April 27 HFSC Meeting Minutes

Present:

Lisa Weiskopf – Harmony Co-op

Shannon Murray – community member

Mark Lawrence - BSU

Patti Smith – Leech Lake Nation

Mike Smithm – Leech Lake Nation

Greg Chesters – Bison Project

Wally Peck – Beltrami Master Gardeners

Kathy Peck – Beltrami Master Gardeners

Reed Olson – Wild Hare

Debe Walehuk – USDA Natural Resources Conservation Services

Terry Nennich – U of M Extension

Dawn Plumer – CURA intern

Kathy Blanc – Healer, Gardener

Marti Lundin - BWELL

Jody Devault – LLDCEP Leech Lake Special Diabetes

Roxanne Johnson – Indian Health Service Cass Lake

Susanne Rabel - U of M Nutrition Education

Robert Shimek – HFSC

Linda Kingery – U of M NW Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships

Agenda:

*CURA report

*Pioneer column discussion

*Asset Mapping

*Strategic Planning date, time, location

Introductions:

Welcome to Deb from NRCS – outreach coordinator; assists groups with community organizing, structuring.

CURA research report:

Dawn – looking at health disparities in region w/ income levels and race; tied with food security; researched federal food support programs (SNAP and WIC); prevalence of diabetes and heart disease in region; socio-economic component of health and access to healthy foods; health literacy issues; travel time/distance to healthy foods; SNAP allows seed and seedling purchases to recipients; farm-to-school project research; school district procurement policies; overall, folks want healthy foods but not so available and/or affordable; 2008 farm bill relating to EBT at farmers markets and local foods.

Discussion:

Request research on community composting; many folks would garden if they had proper soil.

Action: talk to groceries and restaurants about giving away spoilage for gardeners.

Patti – talk to tribe about getting a dump truck

Action: Shannon – will research area restaurants and groceries to see what can be done; will go on U of M extension website to find info about composting. Terry will send information to Shannon.

Discussion:

EBT (Electronic Benefits Transfer like food stamps, WIC) Project: Terry – Farmers market applied for $48,000 to put EBT machines in Farmers Market. Taking applications for 13 other farmers markets to start. By year 3, the program was very successful. For more info, go to . New Farm Bill is allocating more funds into Senior Vouchers rather than regular Farmers Market Vouchers.

Luekens: Local Foods: not advertised. Can WIC be used for local foods at Luekens?

Suggestion: Local Logo – an aggregation of farmers under a local brand.

Existing logos: Can we piggyback? Lakes Country Local Foods, or Buy Fresh Buy Local.

Also: Create a Tribal identification of gathered and cultivated foods.

Look up Kyra Busch to identify how to bypass and work with institutional food guidelines.

Action: Address policy issues that keep local foods out of institutions.

PIONEER COLUMN:

Molly from Pioneer is considering allowing us a column, if we do it consistently.

Specs:

500-600 words

Picture of author

Need volunteer to edit and prompt

Maybe 3 or 4 out a year

Feature article

Submit as needed

Suggestion: also submit to Cass Lake times, White Earth, Red Lake, etc. and other local papers.

Suggestion: Katie Carter – KAXE correspondence

Action: Kathleen Blanc will contact Katie about being our editor on Local Foods

Action: After strategic planning meeting, several folks will submit sample articles on HFSC.

ASSET MAPPING:

Identify Outcomes and Assets

Mapping Exercise:

Assets:

*Eaters

· school age children

· Farm to school

· elderly care center

· eating quality foods not quantity

· cultural staples awareness and support

· colleges and tech schools

· homeless shelters

*Producers

· local honey, maple syrup (names?)

· Local fresh eggs (available)

· goat milk and cheese (Heather Fadness, Robin Helgager)

· family gardeners

· small organic farmers furits and veggies and bees

· mahnomen natural - lake and river rice (existing?)

