By: Vern Grubinger, Billy Mitchell, and LFSC editor After three years, the SCRUB project – formally known as Sanitization and Cleaning Resources for your Business – project has wrapped up. The project, funded by a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) Food Safety Outreach Program (FSOP) grant, was … Read More
By: Billy Mitchell, edited by Hayley Wood The International Association for Food Protection, a member-based association of more than 4,500 food safety professionals, hosted its annual meeting this past July in Toronto. The conference is a chance for food safety professionals, students, industry members, and enthusiasts to immerse themselves in current food safety issues and information. … Read More
By: Billy Mitchell and Kathryn Kavanagh “Being outside and working with my hands – it’s the best thing.” The first year working on a farm is always going to be hard, but Katherine – a farmer who just wrapped up her first season – shared during a recent farmers market that, despite all the hard … Read More
By: Billy Mitchell If you think about small-scale farming, you may think of tiny plots in large cities, like the half acre farms of Seattle, Houston, Chicago, or Atlanta. Perhaps you picture the small farms in peri-urban areas that help supply big city farmers’ markets —farms that exist close enough to the city to access … Read More
Photo acquired from Deposit Photos, Photo ID #47064127. By: Billy Mitchell Sometimes, two great things go together incredibly well. Like Dolly Parton and roller coasters, puffins and rocky shorelines, or Wall Drug and homemade doughnuts. Personally, I find the duo of Good Agricultural Practices and Nicolas Cage movies to be a perfect fit. When … Read More
By: Billy Mitchell; edited by Hayley Wood Justin “MasterPeace” Nickelson is an Atlanta based farmer, educator, and drummer who currently works as the AgLanta Grown Local Foods Promotion Program Coordinator for the city of Atlanta’s Department of City Planning Office of Housing and Community Development. The AgLanta Grown program works to meet the City of … Read More
By: Billy Mitchell and Hayley Wood Patty, the founder of Bed Head Plant Nursery, is a first generation nursery and medicinal herb grower. When asked to define her her role in the farming community, she focuses first on the connecting before the growing. “First and foremost,” she said, “I feel like a connector. I feel … Read More
By: Billy Mitchell and Kathryn Kavanagh As spring turns to summer in 2023, we wanted to reflect back on a conversation we had with farmer market farmers on the first day in 2022 at the Wednesday night farmers market at Creature Comforts Brewery in Athens, GA. With psychedelic music wafting through the air – this … Read More
By: Billy Mitchell and Hayley Wood Maria and Michael of Code of Return (COR) Compost turn food scraps from businesses and homes into compost that feed the soils of the local farms that in turn feed their communities. On a peaceful afternoon out at their operation, Maria looked out over a beautiful pile of composted … Read More
By Kathryn Kavanagh, Food Safety Project Coordinator Since 1915, Iowa Farmers Union (IFU) members have worked together to strengthen Iowa independent family farms through education, legislation, and cooperation by supporting sustainable production, safe food, a clean environment, and healthy communities. Among the grassroots producers and advocates is Christina Dexter, Communications and Outreach Director at IFU. … Read More
By Kathryn Kavanagh A global pandemic, fragile supply chains, and rising food prices may sound all doom and gloom, but they’ve also sparked a new wave of interest in local food, with small-scale growers and processors busier than ever growing and providing food for their communities. Food safety is a top priority, as integrating best … Read More
By: Kathryn Kavanagh, Food Safety Project Coordinator Minnesota Farmers Union (MFU) works to protect and enhance the economic interests and quality of life of family farmers, ranchers, and rural residents, incorporating legislative advocacy, education, and cooperation into all they do. Their work ranges from programs like Minnesota Foodshed, Minnesota Cooks, and youth summer camps all … Read More
By: Katherine Olvera, NFU Intern How do you learn best? Some of us turn to workshops hosted by experts where we can see things firsthand and ask questions. Others like to do some learning from the comfort of our own home (or farm!), turning to online resources. As the Local Food Safety Collaborative (LFSC), a … Read More
