February 9, 2022

If you have any events or news you'd like included in upcoming SWIFFI updates, please email me. You can also follow the SWIFFI Facebook page for updates.

Recordings of our Tools for Growing Vegetables on 140 Acres and Cool-season Crops, and Growing Crops in the Cold with Dan Fillius are available, along with slides and other resources, on the SWIFFI website.

Upcoming Golden Hills/SWIFFI Events

The Cass County Local Food Policy Council & Golden Hills invite people from Southwest Iowa to participate in one of two upcoming sessions to discuss Iowa food needs and opportunities. The Iowa Food System Coalition (previously Iowa Ag Vision) is gathering input to understand needs and opportunities throughout the Iowa food system—from farms and grocery stores, to restaurants and consumers. Participants will discuss Iowa food challenges, strengths, and goals for the future.

Iowa Food System Input Sessions for Southwest Iowa:

• Feb. 15, 9:30-11 AM - Virtual - Register here.
• Feb. 24, 6:00-7:30 PM at Cass County Community Center (805 W. 10th St. Atlantic, IA 50022) - No registration is required. 

All people have experience with food, and everyone in Southwest Iowa is welcome to participate. However, people who work in food-related jobs and people who are passionate about local food are particularly encouraged to attend. Details at goldenhillsrcd.org/swiffi.

These events are part of the Iowa Food System Coalition ’s All Iowa Talks About Food. The Coalition is a broad spectrum of local food & farm leaders across Iowa working to better coordinate statewide work, to further invest in, and develop, enduring local/regional food supply chains that are fair, equitable, and lead to the economic vitality of all involved. 

We are currently planning farmer meetups and field days for 2022. If you are interested in hosting or have suggestions for topics or presenters, please complete this form. 

• Produce in the Park is hosting a Sweetheart Market this Saturday in Atlantic.

• The 24th annual Iowa Farmers Market Association (IFMA) Workshop is this Saturday in Ames. The workshop brings together farmers market managers and vendors from around the state to share ideas about promoting and growing their markets.
• Iowa Learning Farms, in partnership with Consortium for Cultivating Human And Naturally reGenerative Enterprises (C-CHANGE), will host a workshop on Tuesday, February 15 from 10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. regarding the opportunities and challenges of incorporating perennial vegetation on farms. Farmers and landowners are invited to attend the free event, which includes a complimentary meal and will be held at the Wallace Learning Center near Lewis.
• Anyone interested in being a vendor at the 2022 Harrison County Welcome Center Farmers Market (is invited to attend their planning meeting on February 16 from 1:00-3:30pm. Discussion topics will include start/end dates for the 2022 market, a review of market rules/procedures, program/event ideas, and market promotion. For additional information on the Welcome Center Farmers Market, please contact Kathy Dirks at 712-642-2114 or email kdirks@harrisoncountyparks.org.
• Practical Farmers of Iowa is hosting Fruit & Vegetable Farmer Meetups around the state, including one with Denise O'Brien in Atlantic on February 25.
• Practical Farmers’ Farminars are free, 90-minute online seminars produced to help farmers learn about business and production issues. Farminars are held weekly each Tuesday during the winter months, and run from 7–8:30 p.m.
• Iowa Western is hosting food safety classes this spring. The Food Safety course gives a food handler essential knowledge and understanding of the fundamental food safety practices needed for their work. Individuals working in restaurants, assisted living, long-term care, school food service programs. Covers: Foodborne illness and contamination; Receiving and storing food; Preparing and serving food; Personal hygiene, cleaning and sanitation; Pest prevention; & HACCP & inspections. Registration is required. $145 fee.
• March 31 - 8am-7:30pm in Harlan
• May 23 - 8am-7:30pm in Council Bluffs
• Registration is still open for Food Safety, Sanitation and Preparation. “The two-part training provides education on food safety concepts and best practices, and reviews quality assurance standards and control measures essential to proper food processing,” said Shannon Coleman, a food and health state extension specialist and an assistant professor in food science and human nutrition.
• Honey Creek Creamery is hosting a Raising Goats 101 class on March 5. Discover how to care for goats and get the scoop on goat life.

• The Whole Kids Foundation Garden Grant program provides a $3,000 monetary grant to support a new or existing edible educational garden located at either a K–12 School or Non-profit organization that serves children in the K-12 grade range. Applications due March 11.
• The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced the availability of $72.9 million through the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (SCBGP) to fund innovative projects designed to support the expanding specialty crop sector and explore new market opportunities for U.S. food and agricultural products.

• Practical Farmers of Iowa's Monthly Feedstuff newsletter is PFI's main vehicle for announcing program updates on livestock, including events, research reports, blogs, and more!
• The Good Meat Breakdown, a national project that builds resources and tools to support producers like you, wants to help you tackle your marketing challenges. A program of the Good Meat Project, the Good Meat Breakdown just received USDA funding to develop marketing materials, learning opportunities and other resources that will help meat producers take their business to the next level.
• Sustainable Iowa Land Trust (SILT)'s Loess Hills farm near Honey Creek has sold to beginning regenerative farmers after several years on the market.
• Choose Local is a 7-part video and social media campaign led by Iowa Valley RC&D. The campaign includes seven short videos (3-5 minutes) that focus on the most common methods of accessing local food and specialty crops in Iowa. This marketing campaign will run February-August 2022, representing the time period from when consumers purchase annual CSA shares, to the height of farmers markets and on-farm events in Iowa. 

Contact: Lance Brisbois | Golden Hills RC&D | lance@goldenhillsrcd.org