There’s so much going on, sometimes it’s hard to keep up. Tonight, we’ll be attending the Hoosier Harvest Market food co-op annual meeting. Tomorrow night, a hemp networking event. And later in the week, the Indiana Small Farm Conference and National Farmers Union Annual Convention. Here’s more in detail on what Indiana Farmers Union is up to over the next few months.
Hemp Networking Event, hosted by the Hemp Chapter of Indiana Farmers Union, Midwest Hemp Council and Indiana Hemp Industries Association. As Indiana’s hemp industry emerges, now is the time to join us. Network and learn about hemp opportunities here in Indiana. Event will take place from 6 to 9 p.m. on Feb. 26 at Centerpoint Brewing Company, 1125 E. Brookside Ave., Indianapolis, IN 46202.
Indiana Small Farm Conference: Indiana Farmers Union is again sponsoring the Indiana Small Farm Conference (https://www.purdue.edu/dffs/smallfarms/small-farm-conference-2019/) this year, and we were able to offer 10 scholarships for Hoosier farmers to attend the conference. Find us in the Expo area, where we will have a table, or at one of two presentations, which we are bringing to the conference—a workshop on the Food Safety Modernization Act and farm food safety plans and a presentation and discussion panel on remaking the food system through advocacy at the local, state and federal level.
National Farmers Union Annual Convention: This weekend we’re traveling to Bellevue, Washington, to attend the National Farmers Union annual convention and taking part in NFU policy discussions as delegates for Indiana. This is where Farmers Union’s grassroots, bottom-up policy is decided for the coming year. It’s an important discussion where members determine what aspects of agriculture and food system work we support—and what we don’t.
MARCH:
Northeast Indiana Local Food Forum ((https://www.facebook.com/events/336650153608007/): Monday, March 18 in Fort Wayne. Here, Sherri Dugger, executive director for Indiana Farmers Union, will be taking part in a panel discussion on the importance of advocacy at local, state, and federal levels.
Hemp Symposium: Saturday, March 23 at Franklin College, the hemp chapter of Indiana Farmers Union is hosting an educational event (https://www.facebook.com/events/331772150771940/) to help Hoosier farmers get up to speed on hemp legislation and cultivation in our state.
APRIL/MAY:
Earth Day Indiana Festival: Our Females Farming Forward chapter will be tabling at the Earth Day Indiana Festival, to be held on April 20, 2019 at White River State Park in downtown Indianapolis.
INFU is hosting and organizing bi-monthly Midwest Sustainable Ag Working Group conference calls, the next one of which is scheduled for April. We have also been in talks about creating an Indiana Sustainable Ag Working Group to specifically focus on what Indiana groups are doing in the policy, community, food system realm. Stay tuned for more, and email indianafarmersunion@gmail.com if you want to take part in these discussions.
Plate to Politics Event – In cooperation with Women, Food and Agriculture Network, we will be hosting an event at Indianapolis City Market to provide training and support to women in food and agriculture interested in pursuing leadership roles on local, state, and federal levels. We hope to bring more women to the table to make decisions and establish the laws that impact our food system.
Beyond that, there are lots of other things happening. We are taking part in conversations to develop a food charter for Indiana and exploring and researching ways we might better engage in FFA, 4-H and other youth-related programs. Later in the summer, we will be sponsoring a weeklong climate camp for kids.
But here’s the thing. We need your help. Indiana Farmers Union is gaining serious traction in this state, and we’re moving ahead with good momentum for this work to continue for years to come. But we need you … whether you’re a farmer, a food system worker, or you’re simply an eater who cares about where your food comes from. You can help us do what we do.
If you need to renew your membership, please do so at www.indianafarmersunion.org. Your membership dollars go straight toward supporting independent family farmers and local food systems. If you’re already a member, please tell your farmer and food system friends about the good work we’re doing. The only way we can grow this organization — and do more for our members — is by spreading the word about INFU.
So for now, thank you for joining Indiana Farmers Union, thank you for caring about our food system and thank you for reading. We hope to see you at an upcoming event!