Local Food Columbus » Featured Articles
Market Forces: Creating Jobs through Public Investment in Local and Regional Food Systems
A new report outlines the many benefits of investing in local food systems, including creating jobs. Market Forces: Creating Jobs through Public Investment in Local and Regional Food Systems | Union of Concerned Scientists. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Farmer's Markets, Featured Articles, National, News, Policy and Regulation
Urban Columbus Worm Farm Featured on ONN!
One20 farm of Columbus is featured on Ohio News Network. In their Green Ohio segment. Also featured is Sunny Meadows Sunflower Farm another of our local urban farms. Way to go! View the story and video follow the link below: Columbus Farmer Has Unique Crop | Ohio News Network (ONN). … Read entire article »
Filed under: Featured Articles, New Farmers, News, Urban Farming
Investing in Local Business – New Book
You shop locally, you buy locally, so why don’t you invest locally? Why not invest your assets in your favorite small business just down the street from where you live? Truth is, it’s not as easy as it should be, says Amy Cortese, a veteran business journalist and author of the new book Locavesting, which takes a look at the local-investing movement and how individual investors can participate. See the article in Mintlife Blog … Read entire article »
Filed under: Featured Articles
Ohio Ecological Food & Farm Assoc. Joins Suit Against Monsanto
Organic Farms and Seed Sellers File Suit Against Monsanto: Preemptive Action Seeks Ruling That Would Prohibit Monsanto from Suing Organic Farmers and Seed Growers if Contaminated by Roundup Ready Seed On behalf of 60 family farmers, seed businesses, and organic agricultural organizations, including the Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association (OEFFA), the … Read entire article »
Filed under: Featured Articles, Legal, National, News
Small Independent Grocers and Local Food
As demand for locally produced food grows, grocery stores are struggling to find sources of that food. The food is out there, but the buying models of the larger grocery is often incompatible with the small farmer. Currently, most producers of local food are small farms, which may not be able to fill the volume, price or regular delivery demands of a typical grocery store chain. What may seem as a problem for the local food movement may be an opportunity for small independent grocers who may not require large volumes of product and may be more flexible on delivery than the large supermarkets. Small grocers can partner with local farmers to carry the “most” locally grown and identity preserved foods. In fact smaller volumes and more frequent delivery often mean … Read entire article »
Filed under: Featured Articles, News
Local small scale co-packer in central Ohio
If you always wanted to sell your salsa at the farmer’s market or to the grocery store? There is now a facility in Franklin County that will commercially bottle small batches of high-acid foods for local farmers and entrepreneurs. They are committed to local…ly grown food and the local economy. For details contact Anthony Fraizer 614-257-1699 … Read entire article »
Filed under: Featured Articles, Local Food Processing
Ohio Grass Grazed Symbol Proposed
Supporters of transparency in labeling have proposed a new symbol to aid consumers in their food choices. Producers who would carry the label would need to have more than half of the feed consumed be grass(for ruminants) and less than half be grain-based concentrated feed. The proposal encourages or requires producers to commit to continuing education on sustainable methods, funding new research on healthy food production and community involvement. Initially the symbol would be used for ruminants such as cows and sheep, but would be expanded to other animals in the future. Read the preliminary_ohiograss.pdf (application/pdf Object). … Read entire article »
Filed under: Featured Articles, News, Policy and Regulation
Sara Lee Greenwashes new bread product: “Eco-grain” – buyer beware
This is hot off the newswire: “EcoGrain” Marketing Blitz — Greenwashing New Bread Produced with Toxic Agrochemicals as Something /Better/ Than Organic *Cornucopia, Wisconsin:* With the growing success of organics, and increasing consumer interest in buying foods that were grown on sustainable farms without toxic chemicals, Sara Lee Corporation has launched, with much fanfare, a marketing campaign for its /Earthgrains /bread, chock-full of environmental-friendly catchphrases. Sara Lee claims that “Eco-Grain™,” an ingredient actually used in small proportions in its Earthgrains brand breads, is /more/ sustainable than organic grain. What has been described as a “crass and exploitive marketing ploy” has angered many in the organic community. “Corporations like Sara Lee clearly want to profit from consumers’ interest in ecological and healthy food production. But unlike … Read entire article »
Filed under: Featured Articles, National
Co-op canneries…where’s the meat?
I was really excited about this message (below) until I read further into it. “…for the production of a premium brand of creatively designed fruit based preserves.” Farmers can already make their own jelly at home. It’s covered under the cottage food exemption. You’ll find fruit preserves at every farmers’ market in Ohio. What our farm needs is a cannery that will do meat, broth, soups, and other meat-based products. We’ve made inquiries to ACENet and the ODA–even looked into starting our own facility–and all we heard was “You have to have a big industrial cannery to do meats.” After more than a year of searching, we finally found Keystone Meats in Lima, Ohio. They charge $1.35 per 28 oz. can, and the minimum amount they’ll process is 2000 lbs. of … Read entire article »
Filed under: Featured Articles, Local Food Processing, Urban Chickens
How do we move farming to the cities?
This was originally posted as a reply to Sam Rose’s question on Ohio State University’s Local Food Systems network. “So, the question is: how can we plausibly increase the amount of farmers? The answer seems to be to take farming to where most of the people are at: in the cities.” –Sam Rose I very much agree. In bringing farming to cities, we face two major obstacles, neither of which are insurmountable. The first is that, even with intensive models such as Square-Foot gardening, Grow Biointensive, or SPIN, farming still requires land. A person aiming only to feed his or her own family might find a backyard sufficient, but someone trying to grow enough to earn a living is going to need either a lot of land on which they can grow during … Read entire article »
Filed under: Featured Articles, New Farmers, Urban Farming
