Food Hubs Creating Economic Opportunity

Food hubs – centers of aggregation, distribution and marketing of food from small and medium-sized farms – are growing across the country. And intial research from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) indicates that they're making an economic impact on their communities as well. We've got some food hubs right here in Appalachia: Appalachian Sustainable Development's Appalachian Harvest project in Southwest Virginia, and the Chesterhill Produce Auction in southeastern Ohio are two great examples. The good folks at the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition detail the results of the USDA's study in a blog post below. On April 19, at the Making Good Food Work Conference in Detroit, Michigan, Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan released the results of a nationwide analysis of food hubs.  Merrigan focused on the  economic opportunities of food hubs, an emerging set of business models to provide additional outlets for small and medium sized farmers and bring local food to more consumers in a region. “Food hub” is a general term that encompasses a variety of models.  Common features of food hubs are aggregation,  distribution, and marketing services for small and especially mid-sized farms.  The hub, for instance, may allow a farmer access to a broader market by packaging her product to the standards of a local grocery store, or may combine one farmer’s broccoli harvest with others in the area to fill a large order for a local institution. Food hubs can manifest as non-profits, retail outlets, buying clubs, or even online directories of...

Tune into Tonight’s Mountain Talk on WMMT: Energy in Appalachia...

ATI staff Kristin Tracz and Jason Bailey will be participating in tonight's Mountain Talk on WMMT (6-7pm) with hosts Sylvia Ryerson and Mimi Pickering, talking about energy issues in Appalachia and what our future options might look like.  We'd love to hear from you!  Call in with your questions or comments toll free .  You can listen online or by tuning into 88.7 FM in the WMMT service area.  WMMT is also in the middle of a pledge drive — so if you like what you hear, think about supporting our very own community radio resource. About Kristin TraczKristin Tracz served MACED’s Research and Policy team from 2009-2012 working on clean energy policy, energy efficiency programs and the Appalachian Transition Initiative. She joined MACED after finishing her Master of Environmental Management degree at the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies. She now lives and works in Washington,...

Farmers’ Markets Opening Across the Region

Along with blooming flowers, open windows and allergies comes another sign of Spring: Farmers' Markets. Across Central Appalachia, markets are opening up to offer fresh-grown produce, meat, eggs, herbs, flowers and a host of other items to their communities. Shopping at Farmers' Markets is a great way to support your local farmers, grow the local economy and build community. Studies have shown that 60% of folks who shop at Farmers' Markets also shop at other stores in the area, contributing $1 million and 43 full time jobs to the local economy in West Virginia alone in 2002 (before the explosion of the "buy local" movement). Another study showed that the average farmer makes around $11,000 a year just selling at Farmers' Markets. Plus you get the benefit of knowing exactly where your food comes from and meeting the person who feeds you and your family. Many markets are already opening or will be opening in the next couple of weeks. Check out the list below to find a market near you. In Eastern Kentucky:   Robinson Center Farmer’s Market, Jackson. May 1 –December 31. Tuesdays & Fridays, 8am – 6pm; Saturdays 8am – 2pm Estill County Farmers Market, Irvine. May 24-October 25. Tuesdays 3pm – 7pm; Fridays 8am – 1pm Senior Day:  Monday (2nd of each month) 10am – 2pm Jackson County Farmers’ Market, Tyner May 1 – November 15. Mondays & Thursdays, 3pm; Tuesdays, 11am London/Laurel CountyFarmers’ Market April 1-October 31.  Tuesdays, Thursdays & Saturdays, 7am. Morgan County...

Alliance for Appalachia: Economic Transition Call-in Series

by Colleen Unroe, KFTC The Alliance for Appalachia is hosting a New Economic Transition Call-in Series for citizens, activists, and experts alike, throughout the Central Appalachian Region. This quarterly call-in series will provide space for a regional conversation around key topics in the economic transition effort in the region. This collaboration is not intended to initially foster a regional strategy—but rather to share success stories and useful, replicable models for local economic transition, as well as to provide a place for those working on these efforts locally to trouble-shoot with one another. Our first call is scheduled for this Thursday, 1pm, April 21st. This call’s topic is Efficiency and Renewable Portfolio Standard: The North Carolina Example and a Dialogue with Central Appalachian States. Toll free call in info: 1-, 765402 The call will consist of a 20 minute case study from Ivan Urlab, Executive Director of NC Sustainable Energy Association, to be followed with 40 minutes of information and questions from those working on economic transition policy in Central Appalachia. We hope to host in informal dialogue, but please prepare with questions and updates relevant to the work happening in your area. In his presentation, Urlab will discuss lessons learned from the creation North Carolina’s Renewable and Efficiency Portfolio Standard.  The North Carolina experience can inform groups working on efficiency and renewable energy policy throughout the Central Appalachian states. For more information on the North Carolina law, visit the DSIRE website. Please contact Katey Lauer if you would like...

Appalachian South Folklife Center to Host Earth Day Festival 2011...

@ Appalachian South Folklife Center in Pipestem, West Virginia Admission is Free The Festival will feature musical performances, community art workshops, puppet theater, panel discussions, meals and more.  The event will be held rain or shine at the Folklife Center on Saturday April 23rd from 11am to 11pm. This is the 8th annual Earth day festival for LLyniuM entertainment, and the 6th in a cooperative effort with the Appalachian South Folklife Center. More on the festival is available on the Facebook event page.  Find out more about the Folklife Center at www.folklifecenter.org Click here for directions.  Questions? Call . SCHEDULE (click links for info. about each performance) 11 am- Bumblebuzz community art project begins  *details below* 12 pm – LUNCH 12:30 pm- "Bugs in Love" performance featuring Bumblebuzz workshop participants. 1 pm- Panel Discussion – "Creating Sustainable Communities" ** Details below** 2:30 pm-  Music Performances Begin:  Kathleen Coffee 3:30 pm-  600LBS of SIN! 4:45 pm-Option 22 6:00 pm- C.J. Mitchell 6:20 pm- Drum Circle! 6:45 pm- Albert Perrone 7:45 – Captain Lazertblast Band 8:45 pm- the Ions 9:30 pm- Shadow Puppet Theatre 9:45 pm- TBA **The panel discussion will include Wendy Johnston of Oakwyn Farms speaking about community supported agriculture, Robin Wilson of WV Citizen Action Group addressing energy efficiency, Jordan Freeman who will be showing a short clip of his new film "Low Coal," and others TBA. Coal River Mountain Watch and Mountain Justice Summer will have displays set up with information and opportunities for networking. More about...

Wendell Berry on Growing Appalachia’s Local Economies

At Saturday’s Growing Appalachia workshop in Prestonsburg, KFTC member, National Humanities Medal recipient and native Kentuckian Wendell Berry facilitated a conversation about both the importance of and the challenges inherent to growing strong local economies.  Berry recognized his ‘outsider’ role in the Appalachian context – Berry is a native of Henry County, KY – but stressed that he too is connected to the region, ecologically in the form of shared water resources and economically in the form of the interdependent economic system currently in place. In speaking of bolstering local economies, Berry noted that the will and the way have to come from internal desires: “It has to come from the people here, because they love here.”  Outsiders telling people in Appalachia what to do for eons.  Berry’s message reinforced that a local economy is one that serves the needs of the local people – as opposed to an imposed economy, which most of Appalachia has had for at least the last century, that serves the needs or in many cases the wants of outsiders.  This, according to Berry’s narrative, has resulted in a system where Appalachia has paid the costs without enjoying proportional benefits. In looking forward then, to a more just and sustainable Appalachian economy choices must be available to those participating in a local economy.  Berry quoted the West Virginia heroine Judy Bonds as saying economic choices means allowing people opportunities “to where they don’t have to destroy their own homes to live here.” Strong, vibrant...

The Importance of Heirloom Seeds

As we work to build a local food economy in central Appalachia, our unique food heritage should be a key feature. On Monday, the Lexington Herald-Leader published an editorial from Bill Best, a farmer from Berea, KY and a preserver of heirloom vegetables. Best took exception to an article from the New York Times which cast heirlooms as an outdated marketing ploy. The editorial, posted below, details some of the wonderful varieties of tomatoes and beans that have been cultivated in Kentucky for generations. We talk about the importance of local knowledge when building our economies; heirloom varieties are just one example of that knowledge. Pole beans "born and raised" in Appalachia are more likely to thrive here than a variety cultivated in California or Iowa because it's already attuned to the soil, the climate and the weather. (Not to mention that heirlooms sell for a premium at grocery stores and Farmers' Markets!) In the New York Times article, the CEO of Burpee (a large seed company) says, "Heirlooms were varieties that were so unsuccessful that they wouldn't be sold today." Perhaps they're unsuccessful at being grown anywhere in the country, but Bill Best counters that by citing several heirlooms that have been thriving here for decades. Whether or not you prefer the taste of heirloom varieties, they are important parts of our past and should be important parts of building our future. Food is integral in most cultures, whether it's tamales, gumbo, or a simmering pot of soup...

Growing Appalachia: DIY Transition Stories

This Saturday, 100 people gathered at Jenny Wiley State Park in Floyd County to share ideas and skills for small-scale farming, forestry and saving energy.  The event, dubbed Growing Appalachia and organized by Kentuckians for the Commonwealth, was a follow up to a similarly successful gathering last year. The workshop featured local experts sharing their experiences with reducing costs and earning income by carrying out ‘do it yourself’ solutions – some called these practices a core part of living sustainably, others acknowledged these ideas build upon the ways our predecessors used to do things, drawing on generations of common sense. Among the attendees on Saturday was a couple, Elijah and Guylaine Collett, recently profiled in a story in the Herald Leader.  The Colletts have grabbed hold of transition ideas in a very real way.  Over the last ten years, the Collets have installed an array of 51 panels on the hill above their Leslie County mobile home.  When asked who the installer was on this long project, Guylaine proudly proclaimed that she did it herself—with the help of her electrical contractor husband. The Colletts have reduced their monthly power bills to a number that mirrors their solar panel array — $51 this past month.  This low bill stands in stark contrast to the stories of sky high bills for neighbors over this past, unusually cold winter.  According to the Collets, neighbors are paying between $300-$600 a month for their power.  Living on a tight, fixed income – primarily from...