Workshop to Focus on Development of Online Food Co-ops

The first in a series of workshops focused on “Food Hubs and Co-ops: How local family farms can feed our communities” will be offered April 6, 2013, 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. in the Highland Community College’s Klinefelter Barn, 1774 230th St., Hiawatha, KS. The workshop will provide people who grow and enjoy locally produced food with information on how to form partnerships and food cooperatives. “This workshop was instantly popular, and we realized we needed to develop separate
workshops for the food hub and food co-op topics,” stated Mary Howell, Membership Specialist
with the Kansas Farmers Union.

Part One of the series, “How to Start an Online Food Cooperative” will be held on Saturday,
April 6th. A second workshop exploring “Organization of Food Hubs” will be announced shortly.

In 2003, the Oklahoma Food Co-op modeled a unique approach to connect local consumers
and producers. Its approach was to bring consumers and producers together as owners of a cooperative. Through the cooperative, they created an online, virtual marketplace where local products could be ordered and distributed. Together, the consumers and producers shared the costs and risks, as well as the benefits, of establishing a new community food system. Since its launch, at least 16 others have started similar operations using the Oklahoma Food Co-op as a model to organize their operations.
“Joining us for the day will be the founders of several very successful food co-ops, including
the Oklahoma Food Co-op, who will provide insight and recommendations based on their experiences.

This workshop is for anyone involved in local food production, marketing, or consumption. Plan to attend the workshop…The room will be full of experts!” said Howell. Nationally known speakers will participate, sharing the success stories from their regions.

Confirmed presenters include: Kim Barker producer and founding board member, Oklahoma
Food Cooperative; Darryl L. Birkenfeld, director, Ogallala Commons; Chris Schmidt & Chris
Sramek founding board members, High Plains Food Coop; and Bob Mailander former director,
Rocky Mountain Cooperative Development Center. Also on the schedule are Vincent Amanor-
Boadu, associate professor of agribusiness economics and management at

Kansas State
901 W First Street
McPherson, Kansas 67460
620.241.6630
fax 620.241.8054
kfum@nfuic.kscoxmail.com
kansasfarmersunion.org
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Mary Howell
Cell: 785-562-8726
Email: kfu.mary@gmail.com
University and Dan Nagengast, Lawrence, KS farmer and former tomato processing co-op
board member.

A break out session will allow individual discussion and Q & A with presenters. The Glacial
Hills Food Center, operated by Glacial Hills RC&D, will be highlighted. Producers can rent the
food center’s commercial kitchen for food processing. Jeff Downing, general manager of the
Midwest Regional Agency, will cover general and product liability insurance for direct market
farms. The Brown County Healthy Foods Coalition will provide an update on its Postage Stamp
Production Project.

A chuck wagon lunch and refreshments will be served and a registration fee of $25.00 will be
charged to cover expenses, food, and handouts.

Complete event information and registration can be found at http://foodhubsandcoops.
blogspot.com/ For questions, contact: Mary Howell – kfu.mary@gmail.com or Gary Satter
– gary.satter@glacialhillsrcd.com.
Sponsoring organizations are Kansas Farmers Union, Kansas Sustainable Agriculture
Research and Education (KS-SARE), Glacial Hills RC&D, Kansas Center for Sustainable
Agriculture and Alternative Crops (KSCAAC), Kansas Rural Center, Brown County Healthy
Foods Coalition, Glacial Hills Food Center, and Highland Community College.