of Food series will be both insightful and engaging for attendees.”
The Summit is a one-of-a-kind conference, ideal for networking across sectors of the food chain as it is attended by a diverse group of decision makers, including representatives from farms, ranches, food processors, restaurants, grocery stores, legislators, universities and government agencies. The 2015 event, set in Kansas City, Mo., will be the first edition of the Summit held outside of the Washington, DC area.
While the 2014 Summit focused on the millennial generation and how it is defining the demand for meat, milk and eggs, this year’s event will explore animal agriculture’s continuous efforts to embrace new technologies that will help feed a growing population while measuring sustainability, engage consumers in innovative ways to bridge the knowledge gap, and highlight initiatives that demonstrate agriculture’s commitment to transparency.
Details:
Early registration, which ends April 8, for the one-and-a-half day event is $375 for Alliance members and $425 for non-members; $325 for those in government or academia. Media and students interested in registering should contact Hannah Thompson. Registration materials and a full event schedule (as of February 24, 2015) can be found on the Summit website.
This year, the Summit will be held at the beautiful Intercontinental Hotel in Kansas City, Mo. Rooms are available at a special group rate of $164/night on the hotel’s website or by calling 866-856-9717. The hotel cut-off deadline is also April 8, 2015.
As always, the Alliance’s Stakeholders Summit will be social! Be sure to follow the hashtag #AAA15 for updates about the event. For general questions about the Summit please contact summit@animalagalliance.org or call (703) 562-1411.
Get involved:
Show your support for the Alliance’s engagement efforts by becoming an official Summit sponsor today! Current 2015 sponsors include Farm Credit, Vance Publishing, Meatingplace, American Feed Industry Association, Watt Global Media, United Soybean Board, Iowa Soybean Association, the National Biodiesel Board, the Food Industry Environmental Network and Kemin.
Please contact Kay Johnson Smith, president and CEO, at (703) 562-1412 to find out how to get involved by sponsoring the event.
About the Alliance:
The Animal Agriculture Alliance is an industry-united, nonprofit organization that helps bridge the communication gap between farm and fork. We connect key food industry stakeholders to arm them with responses to emerging issues. We engage food chain influencers and promote consumer choice by helping them better understand modern animal agriculture. We protect by exposing those who threaten our nation’s food security with damaging misinformation.
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