WORC member groups have long stood up for sustainable rural communities, preserving clean air and water, and the long-term benefits of an agricultural economic base.

In recent years, these values have lead many of our local chapters to break new ground in the field of developing productive capacity, processing capacity and markets for local foods. While WORC and its member groups tend to focus on public policy, there are also some practical local development organizing steps that will help invigorate rural communities and small western towns and cities around local food.

Here are some examples:

• Each year in September, the Powder River Basin Resource Council hosts a Farmers Market, local foods feast and community harvest celebration.
• The Yellowstone Valley Citizens Council in Billings connects local producers and local consumers through a local foods buying club.
• Dakota Rural Action published a consumer’s guide to eating local foods, the South Dakota Local Foods Directory. The directory features more than 60 producers and local businesses.

Fix Food Safety Bill

Sen. Jon Tester of Montana will introduce common sense amendments to S. 510, the Food Safety Modernization Act.

The Tester amendments would

• remove direct market farms from FDA jurisdiction over farming and harvesting of raw agricultural products.
• set a threshold of $500,000 adjusted gross income exempting small processors from Hazard Analysis Control, trace-back and record keeping sections in the bill.

WORC and its allies have led an effort to collect over 155 organizational signatures on a letter supporting Sen. Tester’s amendments.

Profiles of producers affected by S. 510
Q&A on the amendments
Read WORC fact sheet.
See background briefing on proposed amendments
Read WORC news release

Resources for policy makers, letters to the editor, editorial boards, and interested persons.

Links

Farm to School site with lots of good tips and links to help you organize local food in your schools.

The National Agricultural Law Center has a "reading room" on laws relating to "Local Foods"

Links and resources aimed at building local food systems in Montana. Much of this information is beneficial to any state or community looking to build a local food system.

The Community Food Security Coalition brings together a broad alliance of advocates for healthy local food systems, food security, and sustainable agriculture.