On October 19, the Spokane Conservation District
and the Washington State University Extension
will host the third annual Inland Northwest
Small Farms Conference. Farmers from across
Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho will
convene to explore the conference theme,
“Country Living with Purpose and Profitability.”
The aim of the conference is to organize area
farmers to take advantage of the burgeoning
local food market.
The city of Spokane is getting serious about
creating a vibrant food system as well. Along
with the Health District, the city is bringing
in food economist Ken Meter to do a study on the
current local food system and what the potential
impact of shifting more food dollars to locally
produced food. “Our goal is to have 10% of all
food dollars spent locally by 2020,” says City
Council President Ben Stuckart, “That would be
the equivalent of injecting nearly $250 million
dollars into the local economy.”
When thinking of local food, farmers markets,
co-ops and farm stands rightfully come to mind,
but there is tremendous opportunity for local
farmers and ranchers to collaborate with area
restaurants and institutions like universities.
“There are a lot of barriers for us when it
comes to buying local, but we are ready to sit
down with farmers and figure out how to overcome
these barriers. We want to invest in a local
food system,” says Dan Harris, head of Sodexo’s
Gonzaga Dining Services arm.
“Spokane is uniquely positioned to become a
national leader when it comes to local food
because of its large urban population and its
rich agricultural heritage,” said local producer
and food systems expert Beth Robinette, “Seattle
can’t come close to touching the resources we
have here.”
Pat Munts, Small Farms Coordinator at Spokane
Conservation District and WSU Extension,
believes the INW Small Farms Conference will
help local food producers increase their
productivity to meet the rising demand for local
food. An important facet of the conference is
the seminars that address how and when farmers
can communicate with buyers to form profitable
relationships, Munts said.
For more information and to register for the
Small Farms Conference, visit
www.sccd.org or
call the Spokane Conservation District at (509)
535-7274. |
