Food and community celebrated in third annual summit

By Rhea Landholm on
Two women sit at a table conversing around the conference program.
Farm and Food

Kylie Kai contributed to this blog and took all the photos

Southwest Iowans came together in Logan, Iowa, in support of local foods and local farms in a one-day summit on Nov. 14.

The third annual Southwest Iowa Local Foods Summit was hosted by the Center for Rural Affairs and Golden Hills Resource Conservation and Development (RC&D).

Three local businesses and the Logan Community Center opened their doors for the 100-plus attendees. Sessions were held at One Farm Market, Grey Gelding, and Logan Iowa State University Extension.

“Every year, we set a goal to increase attendance, and what surprised me this year was the number of farmers that registered, definitely a big increase from last year,” said Angelyn Wang, local foods associate with the Center.

“With the summit being in its third year, it felt like a regular gathering that farmers and community members were expecting, a time to learn together, tell stories of the growing season, catch up, share concerns and struggles,” said Cait Caughey, senior beginning farmer and market associate at the Center. “I think it is so important for us to have spaces to come together, especially around and after harvest time. The sessions this year and the exhibitors were excellent!”

Local farmers and producers brought their wares to share in the exhibitor space, including wool, grassfed meat, homemade cookies, granola, eggs, squash, sweet potatoes, canned items and more.

One particular session of interest featured Mat Gross, Danielle Richter, and Bruce Niedermyer who spoke about local food efforts in the community of Logan. Logan’s Chamber of Commerce, Logan Community Foundation, school district, retail businesses, and community visioning committee have worked together to keep the community strong.

Another session highlighted Denison’s annual Immigrant Heritage Festival, organized by the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC). Speakers Grant Fineran and Patricia Ritchie talked about how community members, performers, organizations, artists, food vendors, and more come together for an event that celebrates cultures.

“LULAC of Iowa is made up of 20 local councils, including our presenter's group, from Denison, Iowa,” Angelyn said. “The Immigrant Heritage Festival is an annual celebration of the many cultural groups and incorporates the many talented community members and artists, and one of their goals is to raise funds for local graduating seniors.”

Current food policy in the state was on the minds of participants in a third session featuring Tommy Hexter of Iowa Farmers Union and Grinnell Farm to Table food hub, Paige Chickering of Save the Children Action Network and Iowa Hunger Coalition, Anna Hawkins of Over the Moon Farm in Delaware County, and Cynthia Farmer of the Center for Rural Affairs.

Farmers and local food producers also shared stories, including Jenny Horner of Red Oak.

“I learned all about Jenny Horner's goat operation Spring Lake Organic Farm in Red Oak,” Cait said. “She shared all about her challenges and lessons learned raising these animals, caring for them, having relationships with them and selling them as meat goats. It was so interesting and inspiring!”

Other topics included a new southwest Iowa local food and farm website, food sourcing, farmer collaborations, mini grants and cost-share programs, farm to school, and the farm stop model. Sessions were offered in both English and Spanish. Special kids activities were held during each time slot.

“I was inspired by the support that we received from so many people,” Angelyn said. “From individuals that we work with regularly to organizations that we partner with, understanding the commitment that it takes to come to our summit is truly inspiring. Hearing their positive feedback and talking about ideas for the next summit is also very inspiring.”

Attendees included local food producers, food service directors, teachers, local food advocates, community members, and many others engaging in the local foods sector. We asked a few of them their thoughts on local foods and on attending the summit.

Local food thoughts from attendees

A person standing outdoors on a sunny day, smiling at the camera. They are wearing a wide-brimmed brown hat, a brown jacket, and a gray shirt with layered necklaces. Their long hair is braided over one shoulder. Behind them is a neighborhood street with houses, trees, and scattered autumn leaves on the grass.
Shanen Ebersole

Ebersole Cattle Co. (Direct-to-consumer ranch) & The Beef Initiative (producer market access)  |  Kellerton, Iowa

“I've really begun helping other small farmers and ranchers with their marketing and future planning. I just want to be the example that you can do this and you can have longevity, because a lot of times when we talk about sustainability in local foods, we forget that financial sustainability is a key part to sustainability. If we're not financially sustainable, all the work that we've done with our ground and our land goes by the wayside when the next person gets that land, because we weren't able to stay on the land.”

