March 13, 2023

We continuously update the SWIFFI Local Food Guide. If you are featured in the Local Food Guide, please check your listing to make sure that the information online is accurate and up to date. For corrections or additions, or if you are not listed and want to be, or know of someone producing local foods that is not listed, please contact: Jamie Fowler at jamie.fowler@goldenhillsrcd.org.  

On February 25th, Matt and Adri St. Lezin, owners of Neighborhood Bakehouse, along with Maggie McQuown and Steve Turman of Resilient Farms, hosted a lively farmer meetup where producers and interested parties gathered to discuss projects and ideas pertaining to the southwest Iowa local food scene.

We are currently planning additional farmer meetups and field days for 2023. If you are interested in hosting or have suggestions for topics, presenters, or locations, please complete this form. 

Upcoming Golden Hills/SWIFFI News & Events

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.

• Practical Farmers of Iowa is hosting a webinar at noon on March 14: "Navigating Iowa's New Cottage Food Law: A Farmer-Focused Q&A" with state regulatory experts Julie Kraling and Kurt Rueber. If you currently operate, or are interested in operating, a home-based food business, and missed the Cass County in person Cottage Food Law event held on February 4, this online event will cover the same topics. Register here. Free of charge.

• On Saturday, March 18 at 11am, the City Sprouts Education Center, located at 4002 Seward Street in Omaha, is hosting Dr. Carolina Cordova, an agroecologist specializing in soil health and ecosystem processes with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Dr. Cordova's presentation is titled Healthy Soils: Foundation of Regenerative Agriculture. You can attend this event in person or online, however, out of respect for the speaker, it is requested that you attend in person if possible. Follow this link to purchase tickets.

• Join southwest Iowa food growers, Gardens on Glen, 3 Bees Farm, and Stephens Family Gardens for a panel discussion covering community and small space gardening, seed sharing and more. This event will be held at the Council Bluffs Library March 30, from 6:30-8pm in Meeting Room B. Visit the Council Bluffs Library website for more information.

• The Produce in the Park Spring Celebration Market is Thursday, April 6, from 4-7pm at the Cass County Community Center, 805 W. 10th Street, Atlantic. This will be a fun event with many vendors bringing in local produce, meats, eggs, goodies and more. Pre-ordering goodies, ahead of the event, is an option from March 30-April 4. Visit www.produceintheparkatlanticiowa.com to pre-order or for more information.

• The Edible-Alpha Learning Center Food Finance Institute has online trainings pertaining to growing financially viable food businesses. Visit their website to find out if there is information that could help you.

• If you have reservations on how to price pastured poultry the Practical Farmers of Iowa hosted a farminar called Pricing Pastured Poultry that is available online. Follow this link to watch the farminar.

• Eligible Iowa farm owners should apply for the 2023 Century and Heritage Farm Program now through June 1. The program was created by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship and the Iowa Farrm Bureau Federation to recognize families who have owned their farms for 100 years and 150 years, respectively. To apply download the application here.

• Produce in the Park, a non-profit organization in Atlantic, is hiring a paid Market Manager. If you are interested in celebrating local food and community, and you live in the Atlantic area, check out the job listing for details.

Funding Opportunities

• The USDA has announced $133 million available in competitive grant funding through the Local Agriculture Market Program (LAMP) to support local and regional food system projects. This funding is available to develop, coordinate, and expand producer-to-consumer marketing, local and regional food markets, and local food enterprises. The Farmers Market Promotion Program (FMPP), Local Food Promotion Program (LFPP) and the Regional Food System Partnership (RFSP) are administered as three separate programs and require separate Request for Applications (RFA). Follow this link for in depth explanation of each program and details on how to apply. The deadline for application is Monday, May 2nd.

• The Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program (LFPA) uses non-competitive cooperative agreements to purchase food produced within the state or within 400 miles of the delivery destination to help support local, regional and underserved producers. If you are a local producer in Iowa and are interested in getting involved, fill out the Producer Registration Form here. Value added producers that are using 51% of local goods in their products can also register. For more information about the LFPA, please follow this link.

Contact: Jamie Fowler | Golden Hills RC&D | jamie.fowler@goldenhillsrcd.org