Forum on Economic Opportunities for Farmers & Rural Communities in Locally Grown Foods Jan. 29 in Marshall
CONTACT: Tom Taylor, LSP, 320-269-2105
1/21/08
MASHALL, Minn. — A special Land Stewardship Project forum on how locally grown foods can produce economic opportunities in the region will be held Tuesday, Jan. 29, at Wesley United Methodist Church, 202 N. Fourth Street, in Marshall. The forum, “Growing the Opportunity for Profit for Farmers, Main Street Businesses and Institutions,” will feature an innovative nursing home food service director, as well as a local restaurant owner and two farmers from the region. A light supper will be served at 6:30 p.m., with presentations and discussions from 7 p.m. to 9. The meeting is free and open to the public. A freewill donation will be taken for supper. Please reserve a spot for supper by calling the Land Stewardship Project (LSP) office in Montevideo at 320-269-2105, or e-mailing Tom Taylor at ttaylor@landstewardshipproject.org.
With the rise in interest in local foods, increased costs of transporting food and concerns about where our food is coming from, demand for locally grown food is beginning to outstrip supply, said Terry VanDerPol, LSP’s Community Based Food Systems Program Director.
“Interest in local, sustainably grown food continues to increase and that represents opportunities for farmers to develop new, local markets for their products. It also means opportunities for main street businesses and for institutions like nursing homes to distinguish themselves,” said VanDerPol. “This forum will offer farmers, restaurateurs and institutions valuable insights into how locally grown foods can be an economic plus for the area.”
The workshop will include presentations by Jacob Limmer of Cottonwood Coffee and Cottonwood Bistro in Brookings, S. Dak., as well as Kay and Annette Fernholz from Earthrise Farm in Madison, Minn. Also presenting will be Robin Gaines, Food Service Manager for Bartels Lutheran Retirement Community in Waverly, Iowa. Gaines is passionate about high quality food in her nursing home cafeteria and she sources products locally whenever she can.
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