Center for Great Plains Studies cooks up local food panel Nov. 12

WHEN: Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2014

WHERE: Great Plains Art Museum, 1155 Q Street

“The seminar will explore the movement’s status in the region and where it could go in coming years – a large-scale view on a close-to-home topic.            

DISCLAIMERI am NOT an expert on Local Food – not by a long shot.

But I’m not your typical ‘eater’ either…

• Organic – even vegetarian – starting at age 13 in 1969 (the year before The Beatles broke up)

• Open Harvest member since 1976

• ‘Foodie’ since I met my wife in 1981

• Local Food / urban agriculture enthusiast since 2009 (via the “Hawley Hamlet”)

“…There are myriad reasons to buy local: the economic impact of keeping dollars local; the health benefits of fresh food; lessening the environmental impact of food production by reducing long-distance transportation. But in the end, Renee Cornett, the owner and chef of Prairie Plate, said, local food just tastes better.”

Lincoln Journal Star, November 13, 2014

Reasons To Support Local Food 1) Economic Impact 2) Health Benefits 3) Environmental Impact 4) Taste

5) Food Security

“Food security exists when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life”.

World Food Summit, 1996

“Throughout the 21st century, climate-change impacts are projected to… further erode food security, prolong existing and create new poverty traps — particularly in urban areas and emerging hot spots of hunger… All aspects of food security are potentially affected by climate change, including food access, utilization and price stability.”

Climate Change 2014: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability

“Climate change will bring hotter temperatures, changing rainfall patterns and more frequent natural disasters. These effects could slow the growth of food production by 2 percent each decade for the rest of the century. Farmers everywhere will be affected … If these challenges are not addressed, consumers will need to be prepared for higher food prices and potential food shortages.”

Advancing Global Food Security in the Face of a Changing Climate, May 2014

Doug BereuterMember of Congress,Nebraska (1979-2004)

Co-Chair, Global Agricultural Development Initiative,

Chicago Council on Global Affairs

Henry PaulsonGeorge W. Bush’s Treasury Secretary & Co-Chair, Risky Business Project

George ShultzRonald Reagan’s Secretary of State & Risky BusinessCommittee Member

“Our research shows that under the ‘business as usual’ scenario and assuming no significant adaptation by farmers… the Midwest region as a whole faces likely yield declines of up to 19% by mid-century and 63% by the end of the century.”Risky Business: The Economic Risks of Climate Change in the United States, June 2014

“Over the next 5 to 25 years, without signifi- cant adaptation by farmers, some counties

in Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana will likely see average commodity crop losses up to

18 to 24% due to extreme heat each year.”

January 2015

“Under both low and high emissions scenarios, the number of high temperature stress days over 100°F is projected to increase substantially in Nebraska and the Great Plains region. By mid ‐century (2041 2070), this increase ‐for Nebraska would equate to experiencing typical summer temperatures equivalent to those experienced during the 2012 drought and heat wave… whichwas the driest and hottest year for the state based on the climato-logical record going back to 1895.”

University of Nebraska-Lincoln September 2014

“Climate change will contribute to food and water scarcity, will increase the spread of disease, and may spur or exacerbate mass migration.”

Department of Defense 2010 Quadrennial Defense Review

Celebrating Half a Century of Local Foods

A moment of reflection on how far we’ve come

• NSAS and Open Harvest are both 40 (and advocacy groups like Buy Fresh Buy Local Nebraska are touting local food)

• Farmers Markets are household words• Hy-Vee and Russ’s Market are selling as much local food as they can get their

hands on• North Star Neighbors, Nebraska Food Co-op and Lone Tree Foods are creating

regional food delivery networks• Our schools are mulling once again serving locally grown food• Locally sourced food has become a hot dining trend• Groups like City Sprouts and Community CROPS have put Urban Agriculture on the

map• Omaha’s “Food Policy Council” and Lincoln’s “Local Foodshed Working Group” are

bringing the topic of local food to the steps of City Hall• More: __________________________________________________

Where Do We Go From Here?Next Steps in Building the Local Food Movement

• First & foremost, More of the same: More networking. More marketing. More production. More producers… that can help us amass economic and cultural influence

• More Urban Agriculture ‘models’ – like Big Muddy Urban Farm, Dundee Community Garden, Community CROPS’ garden on public property, the Hawley Hamlet – demonstrating that the city can ‘grow’, not just ‘eat’

• Development of Food Hub aggregation sites; “Farm to School” (and other public and private) institutional collaborations

• Other Goals: ________________

The Natural Next Step?To this point, Local Food advocates in Nebraska have never had a political presenceinside government (either at

City Hall or the Statehouse) to help us build our movement…

Agribusiness and Commodity Ag though is sure making its political presence felt:(* Partial list of the registered ag-related lobbyists in the 2015 Nebraska Legislative Session)

Nebraska Farm BureauNebraska Corn Growers Association

Nebraska Soybean AssociationNebraska Pork ProducersNebraska Dairy AssociationNebraska Wheat Growers AssociationNebraska Beef CouncilNebraska CattlemenNebraska Grocery Industry CouncilNebraska Grain and Feed AssociationArcher Daniels MidlandCargillMonsantoSyngentaTyson Foods

andNebraska Farmers Union (our only real ally)

IS NOW THE TIME TO START RAISING OUR POLITICAL VOICE?

IS THIS WHEN WE START CULTIVATING SOME POLITICAL CHAMPIONS OF OUR OWN?

HAVE WE EVEN GOT A LOCAL FOOD POLITICAL ‘WISH LIST’ OF WHAT WE WANT?

Some Pointers on Politicking(from someone who’s had his fingers in the political dirt for well over 30 years)

Just voting isn’t nearly enough-- After we cast our ballot for State Senator, four years will elapse before we have another chance to go to the polls and vote.

-- Even if the candidate we voted for won, what are we doing the other 1,459 days register our views?

-- How many letters and emails are we sending?… How many phone calls and personal visits are we making? Politicians aren’t mind readers. Even the best of them need input.

-- Are we making contributions to the candidates of our choice? The money to run for office has to come from somewhere.

-- Are we recruiting candidates from our own ranks to run?

Local Food means LOCAL Politics-- We’re not just talking about the Statehouse: Legislature, Governor, Attorney General.

-- County Commissioners and City Council, School Board and NRD members can all play integral roles in promoting the production and consumption of local food.

Politics is about building relationships

-- Elected officials are human beings – they have feelings and like recognition for what they do as much as the rest of us.

(And they don’t get paid very much for their public service.)

-- Hearing from their constituents is a big deal. Hardly anyone from their districts ever contacts them. Five letters on a single bill is a veritable groundswell of voter interest.

-- Don’t ignore the paid personnel: staff and administrators often play as key a role in policy and legislation as the officeholder.

Two Questions for Discussion:

1) Are we ready to begin advocating on behalf of local food with our government officials the way the agribusiness lobbies do?

2) What political and legislative program would we be seeking to implement?

The Lincoln Journal Star article on the November 12, 2014 Local Food Panel

cited these local food production concerns:

Access to: Financing… Farm expertise… Specialized equipment…

Insurance… Food Hubs and improved distribution networks

Other: ____________________________________________________