Sustainable Food Production graduates who now work in farming and related professions.
As you know, Minnesota’s consumers are clamoring for healthful local food, shopping at farmers markets and coop grocery stores, buying shares in CSAs and supporting the development of infrastructure like food hubs.
Unfortunately, our state is falling down in one vital area: educating the next generation of local farmers. The Sustainable Food Production diploma program at MSCTC–Fergus Falls has been suspended and Farm Management programs across MNSCU, vital for federal Beginning Farmer programs and FSA loans, are being slashed.
It’s as if those running the state’s more vocationally-focused higher ed system don’t see family farming and food production as a job.
We can change this but we need your help to pressure these public institutions to work for us. It must be Minnesota’s public policy to educate the new wave of local food producers.
One helpful step in this process is attending your precinct caucus. Attending your caucus is not only a great way to meet your neighbors and local legislators, but caucusing also helps raise awareness about important issues for reforming Minnesota’s food system. If you don’t know where your precinct caucus will be held, click here on the Caucus Finder tool created by the Minnesota Secretary of State’s office.
This is why we are asking you to attend your caucus and talk to your neighbors about a resolution supporting local food production and farm management programs. We’ve prepared versions for both major party caucuses that aligns with their action agendas and platform. Download and print the DFL resolution here and the Republican resolution here. (The documents are also embedded below.
Now more than ever we need you to be talking about the future of food producers with friends, neighbors and your elected officials. With your help we will continue to educate thousands of Minnesotans about this issue and guarantee healthful local food is produced by Minnesotans for Minnesota.
In alphabetical order, here are the resolutions for the DFL and Republican versions of the resolution. And please, let us know in comments or email us at Stand.For.Food@gmx.com so we can know how you and the resolution did at caucus.
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