New Website Offers Local Food Resources

A group of folks from the University of Minnesota Extension, Buy Fresh Buy Local South Dakota, FARRMS (North Dakota), North Dakota State University Extension, and the Northwest Regional Partnership (Minnesota) have teamed together to launch a new Community and Local Food Resource website.

Announced yesterday, the website contains extensive links to tools, videos, articles, reports, fact sheets, websites, and more that will help farmers, extension educators, and communities looking to build their local food system infrastructure.

Researchers received a SARE grant to work with rural Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota communities to identify needs. They hope the website will address their needs through the tools and resources for farmers, community groups, Extension educators, and others interested in local food systems.

The release of this website coincides with the kick-off of a new season of farmers markets, CSAs and farm-to-institution programs,” said Greg Schweser, community food systems planner for the University of Minnesota Extension’s Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships. “It will be useful to those working in local foods seeking production assistance, expanded marketing opportunities, developing stronger businesses, creating new sourcing options, educating citizens and crafting more beneficial public policies.”