The Richland County Development Group (RCDG), in conjunction with the Richland County extension of Ohio Farm Bureau held its monthly RCDG Ag/Local Foods Sector meeting Wednesday at the Longview Center in Mansfield.
The meeting was attended by members of community farmers’ markets, growers, local farmers and avid farmers’ market shoppers, as well as representatives of the city of Shelby, Mansfield/Ontario/Richland County Health Department, Richland Soil and Water Conservation District, and Richland County Regional Planning Commission.
Tim Hicks, Ohio Farm Bureau Federation (OFBF) Organization Director, opened the meeting by discussing the mission of the RCDG Ag/Local Foods Sector.
“It really boils down to: increase opportunities for famers, and increase opportunities for buyers. The more we can do that, we think it brings everybody to the table. It establishes opportunities for all kinds of different interests to become engaged in the group, and it opens up a lot of different project-oriented opportunities to kind of move the dialogue along,” said Hicks.
“This is a sector within the Richland County Development Group umbrella,” said Hicks, “the group has been meeting for about three or so years.”
Hicks announced that the “Cultivate Richland” website, although not quite ready for public launch, is being developed. The site will include an online map as a resource to help consumers find local markets and producers, a blog of events and success stories, and a forum page.
“This is where people can sign up to become a member, log on, and they can have discussions in an online collaborative platform,” Hicks explained.
Karyl Price, Health Educator and Creating Healthy Communities Project Coordinator with the Mansfield/Ontario/Richland County Health Department discussed the upcoming Farmers Market Training Workshop opportunity. This workshop would be led by Christie Welch, Farmers’ Market Specialist and Program Manager of the Ohio Cooperative Development Center (OCDC) at The Ohio State University (OSU) South Centers.
The workshop will cover farmers’ market promotions, use of SNAP benefits and EBT machines, new market considerations, food safety guidelines and resources, and Cottage Food Industry considerations and guidelines, among other topics.
The workshop has been tentatively scheduled for Wednesday, March 5 at the Longview Center. Please check the RichlandSource.com events calendar for updates.
Jean Taddie, Community Garden and Local Foods Program Coordinator for North End Community Improvement Collaborative announced plans for a new North End Farmers’ Market.
“One thing I noticed when I made it to almost all the farmers’ markets last year,” said Taddie, “is I’m not seeing my North End residents at the markets. And so we decided the best chance to get our folks eating healthier is to bring the market to them.”
The market will be held the second and fourth Tuesday of each month, beginning May 13 and ending the fourth Tuesday in October, at the Steelworker’s Hall located at 376 Longview Avenue, Mansfield.
Hicks noted that Richland County was featured in Our Ohio, an Ohio Farm Bureau publication.
“Anybody that’s a Farm Bureau member receives a copy of Our Ohio. This is kind of our flagship publication,” said Hicks. “It’s a focus on what we are doing here in Richland County.”
The next meeting of the RCDG Ag/Local Foods Sector is scheduled for Feb. 19 at 4:30 p.m. at the Longview Center, located at 1495 W. Longview Ave., Mansfield, in the lower level conference room.
Also, on Saturday, Feb. 22 the Richland County Farm Bureau is holding the annual Richland County Farm Bureau Farmers Share Breakfast. Breakfast will be served in the new Shelby High School Cafeteria from 7 to 10:30 a.m.
The farm bureau requests a donation of 50 cents or more for the breakfast which includes pancakes, fresh whole hog sausage, local eggs, orange juice, milk, and coffee. The price represents what farmers receive for their share of food production.
“It establishes opportunities for all kinds of different interests to become engaged in the group, and it opens up a lot of different project-oriented opportunities to kind of move the dialogue along,” said Tim Hicks.
