Meetings & Conference Calls

Conference Call Schedule
FPC Meetings and Events

2008 FPC Conference Calls

Next call:

TBA

Previous calls:

April 9th, 2008
Topic: Food and Farm Assessments: Know the Way Before You Go Astray
Speakers: Ken Meter of the Crossroads Resource Center; Anne Palmer of the Center for a Livable Future at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, and Joyce Smith of Operation Retail Southwest in Baltimore, MD
Notes from the call (pdf)

Links to resources Ken Meter mentioned in the call:

Crossroads Resource Center
Starting point for local economic analysis
The data sets Ken uses for a local economic overview (pdf)
Sample PowerPoint: from "The Home Grown Economy," an agriculture forum sponsored by Rep. Collin Peterson, which Ken keynoted in 2007. This focuses on one regional study and illustrates some of the national and global dilemmas in our food system. (pdf)
Some dry, but useful data summaries covering local regions Ken has researched where local partners can be linked from
Suggestions for evaluating a Buy Fresh Buy Local campaign, which has some good insights about measurement of sucess in a local foods initiative. (pdf)
Leopold Center guidebook: Developing a Vibrant and Sustainable Regional Food System (pdf)

Surveys used by Anne Palmer & Joyce Smith (in Word format):

February 5, 2008
Topic: Farm to School - The Role of Local and State Food Policy
Speakers: Dana Hudson of the Vermont FEED; Anita Poole of the Oklahoma Kerr Center; Bonnie Hallam of The Food Trust, Philadelphia, PA
Notes from the call (pdf)
Summary of Main Points from the call and commentary from Chris Kirby of the Oklahoma Farm to School program (pdf).

Notes from calls in 2007 and 2006 can be found in the archives.

2008 Regional FPC Trainings

The Food Policy Council Program of the Community Food Security Coalition will be offering three regional FPC training workshops in 2008, in various parts of the US. These workshops are designed to assist individuals and organizations interested in the development of local, regional or state food policy councils - those that are currently operational as well as those that are in the very early stages of development. The training will emphasize the organizational development of coalitions and networks that may precede the actual establishment of a food policy council, the operation of food policy councils, and the development of effective local and state food policy strategies. As such, the workshop is suitable for beginners as well as those with more experience.

Each of the three 2008 workshops are designed to promote regional networking and information sharing. To that end, workshop registration will give priority to people within the region where they are located. As additional space becomes available, people from outside of that region will be able to participate. Some scholarship funds are available to defray the cost of travel and lodging. First preference for scholarship support will be for limited resource farmers and ranchers. Please contact Mark Winne, Food Policy Council Director, with any questions about these workshops: (505) 983-3047, .

Thursday, Jan. 17 in Lousville, KY
in conjunction with the Southern SAWG conference, Practical Tools and Solutions for Sustaining Family Farms
More information about the conference and the workshop
Please contact Mark Winne to register for the workshop at (505) 983-3047

Thursday, February 28 & Friday, February 29 in Milwaukee, WI
in conjunction with the Urban Agriculture conference, Pollinating Our Future
More information about the conference and workshop
Follow instructions on the website to register.

Monday, May 5 in Santa Fe, NM
in conjunction with the 6th Annual Southwest Marketing Network conference
Registration will begin in early March
Information will be posted here when it becomes available.