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	<title>dig in Archives - Field to Family</title>
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		<title>Wasson Produce</title>
		<link>https://fieldtofamily.org/wasson-produce/</link>
					<comments>https://fieldtofamily.org/wasson-produce/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Julia Poska]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 16 Jul 2021 20:33:27 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[dig in]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[farm feature]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[local farmers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[local food]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[vegetables]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wasson produce]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://fieldtofamily.org/?p=4274</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>Karen Wasson has been selling fruits and vegetables at Iowa City-area markets since the mid-80s. Though she grew up raising tomatoes on her parents’ farm, she never expected growing produce to become a decades-spanning career for herself. Wasson Produce started, she said, because her young daughter didn’t want her to go to work. It was [...]</p>
<p><a class="btn btn-secondary understrap-read-more-link" href="https://fieldtofamily.org/wasson-produce/">Read More...</a></p>
<p>The post <a href="https://fieldtofamily.org/wasson-produce/">Wasson Produce</a> appeared first on <a href="https://fieldtofamily.org">Field to Family </a>.</p>
]]></description>
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<p>Karen Wasson has been selling fruits and vegetables at Iowa City-area markets since the mid-80s. Though she grew up raising tomatoes on her parents’ farm, she never expected growing produce to become a decades-spanning career for herself.</p>
<p>Wasson Produce started, she said, because her young daughter didn’t want her to go to work. It was a way to make a living from home, but ended up being something she loved to do. For years the Conesville, Iowa farm offered pick-your-own strawberries, in addition to diversified market crops. Today, the farm serves up to five local farmers markets a week, with Wasson’s now-retired husband working alongside her and her daughter lending help on the side.</p>
<p>Through bad weather, pests and weeds, Wasson Produce manages to harvest a vast diversity of fruit and vegetables year after year. The family trio does their best to harvest fresh produce ahead of every market.</p>
<p>“We try to have a variety, and not everything makes it,” Wasson said.</p>
<p>The key to a consistent and bountiful harvest is diversity, she said, both in variety and timing. Take tomatoes, her favorite thing to grow as an example. She staggers planting different varieties throughout the season so she can harvest juicy red and yellow fruits for months. If frost or other pressures kill off one type, a hardier back-up variety will likely survive.</p>
<p>Her farm typically has some of the earliest tomatoes and cucumbers in spring thanks to greenhouse growing methods, and an abundance of strawberries in early June. In the summer, she sells watermelon, squash and a full suite of warm-season fruits and veggies. In the fall, Wasson Produce offers a wide variety of squash, gourds, sweet potatoes and other storage crops, too.</p>
<p>Wasson said the operations scales back little-by-little each year, but nearly forty years after getting started, she still loves to farm.</p>
<p>“I guess I just grow what I like to eat,” she said.</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://fieldtofamily.org/wasson-produce/">Wasson Produce</a> appeared first on <a href="https://fieldtofamily.org">Field to Family </a>.</p>
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		<title>Food Deserts &#038; Food Apartheid</title>
		<link>https://fieldtofamily.org/food-deserts-apartheid/</link>
					<comments>https://fieldtofamily.org/food-deserts-apartheid/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Julia Poska]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 21 Jun 2021 19:47:02 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[dig in]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[food access]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[food apartheid]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[food deserts]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://fieldtofamily.org/?p=4212</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>&#160; [...]</p>
<p><a class="btn btn-secondary understrap-read-more-link" href="https://fieldtofamily.org/food-deserts-apartheid/">Read More...</a></p>
<p>The post <a href="https://fieldtofamily.org/food-deserts-apartheid/">Food Deserts &#038; Food Apartheid</a> appeared first on <a href="https://fieldtofamily.org">Field to Family </a>.</p>
]]></description>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://fieldtofamily.org/food-deserts-apartheid/">Food Deserts &#038; Food Apartheid</a> appeared first on <a href="https://fieldtofamily.org">Field to Family </a>.</p>
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		<title>Coralville Community Food Pantry: Creating Dignity with Local Foods</title>
		<link>https://fieldtofamily.org/coralville-pantry/</link>
					<comments>https://fieldtofamily.org/coralville-pantry/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Julia Poska]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 16 Jun 2021 19:44:16 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[dig in]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[hub customer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[coralville community food pantry]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dignity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[food access]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[food pantries]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[john boller]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://fieldtofamily.org/?p=4180</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>When a community member visits a food pantry, they may not anticipate bringing home bunches of fresh cilantro and cartons of just-picked cherry tomatoes.   “People are expecting to get the leftovers,” said John Boller, executive director of the Coralville Community Food Pantry. As of 2016, about 14% of Johnson County residents lacked consistent access to [...]</p>
<p><a class="btn btn-secondary understrap-read-more-link" href="https://fieldtofamily.org/coralville-pantry/">Read More...</a></p>
<p>The post <a href="https://fieldtofamily.org/coralville-pantry/">Coralville Community Food Pantry: Creating Dignity with Local Foods</a> appeared first on <a href="https://fieldtofamily.org">Field to Family </a>.</p>
]]></description>
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<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class=" wp-image-3695 aligncenter" src="https://dne.lgu.mybluehost.me/.website_fc07fb88/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Hai-and-tomatoes-300x225.jpeg" alt="Tomato delivery to Coralville Pantry" width="461" height="346" srcset="https://fieldtofamily.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Hai-and-tomatoes-300x225.jpeg 300w, https://fieldtofamily.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Hai-and-tomatoes-1024x768.jpeg 1024w, https://fieldtofamily.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Hai-and-tomatoes-768x576.jpeg 768w, https://fieldtofamily.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Hai-and-tomatoes-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https://fieldtofamily.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Hai-and-tomatoes.jpeg 1632w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 461px) 100vw, 461px" /></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">When a community member visits a food pantry, they may not anticipate bringing home bunches of fresh cilantro and cartons of just-picked cherry tomatoes.  </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“People are expecting to get the leftovers,” said John Boller, executive director of the <a href="https://www.coralvillefoodpantry.org/">Coralville Community Food Pantry</a>.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">As of 2016, about 14% of Johnson County residents lacked consistent access to the healthy food they need. Income inequality, transportation and language and difficulty navigating social services create considerable barriers to accessing food and other necessities. