Developing Local Foods

While at the 2008 Midwest Value Added Agriculture Conference and Wisconsin Local Food Summit, it came to my attention how woefully behind the times most of Minnesota is in the re-development of a strong locally produced food system. I say re-development because none of this is new or cutting edge. We are simply returning to food production patterns similar to those that would be familiar to my grandparents. As transportation fuels continue to factor more and more into the price of food, the produce shipped from opposite sides of the world will become less and less competitive with locally produced foods. It is this gap in the food supply we intend to fill.

Organizations such as Growing Power, and Grow Urban have brought the profitability and educational experience of urban agriculture to several cities throughout the Midwest. Their efforts have re-connected urban residents with their food supply, teaching an appreciation for the work involved in producing fresh and nutrient dense foods.

Greenleaf Market is connecting Farmers with institutional purchasers such as grocery stores and Restaurants in their area, and REAP Food Group is educating, conducting research on local food production as well as doing public policy advocacy on sustainable food systems. These are just a few of the organizations I became acquainted with last week, which brings me to my point- What is Minnesota doing in this area? While there are many quality organizations in Minnesota doing this work, the over all public awareness seems to be tragically lacking especially in the out state regions outside of the Twin Cities Metro area. We hope to remedy this situation soon, if you are interested in helping, please Contact us.