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Wisconsin Local Food Network HomeThis is a featured page

Mission:
Creating statewide connections for learning from the experiences of Wisconsin local food initiatives.
We foster learning for local and regional action through networking and dialogue.



Please mark your calendars for the
4th Annual Wisconsin Local Food Summit
again held jointly with the
12th Annual Midwest Value Added Agriculture Conference!
“Road to Opportunities”
January 21-22, 2010
Ramada Convention Center, Eau Claire, Wisconsin
And introducing…
January 20, 2010
The all new Value Added Agriculture ‘College’ Half and Full Day Workshops
The Conference/Summit includes 36 breakout sessions in 6 themed tracks, 3 exciting keynote addresses, a tradeshow, a World Café round table forum, plenty of time for networking and delicious local food served throughout!
Who Should Attend?
Ø Agricultural producers, suppliers and distributors
Ø Agricultural educators, service providers and agencies
Ø Farmers market managers and vendors
Ø Local Food buyers and advocates
Ø Sustainable agriculture enthusiasts
Care to get more involved?
Ø Sponsor a speaker, participant or breakout session
Ø Donate a Door Prize, Silent Auction Item or locally produced food item
Ø Promote the event to your clients
Hosts:
River Country Resource Conservation, Wisconsin Local Food Network, Hiawatha Valley Resource Conservation and Development Council, Inc.
Find the latest information on the College, Conference and Summit at: http://www.rivercountryrcd.org/valad.html
Registration Brochure

Carpool opportunities

Final Summit Schedule

Many thanks to our 2009 Sponsors:

Benefactor:
DATCP - Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection
EAM Team - UW Cooperative Extension Emerging Agricultural Markets Team
UW River Falls - St. Croix Institute for Sustainable Community Development and College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences

Supporter:
WI Natural Food Association
Price County UW-Extension (in-kind staff assistance)


Our 2008 Sponsors:

Benefactor:
DATCP - Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection
EAM Team - UW Cooperative Extension Emerging Agricultural Markets Team

Advocate:
Willy Street Co-op
Plum Creek Timber Company

Supporter:
UWSP-GEM - UW Stevens Point - Global Environmental Management


Please join us in sharing information and learning from each other. Help us stay up to date about what you are doing in your communities.

Take a look at the Discussion Forum. Is there a conversation you would like to join in on?

Did you miss a Wisconsin Local Food Summit? Info from 2007, 2008 and 2009 proceedings.

Join the conversation often and make this wiki a lively and worthwhile place. Please post responsibly.

Current Hot Topic!

Fruit and vegetable growers, consider filling out the WI Food Safety Needs Assessment survey by following this link: SURVEY


Buy Local Buy Wisconsin "Post-Harvest Handling for Vegetable Production Quality Success" Workshops - Wednesday, January 6 in Oconomowoc; Thursday, January 7 in Viroqua - go to www.datcp.state.wi.us, look under "online services" on the right side of the page, and click on the "Buy Local Buy Wisconsin Workshop Registration" link for more information and to register!

UW Madison reading and discussing In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan
http://www.gobigread.wisc.edu

April 21, 2009, the Wisconsin Local Food Network made a webinar presentation for the Building Communities Series hosted by the Center for Community and Economic Development. Local Food Networks: Food Localization as a Sustainability Strategy http://www.uwex.edu/ces/cced/
communities/documents/
Series7_6slides.pdf. The presentation was made by WLFN Steering Committee members: Gerry Campbell, Jasia Steinmetz and Anne Pfeiffer. Take a look at a photo of Anne at the console during the webinar (attached below).

Check out the new Wisconsin Regional Food System Pages. This would be a great place to continue your conversations about your regional activities.

New to wikis? Watch this short video: Wikis in Plain English


JaneHansen
JaneHansen
Latest page update: made by JaneHansen , Dec 14 2009, 3:21 PM EST (about this update About This Update JaneHansen Edited by JaneHansen

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Started By Thread Subject Replies Last Post
kkmonroe Holistic Management Workshops 0 Oct 9 2009, 4:18 PM EDT by kkmonroe
Thread started: Oct 9 2009, 4:18 PM EDT  Watch
Buy Local Buy Wisconsin Holistic Management Workshops To Start In November
Contact: Kenny Monroe (608) 224-5112 kenneth.monroe@wi.gov

The Buy Local Buy Wisconsin Workshop Roadshow will start in November with workshops titled “Making Decisions About Local Food Sales Opportunities Using the Holistic Management Framework” in four locations.