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Because they believe so strongly in food as a human right, the Coralville Community Food Pantry team will work tirelessly to help community members overcome those challenges</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Hunger and poverty are not the individual’s fault,” Boller said. “There’s not a safety net, and unfortunately food pantries are a stronger safety net than they should be.” </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Boller’s team strives to erase stigma and create dignity for their members, creating a space where every visitor feels welcome and equal. Keeping shelves regularly stocked with fruit and veggies is part of that mission.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Not everyone can shop at the farmers market, Boller said, but everyone should be able to enjoy the season’s best. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“It’s always really exciting when we have local produce because it’s always the freshest, most desirable,” Boller said. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Not only is local produce more nutritious and desirable Boller said, but it helps the pantry overcome one of its biggest practical challenges: perishability. Picked shortly before delivery, local produce lasts longer on the shelf. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Participating in the “Veggie RX” program is one way the Coralville pantry provides fresh produce. Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), essentially a weekly subscription to a farm’s harvest, is cost prohibitive for many low-income community members. Using funding from community partners, the pantry is able to purchase CSA shares from local farmers for enrolled pantry members. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Many local farmers donate excess produce to the pantry as well. In addition, Boller regularly orders local fruits and veggies by the case through Field to Family as a wholesale customer. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Being able to purchase from the food hub has been a really wonderful way to get that produce,” Boller said. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">By logging into the food hub’s online storefront, Boller can see exactly what’s in season year round and shop from many producers with just one click. Free delivery is another perk for the pantry’s small nonprofit team.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">On occasion, Field to Family is even able to provide free cases of produce to the pantry. The partnership helps the pantry put more local food on its shelves overall, Boller said. </span></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://fieldtofamily.org/coralville-pantry/">Coralville Community Food Pantry: Creating Dignity with Local Foods</a> appeared first on <a href="https://fieldtofamily.org">Field to Family </a>.</p>
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		<title>Echollective Farm Grows for Change</title>
		<link>https://fieldtofamily.org/echollective-farm-grows-for-change/</link>
					<comments>https://fieldtofamily.org/echollective-farm-grows-for-change/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Julia Poska]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 15 Jun 2021 17:47:37 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[dig in]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[CSA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[echollective]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[food access]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[food justice]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://fieldtofamily.org/?p=4169</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>At Echollective Farm, responsible farming means prioritizing the ecosystem and community alike.  “So often, the conversation can go far in either direction and not include the other,” said farmer Molly Schintler.   To nourish the planet, Echollective uses organic farming practices and intentional conservation methods. They promote biodiversity by cultivating a robust crop rotation and leaving [...]</p>
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<p>The post <a href="https://fieldtofamily.org/echollective-farm-grows-for-change/">Echollective Farm Grows for Change</a> appeared first on <a href="https://fieldtofamily.org">Field to Family </a>.</p>
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<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">At <a href="http://www.echollectivefarm.com/">Echollective Farm,</a> responsible farming means prioritizing the ecosystem and community alike. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“So often, the conversation can go far in either direction and not include the other,” said farmer Molly Schintler.  </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">To nourish the planet, Echollective uses organic farming practices and intentional conservation methods. They promote biodiversity by cultivating a robust crop rotation and leaving wild spaces on the farm, including ½ acre of pollinator prairie. &#8216;</span></p>
<p><iframe loading="lazy" style="border: none; overflow: hidden; float: right; margin: 10px;" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fechollective.farm%2Fposts%2F3163533647202086&amp;width=500&amp;show_text=true&amp;height=740&amp;appId" width="500" height="740" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"><span data-mce-type="bookmark" style="display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;" class="mce_SELRES_start"></span></iframe><br />
<span style="font-weight: 400;">Nourishing people starts with the farm’s own employees. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“You can be an organic farmer and not pay your workers a livable wage,” Schintler said. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Schintler acknowledged that the food system is extremely imbalanced, with little profit trickling back to producers.  She and her farm partner, Derek Roller, aren’t able to pay themselves nor their workers as much as they’d like&#8211;what they’d consider “fair”. They do take care to provide a livable wage, however.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Likewise, they recognize those struggling to access food in the community as underpaid laborers, like themselves, who aren’t compensated sufficiently to afford life in the Corridor. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I would never want someone to not have access to our food because of that,” Schintler said. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Schintler and Roller work intentionally to make Echollective Farm&#8217;s products more accessible. They have accept SNAP, EBT and WIC dollars at their “pop-up sales,” in addition to providing several other initiatives geared at creating change.</span></p>
<p><a href="https://fieldtofamily.org/explore-local-food/#standsandstores"><strong>Learn about other produce stands in the area.</strong></a></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Perhaps the most unique is Echollective Farm&#8217;s “sliding scale” CSA model.  Members pay for their weekly share depending on what they can afford. Some pay just a few dollars a week. Those who live more comfortably pay full price, or may even opt to contribute to “solidarity shares.&#8221; Every member gets the same fresh, high-quality produce every week. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Schintler and Roller work to promote food justice beyond their own farm as well. They are strong activists, encouraging local food colleagues to “dream beyond the oppressive systems we are currently within.” </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Echollective aims to create more space to critically examine not just our food system’s impact on soil and worms, but on BIPOC, young and otherwise disadvantaged farmers. They hope to not only grow food, but to push for a system where local foods are “scaled up” sufficiently to become accessible to everyone in the community. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“It doesn’t have to be this way because it always has been,” she said.  </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Schintler invites consumers to take a more active role in bettering the local food system as well. While investing in local food through purchase is certainly helpful, she believes it’s not enough to transform the broken food system. Reading up on the issues, attending  food policy council meetings and reaching out to representatives could make a more significant impact. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I would love to see more consumers engage beyond the idea of ‘vote with your fork’ or ‘vote with your dollar,’” Schintler said. “The issues are so big and very real in eastern Iowa. We’re not going to eat our way out of it.” </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“We have to actually change policy and talk to one another, get to know people who eat differently than we do to find solutions that work for everybody.”  </span></p>
