Our Mission: To be the driving force for building a market for locally produced foods and to be a catalyst for change to improve the health of residents in the Laughery Valley and the environs.
Our Vision: By promoting the use of locally grown produce, the Food and Growers Association supports family farms, safeguards the community's health, strengthens local economy and protects our environment.
Program topics: New Market Opportunities Giving Yourself "The Edge" Business Savvy Production Problem Solving
Activities: Information & Vendor Displays Catered Lunch - featuring some local food Local Grower/Producer Award Presentations
This seminar is for food growers & producers, hobby farmers, home gardeners, farmers' market vendors and those interested in a safe, local food supply.
The richness, variety and flavor of our communities, food systems, and diets are in jeopardy. Factory farms, agribusiness control of the food system, and mega-supermarkets have brought us low prices and convenience but have taken away many other essential aspects of our "food lives", such as a personal relationship with food and with the people who produce it. They have also diminished our understanding of the basic nature of food and farming. More and more people are realizing this and are actively working to turn the tide and to preserve a food industry based on family-owned, small-scale businesses. Local farmers and small entrepreneurs are our best guarantee agains a world of Styrofoam-like, long-shelf-life tomatoes and diets dictated from the corporate boardrooms.
Photos from Growing Our Community with Food: Opportunities for Restaurants, Grocery Stores, Schools, Farms and Health Care Organizations held December 1, 2009
The evening included appetizers and desserts featuring locally grown food, a short meeting to elect FGA officers and a panel discussion lead by Roy Ballard, Purdue Extension Educator.
The Food and Growers Association of Laughery Valley and Environs recently received recognition at the INShape Indiana annual summit held on September 29th at IndianaStateUniversity. INShape Indiana is Governor Mitch Daniel's program to improve the health of Indiana citizens and communities. Daniels launched INShape Indiana in 2005 to challenge Hoosiers to eat better, move more and avoid tobacco.
The theme of this year's conference was "Healthy Lifestyles, Healthy Communities," showcasing strategies and resources available to improve the health of smaller communities. ISU hosted the conference.
Daniels spoke at the conference and applauded all of the organizations around the state, including the FGA, for their creativity and initiative. Referring to the national health care debate, Daniels said the most important thing Indiana citizens can do is to take better care of themselves so they don't require as much health care in the first place, he said.
"The greatest health care reform imaginable would be to reform person by person, school by school, town by town, business by business in the way we live our lives in the first place so we need less health care at each stage of life," he said.
FGA was invited to the summit because of our selection last year by the Indiana University School of Nursing as an organization promoting a healthier community.
Kathy Cooley, president, and Patty Reding, vice president, presented a breakout session at the summit and are shown here receiving the award from State health commissioner Judith Monroe, MD, and Governor Mitch Daniels. Over 50 people attended the breakout session. Our audience included city planners, public health officials, health professionals and students. The presentation was very well received. The summit and the enthusiasm for our organization at the state level confirmed that we have a great responsibility to continue with our mission of promoting a sustainable, local food system.
Please join our organization to show your support for our program.
GREENHOUSE FOR USE ON SITE ---OR FOR SALE 20' wide x 50' long greenhouse with rigid polycarbonate end walls, sliding doors on both ends, roll-up gear for both sides. May be used on site (few miles south of Batesville) for rental fee, or may be purchased for reasonable offer. For further information contact Richard @ 812-212-9674
