Tag Archives: Food Hub

FREE WEBINAR: Sustainable Food Hubs in Ontario

Join us on Wednesday, January 31st at 12pm EST for a free webinar exploring results from research conducted between 2014 and 2017 on sustainable food hubs in Ontario.

In this webinar, Katie Nolan (OMAFRA), Kendal Donahue (OMAFRA), Phil Mount (JustFood) and Alison Blay-Palmer (Laurier Centre for Sustainable Food Systems) will discuss the Ontario Food Hub surveys that were conducted as part of an OMAFRA New Directions funded project. Showcasing the infographics created with the information collected, the presenters will highlight lessons learned and future research directions. Following the presentations, there will be time for a Q&A.

Please register in advance for this webinar:
https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_bzgOZRg_QVWNOjzuc0MKVA

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

For more information or media inquires, please contact Amanda Di Battista, Project Coordinator, Laurier Centre for Sustainable Food Systems: adibattista@wlu.ca.

Greenbelt Offers Canada’s First Food Hub Management Training

Leave a reply

…from the Greenbelt Fund website…

Training for Tomorrow’s Food Hub Leaders

The first of its kind in North America, now in its third year and first time being offered in Canada, this program is an innovative blend of hands-on, community-based online and on-campus learning to prepare you for managing food hubs. The program provides the tools you need to advance your career in food systems.

Highlights

Taught online with in-person sessions held in Southwestern Ontario – with a plethora of businesses leading the local food movement
Syllabus includes: Business Formation, Food Hub Fundamentals, Business Planning, Marketing, Sales, Finance HR & Staffing, Risk Management, Food Safety, Product Development and Knowledge, Supply Chain Management, Storage and Warehouse Management, Distribution, Processing, Technology, Value Chain Facilitation

Who Should Apply?

Individuals exploring the feasibility of starting or expanding a food hub
Emerging leaders in organizations advancing the feasibility of regional food systems
Food Hub practitioners focused on ‘the next ten years’
Professionals seeking to develop their career in the local and regional food market

For more details, see the Greenbelt Fund site…

Kudrinko’s: Independent Grocery as Food Hub

Leave a reply

A new Food Hub case study of Kudrinko’s is now available.

This case study examines the roles that a successful food hub must play to bridge gaps in local food distribution. Two key strategies for success, diversification and the cultivation of personal relationships, align across different points in the supply chain – from production to retail. Many of the challenges raised in studying Kudrinko’s point to distribution issues in which bricks-and-mortar style food hubs primarily for distribution can be effective in solving. These include issues of: ensuring consistent supply, easing transportation and logistics, educating consumers on seasonality and the growing process, and protecting against the negative impacts of climate change and international trade. Read more…

Because it matters! The Food Hub Value Chain Survey

Leave a reply

Food Hub Value Chain Survey …from Mike Nagy, Survey Project Manager, Nourishing Communities, Laurier Centre for Sustainable Food Systems

Thank you to those who responded to our previous request.

We very much hope that those who have started the survey can complete it now and those who still have not had a chance to fil it out can do so as we are closing the survey on February 17th.

Receiving data for the 2015 business year and growing season would be of tremendous benefit to our study while assisting funders and policy makers to better understand the challenges that you face. We have kept the survey open in hopes to receive much needed additional input.

Follow this link to the Survey:
Take the Survey

Or copy and paste the URL below into your internet browser: https://uoguelph.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe3/form/SV_5cmyMK6xn6wpBFH?Q_DL=6YEfstRzT4gNIYl_5cmyMK6xn6wpBFH_MLRP_6xjfdEkdAVt0qQl&Q

We have also included a link that will provide you a comprehensive summary of the 2014 survey results with easy to read Info-graphics. We hope that you find the results helpful. Please spread widely!

https://fledgeresearch.ca/resources-results/food-hubs-in-ontario/

Thank you for your participation, your input is highly valued.

Fortnightly Feast

Leave a reply

Bring Food Home: Digging Deeper

This fall, Sudbury will be buzzing with sustainable, healthy food and farming advocates, innovators, and decision-makers gathering for Bring Food Home: Digging Deeper, based at the Sudbury Radisson Hotel on November 20-22, 2015. Sustain Ontario is pleased to announce that Early Bird conference registration is now open, along with tickets for the popular Feast of Local Flavours. Read more…

Community Food Projects Indicators of Success FY 2014

The Community Food Projects Indicators of Success FY 2014 report illustrates the collective impact of Community Food Project grantees from FY 2014 based on the metrics from Whole Measures for Community Food Systems. It includes metrics from the 6 areas of impact from Whole Measures: Healthy People, Strong Communities, Thriving Local Economies, Sustainable Ecosystems, Vibrant Farms and Gardens and Fairness and Justice. Read more…

