Future Harvest CASA Conference 2015

Last September, Central Farm Markets teamed up with Future Harvest CASA to put on an amazing Farm to Fork fundraiser at RJ Cooper’s fabulous restaurant Gypsy Soul at Mosaic District in Virginia. Among the attendees were many of CFM's vendors - Shane Hughes from Liberty Delights, Aaron Kushner from Meatcrafters Markets, Alan and Susan James from Stonyman Gourmet Farmer and more. The dinner featured local food in dishes created by five award-winning chefs with food provided by CFM vendors and artisans! It was a great time and it raised a lot of money for a great organization.Last weekend I attended Future Harvest CASA’s Cultivate the Chesapeake Foodshed Conference. It was held at the College Park Marriott and an incredibly diverse group of farmers, artisan food producers, farm market owners, chefs, agriculture educators and technicians attended. The main thing that amazed all of us was how many young people were at the conference! I bet I wouldn’t be mistaken if I told you that over 50% of the conference attendees were between the ages of 22 and 35. This is huge, considering the reason we were there was to introduce the next generation of farmers to resources that will contribute to the growth of the business and more access to fresh local food.Future Harvest CASA (Chesapeake Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture) is an organization who’s mission is to provide education, networking and advocacy to help build a sustainable Chesapeake foodshed, where food flows from farm and fishery to table in ways that strengthen farming and the regional food economy. The organization is run by a board of directors that includes farmers, food business owners, health care professionals and educators who work to advocate for policy change, teach new farmers and support small businesses.The conference was split into two days with sessions and keynote speakers on both days. I attended three sessions on the first day; the first was a talk given by our very own MeatCrafters owners, Debra Moser, Mitch Berliner and Stanley Feder!  They told the audience what it took to start their sausage and salami-making business. They talked about everything from the financial aspect of starting up a local food business, to working with the USDA, to their meat sourcing techniques. This discussion was held under the “Made Local: Artisanal Foods” track, which also included sessions on local liquor, cider, beer, and cheese. Another member of the CFM family, Susan and Alan James from Stonyman Gourmet Farmer, led the cheese making discussion!Later, I attended a session on climate change and it’s effect on the farming industry, and a group discussion about farmers markets. It was so interesting to hear from people who run or work for other markets. There are so many different types of farm markets. From six vendor operated Amish markets to larger markets, everyone was very interested to learn tips, tactics, and information from one another to improve on.The highlight for me was the Local Fare Fair that took place right before dinner on Friday evening. It was open to conference attendees and showcased the many items they had been hearing about throughout the day. Central Farm Markets vendors were quite prominent in this fair, as well; Meatcrafters sampled their salamis, Stonyman Gourmet Farmer sampled their cheeses, and Sophia Maroon from Dress it Up Dressing sampled her new delicious Blackberry Vinaigrette. There were local spirits from Catoctin Distillery, hard cider from Distillery Lane Ciderworks, delicious craft beer from Lost Rhino Brewing Company, and many more artisanal masterpieces.I learned a lot at this conference, like the nutritional quality of local food and how climate change and pest control can alter a farmer’s crops. I learned that there are so many young people working hard to start a farm; a challenge for some because they need to pay student loans or they can’t afford the purchase of land, unless it is inherited. The most important thing that I learned, however, is that there is an organization, a group of dedicated people, working hard to make sure that our next generation of farmers has the education, financial stability, and support that they need to continue supplying us with the local fresh food that has grown fast in this country. Future Harvest CASA is doing something extremely important and I do believe they are well on their way to achieving many of their goals.