The workshops will be in Platteville Wednesday, Nov. 11; Madison Thursday, Nov. 12; Wisconsin Rapids Friday, Nov. 13; and Eau Claire Wednesday, Jan. 20.

The workshops will center on a new framework for decision-making called “holistic management.” Holistic management is a systems-thinking approach to farm management that strives to build biodiversity, improve production, build financial strength, and improve the farmer’s quality of life.

Dane County Farmers Market manager and veteran holistic management educator Larry Johnson will lead the workshops, with assistance from long-time University of Wisconsin-Extension agent and holistic management expert Andy Hager.

The cost to attend either the Nov. 11 or Nov. 12 workshop is $50 for the first farm partner and $20 for additional farm partners. The workshops will also take place as a part of two larger conferences: “Connecting Threads: A Conference for Women Farmers” on Friday, Nov. 13 in Wisconsin Rapids; and the “12th Annual Value Added Agriculture Conference” on Wednesday, January 20, 2010 in Eau Claire.

For more information and to register for the workshops or the conferences, go to www.datcp.state.wi.us and look under “online services.” Information and registration materials are also available by contacting Kenny Monroe, kenneth.monroe@wi.gov, phone 608-224-5112.

Additional Buy Local Buy Wisconsin workshops will be offered in early 2010, including Quickbooks 101 for Farmers, Post-Harvest Handling for Vegetable Production Quality and Success, and Food Safety on the Market Farm.
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JaneHansen In Defense of Food and UW Madison's Go Big Read 0 Sep 29 2009, 6:23 PM EDT by JaneHansen
Thread started: Sep 29 2009, 6:23 PM EDT  Watch
Gerry Campbell noted the following:

In Defense of Food-- There is no better place to begin an understanding of systems concepts than your dinner plate. What you eat, where it came from, how you pay for it, what it does to/for you and what it does to our world are all great question which lead to complexity, feedback loops, mental models and so on. Here in Wisconsin our largest University is giving all of us the opportunity to get engaged in a conversation about food systems. Go Big Read is UW-Madison's new common-reading program. It aims to have thousands of people reading, talking and sharing their reactions and opinions. The First book selected for this program is Michael Pollan's book In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto,

Pollan examines the modern American food landscape where the deceptively simple question of what to eat has been muddled by the numerous and often conflicting claims of food producers, marketers, and nutrition experts. If you want a taste of Pollan as a systems thinker look at the link below where he connects food systems and health insurance issues.



I encourage you to read Pollan's book, but at a minimum check out the general web page for the UW's Go Big Read discussion at http://www.gobigread.wisc.edu

Please log on to the site look at the events, check out the blog an give your comments as a food systems thinker and activist.



Big Food vs. Big Insurance
ByMICHAEL POLLAN

Published: September 9, 2009York Times Op Ed September 10 2009



http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/10/opinion/10pollan.html
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kkmonroe Buy Local Buy Wisconsin Grant Deadline EXTENDED to Oct. 7 0 Sep 25 2009, 3:18 PM EDT by kkmonroe
Thread started: Sep 25 2009, 3:18 PM EDT  Watch
EXTENDED DEADLINE

Buy Local, Buy Wisconsin Grant pre-proposals due October 7, 2009 by 4:00 pm

The Buy Local, Buy Wisconsin (BLBW) grant program invites pre-proposals for projects that are likely to stimulate Wisconsin's agricultural economy by increasing the purchase of Wisconsin grown or produced food by local food buyers. Pre-proposals will be accepted from individuals, groups, businesses and organizations involved in Wisconsin agriculture, agritourism, food retailing, processing, distribution or warehousing.

The 2009 Buy Local, Buy Wisconsin Grant Manual and pre-proposal template are available online at www.datcp.state.wi.us; keyword "Buy Local" or click on the link below for the BLBW page:

http://www.datcp.state.wi.us/mktg/business/marketing/val-add/directmktg/blbw.jsp

Questions regarding the BLBW program can be directed to Teresa Cuperus at 608-224-5101; teresa.cuperus@wisconsin.gov
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Showing 3 of 7 threads for this page - view all
JPEG Image photo.jpg (JPEG Image - 109k)
posted by JaneHansen   Apr 29 2009, 12:14 PM EDT
Building Communities webinar photo