<p>The post <a href="https://fieldtofamily.org/echollective-farm-grows-for-change/">Echollective Farm Grows for Change</a> appeared first on <a href="https://fieldtofamily.org">Field to Family </a>.</p>
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		<title>Reflecting on two years growing wholesale</title>
		<link>https://fieldtofamily.org/two-years-growing-wholesale/</link>
					<comments>https://fieldtofamily.org/two-years-growing-wholesale/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Julia Poska]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 10 Jun 2021 19:53:42 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[dig in]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[hub]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[anniversary]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[farm to school]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Field to Family]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[food hub]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://fieldtofamily.org/?p=4140</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>It’s easy to find a pint of locally grown cherry tomatoes in Johnson County, Iowa in September. It’s not so easy to find enough to feed an entire school district.  In June 2019, Field to Family evolved into a nonprofit food hub in an effort to tackle that challenge.  &#160; Our past: How Field to [...]</p>
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<p>The post <a href="https://fieldtofamily.org/two-years-growing-wholesale/">Reflecting on two years growing wholesale</a> appeared first on <a href="https://fieldtofamily.org">Field to Family </a>.</p>
]]></description>
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<div style="text-align: center;"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class=" wp-image-2728 aligncenter" src="https://dne.lgu.mybluehost.me/.website_fc07fb88/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/IMG_0948-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="546" height="364" /></div>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">It’s easy to find a pint of locally grown cherry tomatoes in Johnson County, Iowa in September. It’s not so easy to find enough to feed an entire school district. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In June 2019, Field to Family evolved into a <a href="https://fieldtofamily.org/food-hub/">nonprofit food hub</a> in an effort to tackle that challenge. </span></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;"><b>Our past: How Field to Family became a food hub</b></h3>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Field to Family partnered with Iowa City Community School District in 2010 to form a <a href="https://fieldtofamily.org/farm-to-school/">Farm to School</a> chapter, connecting children with local food and farmers.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“We immediately began working with their food service director to talk about how we could get local on the menu,” said Field to Family director Michelle Kenyon.  </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Over the next several years, the nonprofit helped grow local offerings on the ICCSD lunch menu to include apples, melons, zucchini, cucumbers, sweet potatoes and cherry tomatoes. </span></p>
<figure id="attachment_4143" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-4143" style="width: 297px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-4143 size-medium" src="https://dne.lgu.mybluehost.me/.website_fc07fb88/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Screenshot-2021-06-10-142815-297x300.png" alt="" width="297" height="300" srcset="https://fieldtofamily.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Screenshot-2021-06-10-142815-297x300.png 297w, https://fieldtofamily.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Screenshot-2021-06-10-142815.png 432w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 297px) 100vw, 297px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-4143" class="wp-caption-text">Pounds of food procured for ICCSD over time</figcaption></figure>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">As the district grew, Kenyon and other community partners saw opportunities to further expand local on the menu. Demand outpaced supply, however. At the end of the day, it is far easier to buy from large corporate suppliers than small, local farmers.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“We realized we needed to fill a gap in our infrastructure to be able to scale up local foods at the wholesale level,” Kenyon said.  </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Field to Family and community partners, including local farmers, schools, the Johnson County Food Policy Council and the Iowa City Area Development group, came together to imagine solutions for growing both supply and demand of local foods within the institutional market. In the end, the goal was to create a food hub. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Every food hub is unique, but Johnson County needed a hub focused on aggregating and distributing bulk local food orders to large institutional customers: schools, the University of Iowa, retirement communities and more. The Johnson County Board of Supervisors identified the need to create such an entity as a priority in the county’s 2017 strategic plan. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Ultimately we realized it would be best served under a nonprofit umbrella,” Kenyon said. “With the history of Field to family working with schools to broker local foods for the menu, our strong ties to local farmers it became a natural fit.” </span></p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;"><b>Our present: Field to Family’s impact </b></h3>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe loading="lazy" class="title=&quot;YouTube" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0hX7u08tw-c" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"><span data-mce-type="bookmark" style="display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;" class="mce_SELRES_start"></span></iframe></div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Establishing a new food hub requires infrastructure. The hub itself needs a centralized location and transportation. Customers need easy ordering and education about seasonal menu planning. Producers need partners to meet growing demand. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">With great support from the community, Field to Family and its supporters have been able to build needed infrastructure to scale up local foods and expand access in Johnson County and surrounding areas. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“There’s more local food available because we have been able to create a larger demand,” Kenyon said.  </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Building relationships is a key part of Field to Family’s work as a hub. Sales &amp; Partnerships Manager Giselle Bruskewitz has connected more than 30 wholesale customers to local food, working with 34 local farmers. Sales have increased greatly year-over-year. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Growth in the farm to school sector has been especially strong. Field to Family has formed partnerships with several school districts, early care providers and universities as well. From 2019-2020, Field to Family increased sales to pK-12 schools 66%, reaching approximately 20,000 students in the region.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“When schools and ECEs buy local, they keep dollars in our communities and provide students from all backgrounds with fresh, high-quality meals,” Bruskewitz said. “Schools have always been, and will always be, a priority for us at Field to Family.” </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Growing sales have accompanied a diversified product list, which now includes dairy and value-added products in addition to fresh fruits and vegetables. Farmers have been able to grow their operations to meet increasing demand from institutional customers. Online ordering and free delivery have made it easy for customers to choose local. </span></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3 style="text-align: center;"><b>Our future: work left to be done</b></h3>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<div style="text-align: center;"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-2683 alignleft" src="https://dne.lgu.mybluehost.me/.website_fc07fb88/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/MelonTruck-300x232.jpg" alt="" width="397" height="308" srcset="https://fieldtofamily.