Earthblog

On Wednesday, March 2^nd, local food groups and producers gathered with community members in The Bean Cycle Coffee Shop and Matter Bookstore for the third annual Food Town Hall Meeting.  About 80 people came to discuss the food system of Northern Colorado.  A panel that included Maureen McNamara, the Growing Project, Native Hill Farm and Real Food Colorado were available to answer questions throughout the night.  The conclusion of the evening seemed to be that there is a local food movement and it’s strong, but there is still plenty of room for improvement and collaboration.  The following is a list of the groups in attendance, what they talked about, and how to contact them.  If we forgot anyone, please leave your info in the comment section.

Panelists:

Maureen McNamara presented her thesis on the economic viability of a local food system.  She concluded that individual consumer action was not enough.  In order to be sustainable, local food producers need to bring in more money.  Collaborative efforts between producers are also necessary and action is required by public to change policies that are harmful to small farmers. She can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Megan Phillips spoke about the Growing Project, a group dedicated to food justice and sovereignty that works to provide people with access to healthy, local food.  They have helped organizations and schools install gardens and also provide emergency assistance to local food producers that need to move their produce.  They are still looking for a home base, tools and an accountant or CPA.  You can find out more at http://groprofoco.wordpress.com/.

Karen McManus with the Larimer County Food Bank said they are always looking for donations.  She also talked about Real Food Colorado, a Farm to School program connecting local farms with school districts.  Their website is www.realfoodcolorado.com.

Nick Koontz and Katie Slota of Native Hill Farm discussed the struggles of being a small farm and how more collaboration between producers is needed.  They still have CSAs available through their website at www.nativehillfarm.com.

Other groups in attendance:

Heather Manier from Wolverine Farm Publishing talked about their newest publication, a community newspaper called MatterHorn, coming out soon.  The headline article is about the Poudre School District food system.   Check MatterDaily.org for updates on that and other events.

Anne Genson from HomeGrown is working to provide fresh produce for low income families by providing free weekly Farmer’s Markets in local neighborhoods.  She is looking for people to plant an extra row in their gardens for this cause and deliver food as needed.  You can contact her at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Cindy Roberts from Be Local Northern Colorado discussed their upcoming food and farm guide, a rendition of which can be found soon in the MatterHorn.  It will also be available in the Redirect Guide and various other publications.   On May 23^rd, they will host a dinner with featured speaker Gary Paul Nabhan and they also mentioned that Transition Colorado in Boulder is conducting a food localization study with Michael Shuman.  Find out more about this nonprofit at http://www.belocalnc.org/.

Linda Hoffman from Larimer County Planning came to drum up excitement for the conclusion of the Northern Colorado Regional Food System.  Look for the final report soon at http://www.co.larimer.co.us/foodassessment/.

Northern Colorado Green Menu was present to introduce their website www.ncgreenmenu.com.  They aim to connect consumers to sustainable prepared foods.

Elizabeth Mozer talked about her efforts to start up Loco Food Distribution which will provide grocery stores and restaurants in the region with local food.  You can contact her at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Lisa Cunningham, a Poudre School District parent and volunteer for a district-wide wellness advisory council talked about their efforts to change what food is offered in the school cafeteria.  She is applying for a grant to start up a Culinary Book Camp for cafeteria workers that would teach them how to cook fresh foods.

Bailey Stenson of Happy Heart Farm is looking to create sponsorships with other businesses to help support their Feeding the Families program, which has a goal of feeding 30 families this year.  Find out more about it at http://happyheartfarmcsa.com/content/9529.

Also mentioned:

MarketMaker, a website that connects producers and consumers through an interactive mapping system and searchable database.  Find it here: http://co.marketmaker.uiuc.edu/.

City Council elections are April 5^th.

Colorado State University’s Boulder County Extension offers a program called Colorado Building Farmers.  It helps new farmers through classes and experiential learning.