If you are looking for movie guidance beyond the Oscar nominations, the Union of Concerned Scientists suggested 9 films and video clips about food and agriculture. Check them out here: https://blog.ucsusa.org/marcia-delonge/dinner-and-a-movie-9-fine-films-on-food-from-2015?utm_source=fb&utm_medium=fb&utm_campaign=fb

Over 50 landowners attended a workshop on land protection in Elkader last week. Suzan Erem, SILT president, talked about SILT's mission to preserve Iowa farmland to grow healthy food using sustainable practices. The event was featured in the Clayton County Register.

An increasing number of suburban development projects are replacing the traditional golf course or pool with farms. "Development-supported agriculture" is one of the visions SILT has for protecting sustainable food production. Building permanent nonprofit farm protection into these models can make it appealing to developers and more successful in the long term. Read more about this trend here: https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2013/12/17/251713829/forget-golf-courses-subdivisions-draw-residents-with-farms?utm_source=npr_newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=20160225&utm_campaign=npr_email_a_friend&utm_term=storyshare  

In a recent column in the Washington Post, Tamar Haspel argued that very few people cared about where their food came from. In response, Chellie Pingree and Anna Lappé wrote an article listing the indicators proving the breadth and depth of the "food movement". Food industry analysts, flagging profits at Walmart, decline in soda sales, and other consumption trends are: "a reflection that Americans increasingly care about where their food comes from, how it is grown and the health and environmental implications of what they feed their families." Read more here: https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/food/the-food-movement-is-small-not-from-where-we-sit-it-isnt/2016/02/04/cd20150c-cb75-11e5-a7b2-5a2f824b02c9_story.html And learn how SILT is a major stakeholder in food system change.  

An article recently published in Yes! Magazine highlights programs across the country are trying to make it easier for new farmers to get started and put down roots. Help SILT support beginning farmer enterprises here. https://www.yesmagazine.org/issues/good-health/if-there-are-no-new-farmers-who-will-grow-our-food-20160201

The @National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition recently wrote a review of a hearing gathering farmers, ranchers and advocates from across the country to talk about their experiences in direct sales. "The hearing was, in many ways, the beginning of policy discussions that will inform the development of the next federal Farm Bill. It also represented a shifting of priorities in a climate where farmers, consumers and policymakers are more aware than ever about the importance of local and regional food systems to sustainable agriculture." https://sustainableagriculture.net/blog/direct-marketing-hearing/

Richard Manning's article, "The Trouble with Iowa" in Harper's, is a great read. Manning covers challenges we face beyond caucus season in Iowa: water quality, avian influenza, Big Ag, political roadblocks, GMOs, etc. Learn how SILT promotes sustainable agriculture and a future for farmers and consumers. https://harpers.org/archive/2016/02/the-trouble-with-iowa/

According to the Union of Concerned Scientists report, “Growing Economies: Connecting Local Farmers and Large-Scale Food Buyers to Create Jobs and Revitalize America’s Heartland,” smart public policies that connect local farmers to large food buyers such as supermarkets, restaurants, hospitals and school districts can help bring back midsize farms, create thousands of jobs and boost the local economy. Researchers at Iowa State University have estimated that Iowans spend $8 billion on food annually and only 10 percent of the food is locally produced. Iowa farmers could capitalize on the increasing demand for locally-grown food, according to the study, which [...]

Suzan Erem, left, speaks with Patti Edwardson about organizing a SILT trip to her region of the state. This year's Iowa Fruit and Vegetable Growers meeting had a new face in the exhibitor crowd with SILT planted neatly between Practical Farmers of Iowa and Iowa State's new Value Added program. SILT President Suzan Erem, board member Paul Durrenberger and volunteer Julia McGuire staffed the table and spoke to new friends about the concept of protecting their fruit and vegetable growing land in perpetuity. The two-day conference drew about 100 people and included workshops on alternative fruits, agritourism [...]