LIONBERRY was accepted into the NRGS (National Rural Grocery Summit) in Fargo North Dakota 

National Rural Grocery Summit. Holiday Inn – Fargo, ND.

May 5-7, 2026

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.