Board Blog

Thank you to all you owners who have joined us for our board meetings so far this year. Your input enriches our work in understanding issues surrounding one End of Common Ground Food Co-op: “Our local food chain is more equitable, robust and environmentally sound,” that your Board is spending the year studying. At our next meeting and study session we'll discuss some of legal issues involved with small scale food production. Joining us will be Michaela Tarr, a local lawyer with a particular interest in how the law impacts local food systems, and Nina Tarr, a University Law professor. That will be Monday, April 12 at the Robeson Pavilion Room C, on the first floor of the Champaign Public Library. The open part of the meeting begins at 6pm.

So far in this process we have heard from producers, proponents, and processors of local foods. Every meeting concludes with me thinking two thoughts: how lucky we are given the bevy of fabulous growers and producers in our area providing us with wholesome and delicious foods; and of how much good is being done absent of major national, regional and local support both in terms of private and public resources. We are talking to people working in an agricultural scale counter the prevailing agronomic norms who succeed in producing honest-to-goodness people food.

There exists a commonality between all the levels of food production discussed so far. Small-scale agriculture, food processing, and distribution failed to receive the same type of scrutiny and support that large-scale, industrialized commodity production did over the last century. Our desire to prevent another dust-bowl and depression, to eliminate the perceived inconvenience of growing seasons, and to eradicate hunger through massive staple-food surpluses created incentives to abandon traditional methods of feeding ourselves.

While noble, these goals led to statutes and regulations governing all levels of the food industry that unintentionally made micro and small scale production harder. I find it unfathomable that a nefarious plot existed to wipe out small producers from a policy perspective; rather, like so many things, as the norm shifted towards a new paradigm, government resources in both time and money followed. (Consolidation and monopolization within agribusiness is a topic for another time.) For small producers this means getting started is harder because there are fewer and fewer people to help guide you in jumping through hoops in licensing; state and federal officials grew unaccustomed to the needs of small clients; and the plain old numbers also mean fewer people experienced in your field to help mentor you through your initial growing pains. 

This, rightly, seems like a huge obstacle to rebalancing the scales towards food-democracy. Yet it's simple types of advocacy that will make a huge difference in changing the way our foods are created. Support your local economy and simultaneously eat better by spending your food dollars on things made nearby. Attend a zoning meeting or write a letter to local leaders urging the protection of farmland close to our urban centers. (And if you think that won't do much, just look at what is going on in North Urbana.) Ask what the foodscape would look like if even as little as .05% of the farm bill directed resources to farmer's markets, fruit and vegetable farmers, producers making meat for local markets and farmer apprentice programs. So many wonderful things are already happening in reclaiming traditional methods of feeding ourselves. Imagine what happens when we all put more time and resources into making it better.

The board’s efforts to understand the local food system
continues. . . . Our February meeting was fantastic!! A panel of three
producers answered questions from the board and the audience relating
to food production and farming in Central Illinois. Twenty-nine coop
members attended (!), and the meeting resulted in a great deal of
discussion about our local food system that continued long after the
meeting adjourned.

The panel comprised Jon Cherniss from Blue Moon Farm in rural
Urbana, Stan Schutte from Triple S Farms near Stewardson (Shelby
county), and Karen and Mark Linder, who farm near Ludlow in Champaign
county. The discussion ranged widely and included: possible reasons
why more farmers aren’t growing and marketing meat and produce in
Central Illinois, the possibilities for shared food processing
facilities and cooperative/collaborative food distribution
strategies, and conventional farming and marketing practices.
Our
next meeting is Monday, March 8th, and we will hear from a panel of
local producer/processors about the realities of creating value-added
products for the local market. We hope you will join us!

Cathe Capel

We're looking at our local food system within a more holistic context now. A fantastic book, "Civic Agriculture", was read by board members, and then discussed at our January meeting. The author, Thomas Lyson, writes a concise history of agriculture in the United States (he begins the story before the industrial revolution). Knowing the background of how we got here makes it easier to see exactly where we are now. The second part of the book sparks the imagination as to where we may go... and gives examples of what might be developing... as communities across the country are localizing their food systems. Benefits of reincorporating agricultural systems back into our community are numerous. The civic agriculture model tends to support local populations directly, and have tangible social/economic benefits. During our discussion, we found we have many more questions regarding how our own food system currently functions. It's the perfect lead-up to our next meeting on February 8. A panel comprised of three local farmers (coming from different backgrounds) will talk to us about their experiences as food producers in our community. We've asked some specific questions ahead of time that will be addressed: about trends and changes in the local market, concerning the logistics of farming in central Illinois, challenges faced because of the status quo, etc. The discussion/meeting is open to all members. We encourage you to attend!