Local food networking takes center stage in Fergus Falls
By Carol Stender
cstender@agrinews.com
Date Modified: 03/11/2010 9:09 AM
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FERGUS FALLS, Minn. — When compared to Morris' local foods networking, Fergus Falls' efforts appear to be in their infancy. But a panel of growers and local foods planners gave the community ideas for growth and illustrated successful projects existing in the state.
The panel took part in the Home Grown Economy conference last week. The conference was based at Southwest State University in Marshall with video links to sites in Fergus Falls, Morris, Crookston and Bemidji. While each site televised featured speakers at the Marshall site, individually the sites offered a panel discussion focusing on the area's needs.
Heartland Food Network Coordinator Annalisa Hultberg of the Minnesota Project said getting local foods into schools and institutions may be easier than some may imagine.
Before attending the Home Grown Economy conference, Hultberg contacted a representative of the Aviand's food service. Aviant prepared meals for Hillcrest Lutheran Academy schools and the Otter Tail County Jail, both located in Fergus Falls. Hultberg was told that institutions that contract with Aviant can merely include local foods in their food service contracts.
"It can work," Hultberg said she was told.
Local producers including Fergus Falls' Mark Boen and his Bluebird Gardens, Jake's Syrups out of Vergas and Neumann Farms of Princeton offering pork or beef are al willing to meet local institutions' food needs.
"Starting out, it's best not to begin with onions because, if the quantity isn't there from the farmer, it can be frustrating," she said.
Hultberg suggested planning local foods events. Three events can be planned throughout the year with each centering on locally grown food. Over time, more local foods events can be added until it's a regular feature.
At Heartland, Hultberg coordinates the food networking and develops further local foods programming. She is finishing her Masters degree in Natural Resources Science and Management at the University of Minnesota and is researching local foods distribution and infrastructure issues. She is also coordinating a "GIS mapping of Minnesota's local food infrastructure" with the U of M's regional and sustainable development partnerships.
"there are many reasons why local foods is good for a college," she said. "Locally grown foods have a fresher taste and a lower environmental impact. There's less transportation costs, less fuel used and students improve their eating habits while supporting the local economy. Statistics show that local fresh foods attract students to a campus. And it can build connections to the campus."
A farm to college survey showed 157 colleges nationwide using local foods. Sixty-four percent of the colleges were contract-managed and 34 percent were self operated.
"Many assume that if you have a management company, you can't serve locally grown foods," she said. "But that's not true."
Local foods leader
The University of Minnesota-Morris is a leader in the local foods movement including local foods served at the U's cafeteria. Private college are also using local foods to varying degrees.
Pine Point School is a good example of using locally grown foods in schools. Pine Point is a k-8 grade school on the White Earth Reservation with an 80 student population, said Bob Shimek, a director of the school's farm to school program.
the area has about an 85-growing day period and, within that planting-to-harvest window, the program directors, school staff and volunteers buy, collect, harvest, process and store all types of local foods.
"We get everything," Shimek said. "We collect local foods, cultivars, potatoes, carrots, onions, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, corn and bans and more. And, something I haven't heard mentioned by others, is wild foods. That's a key to our food program and it has a lot to do with our indigenous system."
Locally raised bison meat is used in the lunch program as well as locally harvested wild rice.
Instead of processed foods containing high fructose corn syrup, Pine Point uses honey as a sweetener.
Although Shimek says it's not a scientific study, teachers say that, since high fructose corn syrup use was stopped, teachers say there's been a big reduction in behavioral issues in class.
A different approach
"The most important thing in this project is that it has introduced a process and a way of thinking about ourselves, where our food comes from, thinking about our land, language, culture, health and identity. When all those indigenous food systems were destroyed, well, this brings back a lot of that into our community."
Pine Point School has initiated a "family fun day." The school's families, community and elders are invited to a local foods feast and an afternoon of activities. Each month the family day focuses on a theme.
The school is reassessing it's food toolshed but recognizes the importance the program promotes in the community in terms of dialogue, healing and talking about the food and the food system
Extension Educator Ryan Pesch collaborated on a study looking at local food interest in schools. Of the food service directors contacted, 60 percent said they were highly interested in local foods. When asked what their main consideration was in using locally grown foods, the majority said it was bettering the local economy. .
Bluebird Gardens grower Mark Boen understands the importance of good food offerings. As a grower, he watches the quality of his food closely. It starts with healthy, nutritious soil.
After World War II, soil nutrition was limited to N, P and K, he said. There are 17 elements needed in the soil including calcium.
"What we've learned about soil composition has changed our whole farm," Boen said. "When we added calcium, the soil got softer and we got worms in the soil. It mobilizes the nutrients to plants and helps the plants use nitrogen. IT helps with root growth."
Boen calls himself a biological farmer and says that, in focusing on soil nutrients, the vegetables and fruits produced on his farm have become more flavorful.
Bluebird gardens produces vegetables in 150 acres of land and uses seven high tunnel greenhouses. The vegetables are marketed at six stands in the area and through a Community Supported Agriculture the farm recently formed.
Panelist Katy Olson grew up on a dairy farm in North Dakota where she learned the value of hard work, she said. Olson, who lives in the Fergus Falls area with her husband, Ron Roller, ran a specialty crop vegetable farm and floral wholesale business for a decade. She now is partnering with Dr. Kristie Hughes of the Dynamic Healing Center of Alexandria and provides a first line therapy nutritional council and lifestyle coaching service through the Body Mind Center.
Olson stressed the importance of knowing where your food comes from and said if people had a connection to their food, there would be less obesity.
"Agribusiness is killing our farms and people at an alarming rate," she said. "I am not here to give agribusiness farmers a bad time...farmers are the victim of government policies. But I am here to say that of the 70,000 new food products introduced in the market each year, the majority of highly processed with high fructose corn syrup and soybean oil in them. That contributes greatly to the obesity problem and it profits food corporations and not farmers."
Great ag system
Former Minnesota Department of Agriculture animal ag advisor Harold Stanislawski applauded what he says it one of the best food producing systems in the world.
Stanislawski who currently serves as Fergus Falls Economic Improvement Commission director, was an extension educator in Otter Tail County for seven years. He's traveled to foreign countries including China and said the U.S. has one of the best ag production systems in the world.
He is optimistic about agriculture in the region and, in his economic development position, is interested in agriculture and the home grown initiative.
"I think we need to network with big business and not just locally," he said. "What if we train people for careers ... to work with companies like Nash Finch? We need to network to bring homegrown local talent in the industry."