Schumacher's address will focus on his and Wholesome Wave's efforts to make fresh, locally grown fruits and vegetables affordable and the innovative initiatives that he is working on to simultaneously improve health outcomes among low-income families and generate additional revenue for small and mid-sized farm businesses.

From 1997 to 2001, Schumacher served as President Clinton’s Undersecretary of Agriculture for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services at USDA. Prior to this, Schumacher served as Administrator of USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service, worked as a senior Agri-lender for the World Bank, and served as Commissioner of Food and Agriculture for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Along with Schumacher as Founding Board Chair, and the late Michael Batterberry, Founder of Food Arts Magazine, James Beard award winning chef and restaurateur, Michel Nischan, founded Wholesome Wave in 2007.

In 2008, Wholesome Wave piloted the Double Value Coupon Program at twelve markets in three states. As this program evolved, it outgrew any single iteration, spreading nationally. Today, it has transformed into a network of nutrition incentive programs, known today as the National Nutrition Incentive Network. 

Since then, the organisation has launched numerous initiatives, including the Fruit and Vegetable Prescription Program and Healthy Food Commerce Initiative.

In collaboration with more than 80 community based partners, Wholesome Wave’s programs have expanded to 33 states and DC and are implemented at more than 500 farmers markets, dozens of community health care centers, hospitals and food hubs throughout the country.

Schumacher was a member of the 21st Century Sustainable Agricultural Task Force of the National Academy of Sciences whose report was published in 2010. In 2007, Schumacher jointly oversaw the preparation of the Task Force Report of the Chicago Council of Global Affairs, titled 'Modernizing America’s Food and  Farm Policy: Vision for a New Direction' (2008). He has received leadership awards from the James Beard Foundation and the EOS Foundation.

For additional information on the conference and future farm field trip, please visit: http://seedstockconference.com 

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