FARMERS MARKETS

The Our Local Food-Kaw River Valley program is a newly-formed network of local farms, farmers markets, food businesses, and consumers who are committed to increasing the production and sales of fresh, local foods here in NE Kansas.

We are doing this in three ways:

Fostering relationships between food service operations and agricultural producers.  By providing networking resources, communication tools and marketing materials we hope to enhance the capacity of restaurants and other food service operations to take advantage of our rich agricultural region. Growing trusting relationships between farmers and buyers is a primary focus of OLF-KRV.

Providing a branding tool for locally grown products.  Consumers are placing increasing importance on locally grown foods.  The Our Local Food-Kaw River Valley label will unite the various sources for local foods, from grocery stores, to restaurants and farmers markets.  With an eye catching label, all suppliers of local foods will benefit.  Farmers can also use the label themselves to brand farm-direct products.

Educating consumers about the value of locally grown products.  While awareness of local food and its importance is increasing among consumers, we hope to show consumers how easy it is to enjoy local foods on a regular basis.  The OLF-KRV logo tells consumers, "You're in a place that's committed to supporting our local farms and our local economy."

The annual membership fee, normally $25, is waived for OLF-KRV Charter Farmers Market Members. 2010 Charter Membership is available at no cost to your market through a Kansas Departments of Agriculture Specialty Crop Block Grant. As a Charter Member, your market will also receive a 20% discount on its annual membership fee in future years for as long as you continue to participate in the Our Local Food-Kaw River Valley program. Additionally, members will received discounted registration for OLF-KRV events, such as the Producer/Purchaser Workshop..

Please join us in our endeavor to connect local foods with consumers who value the delicious bounty of local foods. We are looking forward to working with you!

To become a Charter Member of Our Local Food, please download the Farmers Market Member Information Pack. This PDF contains information about the program including eligibility, participation agreement and member pledge.

Once you have read through the information, please click the link below to begin the online application process.

Click here for ONLINE FARMERS MARKET MEMBERSHIP REGISTRATION

If you have questions or are unable to complete the online process, please contact Mercedes or Kim:

Mercedes Taylor-Puckett, Our Local Food Coordinator 785.840.6202 mercedes [dot] taylorpuckett [at] gmail [dot] com (email)
Kimberly Scherman, KRC Local Food Intern  785-218-9488 scherman [at] ku [dot] edu (email)

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