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/MelonTruck-300x232.jpg 300w, https://fieldtofamily.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/MelonTruck-768x593.jpg 768w, https://fieldtofamily.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/MelonTruck-1536x1186.jpg 1536w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 397px) 100vw, 397px" /></div>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Field to Family has accomplished a great deal in its two years as a food hub, but more work remains. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“We are still not making a dent in the amount of food we are importing into our region,” Kenyon said. “We need to make it easier for institutions to choose local more often.” </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">To further promote local over imported options, menu planners need increased education. Imbalance within the food system has additionally created a huge price difference between small farmers and corporate food suppliers. Field to Family seeks to pay farmers fairly, and farmers need to pay workers fairly. Bridging that gap remains a challenge.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Continued growth requires further commitment from state and local stakeholders.  Field to Family needs support to maintain its food hub, expand its operations and build its capacity.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“We know there are a lot more opportunities to get local on more menus every day,” Bruskewitz said. </span></p>
<p>To help us continue this work and create more connections going forward, please consider making a donation to Field to Family at <a href="https://fieldtofamily.org/donate/">this link. </a></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://fieldtofamily.org/two-years-growing-wholesale/">Reflecting on two years growing wholesale</a> appeared first on <a href="https://fieldtofamily.org">Field to Family </a>.</p>
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		<title>5 Reasons Our Vendors Love the Online Farmers Market</title>
		<link>https://fieldtofamily.org/why-vendors-love-ofm/</link>
					<comments>https://fieldtofamily.org/why-vendors-love-ofm/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Julia Poska]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 20 May 2021 22:51:55 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[blog]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dig in]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ansels awesome sauce]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[buffalo ridge orchard]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[echollective farm]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[olson garden market]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Online Farmers Market]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[red earth gardens]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[squier squash]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[valerie's french cooking]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[vendors]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wasson produce]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://fieldtofamily.org/?p=4074</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>Shopping online has become increasingly popular among consumers, but selling products digitally comes with its own perks, too. Small-scale farmers and business owners can attest: online local foods sales are a win-win for shoppers and vendors alike. In fact, strong demand from vendors was a major factor driving Field to Family to offer a second [...]</p>
<p><a class="btn btn-secondary understrap-read-more-link" href="https://fieldtofamily.org/why-vendors-love-ofm/">Read More...</a></p>
<p>The post <a href="https://fieldtofamily.org/why-vendors-love-ofm/">5 Reasons Our Vendors Love the Online Farmers Market</a> appeared first on <a href="https://fieldtofamily.org">Field to Family </a>.</p>
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<p style="text-align: left;">Shopping online has become increasingly popular among consumers, but selling products digitally comes with its own perks, too. Small-scale farmers and business owners can attest: online local foods sales are a win-win for shoppers and vendors alike. In fact, strong demand from vendors was a major factor driving Field to Family to offer a second Online Farmers Market season in 2021.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">We&#8217;ve asked some of our vendors to share what they love most about participating in the online farmers market.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Check out the top five reasons below!</p>
<h2><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-4077 alignright" style="text-align: center;" src="https://dne.lgu.mybluehost.me/.website_fc07fb88/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/2.png" alt="" width="349" height="293" srcset="https://fieldtofamily.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/2.png 940w, https://fieldtofamily.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/2-300x251.png 300w, https://fieldtofamily.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/2-768x644.png 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 349px) 100vw, 349px" />1. Convenient Sales</h2>
<p>Selling local food through the Online Farmers Market requires some up-front work (mainly updating product listing and availability), but after that, it&#8217;s fairly hands-off for our vendors. The software shows off photos and descriptions, tracks purchase data,  handles transactions and sends the vendors a detailed list of everything they sell each week.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">&#8220;I like the Online Farmers Market because I know what I sell every single weekend, and it is so simple, and so easy to come and use,&#8221;  said Ansel Cummings, owner of Ansel&#8217;s Awesome Sauce.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Karen Wasson, grower at Wasson Produce, pointed out the bonus convenience of free advertising. Participating in the market draws more eyes to her work and attracts more attention to her business, along with the 30+ others participating.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-4076 alignleft" src="https://dne.lgu.mybluehost.me/.website_fc07fb88/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/1.png" alt="" width="350" height="294" srcset="https://fieldtofamily.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/1.png 940w, https://fieldtofamily.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/1-300x251.png 300w, https://fieldtofamily.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/1-768x644.png 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px" /></p>
<h2 style="text-align: left;">2. Reducing Waste</h2>
<p style="text-align: left;">Knowing exactly what they&#8217;ve sold ahead of time of also helps our vendors minimize wasted food and effort. Shelly Squier of Squier Squash said that in-person sales require more guess work: you never know what&#8217;s going to sell and what you&#8217;ll have to lug back home.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">&#8220;This is assured sales, and I like knowing that so I don&#8217;t pick too much,&#8221; Squier said.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Emma Johnson of Buffalo Ridge Orchard shared a similar sentiment.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">&#8220;When we make a delivery for the Online Farmers Market, we know everything has sold,&#8221; she said. &#8220;It&#8217;s a really good feeling to know that your van is full of food that&#8217;s going to be delivered promptly the next day.&#8221;</p>
