Healing From the Ground Up: Iowa Summit Recap | 2026

Written by Kelly Bloedorn, MS (Communications & Administrative Manager, Basil’s Harvest)

Last week, roughly 80 professionals and leaders from the food, farm, and healthcare sectors gathered in Cedar Falls to participate in the Iowa edition of Healing from the Ground Up™, hosted by University of Northern Iowa’s Center for Energy & Environmental Education (UNI-CEEE) and the Iowa Food System Coalition. This 1.5-day multidisciplinary summit, inspired by Basil’s Harvest’s inaugural Healing from the Ground Up Summit in Illinois (March 2025), created the space for collaborative discussion, visioning, and action planning between sectors to inspire food systems transformation. Voices in the room consisted of farmers, RDs and nutritionists, practitioners, public health professionals, environmental stewards, and officials running for office.

DAY 1

On day one, participants observed three separate expert-led panels – Soil is Health, Food is Health, and Food Systems is Health – each evaluating health from a unique perspective. Panelists brought their own experiences to the table, creating valuable context for the discussions to come.

PANELISTS:

• SOIL IS HEALTH

  • Elizabeth Rieke, PhD, Soil Health Institute, Soil Microbiome Scientist

  • Seth Watkins, Farmer, Pinhook Farm

  • Shaffer Ridgeway, Farmer & District Conservationist with NRCS 

• FOOD IS HEALTH

  • Jenn Arndt, RD, Roots Nutrition Counseling (Mason City, IA)

  • Violet Hunter, MD, Cedar Valley Functional Medicine 

  • Jami Haberl, MPH, MHA, Executive Director for Iowa Healthiest State Initiative

• FOOD SYSTEMS IS HEALTH

  • Sarah Green, Iowa Environmental Council 

  • Corbin Scholz, Farm Director at Seed Savers Exchange

  • Jordan Scheibel, Grinnell Farm to Table

This set the stage for a compelling conversation with all panelists about what a healthier and more resilient food system in Iowa might look like, along with potential ways we can work together to make it a reality. Participants were then asked to reflect on the discussions from the day, and chat with others at their table to create a long-term vision for Iowa’s food system.

DAY 2

Based on the themes from the conversations and visioning session on day one, key topics were identified to drive discussions on day two. Participants each chose a key topic and groups worked together to identify outcomes and actionable steps. Key topics included:

1. Regenerative Agriculture & Ecological Restoration

2. Farmer Well-Being and Viable, Diversified Farm Businesses

3. Community Health, Connection, and Food Sovereignty

4. Policies, Infrastructure, and Partnerships

5. Preventative Healthcare through Food as Medicine

Energizing conversations could be heard throughout the entire event – during visioning sessions, outcome and action planning, and over the shared meals that featured some of the delicious local food Iowa has to offer. Attendees left feeling excited to act, with immediate goals that included calling local legislators, sharing relevant resources with their networks, imagining regenerative food festivals across Iowa, or simply talking more with other sectors about regenerative food systems. When Iowan professionals and leaders come together to talk about Healing from the Ground Up™, they’re not only illustrating Iowa’s hunger for food system transformation, they’re contributing to a framework for action across the state.

Thank you to SARE and Midwest Dairy for graciously supporting this event.