In February 2026 ALEI specialists Margaret Todd and Rich Kolm hosted two Farm 2 Institution workshops in Maryland as part of the ongoing USDA-funded “Focusing In: Identifying and Addressing Legal Challenges and Educational Needs to Increase Participation in Maryland’s Farm to Institution Local Food Purchasing Program” project. These workshops were held in partnership with the Maryland Department of Agriculture and two state universities – the University of Maryland College Park in College Park, MD (Capital Region) and Salisbury University in Salisbury, MD (Eastern Shore) – and designed to help create opportunities for farmers, institutional buyers, food distribution managers, local agricultural service providers, and community organization members to learn from each other and establish relationships.
Upcoming events for this project include:
- Western Maryland F2I Workshop, Hagerstown, MD – More details to follow
- F2I Webinar Event – Contracting with Distributors and Institutions, May 7, 2026, 11:00 AM – , Jessica Mendoza, Mundaca Law Firm
- Maryland Farm 2 Institution Symposium, September 2, 2026, 9:30 AM – 3:30 PM and will be hosted by the Maryland Department of Agriculture, 50 Harry S. Truman Parkway, Annapolis, MD 21401.
Find details and register for future events on the EventBrite Collection page: https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/maryland-farm-2-institution-workshops-4800367
For more information or questions, contact Project lead at UMB Margaret Todd – 316.993.5203 – motodd@law.umaryland.edu.
UMB Protocol Number (00116333) Funding for this research was made possible by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service through grant 24LFPPMD1225-00. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the USDA.
