From the category archives:

Farmers markets

Locally grown, locally produced foods taking hold

by Cassandra West September 18, 2011 Chicago
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Take a look around and perhaps you’ve noticed a trend we’ve been following recently: the growth of locally produced specialty foods and drinks. Increasingly, local foods entrepreneurs are moving beyond selling produce fresh from the garden or farm. Many are now turning locally grown produce into condiments, teas, seasonings, herbal tinctures, bath and body care [...]

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Chicagoan LaDonna Redmond joins Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy

by Cassandra West March 19, 2011 Agribusiness
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LaDonna Redmond, the new Food and Justice Senior Program Associate for The Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, was back in Chicago this weekend for the Family Farmed Expo. Redmond, who recently relocated to Minneapolis to join IATP, is a Chicago native who built a national reputation around advocating for equitable food access, developing farmers [...]

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Family Farmed Expo Report: The USDA and urban agriculture

by Cassandra West March 19, 2011 Agriculture

Ann Wright, USDA Deputy Undersecretary for Marketing and Regulatory programs, was at the Family Farmed Expo this weekend to talk about the department’s “Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food” initiative, farmers’ markets and food deserts. She said, “agricultural marketing service has a key role in supporting farmers’ markets and the development of regional and local [...]

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Advocates for Urban Agriculture send a letter to Vilsack

by Cassandra West July 30, 2010 Farmers markets
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Chicago’s Advocates for Urban Agriculture sent a letter this week to U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack in support of the USDA’s “Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food” initiative. The initiative is designed to create new economic opportunities by better connecting consumers with local producers, but some Republican senators have criticized it, saying it [...]

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Philadelphia urban farm grows roots in old industrial neighborhood

by Cassandra West June 20, 2010 Economic development
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PHILADELPHIA — Farming in the city isn’t always a viable business model, those who attempt it will admit. Sometimes, though, an urban farmer gets it right—growing not only good, fresh food but building strong community ties along the way. That’s what Greensgrow Farm has done since opening a dozen years ago in one of this [...]

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USDA Report: Local Food Markets Growing, Effects on Health Still Unclear

by Editor May 29, 2010 environment

By Susan Richardson Farmers markets and other  direct sales of produce to consumers account for a small, but growing, share of U.S. agricultural production, according to a new report by the Economic Research Service, a program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.  “For smaller farms, direct marketing to consumers accounts for a higher percentage of [...]

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Shabazz Food Hub connects farms and cities

by Editor May 27, 2010 Community
Greens

A young volunteer at Shabazz Food Hub Market Days By Susan Richardson The smell of mustard greens sautéed in olive oil with garlic fills the air in an auditorium at Betty Shabazz International Charter School in Chicago.  People browse and buy produce and seedlings on a Saturday afternoon. It is Market Day at the Shabazz Food [...]

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Financing Local Food: ‘Putting Your Money Where Your Mouth Is’

by Editor May 15, 2010 environment

By Susan Richardson From support for supermarkets in neighborhoods with more liquor stores than healthy food choices to efforts to increase the number of USDA certified organic poultry processors, philanthropic organizations are increasingly taking part in a growing movement for sustainable agriculture and access to healthy food.   “This is a time of convergence,” said Karen [...]

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