Rocky View County and Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development (ARD), in partnership with Wheatland County and Mountain View County, are hosting two, one-day workshops this winter to help assess the local food trend.
The Explore… Local Foods, Local Markets and Expand… Local Foods, Local Markets workshops will take place Feb. 8 and 9, at the Strathmore Travelodge and the Lone Pine Community Hall in Didsbury respectively.
Both will take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and will target individuals new to the local market industry.
The Expand workshop is for those who are already selling into at least one local market channel such as an on-farm store, U-Pick venture, market garden, farmers’ market or community-shared agriculture enterprise, and are considering expanding their operations.
“Expand focuses heavily on producer stories and gives participants a chance to learn from producers through round-table discussions,” said Tim Dietzler of Rocky View County. “We chose a variety of producers with diverse experiences. They all operate integrated farm direct enterprises, but their experiences range from more than 20 years right down to one.”
“Explore gives an overview of what it means to sell locally,” said Bert Dening, business development officer with ARD’s Explore Local Initiative.
“We want entrepreneurs new to the local market industry to understand the basics so they are able to target their research and make informed decisions.”
Both workshops, sponsored by Growing Forward, a federal-provincial-territorial initiative, will provide introductory information on the marketing channel options, as well as information on industry trends, regulations, food safety, production best practices and risk management information.
Two local market operators, Bert Vande Bruinhorst of Ewe-nique Farms near Champion and Tony Marshall of Aldersyde’s Highwood Crossing, will speak about their stories to inspire participants.
The cost for each workshop is $25 per person and includes lunch, with a registration deadline of Feb. 1.
To register for the Explore workshop, contact Sarah Schumacher at Wheatland County by phone at 403-361-2827 or by e-mail at [email protected]
To register for the Expand workshop, contact Joyce King at Mountain View County by phone at 403-335-3311, extension 151, or by e-mail at [email protected]
