
Maren and Tom kick off the NIFF gathering by sharing the background of Luna Valley Farm, and the group beat the heat by staying in the shade of the barn.
Maren and Tom kick off the NIFF gathering by sharing the background of Luna Valley Farm, and the group beat the heat by staying in the shade of the barn.
Marketing is hard! And it can be even harder when you’re a full-time farmer running a local food business. Farmers will be the first to admit that they didn’t get into this line of work because they love creating brands, building websites or planning marketing strategies, but because they love growing good food for their neighbors. That’s why farmers are often short on this skill, and why folks in Region 4 identified it as a high-priority educational opportunity on NEIA Beginning Farmer Network surveys last fall. In response to their needs, we developed a full-day workshop entitled “Farming the Web; Managing the Gateway to Your Farm Business” with Ash Bruxvoort. Continue reading
After some time abroad and working in other community organizations, I’m happy to be back on this blog and supporting the Food and Farm Coalition and the Food and Fitness Initiative. Time has truly flown since I started as Food System Specialist on March 21st! I’ve been busy settling into my role, getting to know stakeholders, and attending a variety of trainings. Some trainings have helped educate me about goals of Iowa State Extension and services that we offer, others have helped me develop specific skill sets and knowledge that I’ll use in my work with local farmers. Continue reading