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2007 FamilyFarmed.org EXPO

Crowd at EXPO 2007

Produce at Green City Market

Bloom's Organics

FamilyFarmed.org News

FamilyFarmed.org Featured in Chicago Tribune Cover Story July 6th
For the complete story click here

FamilyFarmed.org Publishes Wholesale Success Manual
FamilyFarmed.org is pleased to announce the completion of its publication, Wholesale Success: A Farmer’s Guide to Selling, Post Harvest Handling, and Packing Produce. This 174 page manual was produced by FamilyFarmed.org staff, plus 9 authors and a 27-member steering committee consisting of leading farmers, retailers, distributors, academics, and NGO leaders. The goal of Wholesale Success is to build the capacity of midwest farmers to meet the burgeoning demand for local food. It includes comprehensive sections on issues such as Building Relationships with Buyers, Food Safety, and Calculating Return in Investment. It also includes 63 crop profiles that give specific harvesting, cooling, storage, and packing information on most of the fruits and vegetables grown in the Midwest. FamilyFarmed.org is now working with farmer organizations such as the Illinois Stewardship Alliance, Michael Fields Agricultural Institute, Michigan Integrated Food and Farming Systems, and the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture to distribute the manual and develop trainings for producers. For more information on the manual or trainings, call us at 708-763-9920.

FamilyFarmed.org EXPO to Take Place November 21 - 23, 2008
We are pleased to announce that the 2008 FamilyFarmed.org EXPO will take place this year November 21 - 23 at the Historic Chicago Cultural Center. This is the weekend before Thanksgiving, the largest food buying weekend of the year!

"Farmers, consumers, sponsors and artisan food producers have all expressed positive feedback about this move," says FamilyFarmed.org founder Jim Slama. "November will truly give us the opportunity to have a fall harvest show and experience the abundance of the season." The Expo is also being expanded to three days because attendance at last year's show was so high. The extra day will give more consumers and trade buyers the opportunity to attend.

Join us at the Bronzeville Community Market
FamilyFarmed.org is proud to be a partner in the development of The Bronzeville Community Market. This unique Chicago Farmers Market (located on Cottage Grove Avenue & 44th Street) will launch Sunday, June 15 from 10:00am to 3:00pm, and run weekly through October 26. The market, the first of its kind, will offer locally grown products as well as exotic produce and prepared foods, and is a joint effort between Quad Communities Development Corporation (QCDC) and the Mayor's Office of Special Events (MOSE). The market will feature a wide variety of fresh fruits and vegetables; a selection of meats, cooking oils, honey, and wine; a range of baked goods and prepared foods; vendors selling plants, beauty products and other non-food items, and a variety of fair trade vendors in cooperation with the Chicago Fair Trade Association. Market goers can also visit the market's wellness area that will feature a chiropractor and health screenings provided by a local medical facility. The Mongo Market, an antiques market with over 20 vendors, will participate the second Sunday of each month.

Sustain a Leader on Illinois Local and Organic Food and Farm Task Force
Seeds planted last year by the thriving local food community in Illinois are now coming to fruition. In 2007, Sustain and FamilyFarmed.org and partners at the Illinois Farmer Consumer Coalition, Evanston Food Policy Council, and the Illinois Stewardship Alliance played a key role in the passage of the Illinois Food Farms and Jobs Act. This legislation created the Illinois Local and Organic Food and Farm Task Force, which is charged with creating a state planning process and appropriation request to build a local food system. It is a dynamic group with 32 members--many of the top leaders of sustainable agriculture in the state. Sustain president Jim Slama was appointed by the Governor to the Task Force and is Co-Chair of the Consumer Access Committee. Sustain Board members Warren King and Dr. Wes Jarrell are also Task Force members and Jarrell is the Task Force Chair.

FamilyFarmed.org Named a Favorite Chicago Magazine Website
The recognition keeps growing for FamilyFarmed.org. The February 2008 issue of Chicago Magazine named FamilyFarmed.org as one of its favorite websites in a cover story! For the full story go to: www.chicagomag.com This is a great follow up to the first annual Yahoo Green Award, which our website received in 2007. Let's hope the momentum continues.

FamilyFarmed.org Wins First Ever Yahoo! Green Award

Yahoo! recently named FamilyFarmed.org as the inaugural recipient of their Yahoo! for Good Green Award. The award recognizes web-based initiatives which are striving to achieve good in the world, and with a little boost, could do even more. FamilyFarmed.org staff met with representatives at Yahoo! to discuss the potential of Web 2.0 tools such as food and agriculture blogging, e-commerce, and online videos to help FamilyFarmed.org reach a broader audience with their message about sustainably grown local food.

FamilyFarmed.org EXPO 2007
On March 24th and 25th, over 3,000 people flocked to the Chicago Cultural Center for the 2007 FamilyFarmed.org EXPO to learn about and enjoy local and organic food. 120 exhibitors including local family farmers and artisanal food producers filled two sold-out halls, while the chef demos, workshops and Friday night's Localicious Party were all packed with supporters of the local food movement. Several national leaders spoke at the event, including Organic Valley 'C-E-I-E-I-O" George Siemon, Nature's Path CEO Arran Stephens, Farm Aid director Carolyn Mugar, and Whole Foods Midwest regional president Patrick Bradley, among many, many others. We look forward to an even more exciting EXPO next year!
Learn more and see pictures from EXPO 2007

FamilyFarmed.org is a website, food label, and EXPO that supports Midwestern organic farmers by connecting them with consumers and commercial buyers. FamilyFarmed.org creates sustainable economic development, builds community, and contributes to a healthy environment by encouraging people to buy food from local producers.