Growing Green 2021: Investing in Conservation and Local Food Virtual Series

Cosponsored by Tecumseh Land Trust and the Arthur Morgan Institute for Community Solutions, as a part of the Jacoby Partnership, a Regional Conservation Partnership Program through the USDA.

The purpose of this series is for participants to gain an increased sense of practices they could adapt to improve soil and water quality and to make more of their agricultural products, including a better understanding of:

- The diversity of products they could grow and means for marketing them

- The support available to implement conservation practices on local lands.

- The actions to take to implement conservation practices and grow a stronger local food network.

Saturday, March 6 – Growing Green: Local Food & Economics

10:00 Welcomes from Susan Jennings, Arthur Morgan Institute for Community Solutions and Krista Magaw, Tecumseh Land Trust

10:10 Dr. John Ikerd – Leveraging a Local Shift in the Food and Farming Systems”

With the Shifting Economics of Commodity Farming, plus climate change and COVID19, how can we leverage better conservation and local agricultural diversity at the community, regional, and state levels?

10: 50 Break

11:00 “Being the Change in Ohio Farming” Panel: Vic Thorne (Origin Malt), Paul Dorrance (Pastured Providence), John Ikerd

Describe your local project and how it relates to a shift toward local food and economyWhat changes have you had to make to adapt to current conditions? What are the challenges you have had to overcome & what challenges that still exist?

11:50-12:15 Questions

12:15-12:45 Lunch

12:45 Leslie Shaller – “Leveraging a Local Shift in the Food and Farming Systems in Ohio”

What is needed to shift food and farming at the community, regional, and state levels in Ohio and where do we start?

1:30 Break

1:45 Cherrell Gardener of Co-op Dayton & Lela Klein of Gem City Market – “Local Cooperative Project that are making the Shift to Local Food Economy”

How did your operation begin and what resources were helpful?

What are your current concerns and what additional resources are needed?

What are the obstacles to local food purchasing? (i.e. cold storage, delivery services, shoppers’ familiarity with fresh food and vegetables and what is attractive to purchase)

Other observations, including relationships between your programs in Dayton

2:15 Questions

2:45 Break

3:00-3:45 “Shift to Local Stories from all over Ohio” Panel: Terry Traster from Food Fort (Economic and Community Development Institute) in Columbus; Dana Hilfinger, formerly of OSU and Richland County Grow-op and current Central State University Agricultural Extension Specialist for Southwest Ohio; Leslie Shaller

Panelists will have up to 5 minutes to give an introduction addressing the following questions..

Describe your project and how it shifted food and economy locally

What have been your challenges and how did you meet them?

What resources were helpful and what additional resources are needed

What are your next steps?

3:45-4:00 Questions

4:00-4:30 Thank you & Wrap Up: What’s Next