<h2 style="text-align: left;">3. Expanding access to customers</h2>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-4078 alignright" src="https://dne.lgu.mybluehost.me/.website_fc07fb88/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/3.png" alt="" width="327" height="275" srcset="https://fieldtofamily.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/3.png 940w, https://fieldtofamily.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/3-300x251.png 300w, https://fieldtofamily.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/3-768x644.png 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 327px) 100vw, 327px" /></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Our nonprofit is committed to expanding access to locally grown food in our community. Prior to starting the Online Farmers Market, we did so primarily as a wholesale food hub, connecting small farmers with big institutions like school districts and retirement communities.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">The Online Farmers Market has created an additional point of access between vendors and customers, especially for those located farther away from Iowa City.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">&#8220;We&#8217;ve really appreciated working with Field to Family and the Online Farmers Market to give us access to this Iowa City market.&#8221; Grant Shadden of Red Earth Gardens.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Shadden farms land on the Meskwaki Settlement in Tama, over an hour northwest of Iowa City. Prior to the online market, the farm sold wholesale through Field to Family&#8217;s food hub, but did not participate in any other Iowa City farmers markets.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Pre-pandemic, Olson Garden Market did not sell directly to consumers in Iowa City, either, but the Online Market has connected farmers Brian and Kerri Olson with a new customer base as well.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">&#8220;Coming over to Iowa City from Grinnell where we live just puts more smiles on everybody&#8217;s faces,&#8221; Brian Olson said.</p>
<h2 style="text-align: left;">4. Saving Time</h2>
<p style="text-align: left;"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-4079 alignleft" src="https://dne.lgu.mybluehost.me/.website_fc07fb88/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Vendor-testimonials.png" alt="" width="349" height="294" srcset="https://fieldtofamily.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Vendor-testimonials.png 940w, https://fieldtofamily.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Vendor-testimonials-768x644.png 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 349px) 100vw, 349px" /></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">While producing food can be a full-time job, our vendors say participating in the online farmers market saves them time overall. In addition reducing hours wasted preparing food that won&#8217;t actually sell, they are able to reach customers without manning a booth at a physical market location.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">The online sales model exports much of the labor involved with traditional farmers markets to our staff and volunteers, who pack and distribute products on a weekly basis. This frees our farmers up to do other work, or even enjoy a little relaxation over the weekend.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">&#8220;Especially during the pandemic, to have an efficient way to bring our produce to the people that really, frankly, would be too time consuming for us to do on our own,&#8221; said Red Earth Garden&#8217;s Shadden. &#8220;It frees us up to do more things out in the field and continue to develop a functional agro-ecological system.&#8221;</p>
<h2></h2>
<h2 style="text-align: left;">5. Connecting with the community</h2>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-4075 alignright" src="https://dne.lgu.mybluehost.me/.website_fc07fb88/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/4.png" alt="" width="336" height="282" srcset="https://fieldtofamily.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/4.png 940w, https://fieldtofamily.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/4-300x251.png 300w, https://fieldtofamily.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/4-768x644.png 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 336px) 100vw, 336px" /></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">The Online Farmers Market began as a way to provide safe access to local food and farm products during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">&#8220;It&#8217;s a way in this new pandemic age to stay connected to the community with our food in a contact-free way,&#8221; said Molly Schintler of Echollective Farm.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Even as the pandemic begins to subside, Field to Family&#8217;s goal to build a stronger community-based food system remains unwavering. The Online Farmers Market continues to create connections between shoppers, farmers and vendors in our region.</p>
<p>&#8220;I think it&#8217;s great to feel part of the community,&#8221; said Valerie Martin, owner of Valerie&#8217;s French Cooking. &#8220;That&#8217;s what I like the most, getting to know people and all of the team.&#8221;</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">
<p>The post <a href="https://fieldtofamily.org/why-vendors-love-ofm/">5 Reasons Our Vendors Love the Online Farmers Market</a> appeared first on <a href="https://fieldtofamily.org">Field to Family </a>.</p>
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		<title>The Berry Basket Farm</title>
		<link>https://fieldtofamily.org/berry-basket/</link>
					<comments>https://fieldtofamily.org/berry-basket/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Julia Poska]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 11 May 2021 20:56:07 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[dig in]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[farm feature]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[iowa city]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[strawberries]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The berry basket farm]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[U-pick]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://fieldtofamily.org/?p=4061</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>Farmer Mark Gingerich says if you want the biggest strawberries, go to Walmart. But if you want the freshest, sweetest basket of fruit, pick your own.  “I’m a big proponent of agency,” he said. “If you put in the effort to pick your own strawberries, there’s something rewarding about that.”  Mark and his wife, Katrina, [...]</p>
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<p>The post <a href="https://fieldtofamily.org/berry-basket/">The Berry Basket Farm</a> appeared first on <a href="https://fieldtofamily.org">Field to Family </a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure id="attachment_4060" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-4060" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-large wp-image-4060" src="https://dne.lgu.mybluehost.me/.website_fc07fb88/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/33994878_183977148924705_6381357765813600256_n-1024x683.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="427" srcset="https://fieldtofamily.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/33994878_183977148924705_6381357765813600256_n-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://fieldtofamily.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/33994878_183977148924705_6381357765813600256_n-300x200.jpg 300w, https://fieldtofamily.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/33994878_183977148924705_6381357765813600256_n-768x512.jpg 768w, https://fieldtofamily.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/33994878_183977148924705_6381357765813600256_n-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://fieldtofamily.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/33994878_183977148924705_6381357765813600256_n.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-4060" class="wp-caption-text">Photo contributed by The Berry Basket Farm.</figcaption></figure>
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<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Farmer Mark Gingerich says if you want the biggest strawberries, go to Walmart. But if you want the freshest, sweetest basket of fruit, pick your own. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I’m a big proponent of agency,” he said. “If you put in the effort to pick your own strawberries, there’s something rewarding about that.” </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Mark and his wife, Katrina, own and operate </span><a href="https://www.berrybasketfarm.com/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Berry Basket Farm</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, a U-pick strawberry patch in rural Iowa City. They opened to the public just a few years ago.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“People who came out were grateful for the opportunity to spend the day at the farm, spend time outdoors and take home the fruits of their labor,” Mark said. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Demand has continued to grow alongside the patch, but the berry picking season is short: about three weeks from early- to mid-June through early July. Customers can bring the whole family, as well as their own container to carry their harvest and cash, check or card to pay. </span><a href="https://berrybasketfarm.us20.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=5e31abfe81e0b9b02fcb20197&amp;id=a77ef4a296"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Sign up for the farm’s email list</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> to receive word when harvest time comes.</span></p>
