Organic food production and distribution...

(This, by the way, is my 900th post!!)

I'm so excited about a meeting we're going to this afternoon(Greensburg GreenTown organized it):

"We’re writing to invite you to Greensburg on May 10 to a preliminary gathering of folks from throughout Kansas who are interested in sustainable food production: from organic growing, to farmers’ markets, to the availability of locally produced foodstuffs in restaurants and grocery stores.

This meeting is a conversation among people who are passionate about healthy food, good eating, and strengthening local economies.

People have come to us wanting to make this kind of a meeting happen locally. We think it's a unique opportunity to explore these issues, some of which are part of Greensburg's Master Plan.

The Kansas Organic Producers Association (KOP) will be represented by Harry Bennett, and Daniel Nagengast of the Kansas Rural Center is coming.

KOP is a marketing/bargaining cooperative for about 60 organic grain and livestock farmers located primarily in Kansas, whose purpose is to help build markets for organic grain and livestock and to represent its members in negotiating sales and coordinating deliveries of organic products.

The Kansas Rural Center is a nonprofit organization that promotes the long-term health of the land and its people through research, education, and advocacy. It is committed to economically viable, environmentally sound, and socially sustainable rural culture.

We’re also inviting a USDA representative to talk about financial incentives for conversion to organic production, and the processing of raw commodities into a finished product. We are inviting various growers and end-users, extension agents, and local people who are interested in the development of a sustainable food system."