The Little Lake Grange hosted a workshop related to local food producers. A diverse group assembled to discuss issues including: Access to Markets for Farmers and Ranchers, Long Term Possibilities for Connecting Local Agriculture and the Community, and Production Diversity for Food Security. Two volunteers took notes and recorded responses to topic headings. The discussions and these notes are in the process of being sorted and typed into a useful form. When I receive my copy of the notes I will post it.

Farmers and community members arranged chairs into a circle, introduced themselves and then participated in and listened to discussions about key topics. As people shared their perspective new points were mentioned and much common ground was found. This session brought people together in a context of cooperation that was intended to improve the connectivity of the agricultural oriented sectors of the community and to potentially expand market penetration of locally grown produce. Many communities have a Grange and it serves as an excellent meeting place to facilitate such meetings. What might happen if these sorts of conversations were taken up in your community?

I want to share note worthy aspects of this meeting:

-Farmers talked about integrating farms together: (ex. A neighboring farmer grows hay to fuel the horses that pull the plow on another farm. In turn that farm produces vegetables and grain.)

-An interesting point made about the changing demands of the consumer. With all the negative reports of chemical herbicides, pesticides, and fertilizers some people are demanding more nutritious, organic food. The consumer demand for organic is a change because usually farmers are in a position to struggle to sell their produce. This is an example where the market is consumer driven vs. farm driven. Organic and “beyond organic” farmers may find themselves in a good position to meet local demand and grow their food in a way that is wholesome for the body and the planet.

-Participants voiced a unanimous call for a reconnection of the public to locally grown food. This education would illustrate best practices and how organic food need not be trucked 1500 miles to reach the consumer. Consumers need to know about local sources of food in their own community. Steve Decater, from Live Power Community Farm located in Covelo, provides CSA boxes for subscribers. However, most of his produce goes south to San Francisco. This is a long distance and is becoming increasingly expensive over time. Perhaps if more people had information about the benefits of local agriculture and produce then Steve might sell the majority of his produce locally.

-There was a discussion related to gaps in the Willits food system. The gaps included: Dairy, Stone Fruit, Grains, Nuts, Quantity of Local Vegetables, Dry Beans, and Vegetable Oil. In relation to grain, there is also a lack of silos that could store the grain, small scale threshers, and seed cleaners. Grain and dairy stood out as significant gaps in the Willits food system.

-When the topic of growing biofuel to meet petroleum demands was mentioned the farmers seemed resistant and hesitant. It was then mentioned that the biofuel would be used to power on-farm machinery, not necessarily for export to the transportation infrastructure. Farmers were more open to growing small portions of biofuel that would not compete with their food production if it could be applied for on-farm use. On the other hand, farmers were very open to using solar power to drive their irrigation systems. Additionally, each farmer seemed very excited about the possibility of having an energy audit performed on their farm to see where they might reduce their dependence on petroleum. They said someone else would have to do it because they didn’t have the time.