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St. Croix River Valley Buy Fresh Buy Local Events
 Reconnecting Food Systems to Ecosystems
In August 2009, National Park Service staff for the St. Croix National Scenic River took a special exhibit to each of the farmers' markets that are partners in the St. Croix River Valley Buy Fresh Buy Local chapter. One of the goals of the St. Croix Buy Fresh Buy Local chapter is to educate the community about protecting the ecological and scenic resources of the St. Croix River Valley through good land use decisions and the stewardship of farms that produce vegetables, fruit, meat and dairy products. The National Park Service educates the public about the forests and wildlife along this unique riverway and promotes responsible use of its recreational resources.
For more information, contact:
Dale Cox, Park Ranger, National Park Service
St. Croix Riverway
Phone: 715-483-2272
E-mail: Dale_Cox@nps.gov
Website: www.Nps.gov/sacn/
or
Dana Jackson,
Coordinator, St. Croix River Valley Buy Fresh Buy Local
Land Stewardship Project
Phone: 612-722-6377
E-mail: danaj@landstewardshipproject.org
Website: www.landstewardshipproject.org/bfbl/
 Dine Fresh Dine Local 2009
The second St. Croix River Valley "Dine Fresh Dine Local" event was held Sept. 10-11, 2009, with 22 restaurants participating. This year's culinary celebration of local foods was centered in two areas of the St. Croix Valley: Stillwater/Hudson and Taylors Falls/St. Croix Falls. Participating restaurants featured menu items sourced from growers and processors in the St. Croix Valley. To read an article on the event in the Autumn 2009 edition of the Land Stewardship Letter (pages 22-23) click here. More information is also available on the Dine Fresh Dine Local web page.
Growing the Business of Local Foods in the St. Croix Valley
On November 12, 2009, the St. Croix River Valley chapter of Buy Fresh Buy Local, the River Market Community Co-op and Minnesota Food Association hosted two workshops in Stillwater, Minn., about growing the business of local foods. The workshops were attended by 46 farmers, institutional food service directors, chefs and restaurateurs, as well as 12 staff from sponsoring organizations.
The morning workshop provided farmers with specific information about marketing to restaurants, wholesale buyers and institutions. Joci Tilsen, the marketing representative from Big River Foods, Trista Boe, River Market Produce buyer, and Rhys Williams, Produce Buyer for the Co-op Partners Warehouse, described how best to approach potential buyers and explained some of the issues related to handling, pricing and deliveries. In small group discussions following the presentations, participants talked about obstacles and successes in marketing that they had experienced.
Buyers joined growers for the afternoon "Farm to Table workshop," which featured a presentation by Alex Roberts, executive chef and proprietor of Restaurant Alma and Brasa Premium Rotisserie. Roberts regularly uses seasonal ingredients from local and regional suppliers. Growers and buyers had an opportunity at the end of the workshop to meet individually and explore potential business relationships.
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