First Linn County Food Symposium links local food communities together

The first Linn County Food Symposium linked nonprofits, farmers, producers, food service programs and food processors at a half-day workshop that aimed to examine the idea of providing for local communities by means of sustainable food systems. About 50 people packed into a large classroom at the Kirkwood Linn County Regional Center in Hiawatha on […]

The first Linn County Food Symposium linked nonprofits, farmers, producers, food service programs and food processors at a half-day workshop that aimed to examine the idea of providing for local communities by means of sustainable food systems. About 50 people packed into a large classroom at the Kirkwood Linn County Regional Center in Hiawatha on Oct. 27 to hear keynote speakers’ perspectives on the significance of sustainability in agriculture, the importance of local sourcing, and the role of food processors in fostering the well-being of communities. Feed Iowa First executive director and symposium facilitator Emmaly Renshaw said the symposium was a way for the local food community to build relationships and connect and consolidate resources. “It’s a way for people to link arms and replicate what is working well with different entities,” she said. Key speakers at the event were Courtney Long, food systems program manager at ISU Extension and Outreach; Kamyar Enshayan, director of the Center for Energy and Environmental Education at UNI; and Jason Grimm, food system planner at Iowa Valley Resource Conservation and Development.

The need for networking

Attendees of the symposium had many different reasons for being there, but the primary motivation was to connect with others in the industry and learn from each other.

Matthew Arndt, with Matthew 25, came to engage and learn from other local farms. He sat in on a breakout session about current food policies from a regional and national point of view. “This policy thing affects all of us,” he said. Mr. Arndt is the farm manager with Matthew 25, which manages school gardens, an urban farm, and facilitates garden workshops. He says one of the biggest challenges right now for local food producers is community support and involvement. “(We need) to shift culture around food, reconnecting (the community) to the roots of food,” he said. Julie Watkins, event program assistant at the Johnson County Historic Poor Farm who also assists the local food team, said networking is vital for the local food community to advance their initiatives. “I was hoping to meet other food-oriented people in the community,” she said. “These connections allow us to move forward in our work.” Berry farmers Jeff and Deb Sindelar, of Deb’s Barry Farm in Newhall, have been in the business for 10 years and currently sell their produce to Field to Family. The farm grows honeyberries, kiwiberries and asparagus. “It takes many years to get established,” said Mr. Sindelar, and cited the “high cost in labor” as one of the current challenges facing local food producers.

Local food producers and community support

Symposium attendees enjoyed locally-sourced food: beef sticks from Over The Moon Farm & Flowers, cheese cubes from Dan and Debbie’s Creamery, apples from Buffalo Ridge Orchard and vegetables from Morning Glory. The rich offerings highlighted the need for community support for local food producers and awareness of their contributions.

“Hardly any of our food is regional,” said Mr. Enshayan, pointing out the irony of living in a state renowned for its rich soil and dedicated farming community. Iowa spends millions a year on importing food, while the majority of what’s grown leaves the state. Iowa needs a better infrastructure to capture food dollars, he said. Farming poses its own set of challenges, both at large and small-level scales. Some obstacles facing farmers today include access to land, capital, and markets. Organizations like the Iowa Valley RC&D work to apprentice and train the next generation of farmers.  The Linn County Food Symposium was subsidized by Linn County Food Systems, and was sponsored by Linn County and ISU Extension and Outreach–Linn County.