Agroecology as a Tool for Liberation: An interview with Miguel Ramirez, National Coordinator of the Organic Agriculture Movement of El Salvador

We say that every square meter of land that is worked with agro-ecology is a liberated square meter. We see it as a tool to transform farmers’ social and economic conditions. We see it as a tool of liberation from the unsustainable capitalist agricultural model that oppresses farmers. Read more…

Lessons from the Field: A New Series for Food Hub Development

Since 2009, USDA has invested in 29,100 local food opportunities, including food hubs, small scale processing and farmers markets across all 50 states and the US territories. These investments include over 12,000 loans and micro-loans to small-scale producers who often sell products locally and over 13,000 high tunnels (low-cost covered structures that extend the growing season and make locally-grown products available later in the year). Read more…

Running a Food Hub

IN RECENT YEARS, several surveys—including the 2013 National Food Hub Survey1 and the Food Hub Benchmarking Study2—have collected data on U.S. food hubs. What seems to be lacking from the current research on food hubs is information on operations and “lessons learned” from those involved in starting and operating food hubs. Read more…

ClearWater at the Reed Farm

Georgina, June 25, 2015 – Council’s unanimous decision last night to lease a portion of the Reed Farm at Willow Beach to the Ontario Water Centre is the latest initiative towards a more prosperous Georgina.

The Centre will rechristen eight acres of the Town-owned property (including the historic homestead) as the “ClearWater Farm”. ClearWater will be a community-based social enterprise to stimulate jobs and the local economy, provide affordable learning opportunities, demonstrate water-wise techniques, and celebrate “field to fork” culinary arts. Read more…

Food, Unincorporated.

Leave a reply

Sometimes the best way to fix the system is to start a new one…

Here’s how it works.

Search our diverse, independent shops for seasonal local food. Search by neighbourhood and food category, or whether you prefer delivery or pickup.
Transform your transactions with affordable local food from diverse producers and hubs. Know the stories behind your food and the people who make it!
Hang on for your delivery, or visit your producer or hub for a more personal connection with your food. Food shopping as diverse as nature intended it.

The Australian Open Food Network is the first Open Food Network! […] Co-founded by Kirsten Larsen and Serenity Hill the Open Food Network started as a little experiment with a van, some farmers and some friends. But right from the start they had systemic change in mind. Instead of building for one hub, they could see the power of a network. Instead of designing for one specific distribution model, they designed for diversity and flexibility. Rather than centralised accreditation, they enabled transparency. Read more…

Last Chance to have your say!

Leave a reply

Food Hub Survey Closing March 31

Thank you to all of you who have already participated in this important survey. If you haven’t completed your survey (it is possible your link has expired) or wish to begin again please see the link below. We are very eager to hear from as many people as possible. This will be our last communication, the food hub survey will close at the end of the month!

For further details on the survey

For technical issues or questions about filling out the survey please reply to Mike Nagy nagym@uoguelph.ca or call 519-829-6249. For questions about this project, please contact Dr. Alison Blay-Palmer: ablaypalmer@wlu.ca. Thank you!

Follow this link to the Survey:
New Directions Food Hub Survey

Or copy and paste the URL below into your internet browser:
https://uoguelph.eu.qualtrics.com/WRQualtricsSurveyEngine/?Q_SS=cMUN7oQpROmHztX_bP1JYQMeBNU8iDH&_=1

Fortnightly Feast

Leave a reply

Better Farming story on the Regional Food Hub Survey

Food Survey News

Our Regional Food Hub Survey features in the latest (May 10, 2015) online Better Farming breaking news. Read the full story here…

YMCA Cedar Glen Hiring Farm Manager

YMCA Cedar Glen Outdoor Centre is a year round operation, open 7 days a week, which delivers outdoor education programs to school groups, youth and adult retreats, a day camp and an overnight camp focused on leadership development during the summer months. The centre also operates a fruit and vegetable farm and Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) system.

Reporting to the Facility Manager, the Farm Team Leader is responsible for planning and carrying out the day to day operations of the fruit and vegetable farm and the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) system with the key objective to maximize productivity while utilizing organic farming practices. The position aids in delivering the highest quality farm education programs to outdoor education and summer camp participants that align with the overall mission, vision and values of the YMCA. Read more…

Now THAT’s a Greenhouse!

The Inuvik Community Greenhouse, home of the Community Garden Society of Inuvik, is the most northerly greenhouse in North America and the only Community Greenhouse of its kind in the world!

The Inuvik Community Greenhouse is located at the corner of Gwich’in Road and Breynat Street, behind the Igloo Church, and is open from May until October. Read more…

Now THAT’s a Rooftop Garden! (YouTube video)

From The Times of India:

10,000-sq-metre roof top farm makes waves in China

BEIJING: This 10,000-square-metre farm in southwest China’s Chongqing Municipality may look ordinary at first glance. But this is an exceptional farm situated on top of a sprawling factory that manufactures doors. It is big enough that a tractor is needed to help with farming. The factory’s staff grow crops there, as well as raise poultry and livestock.

Factory official Lu Xiaoqing explained the company’s rationale for setting it up. “It would be a waste if we left the big rooftop unused. That’s why we created a farming project that involves our staff…”. Read more…

1ère journée des innovations pour une alimentation durable (JIPAD 2015)

Jeudi 02 avril 2015 (10h00-16h30)
à Agropolis International
(Amphithéatre Louis Malassis)
1000, Av. Agropolis – Montpellier

Avec les étudiants ingénieurs de spécialisation “Innovations dans les systèmes agricoles et agro-alimentaires du monde” (ISAM) et de mastère spécialisé “Innovations et politiques pour une alimentation durable” (IPAD) – Montpellier SupAgro/CIRAD. Lire la suite…

Ontario’s Regional Food Hub Development

Leave a reply

Co-op Food Hub Discussion in Guelph

Changing the Way We Do Local Food

February 24, 2015
7:00pm – 9:00pm
Chapel, Loyola House, Ignatius Jesuit Centre of Guelph

Public Forum, Panel Discussion and World Café

Facilitated by Sally Miller, LOFC Network Food Hub Project Manager

Come participate in a robust discussion about how co-operative food hubs are offering Ontario communities viable, democratically driven business options for local food aggregation and distribution. Guests from the Local Organic Food Co-ops Network’s Regional Food Hub Expansion project will share their experiences before the audience has a chance to participate in small table discussions on Financing, Marketing, Governance, and Logistics for Distribution.

Special guests include Peggy Baillie, Eat Local Sudbury, Devorah Belinsky, Ottawa Valley Food Co-op, Kelly Skinner, True North Community Co-op, Jeff Pastorius, On the Move Organics, Alison Blay-Palmer, Wilfrid Laurier University, Jodi Koberinski, Canadian Council on Food Sovereignty and Health, Glenford Jameson & James Patterson, West End Food Co-op, Glenn Valliere & Randy Whitteker, Ontario Natural Food Co-op.

Tickets are $20 at the door, or included with registration at the Dan Kittredge farmer training (Feb. 23 & 24) or at Building the Soils of a Co-operative Food System, our 6th Annual Assembly (Feb. 24-6).

Fortnightly Feast

Leave a reply

Sudbury food co-op poised for expansion

…The goal is to make Eat Local Sudbury a regional hub for local food distribution with the added offshoots of increasing awareness of local food production, supporting local farmers, and boosting the economy. The funding will be used to develop a three-part business plan to expand both its retail facilities and its programming to accommodate a much larger volume of food. Read more…

The need to ‘grow’ more topsoil

from the Guelph Mercury, Ralph C. Martin:

When I hear a big, hairy audacious goal, I expect drum rolls and trumpets, or if it’s really big, tubas. There was not even a piccolo adagio when Abe Collins, a Vermont farmer, educator and consultant shared his passion for topsoil formation and grazing at the Ecological Farmers of Ontario Conference, held earlier this month in Guelph. Nevertheless, the audience was all ears. His big, hairy goal? He expects a community, near Lake Champlain, to blanket their watershed in deep topsoil in a decade. Read more…

CED Net National Jobs Postings include many food jobs

Communications and Marketing Manager, Community Food Centres Canada
Nova Scotia Organic Market Research Assistant
Entrepreneurship and Marketing Coordinator, Le Santropol Roulant
Farm Co-Manager, Le Santropol Roulant
McQuesten Urban Farm Community Animator
Social Planning and Research Council of Hamilton
CSI’s Desk Exchange Animator Program, Centre for Social Innovation
Ecological Gardening Internship, Harvest Moon Society, Clearwater Manitoba

NGFN Food Hub Benchmarking Study 2014

Food Hubs are delivering on their promise of enabling identity-preserved, primarily local and regional food to enter the wholesale market, enabling small and mid-sized farms access to buyers that would otherwise be unattainable.

But aggregation and distribution of food is a very thin-margin business, and hubs take on additional expense working with smaller farmers, providing technical assistance, and other grower and community services. Are food hubs able to support themselves with their operations? What are industry-standard financial and operational benchmarks for food hub businesses?

Training for Tomorrow’s Food Hub Leaders

Highlights

Here’s how it works.

Food Hub Survey Closing March 31

Co-op Food Hub Discussion in Guelph

Changing the Way We Do Local Food

February 24, 2015 7:00pm – 9:00pm Chapel, Loyola House, Ignatius Jesuit Centre of Guelph

February 24, 2015
7:00pm – 9:00pm
Chapel, Loyola House, Ignatius Jesuit Centre of Guelph