While you're getting geared up for the Family Farmed 2007 Expo on March 23 and 24, take a look at this excellent resource from the good folks at SustainUSA. It's a description of Chicagoland's various community-sponsored agriculture (CSA) setups, organized by location and each produces.
The neatly packaged offering is just one facet of the much-anticipated Family Farmed 2007 Expo, coming to the Chicago Cultural Center at the end of this month. Part conference, part trade show and part networking forum, the convention aims to bring family farmers together with interested buyers and restaurateurs around Chicago.
It’s a noble cause, considering that farmers are a dying breed here in 21st-century America. In 2000, Ohio State University noted that the US loses about 500 farms per week. Moreover, the rise of factory farms—producing just a handful of products for export, at the expense of biodiversity—have continued the decline of good, old-fashioned family farming. Even government subsidies, designed to help farmers cope with competitive markets, are a scourge; they encourage overproduction and cripple farmers in subsistence-level farming communities around the world.
Paradoxically, the organic food sector is booming. Jim Slama’s Organic Harvest Report, published by SustainUSA, notes that total organic food sales in the US in 2005 totaled about $14.5 billion. He offers optimistic numbers on Illinois’ contribution to this burgeoning industry:
According to the Natural Foods Merchandiser’s 2005 Market Overview, Illinois and its neighboring states of Michigan, Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio, Iowa and Missouri, make up 15 percent of the national market for natural and organic food. Since 15 percent of $14.5 billion in total US organic food sales is $2.175 billion, we believe there is a plausible case that organic food sales in Illinois and its Midwestern neighbors exceeded $2 billion in 2005. In Illinois, we estimate that retail sales of organic food ranges from $502 to $628 million.
With that in mind, drop by the Family Farmed Expo to get a closer look at the worldchanging efforts of local farmers—and consumers—here in Illinois. Here’s the schedule, pulled from a helpful PDF on the Family Farmed web site:
Friday Schedule
The trade day on Friday, March 23, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., promises to be an essential forum for those involved in the Midwest food industry and those interested in local and organic food. Producers, distributors, retailers, consumers, and Chicago-area restaurant and institutional food buyers attend the EXPO this day to network, learn from one another, build marketing relationships, and meet local farmers, food processors, and sustainable business owners.
Friday’s opening symposium and press event, from 10:30 a.m. to 12 Noon in the Theater, features a wide variety of top policy and food industry speakers addressing the public. The confirmed keynote speakers include top names in the food world: Will Allen, Director and Founder of Growing Power; Patrick Bradley, Midwest Regional
President of Whole Foods Market; Rob Everts, Co-Executive Director of Equal Exchange; Fred Kirschenmann, Distinguished Fellow of the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture; Bill Kurtis, Owner and Founder of Tallgrass Beef; Erika Lesser, Executive Director of Slow Food USA; Carolyn Mugar, Executive Director of Farm Aid; Robert Scaman, President and Co-Founder of Goodness Greeness; George Siemon, CEO and Founding Farmer of Organic Valley; Jim Slama, President of Sustain; and Arran Stephens, CEO and Founder of Nature’s Path.
Also open to the public on Friday, from 12 noon to 6 p.m. is an open exhibit trade floor in GAR Hall and workshops on the first floor, such as: Organic Foodservice for Farmers, Packing and Shipping for Wholesale, Domestic Fair Trade, Marketing Techniques for Farmers and Organic Businesses, Managing Merchandiser Expectations, Aquaculture and more.
Immediately following the trade show at 6 pm in the Cultural Center’s Preston Bradley Hall is the Friday night Localicious food and wine tasting party.
Saturday Schedule
The public is invited to attend the food festival on Saturday, March 24, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., in GAR Hall and Preston Bradley Hall of the Cultural Center. There is a wide variety of stimulating food-related workshops; an interactive Organic Kids Corner hosted by Purple Asparagus, Nature’s Path, and Organic Valley; award-winning movies and documentaries; a bookstore with hundreds of titles; a farmers market with produce, cheese, meats, soaps, honey, syrups, and more for purchase; and demonstrations by some of Chicago’s hottest chefs including Rick Bayless, Frontera Grill; Karyn Calabrese, Karyn’s Raw and Karyn’s Cooked; Gale Gand, TRU; and Bruce Sherman, North Pond. Workshop topics include: Organic Eating on a Dime, Healthy Eating for Families, Soil Made Simple, Urban Agriculture (panel), Agri-tourism, Sustainable Seafood, and State and Federal Farm Policy, among others.
Prices
Tickets for Friday or Saturday are $15 in advance online and $20 at the door. The Friday evening Localicious food and wine tasting party is $75 in advance and $90 at the door. More information as well as Friday night Localicious tickets and special 2-for-1 admission for Friday and Saturday afternoon events, are available at FamilyFarmed.org.
