Thank you for joining us in Fargo at the 2026 National Rural Grocery Summit!
The Rural Grocery Initiative was excited to co-host the 2026 Summit with two organizations that have a long history of supporting rural grocers in their states: the University of Minnesota Extension Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships (RSDP) and the North Dakota Association of Rural Electric Cooperatives (NDAREC).
Check out pictures from the 2026 Summit! Review presenter slides from the Summit sessions.
The National Rural Grocery Summit, hosted every other year, is the premier networking and resource-sharing venue for independent grocers and rural food access stakeholders. It brings together grocery store owners and managers, community leaders, food suppliers, academic researchers, healthy food access stakeholders, policy makers, and funders to connect and share lessons learned. The event is focused on sustaining locally-owned rural grocery stores and improving access to healthy food in rural communities. Plans for the 2028 National Rural Grocery Summit will be announced later in 2026.
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Summit Objectives
- Explore the connections between rural grocery operations and community prosperity
- Provide rural grocery store owners and rural grocery stakeholders the opportunity to network and learn from each other
- Highlight innovative models and strategies for strengthening healthy food retail in rural communities
- Chart a path for robust rural food systems that improve the health and well-being of rural communities
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