Local Food Systems Team -- WebEx Meeting NOTES from Thursday, November 19, 2009

Colleagues:
Thanks so much for giving your time to our WebEx meeting. As mentioned, I am extraordinarily thankful for your interest and participation. By coming together, we’re already sharing new ideas and helping each other make increased impacts to Ohio’s citizens and economy.  Brief sharing/meeting notes are at the end of this note. But more importantly, we’ve outlined the agenda for our 12/17 WebEx (immediately below). Please review these and comment. (I’ll send call instructions for the 12/17 meeting in December.)

Have a great Thanksgiving holiday!
My best regards,
Brian

Next Meeting and Process:
WebEx on Thursday, Dec. 17 at 9 a.m. For this meeting, please send updates (exciting happenings in your local foods programming efforts) to the http://localfoodsystems.org list PRIOR TO our call. That way, we can budget our “live call” time to focus on our team’s next steps / strategy plan.

DRAFT AGENDA:  Thursday, December 17, 2009 from 9:00 – 10:30 a.m.
-Local Food Systems proposals (update from EERA’s/admin.)
-Local Food Systems NEXT STEPS:   Our NEXT STEPS revolve around framing the key local foods question. We need to highlight the importance of local foods as a driver in economic development, community revitalization, and residents' health: (OSUE Strategic Plan focus areas!).  Some key questions emerge: 

How do we envision OSU Extension’s outreach (teaching, facilitating, acting) to help local food systems take shape and become sustainable? Specifically, how do we:
   - build local community capacity to develop local food systems?
   - help people move from ideas to real businesses?
   - integrate links in the value chain?
   - build educational programs that feature student engagement in communities, education in the integrative nature of the local food system and allied businesses, and entrepreneurship in pursuing jobs, businesses, and networks.
   - ensure that we deliberately learn and report out about our learning?

MEETING NOTES/Sharing updates on local food programming/research from 11/19/09:
Brian: The EERA funding ($25,000 per area) saw 5 of 9 proposals centered on local foods. Ken Martin has asked the groups to work together to prevent overlap and coordinate efforts. Also, the UMAT (Ext. urban focused team) will meet via WebEx on 12/7 at 9 a.m.

Hal: planning new food safety seminars (Ohio Produce Growers Marketing Assn.)

Christie: survey to farm market managers (this week); please send any names of new folks (market mgrs) to Christie.

Ross: working on big picture template for what local foods curriculum might look like (Columbus/Cuyahoga)

Stan: food distribution research society; working w/ G. Davis on how to do a better econ. Analysis of farm markets’ impact; truck patch connections with local Amish farmers; OEFFA new project w/ students researching conversions to organic.

Julie: National Market Maker; Retail Ready helping move from farm market to sell to restaurants, groceries.  New marketing cooperative project to help growers team up to sell in aggregate.

Jeff:  SRI; Modular workshops for next year: programming for residents/interested in local foods history, background, food policy

Jill: new survey on distribution study; aim to get more local foods to Ohioans. Also looking at food deserts in rural Ohio

Dan: did serve safe… now talking about how to buy more locally (restaurant owners, etc.)

Chet: mentioned Ben Steiner Summit; year round local food workshop (maybe Spring). How can we create a sustainable system?
Casey: Fund for Economic Future (NE Ohio); how can Ext. help move good ideas to the market

Julia:  MRDD ties/links to Red Wiggler Community Farm

Steve: this effort can center on rebuilding local economies; local foods can be a key component.

Opportunities for OSU Ext outreach:  New and small farm college (needs some modification for some audiences around local foods); Ag opportunities program

Notes submitted by Brian Raison, raison.1@osu.edu  
Please send any ideas/comments/corrections!

Attending:
 
Amanda Block
Chester Bowling
Beth Bridgeman
Pat Brinkman
Jill Clark
Denise Ellsworth
Stan Ernst
Julie Fox
Casey Hoy
Ross MacDonald
Jeff McCutcheon
Brian Raison
Dan Remley
Jeff Sharp
Susan Shockey
Tim Tanner
Christie Welch
Maureen Austin
Steve Bosserman
David Crawford
Morgan Taggart
Hal Kneen
Mark Mechling
Sharon Strouse
Julia Barton

______________________________________
Brian Raison, Director, Miami County
Community Development Educator
Ohio State University Extension
201 West Main Street – Troy, OH 45373
Phone: (937) 440-3945 – Fax: (937) 440-3551
Mobile: (937) 510-1423