National Rural Grocery Summit, Fargo, ND

The Rural Grocery Initiative is 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).

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.

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Key Information
The 2026 National Rural Grocery Summit will be held at the Holiday Inn – Fargo in Fargo, ND.
Opportunities to present will be launched in Summer 2025.
This event is not possible without sponsorship. Reach out to rgi@ksu.edu for more details on sponsorship.
Registration will open early 2026.

Summit Objectives
Explore the connections between rural grocery operations and community vitality
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

For more info on attendance cost, travel, and more: Rural Grocery Summit 2026