<figure id="attachment_4062" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-4062" style="width: 430px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class=" wp-image-4062" src="https://dne.lgu.mybluehost.me/.website_fc07fb88/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/img-6590_orig-1024x682.jpg" alt="" width="430" height="286" srcset="https://fieldtofamily.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/img-6590_orig-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https://fieldtofamily.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/img-6590_orig-300x200.jpg 300w, https://fieldtofamily.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/img-6590_orig-768x512.jpg 768w, https://fieldtofamily.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/img-6590_orig.jpg 1100w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 430px) 100vw, 430px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-4062" class="wp-caption-text">Photo by Mark Gingerich.</figcaption></figure>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The strawberry patch is located within Mark’s parents’ larger traditional row crop farm, on land that had historically grown corn and beans. During the “off-season” Kristina has a job in town and Mark helps farm his father’s land in addition to substitute teaching and freelance photography and website work. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“This pick-your-own strawberry thing has kind of been a family story,” Mark said.  </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Mark’s parents, in the 1970s, came home to the family farm and discovered that the rowcrop income wasn’t enough to sustain them in addition to the generation before them. Mark’s parents themselves ran a small berry patch on the land for a few years before moving to Washington, Iowa, where Mark was born. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Later in life, Mark and Katrina moved back on the original family land and again, found that the row crop income alone couldn’t support two generations of farmers alone. Mark says he is grateful that his parents agreed to convert some of their land to a berry patch, and that Katrina has supported the project. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In addition to proving economically helpful, Mark says the U-pick berry patch has added a much-appreciated sense of community to the often isolated work of traditional farming.  </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I’m very much a people person,” he said. “I’d rather be out there helping someone, filling their bucket with them.” </span></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://fieldtofamily.org/berry-basket/">The Berry Basket Farm</a> appeared first on <a href="https://fieldtofamily.org">Field to Family </a>.</p>
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		<title>Sustainable Farming Practices Explained</title>
		<link>https://fieldtofamily.org/sustainable-farming-practices/</link>
					<comments>https://fieldtofamily.org/sustainable-farming-practices/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Julia Poska]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 13 Apr 2021 22:29:42 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[blog]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dig in]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Info]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[agriculture]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[aquaponics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[certified organic]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cover crops]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[farming]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[hydroponics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[organic]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[rotation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[soil]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sustainable]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[water]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://fieldtofamily.org/?p=3968</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>What the hay are cover crops?  What&#8217;s the difference between produce that&#8217;s Certified Organic or organically grown? Scroll through to learn more about some common sustainable farming practices in Iowa. &#160; &#160; Want to learn more about your favorite farmers&#8217; practices? Check out the producer page on our online storefront for more information about our [...]</p>
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<p>The post <a href="https://fieldtofamily.org/sustainable-farming-practices/">Sustainable Farming Practices Explained</a> appeared first on <a href="https://fieldtofamily.org">Field to Family </a>.</p>
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<p>What the hay are cover crops?  What&#8217;s the difference between produce that&#8217;s Certified Organic or organically grown? Scroll through to learn more about some common sustainable farming practices in Iowa.</p>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Want to learn more about your favorite farmers&#8217; practices? Check out the <a href="https://orders.fieldtofamily.org/Producers">producer page</a> on our online storefront for more information about our farmer partners or read our <a href="https://fieldtofamily.org/farm-features/">farmer features.</a></p>
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<p>The post <a href="https://fieldtofamily.org/sustainable-farming-practices/">Sustainable Farming Practices Explained</a> appeared first on <a href="https://fieldtofamily.org">Field to Family </a>.</p>
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		<title>Beekeeping and the Seasons</title>
		<link>https://fieldtofamily.org/beekeeping-and-the-seasons/</link>
					<comments>https://fieldtofamily.org/beekeeping-and-the-seasons/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Julia Poska]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 09 Apr 2021 21:42:54 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[blog]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dig in]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[beekeeping]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[bees]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[explore local foods]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[honey]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[julia mcguire]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[local]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[local food explorer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[phenology]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://fieldtofamily.org/?p=3947</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>A beekeeper’s secret to a bountiful hive: tuning into nature’s seasonal cues. Paying close attention to things like solstice dates, bud bursts and even animal calls can help beekeepers not only produce more honey (yum!) but cultivate abundant bee populations.  West Des Moines beekeeper Julia McGuire is on a mission to better understand phenology, the [...]</p>
<p><a class="btn btn-secondary understrap-read-more-link" href="https://fieldtofamily.org/beekeeping-and-the-seasons/">Read More...</a></p>
<p>The post <a href="https://fieldtofamily.org/beekeeping-and-the-seasons/">Beekeeping and the Seasons</a> appeared first on <a href="https://fieldtofamily.org">Field to Family </a>.</p>
