Tour Information and Descriptions
- National Rural Grocery Summit Tours
$100 Registration Fee each
Tuesday June 25, 2024
2:00 P.M. - 8:00 P.M.
Registration includes tour bus cost and visits to all facilities.
- East Alabama Tour
Two Stops - Rural Grocery Store and Innovative Agricultural Practices
Visit one of Alabama's oldest grocery stores in Alabama's Black Belt. Carmack's Grocery is a local, family-owned and operated grocery store in Macon County, Alabama. Operating out of the same location since the early 1900s, Carmack's has established presence, credibility, and knowledge of the local market. They consistently provide a family-friendly atmosphere with low prices and a variety of fresh produce, fresh cuts of meat, and grocery items. Check out innovative agricultural practices and Farm to Table activities happening at Alabama's land-grant university. The FoodU program at Auburn University immerses students in the food system by linking research, teaching, and extension projects with on-campus food production. Students employed in the FoodU program cross-train at four venues across campus including AU Aquaponics Greenhouses, AU Vertical Farms, AU Transformation Garden Raised Beds, and the Rane Culinary Science Center Rooftop Garden. Each of these venues provides students with experience growing fresh produce using differing technologies. Produce from FoodU goes directly to Auburn University Campus Dining venues and partner restaurants, including Ariccia Cucina and 1856 Culinary Residence.
- West Alabama Tour
Multiple Stops - Rural Food Outlets and Innovative Community Development Practices
Visit a variety of food outlets in some of the most rural areas in West Alabama. From co-ops to farmers markets and even farm to table restaurants, West Alabama's local and regional food system are the heart of their vibrant communities. This field trip will feature a few stops in rural Alabama towns to check out a variety of farm to consumer activities. One stop will feature Auburn University's Rural Studio, an off-campus design-build program, rooted in Hale County and part of the School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture. Rural Studio's mission is to educate students and conduct research on sustainable, healthful rural living. Check out ways Rural Studio has stimulated community and economic development through support of critical players in the local and regional food system.
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