As some of you may know, one of the other “hats” I now wear is as part-time Administrator for the Bucks County Foodshed Alliance, a non-profit organization with the goal of fostering a local, sustainable food supply, and connecting consumers and producers, in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.
While the Foodshed Alliance sponsors interesting programs all year long – like tours of local farms, films, discussions and food tastings, tonight is a special program. The 2nd Annual Farmer Forum will bring together the many parts of our community who care about local food production – consumers, parents, chefs, farmers and other food producers, and academics.
Last year – to be honest – we didn’t know what to expect. Brenda Slack, a young farmer working her family’s farm (Milk House Farm Market) in Newtown, was the moderator. Over 80 people came and filled a classroom at Del Val College. Farmers on one side, and the rest of us on the other. As Brenda asked simple questions – “What do you like about farming in Bucks County?” “What are the challenges of farming in Bucks County?” – the farmers answered honestly. I learned more in one evening about farming in Bucks than I had in my entire life, and all directly from the farmer’s mouth. The farmers were diverse also – young, old, dairy, vegetable, livestock, CSA, commodity crops – you name it, they came. It was a very powerful evening.
Some of the feedback we got from last year, however, is that it was a little one-sided. So tonight we’ll hear from consumers as well as farmers in a highly interactive session. All constituencies will have an opportunity to ask questions of each other, and learn a great deal more.
We hope you can attend. I will be co-facilitating the session with Brenda Slack. Our thanks to the Heritage Conservancy for hosting the event at Aldie Mansion in Doylestown. We’ll start promptly at 7 pm, so please come a little earlier to get settled. Refreshments will also be available. See you there!
2nd Annual Farmer Forum
Aldie Mansion
85 Old Dublin Pike (right behind Genuardi’s)
Doylestown, PA 18901
For directions, click here
