New Farms & Farmers

New Farms & Farmers

Present Summit Session 2: Kenny King, Paul Raney, Cathy Ward, Sam Parise, Michael Vestergaard, Rich Wieske, Bev Ruesinke, Chris Wright, Tomm Becker, Anne Elder, Paul Bantle, Amy Heath, Jess Harmon, Matt Demmon, Dan Calderone, Kirk Jones, Matthew McDermott, Anna Williams, Daniel Poon, Kirsten Maurey, Hainal Minger, TW Pellerito

Overall goal: Put Culture back in Agriculture

Supply goals:
• Increase supply to reach 10%
• New/small farm produce in retailers
• 10 acres of production to feed the hungry in A2
• 10 new farms/farmers per year
• The county should have many times more small farms producing things other than corn and soy. Vegetables, fruit, honey, meat, dairy, eggs.
• Increase accessibility of local food: more small farms

Education goals: Farmers
• Define local (absolute definition? Relative definition?)
• All young people that want to work on a farm find one
• Teaching environment on site to empower learning farmers
• Community garden education and promotion
• Have a way for new/interested farmers to learn/get started (farm incubator
• Educate farmers in systems and efficiency, business
• Turn interns/farm hands into FARMERS

Education goals: Consumers
• Help teach people what to do with the produce (how the heck to cook it)
• Teach importance of healthy agriculture (not just local)
• Make direct link between quality of food and individual health
• Show eaters farms and amount of labor required related to food cost

Distribution goals
• Local food distributor – smaller scale
• All community supported farms sell all their shares (including new starts)
• Incentives for grocery stores to stock truly local brands

Policy goals
• Get government to pay $100 per acre for local farmers NOT CORN
• Look at prospectus of A2 city planning Commission
• Taxation re-evaluation
• Less regulation and barriers for small farmers, especially meat, dairy, and value-added foods.

Resource goals
• Land for new small farms – obtain property lease/purchase
• Grants for organic certification, hoophouses
• Access to capital
• Access to business and financial information related to starting a farm
• Money for urban farming/small scale farming at local shelters like SAFEHOUSE either for sale to help with funding
• Group insurance for farmers.
• Organize farmers
• Get connected to like-minded individuals