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<figure id="attachment_3950" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-3950" style="width: 640px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-3950 size-large" src="https://dne.lgu.mybluehost.me/.website_fc07fb88/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/julia-cleaning-dead-outs-3-color-1024x768.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="480" srcset="https://fieldtofamily.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/julia-cleaning-dead-outs-3-color-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://fieldtofamily.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/julia-cleaning-dead-outs-3-color-300x225.jpg 300w, https://fieldtofamily.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/julia-cleaning-dead-outs-3-color-768x576.jpg 768w, https://fieldtofamily.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/julia-cleaning-dead-outs-3-color-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://fieldtofamily.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/julia-cleaning-dead-outs-3-color.jpg 1632w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-3950" class="wp-caption-text">Beekeeper Julia McGuire cleans our her bee boxes.</figcaption></figure>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A beekeeper’s secret to a bountiful hive: tuning into nature’s seasonal cues. Paying close </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">attention to things like solstice dates, bud bursts and even animal calls can help beekeepers not only produce more honey (yum!) but cultivate abundant bee populations. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">West Des Moines beekeeper Julia McGuire is on a mission to better u</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">nderstand </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">phenology, </span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">the </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">study of cyclical and seasonal natural phenomena</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">, across Iowa. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“What I’m interested in are the plants and other things in nature that help us be better beekeepers,” McGuire said. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Most crops consumed by humans&#8211; from soybeans to strawberries&#8211; depend on or benefit from pollination by bees. Better beekeepers manage healthier populations of pollinators. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">McGuire has been keeping bee</span>s since 2011 and teaches beekeeping through her local school district. Her latest project is developing a planner to guide other Iowa<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class=" wp-image-3949 alignright" src="https://dne.lgu.mybluehost.me/.website_fc07fb88/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/5-5-17-cole-julia-30-1-1-768x1024.jpg" alt="" width="289" height="386" srcset="https://fieldtofamily.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/5-5-17-cole-julia-30-1-1-768x1024.jpg 768w, https://fieldtofamily.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/5-5-17-cole-julia-30-1-1-225x300.jpg 225w, https://fieldtofamily.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/5-5-17-cole-julia-30-1-1-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https://fieldtofamily.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/5-5-17-cole-julia-30-1-1-rotated.jpg 1224w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 289px) 100vw, 289px" /> beekeepers through seasonal events.</p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">She explained that bees instinctively respond to certain phenological cues. Queen bees, for example, begin laying more eggs following the winter solstice, as daylight hours slowly lengthen. When spring starts to awaken, beekeepers can plan around the changing season to maximize egg output.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“We can’t have honey if we can’t have a big population of bees going out to forage,” McGuire said.  </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">One of McGuire’s colleagues starts readying her equipment when she hears a certain frog species call for the first time. McGuire clears space in her hives just as the earliest spring blooms&#8211; maples, willows, crocuses&#8211; start to emerge. That way, her bees can collect and store fresh pollen for the queen, fuelling her egg-laying with plenty of protein. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">As the seasons progress, McGuire changes the configuration of her hives when the first buds start to blossom. Wait too long, and she’s missed half the nectar flow. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“If beekeepers can anticipate bloom times, we can make more honey,” McGuire said. </span></p>
<p><a href="https://dne.lgu.mybluehost.me/.website_fc07fb88/explore-local-food/#honey"><strong>Explore local honey with Field to Family! Visit our Local Food Explorer honey page here. </strong></a></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Phenology, however, “is extremely sensitive to changes in climate,” according to the </span><a href="https://www.usgs.gov/centers/casc-sc/science/impacts-climate-change-phenology-a-synthesis-and-path-forward-adaptive?qt-science_center_objects=0#qt-science_center_objects"><span style="font-weight: 400;">U.S. Geological Survey.</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> As the final frost creeps earlier in the Midwest, warmer spring weather means that, in some cases buds, are bursting sooner than ever before. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Familiarity with the seasonal cycle can help beekeepers keep up, even as the overall timing starts to shift, McGuire said. But she fears that one day, some important species may stop blooming in Iowa altogether. Promoting biodiversity, or the variety of species in an ecosystem, is key to resilience in that case: if one species fails to provide, another can substitute so the nectar flow never stops.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-3951 alignleft" src="https://dne.lgu.mybluehost.me/.website_fc07fb88/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/budburst-flyer-663x1024.png" alt="" width="204" height="315" srcset="https://fieldtofamily.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/budburst-flyer-663x1024.png 663w, https://fieldtofamily.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/budburst-flyer-194x300.png 194w, https://fieldtofamily.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/budburst-flyer-768x1187.png 768w, https://fieldtofamily.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/budburst-flyer-994x1536.png 994w, https://fieldtofamily.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/budburst-flyer.png 1294w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 204px) 100vw, 204px" />Everyday Iowans can help out at home by planting three species that bloom in spring, three that bloom in summer and three that bloom in fall, McGuire said. While they’re at it, they might consider skipping the pesticides, which can kill bee eggs, delay development and cause honeybee deformities. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Iowans across the state can help McGuire develop her phenological field guide and planner, too, by sending in photos of  important bee forage plants and notes about other seasonal cues. Submissions will be compiled into an educational tool for other beekeepers and enthusiasts. </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Learn more about the project</span><a href="http://juliecache.com/bee-plant-phenology-planner/"><span style="font-weight: 400;"> here.</span></a></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://fieldtofamily.org/beekeeping-and-the-seasons/">Beekeeping and the Seasons</a> appeared first on <a href="https://fieldtofamily.org">Field to Family </a>.</p>
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		<title>A Q&#038;A with Trumpet Blossom Café: Why Chef Katy Meyer sources local</title>
		<link>https://fieldtofamily.org/trumpet-blossom-cafe/</link>
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		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Julia Poska]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 23 Mar 2021 15:14:23 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[blog]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dig in]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[hub]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[food hub]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[plant based]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[restaurant]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[trumpet blossom cafe]]></category>
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					<description><![CDATA[<p>At Trumpet Blossom Café in Iowa City, the menu changes seasonally, even daily, but it almost always features locally sourced ingredients. Chef and owner Katy Meyer is committed to taking care of the planet, serving high-quality food to her customers and participating in our region’s thriving local food system. Meyer has relationships with several local [...]</p>
