‘Buy Local’ groups forming to promote fresh food

Talk about it

Farmers interested in supplying food to local consumers are invited to attend an informational meeting sponsored by the St. Croix River Valley “Buy Fresh Buy Local” Chapter at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, March 15, at the St. Croix Falls City Hall, 710 Highway 35 South.

This is the last in a series of five meetings held in different locations in the St. Croix River Valley so that farmers could choose the meeting place most convenient to them. February meetings were held in River Falls, Stillwater and Pine City. The next to last meeting will be on March 1 near Hastings, Minn. at the Carpenter Nature Center, 12805 St. Croix Trail.

There is no charge for these meetings. Farmers planning to attend should register with Dana Jackson at 651-653-0618 or danaj@landstewardshipproject.org.

Buy Fresh Buy Local (BFBL) aims to increase the production and consumption of local food in order to diversify the local economic base and preserve the beauty and ecological value of the St. Croix River Valley. In an effort to help foster connections between local producers and consumers, BFBL is meeting with farmers to inventory products they have available for local markets and learn about their marketing needs and goals.

The meetings will also provide opportunities for farmers to sign up to become BFBL partners. Farmer partners of BFBL benefit from BFBL advertising, events and media coverage, and the use of the distinctive “Buy Fresh Buy Local” label that brands food produced in the St. Croix River Valley. As retailers begin to seek more fresh, local products, BFBL farmer partners will be easily identifiable as potential suppliers. Farmer partners will help shape the direction taken by the BFBL campaign to promote local foods in the upcoming months.

The St. Croix River Valley “Buy Fresh Buy Local” Chapter is hosted by the Land Stewardship Project, a 25-year-old nonprofit organization operating in the Upper Midwest. It is one of 50 “Buy Fresh Buy Local” Chapters in the Food Routes national network working to strengthen regional markets for locally grown foods. The St. Croix River Valley Chapter activities are guided by a local steering committee made up of farmers, staff from collaborating organizations and other market partners.

Tags: rural, buylocal, buyfresh