By: Billy Mitchell Totes, fish baskets, buckets, RPCs, and more – harvest bins on a farm go by many names. At the Texas Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association conference, TOFGA for short, farmers Lorig of Middle Ground Farm and Finnegan of Steelbow Farm presented about the bins they love, how and why they use them, … Read More
By: Billy Mitchell & Tricia Wancko Y’all, it is cold outside. Sure, colder in some places than others—how Montana Farmers Union members survive the winter without their eyebrows freezing off, I’ll never know—but we’re all feeling the chill of winter and looking for some warmth and coziness. If you’re like us, nothing gives you the … Read More
By: Billy Mitchell Soil gives us so much. It feeds us physically by providing incredible local food to eat. It feeds us emotionally as a medium for beautiful flowers that are feasts for our eyes and hearts. It even feeds us spiritually, giving us soft grass to picnic on with loved ones and trees perfect … Read More
By: Billy Mitchell and Tricia Wancko Although miles apart, the East and West coasts of the US share a lot of things like beautiful views and amazing wildlife. Another thing they share? Both coasts have communities of small-scale growers who care about improving their food safety and food quality practices. Over the past few weeks, … Read More
By: Billy Mitchell & Tricia Wancko Montana Farmers Union took root in their state as homesteaders—a classic way to say local food producers—who discovered the necessity of working collaboratively to create a regional and sustainable food system. With a similar purpose, the Mission Mountain Food Enterprise Center (MMFEC) works to grow Montana’s local food economy … Read More
This Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15 – October 15), the Local Food Safety Collaborative and National Farmers Union want to honor the contributions of Hispanic, Latino, and Latinx farmers and farmworkers across the nation. Key to the success of the agriculture and food industry in the U.S., members of this community work hard to ensure … Read More
By: Billy Mitchell & Tricia Wancko When thinking of Detroit, most people have images of an industrial area focused on auto production alongside a soundtrack of Motown songs and KISS running through their heads. A lesser-known—but just as vibrant and important part of Detroit’s history—is its connection to agriculture. Since 1841, Detroit has hosted one … Read More
By Billy Mitchell & Tricia Wancko Missouri Farmers Union (MOFU) works to protect and enhance the economic well-being and quality of life of agricultural producers—whether they are long-established or new to their agricultural journey—and provides a home for those producers who are committed to conserving their state’s natural bounty. As part of that work, MOFU … Read More
By Billy Mitchell, NFU Food Safety Training Coordinator Lowering produce safety risks. Growing great food. Building community. Growers and service providers have a long list of top priorities. The voluntary Community Accreditation for Produce Safety (CAPS) program of the Vermont Vegetable and Berry Growers’ Association—with operation coordinated by University of Vermont (UVM) Extension—aims to help growers adopt … Read More
By Billy Mitchell, NFU Food Safety Training Coordinator “Representation matters.” “Meaningful collaboration.” These simple yet powerful sentiments were shared by Armitra Jackson-Davis (Alabama A&M University) and Kranti Yemmireddy (University of Texas Rio Grande Valley) during the International Association for Food Protection’s conference session, “If You Want to Go Fast, Go Alone; But If You Want … Read More
By Billy Mitchell, NFU Food Safety Training Coordinator, & Tricia Wancko, NFU Food Safety Grant Coordinator A visit to the Gullah Farmers Cooperative processing, packing, and distribution facility on St. Helena Island, South Carolina, fills you with the same sense of promise as a freshly tilled field in spring—all the pieces are in place and … Read More
By Billy Mitchell, NFU Food Safety Training Coordinator, & Tricia Wancko, NFU Food Safety Grant Coordinator “I’m really passionate about helping to make the local food movement in Alabama successful, and I feel like that is only going to happen if we are extremely creative and cooperative,” explained Farm Food Collaborative Co-Manager Carey Martin-Lane at … Read More