Extension to Host First Grow Your Own Groceries Conference

LITTLE ROCK — The Cooperative Extension Service’s online Grow Your Own Groceries Series has been so popular that organizers will host the first in-person Grow Your Own Groceries Conference in 2026.Like the monthly webinars, the conference will provide expertise on growing and preparing food.The one-day conference will be Feb. 10 from 8 a.m.- 4:30 p.m. at the Conway Expo and Events Center, 2505 E. Oak St, Conway. Online registration is open until Jan. 31. The cost is $75 and includes access to sessions and demonstrations on nearly a dozen topics with lunch included.“We’re excited to take the virtual Grow Your Own Groceries program to the next level with this in-person conference,” Faulkner County extension agent Krista Quinn said. “We’ve been planning the conference for a little over a year now, and we’re delighted to offer presentations from some of Arkansas’ most knowledgeable experts on a variety of gardening and food preparation topics that have been suggested by our virtual viewers. It will be a great opportunity to share information and experiences with each other and help us all to be more successful producing our own food.”The Grow Your Own series started in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic as a way for extension experts to share research- based information with home gardeners on how to grow and prepare fresh produce. Quinn and Faulkner County Family and Consumer Science Agent Mary Beth Groce originally planned to host four sessions that year, but viewers wanted more.In the five years since, they’ve hosted 77 presentations that have reached more than 28,000 people in 57 Arkansas counties, 31 states and seven countries. More than 30 extension staff have presented during the series.“One of the keys to our success is having the support of so many agents and specialists who share their expertise with the public,” Quinn said. “With so many extension contributors, it’s been a truly powerful...