Buyers want locally grown food
By Jean Caspers-Simmet
simmet@agrinews.com
Date Modified: 02/24/2011 8:58 AM
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CALMAR, Iowa —Buyers for the Local Harvest Supply, Oneota Food Cooperative, Luther College and Annie's Gardens and Greens in Calmar all say they would like to be able to buy more local produce especially through= winter and spring. The buyers were featured on a panel at last week's Northeast Iowa Food and Farm Expo in Calmar.
Luther College buys 400 pounds of locally grown potatoes and 300 pounds of onions each week, said Wayne Tudor, general manager of Luther College dining services for SODEXO. Demand for fresh tomatoes is almost unlimited. Luther would like to buy locally produced dried beans and locally grown mushrooms. Tudor would also like to find fresh or frozen locally grown fruits for the smoothies that Luther will be selling on campus.
Betsy Peirce, produce manager at Oneota Food Cooperative in Decorah, said this is the peak demand time for local potatoes, onions, greens, kale and chard at the cooperative.
"Season extension on anything is the way to go," said Erica Miller of Local Harvest Supply.
Johnice Cross, coordinator of GROWN Locally, a northeast Iowa cooperative of 15 small, local farms, moderated the panel, and she said that Oneota Food Co-op and Luther College have been helpful in working with the northeast Farm to School program.
"Everyone tries to share knowledge and that is important in building this local food movement in northeast Iowa," Cross said. "Local food is a win win as an economic development tool."
Teresa Wiemerslage, who coordinated the expo, said 200 people attended.
"One of our goals is producer education and outreach," Wiemerslage said. "We wanted an event that offered many opportunities for networking."
Wiemerslage said the event attracted people who grow food for local markets as well as people who simply had an interest and came to learn more.
"There were a lot of new faces here today," Wiemerslage said. "People came to learn how they could fit into this."
Wiemerslage said that she had three brand new farmers contact her recently for information on growing food for local markets.
"These are the calls that get you excited and keep the passion for the work going," she said.