A person standing outside on a sunny day, smiling at the camera. They are wearing a textured light gray sweater, and their wavy hair is loose and wind-tousled. Behind them is a grassy park area with autumn trees, houses, and a person pushing a stroller in the distance.
Ashley Wenke

Pleasant Grove Homestead  |  Montezuma, Iowa (vegetable farm)

“My husband and I realized that in our communities, people are aging and it's hard for them to grow a garden; however, they would happily buy from someone who did grow fresh food. People having that access is super critical to us, and we started realizing that we were meeting a need. There's such a need for fresh, local food, but there's not enough of it growing.”

A person standing outdoors under a covered walkway, smiling at the camera. They are wearing a gray shirt with a red-and-white plaid button-up shirt over it, and a round wooden name tag that reads ‘Emily Paulsen.’ Behind them are brick pillars, green shrubs, and a neighborhood street with parked cars.
Emily Paulsen

Brun Ko Farm  |  Exira, IA (vegetable and chicken farm)

“Local food means food security. It means having good tasting food, which really comes into play with vegetables. I feel like a lot of people think they don't like vegetables, but they've not had good ones. Local food means feeding people close to home and the best way possible.”

Several people sit on chairs in a dimly-lighted room listening to a four-person panel discussion.
Two males with beards, glasses, and caps sit at a table conversing.
Four women sit at a table. Two are conversing and two are looking at a conference program.
Several handmade pottery items sit on a orange and cream checkered covered table.
White female with dark hair in a pony tail stands next to a presentation screen speaking to an audience. The room is dark and moody with plants.
Three women sit at a table conversing while looking at a phone.
Two men conversing across a vendor booth. Several baskets of fresh produce sit at the table.
One woman with long brown hair, one man with brunette hair and black glasses (holding a mic), and another man with a brown hair and a beard sit at a table. They are contributing to a panel discussion.
A male with brown hair and a bright coral shirt stands across from a vendor booth table, conversing with a female with brown, shoulder-length hair and a navy shirt on.
Female with curly brown hair and a yellow sweater stands at a table, holding a scissors, teaching three young girls.
Dozens of seed packets and jars filled with seeds sit on a table with a colorful table covering. There is a sign that says "Seed share"
White female with a black cap stands in a cozy coffee shop giving a presentation to a handful of people sitting in a random assortment of chairs.

Click each photo to enlarge. Photos by Kylie Kai.

Photo 1: Tommy Hexter, Paige Chickering, Anna Hankins, and Cynthia Farmer spoke at the From Policy to Plates: Shaping Iowa’s Food Future session.
Photo 2: Good conversations revolving around local foods took place throughout the day.
Photo 3: There was ample time to learn from each other and share stories.
Photo 4: Several vendors set up across the edges of the main room. Anna Stoysich had her pottery for sale.
Photo 5: Cait Caughey speaks at the Farm to School in Southwest Iowa session.
Photo 6: Participants enjoyed networking time in between sessions.
Photo 7: Local produce was available for purchase at the L.I.F.E. 5b booth.
Photo 8: Danielle Richter, Bruce Niedermyer, and Mat Gross spoke on a panel called Collaborating on Main Street: Getting Local Goods and a Local Mindset into Your Community.
Photo 9: Participants had ample time to visit with the 15+ vendors who provided services, resources, and/or goods for sale.
Photo 10: Holly Lukasiewicz of District 2 Floral led a pressed flower kids session.
Photo 11: Several jars and packets of seeds were available for the taking at a seed share station.
Photo 12: Brianne White presented a session called The Seasoned Imagination: Sourcing for a Local Bakery.