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<p>The post <a href="https://fieldtofamily.org/trumpet-blossom-cafe/">A Q&#038;A with Trumpet Blossom Café: Why Chef Katy Meyer sources local</a> appeared first on <a href="https://fieldtofamily.org">Field to Family </a>.</p>
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At <a href="https://www.trumpetblossom.com/">Trumpet Blossom Café</a> in Iowa City, the menu changes seasonally, even daily, but it almost always features locally sourced ingredients. Chef and owner Katy Meyer is committed to taking care of the planet, serving high-quality food to her customers and participating in our region’s thriving local food system.</p>
<p>Meyer has relationships with several local farmers who provide fresh produce for her cafe’s plant-based dishes. She buys the bulk of her local ingredients from those producers directly. When there’s a gap in her local produce supply, Meyer may call on her local food hub: <a href="https://dne.lgu.mybluehost.me/.website_fc07fb88/food-hub/">Field to Family.</a> The Trumpet Blossom Café menu has featured sweet corn, apples and lettuce sourced through Field to Family within the last few seasons.</p>
<p>Meyer has been a professional chef and restaurant owner since 2005. Prior to opening Trumpet Blossom Café in 2012, she was co-owner of The Red Avocado for seven years.</p>
<p>Read our Q&amp;A with Chef Meyer below to learn more about how and why she chooses local for Trumpet Blossom&#8217;s vegan menu!</p>
<figure id="attachment_3874" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-3874" style="width: 492px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class=" wp-image-3874" src="https://dne.lgu.mybluehost.me/.website_fc07fb88/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/IA-needs-veg-farms.jpg" alt="Katy Meyer poses at home in an &quot;Iowa Needs Vegetable Farmers&quot; tee" width="492" height="492" srcset="https://fieldtofamily.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/IA-needs-veg-farms.jpg 960w, https://fieldtofamily.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/IA-needs-veg-farms-300x300.jpg 300w, https://fieldtofamily.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/IA-needs-veg-farms-150x150.jpg 150w, https://fieldtofamily.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/IA-needs-veg-farms-768x768.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 492px) 100vw, 492px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-3874" class="wp-caption-text">Photo contributed by Katy Meyer.</figcaption></figure>
<p><b>F2F: How does Trumpet Blossom Café take care of the planet and the community?</b></p>
<p>Meyer: We try to take care of the environment and the community by providing our customers, and each other, with a safe and comfortable place to enjoy nourishing food that makes us feel good on a basic level and on a more symbiotic level. In an ideal world I would get everything locally/regionally but that is impossible given my current menu and location. I&#8217;ve toyed with the idea of eliminating things like tropical fruits and nuts, stuff that has to travel a long way to get here, but for me, for now, it&#8217;s more realistic to focus on sourcing as much as I can locally when the season allows and then cutting myself a little slack during the off season. &#8220;Cruelty-free&#8221; is an unattainable label even when you grow something organically in your backyard. But we believe that offering a 100% plant-based menu is doing far less harm than if we chose to include animal products in our food.</p>
<p><strong>F2F: You source from farmers directly, as well as F2F. What are the benefits of both? Why are both necessary?</strong></p>
<p>Meyer: It&#8217;s great to have relationships with local growers and producers so that you can get to know their products, and they can get to know your needs and preferences, and each party can adapt to the other&#8217;s ups and downs and meet in the middle whenever possible. Sometimes it&#8217;s difficult to source a certain product or to stay informed about all the community growers have to offer, and that&#8217;s when a place like Field to Family can help so much. We&#8217;re all part of a local food system that can sustain each contributor&#8217;s livelihood and hopefully even help them thrive when given the opportunities to connect and learn from each other.</p>
<p>It&#8217;s been great working with Field to Family. Everyone I&#8217;ve worked with at Field to Family has been easy to work with and very supportive of our efforts as a small business. I&#8217;ve always appreciated what Field to Family has done with regards to community outreach and support.</p>
<p><strong>F2F: Do the growing practices of farmers you source from matter to you? If so, why? What do you like to see?</strong></p>
<p>Meyer: I try to support farmers who use organic growing methods, free from chemical fertilizers and chemical pesticides. I try to source things that are certified organic and/or non-GMO, but I understand that the certification process can be prohibitive for some growers. It seems that most small farmers in the area are utilizing processes that are more gentle on the environment. I think most folks who choose to grow plants for a living are respectful of the earth because they recognize its inherent beauty and fragility and also its great power.</p>
<p><strong>F2F: Why do you care about the environmental impact of food? Was there an &#8220;Aha&#8221; moment or was it a slower journey?</strong></p>
<p>Meyer: I believe that as a conscious being on this planet, to the best of my ability and circumstance at any given time, I owe it to the environment to at least not leave it worse than it was when I got here. As for &#8220;aha&#8221; moments, I definitely had a moment but it was more of a &#8220;what the bleep&#8221; moment when I realized the fields and fields of crops we grow in America&#8217;s heartland aren&#8217;t even suitable for our consumption in their raw forms and are mostly used to feed the animals who are conceived, raised, and killed for people to eat. There is a giant, idyllic filter placed over the landscape to make us think these beautiful, endless fields are feeding us with their abundance and when you strip away that filter and see the harms the reality of monoculture inflict on the environment, well that can be a big &#8220;aha&#8221;/&#8221;what the bleep&#8221; moment.</p>
<p><strong>F2F: In terms of quality, how would you describe the difference between local and conventional produce ingredients?</strong></p>
<p>I like to use the example of a tomato grown in fertile Iowa dirt during the peak of summer, tended to and harvested when it&#8217;s just right and placed gently in a crate, still warm and flecked with little bits of that soil, having ridden maybe a mile in a pickup truck to get to the restaurant, for us to rinse gently and slice into and use in a favorite dish &#8212; versus &#8212; a tomato in January grown thousands of miles away, maybe given the same attention and care, but not picked at the right time and not unique in its shape or hue, traveling on a semi for maybe even days, to sit in a warehouse and then a store and then we get it and sure, it tastes mostly like a tomato but does it taste like a tomato can, like it&#8217;s meant to? No. So that&#8217;s the difference.</p>
<p><strong>F2F: Why should other restaurants source local? What would your advice be to a chef hoping to add more local to the menu?</strong></p>
<p>Meyer: My answer to that question is why shouldn&#8217;t restaurants source locally? I recognize that sometimes a local ingredient costs more or the availability can fluctuate or it can take a little more digging to find it. And I&#8217;m definitely not perfect when it comes to sourcing locally, there&#8217;s always more I should be doing&#8211;it&#8217;s an ongoing process and it takes a few extra steps sometimes. But we have the option and we can keep our resources and energies local so why wouldn&#8217;t we do that? A good place to start is to think seasonally and to look at what can be grown and sourced locally at different times of the year and consider incorporating local ingredients when they&#8217;re around and also think about ways to preserve the local ingredients to be used throughout the year or look to folks in the community who are doing this already and utilize that resource. Of course reaching out to Field to Family and other similar organizations is a great idea too.</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://fieldtofamily.org/trumpet-blossom-cafe/">A Q&#038;A with Trumpet Blossom Café: Why Chef Katy Meyer sources local</a> appeared first on <a href="https://fieldtofamily.org">Field to Family </a>.</p>
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