· forest edge winery

· fresh herbs for cooking

· local bison

· apple farmers

· wild berries

*Retail

· groceries

· restaurants

· availability of fresh foods

· farmers markets

· access issues – how to make widely available

*Distribution
· Driveway market
· Local farmers personal truck
· food miles analysis
· community supported agriculture groups
· farmers markets
· commodity food programs
· growing own food for area
· barter system
*Processing
· community cannery (outcome)
· home canners (resource)
· MN Dehydrated Vegetables (existing)
· Red Lake Fisheries (existing)
· Natural Way Mills (existing)
· Riviana Foods, Clearbrook (existing)
· Cass Lake- Bena Family Center kitchen cannery (developing)
· wild rice processing
· church communities
· groups of friends and neighbors
· maple sugar evaporators (outcome)
*Preparation
· concordia language villages
· 4-h clubs and after school how to make 'real food'
· neighborhood pot lucks
· nutritionists and nutrition program educators
· cass lake family center community kitchen
· family meals
· bread and beer maker – scott jorgenson
· cass lake – bena Bug school kitchen
*Preserving Farmland
· New Beltrami Frohn Township
· Township Boards
· community orgs such as MN Food Assoc, Rural enterprise center, land stewardship project
· Private non-profit easement/covenants
· USDA farm service agency
· Natural Resources Conservation Services
· Rural Development
· Resource Conservation and Development
· Soil and Water Conservation Districts
· MN Dept of Ag programs – extension
· Sustainable Ag groups
*Community Vitality
· Consumer responsibility
· ways to share info and fellowship
· settling for low quality foods
· people connecting thru community gardens
· well informed community that advocates for good food for all people
· connecting buyers and growers
· chambers of commerce
· care for mother earth

*Jobs

· solar technicians

· cheese makers

· seed savers

· greenhouse managers

· funding source to create jobs to teach people how to garden, can, dry,

· sustainability

· director cannery co-op

*Healthy People

· effect on reducing childhood obesity

· bike delivery

· enjoying an active life

· availability of local foods

· medical professor

· bike delivery

· belong to a community

· reduce: cancer, diabetes, hypertension, etc

· be well

· low-income people to table

*Education/Learners

· Extension Nutrition Ed programs

· Extension master gardeners

· school age

· traditional skills classes w/ BSU and partners

· Model program: pine point

· parents, educators, teachers

· revive and teach the arts of cooking, gardening – sue doden?

· Community gardens – 1227 Norton

· red lake group – John?

· Library gardening presentations

· more cooking classes and workshops

· U of M extension

· spring gardening workshop

· community education cooking classes

· food prep classes in schools – organic and whole grain

*Small farm viability

· organic farm mentoring program

· family run egg producers

· small chicken, turkey, pig producers

· bringing in new farmers

· sustainable ag assoc

· naturally grown assoc

· value added

· young, new farmers – sam kvale

Strategic Planning Discussion:

Scheduled for 10 a.m. this Monday. Place pending: Caviat: Consultant may have family matters so be on look-out for email. May have late cancellation/postponement. (Alternate date if needed – Monday the 18th of May)

LISA: call Shannon and Bob with the where, when and if of meeting on Monday.

Hoped for outcomes of strategic planning meeting:

*chronology – what comes first, step by step

*barriers to forming organizing and w/in the community

*non-authoritarian organizing

*expanding existing objectives

*list of key players

*HFSC governance infrastructure

*bringing low-income and at-risk folks to the decision making process

*identify tangible, long-lasting priorities and direction

*don't loose sight of why this org is here – who benefits

*youth involvement

Action: Bring multiple copies of mission statement

Lisa: have dawn send pdf file of docs before monday and send out to group

Strategic Planning Meeting announcement forthcoming. Be on look out before Monday.

Next HFSC full council meeting is Monday, June 29th 3 p.m. At Bemidji Public Library.

Thanks all!

Notes by Lisa W.