KC Food Circle's ANNUAL EXPO 2013 - and - FARM BILL UPDATE from NSAC
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KCFC’s 15th Annual Exhibition of Farmers 2013
Hungry for the green of spring? Kick off the farmers market season at the KC Food Circle’s Annual Eat Local (& Organic!) Expos – at the Shawnee Civic Center on March 30 and the Penn Valley Community College Gym on April 6. Meet and buy direct from local, organic, and free-range farmers and vendors. Snatch up early seedlings, fresh greens, free-range meat and eggs and get our free Directory of local, organic, and free range producers. You can also get info on farmers market and CSAs.
This year we are offering two free workshops:
- ”Real Food Your Kids Will Love” by local cookbook author, Beth Bader,
and - ”Small Scale Aquaponics” by Urban Harvest KC.
NOTE: Some farmers can accept credit cards and checks, but cash is preferred. There are several ATM’s just south of the Civic Centre on Shawnee Mission Parkway, and also just east of MCC Penn Valley on Main Street.
Admission and parking are FREE to the public. Families are welcome!
RAIN, SNOW or SHINE, these EXPOs will be FINE!
Two Saturdays...
March 30,
2013 * (9:00 am – 2:00 pm)
- in Shawnee, Kansas
Shawnee Civic Centre
13817 Johnson Drive
Shawnee, KS 66216
April 6,
2013 * (9:30 am – 2:30 pm)
- in Kansas City, MO
MCC Penn Valley -Gymnasium
3201 SW Trafficway
Kansas City, MO 64111
(between SW Trafficway and Broadway)
Can you put up a few flyers to help us spread the word?
Email Je...@kcfoodcircle.org and see LINKS TO OUR FLYERS and PRESS RELEASE, below.
There are a variety of volunteer opportunities available both before and during the Expos.
Email Je...@kcfoodcircle.org for details.
Would you or your company like to help sponsor the Expos?
Contact em...@kcfoodcircle.org to explore the benefits of sponsorship.
Help us spread the word in Facebook!
http://www.facebook.com/KCFoodCircle/events
Click below for printable/sharable .PDF files.
Tell your friends, tell your neighbors, tell your neighbors friends!
Our OFFICIAL KCFC 2013 EXPO Press Release
Full Page 2013 KCFC Expo Flyer (2mb .PDF)
or
Half-Page 2013 Expo Flyer (two per page) Flyer (2mb .PDF)
A huge Thank You! to our 2013 sponsors!
Services Provided by:
And of course, thanks to all of our members - both consumers and producers - without whom none of this would be possible.
FARM BILL UPDATE from NSAC
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For Immediate Release (see more at www.SustainableAgriculture.net) March 5, 2013 Contact: Sarah Hackney Photographs available; full list of participating farmers and ranchers available upon request Farmers Speak Out On 2013 Farm Bill and Stranded Sustainable Agriculture Programs Washington, DC – This week over 60 independent family farmers and ranchers from 24 states met with their legislators in Washington to share their stories and urge Congress to restore funding for critical sustainable agriculture programs and pass a farm bill that advances the sustainability of agriculture, rural communities, food systems, and natural resources. Faced with an expiring farm bill last year, Congress on New Year’s Eve passed a short-term measure that extends parts of the bill through September 2013 – but this last-minute extension left dozens of critical sustainable agriculture programs stranded without funding. Congress has the opportunity to fix this situation this spring through the Continuing Resolution, and farmers nationwide are urging them to take action. Mac Stone of Elmwood Stock Farm in Georgetown, KY, is among those farmers making the trip to Washington. Stone has been farming for over 30 years and currently produces certified organic beef, poultry, lamb, eggs, and produce on over 300 acres of sustainably managed land. He is speaking with legislators about the value of conservation and sustainable agriculture programs both for his farm’s success and for other farmers in Kentucky and around the nation. Stone says, “a little bit of investment has spurred so much growth of our business.” Stone believes that this “little bit of investment” in programs like the National Organic Certification Cost Share Program – which helps farmers afford the annual cost of organic certification – can make a huge difference in helping farms grow and succeed. Farmers are meeting with over 100 legislators to help them understand how farm bill programs – particularly those left without funding – affect their farms and their communities. They will urge Congress to restore funding for key programs that boost rural economic development, leverage local initiatives, and support future American farmers in the Continuing Resolution that it debates in March. They will also advocate for passage of a new five-year farm bill that: · Invests in young farmers and ranchers by funding programs and improving policies that support beginners, and removing barriers that deter entry into farming. · Increases economic opportunity for farmers, food businesses, and rural communities by investing in the development and growth of local and regional food systems. · Improves natural resource protection and rewards farmers for good stewardship by increasing investment in and improving voluntary conservation programs such as the Conservation Stewardship Program, the Conservation Reserve Program, and the Environmental Quality Incentives Program. · Brings fiscal responsibility and transparency to farm policy by targeting commodity and crop insurance subsidies to working farmers and tying subsidies to basic stewardship practices. Farmer Janet Aardema, who is also participating in the fly-in, is just starting her farming career – she and her husband just finished their third season operating Broadfork Farm in Chesterfield, VA. She and her husband have been able to access hands-on skill building workshops in Virginia thanks to the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program, which is currently languishing without funding. “Our farm is a business,” she says. “Programs like BFRDP help us make strategic decisions and respond to growing demand for our products.” Farmers are in Washington this week from 24 states, including: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska, North Dakota, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Virginia, and Wisconsin. The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition is a grassroots alliance that advocates for federal policy reform supporting the long-term social, economic, and environmental sustainability of agriculture, natural resources, and rural communities. ### |
National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition |
