Good Food for All

Daily Digest: GO TO 2040 Sustainable Local Food Report, McHenry County Farm Day, and Community Gardens in Englewood

The Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) is an advisory regional planning agency for Chicago and the surrounding 7-county region.  One of the top 12 recommendations in the upcoming plan, GO TO 2040, is "promote sustainable local food." 

Download the Local Food Draft Report for GO TO 2040 here.   The public comment period is open until Aug. 6, 2010.  To submit input on the local food section of the plan, comments can be left on the CMAP website or at one of the open houses. 

McHenry County designated Tuesday, July 20th as "McHenry County Farm Day" to encourage local food production and farmland protection.  For a full list of McHenry County farmers markets, click here. 

Greater Englewood Garden Association supports a number of community food gardens.  Read about the new Heritage Station Community Garden.  Watch local news coverage below. 

Daily Digest: Mobile Food Collective in Chicago, USDA Farm Transition Program Announced, and Farmers Using Social Media

Increasing numbers of farmers are utilizing social media to sell their products. 

USDA announced a new Farm Bill program, the Transition Incentives Program (TIP), to encourage retired or retiring farmers to transition their land to beginning or socially disadvantaged farmers. 

Chicago Food Policy Advisory Council (CFPAC) is organizing neighborhood council meetings. The next meeting will take place: 

West District Loop: June 1, 2010 at 6:00pm at the Pilsen Wellness Center (2319 S. Damen Ave)
[CFPAC is also working on getting a Northwest District Neighborhood Council established, which would include neighborhoods from West Town, Humboldt Park, and Logan Square to Jefferson Park and Albany Park. If you would like to get involved, please contact Dennis Ryan at Experimental Station].

Seeding Chicago has an overview of the recent Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture study on the economic impact of increased fruit and vegetable production in Illinois. 

Students at Archeworks have organized a Mobile Food Collective, including a Mobile Food Unit that will be used for food storage, meetings, and programming. 

As part of the Let's Move campaign, large-scale food manufacturers have agreed to cut over 1 trillion calories from their products by 2015. 

Fruit and Vegetable Study Reveals Significant Potential for New Jobs and Increased Income in Illinois

Illinois could gain more than 5400 jobs and over $988 million in retail sales through increased production and marketing of 28 types of fruits and vegetables for local consumption according to a major study of the economic potential of increased fruit and vegetable production in the upper Midwest. 

The same analysis shows that if local fruit and vegetable production were focused on the state's nearby major metro areas, including St. Louis, the potential gain could be approximately 4,100 jobs and over $783 million in retail sales. 

The study, done by the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture at Iowa State University and funded in part by Fresh Taste, reveals that meeting our entire statewide need for fruits and vegetables would require only about 69,000 acres of land, or just 0.3 percent of the state's 23.7 million acres of cropland. Just under 50,000 acres would be needed for the urban center option. 

To download the full press release,  click here. 

To read the full AP story, click here. 

The Leopold Center study is the first multi-state study in the upper Midwest to examine the potential economic benefits of fruit and vegetable production on a scale that would meet the needs of consumers in each of the six states.  Download the full report here. 

Daily Digest: Local Food Distribution Models, Fresh Food Consumption and Slow Money

The New York Times has a comparative infographic showing the amount of fresh food vs. packaged food consumption in the United States (via OrganicNation.TV). 

Join Illinois Stewardship Alliance in Springfield, IL, on Wednesday, April 28 for Local Food Awareness Day.  Activities will include legislative updates and a lobbying training.  Registration is due Monday, April 19.  

Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems in Wisconsin has a national map of local food distribution models.  View the map here. 

Secretary Vilsack visited RMH Foods, a meat processing facility in Morton, Illinois.  RMH is a recipient of a USDA Rural Development loan and the owners succeeded in maintaining the business and retaining over 130 jobs. 

To further its civil engagement, USDA released the Open Gov Plan, accessible here.  Anyone can register and submit ideas or feedback on the website. 

The Slow Money National Gathering "ISM" (Inspired by Slow Money) will take place June 9-11 at Shelburne Farms, Vermont.  Register and view the program schedule here. 

Daily Digest: Urban Agriculture Tour Re-cap, Roadside Advertising, and Local vs. Conventional Produce

On Nov. 19, legislators took a tour of urban farm sites in Chicago. Watch the WTTW recap on Chicago Tonight. 

Want to find out how much your produce travels? GOOD produced this graphical analysis of local vs. conventional produce based on data from Iowa. 

Ken Meter's work on "Mapping Minnesota's Food Industry" is profiled in Civil Eats. 

"Roadside Advertising in a Digital Age" webinar is available online until Dec. 19. 

Watch the "Grown in Detroit" trailer about The Catherine Ferguson Academy for Young Women, which offers agricultural training to young pregnant teens. 

Trailer 'Grown in Detroit' from Mascha Poppenk on Vimeo.

Daily Digest: Chicago congregations take on food access role

Churches on Chicago's South and West Sides are providing access to fresh food for congregants. 

Illinois Extension will be hosting two sustainable agriculture farm tours in August. 

Featured video (via OrganicNation.TV and Community Beat): 

Cob Connection and the Food Pantry Teen Leadership Program 

CenterPortion in Logan Square is offering three screenings of FRESH, the movie. 

Food stamps are becoming easier to use at farmers' markets. 

Snapshot on Vermont: A mobile poultry slaughterhouse. 

Wednesday's Blogroll

Healthy Schools Campaign gives an overview of the Food Marketing in Schools Assessment Act, which would require government agencies to study the effects of food and beverage marketing in schools. 

Marion Nestle links to the new USDA report on the rapid adoption of genetically modified crops in the U.S. since 1996.  60-70% of corn and cotton, and 90% of soybean crops are GM varietals. 

RSF Social Finance's Elizabeth Ü provides extensive resources on Program Related Investing (PRI) and Mission Related Investing (MRI). 

Chicago banking is turning green, thanks to ShoreBank and GreenChoice Bank. 

Do you love your farmers' market? From June 19 - Sept. 17, you can vote for your favorite farmers' market sponsored by Care2 and LocalHarvest.org.  View the Top 100 here. 

Wednesdays = Veggie Bingo! Raise money for Chicago's community gardens from July 8 to September 9. 

(Photo Credit: Charlie Neibergall, AP)

Daily Digest: Illinois Fresh Food Fund, Hip-hop, and Healthy Food

Food Retail: 

With $10 million allocated to the Illinois Fresh Food Fund, retail grocery stores are being promoted in Chicago's underserved communities. 

A healthy foods store on Chicago's South Side, Graffiti and Grub, recently opened.  Chicago Public Radio interviews Ladonna Redmond and Will Seegars about the new store and its special twist: a performance space on the second floor for youth.  

Karriem Beyah opened Farmers Best in the fall of 2008 in Back of the Yards neighborhood.  Time.com featured Beyah's store in this video, "Urban Deserts: Fresh-food-free zones." 

Agricultural Conservation Easements: 

According to a national survey by American Farmland Trust, the purchase of agricultural conservation easement (PACE) programs slowed in 2008 and is expected to decrease in 2009. 

Upcoming Conference: 

The Illinois Conference on Agricultural Land Use Planning conference is scheduled for August 6, 2009 in LaSalle, IL.  Click here for the agenda. 

Photo credit: iLoveButter

Mobile produce carts and Two exciting awards

Models to watch: 

New York City approved 1,000 mobile produce carts for five boroughs last year.  Now, over 200 Green Carts are located in designated neighborhoods serving raw fruits and vegetables.  

(photo credit: MarionZetta)

Two Upcoming Awards:

Gardeners Supply is sponsoring the Garden Crusader Award. Applications are due June 15, 2009. 

Care2.com and LocalHarvest.org is awarding $5,000 to a "favorite farmers market."  Contest begins June 19th and ends September 22nd. 

Learn more at: http://www.care2.com/farmersmarket. 

Grass-fed beef, Soda taxes, and a PBS segment on "Food, Inc."

The USDA Agricultural Research Service  says grass-fed beef may be the best prescription for farmers facing the effects of climate change. 

The New York Times endorses the idea of a soda tax.

While there are no Food, Inc. screenings planned for Chicago yet, PBS NOW features a segment with director Robert Kenner.