[Sdpg] San Luis Obispo County Region 'Buy Fresh Buy Local' at Mid-State Fair in Paso Robles July 28th!

[Wesley Roe and Marjorie Lakin Erickson]

Hello all!
This summer, Sustainable Ag Resource Consortium has been working with farmers,
ranchers and several local organizations to help launch a campaign to promote
our local agriculture at the Mid-State Fair in Paso Robles beginning on July
28th! The newly-formed San Luis Obispo County Region 'Buy Fresh Buy Local'
campaign is now underway. Organizers of that group will host their first
public event at the Fair. It has been a wonderful to see the excitement build
around this effort and to get to know many of the growers in our area and the
quality products they produce.
And this is only a beginning. It is hoped that the Mid-State Fair event will
introduce the concept to other producers, and educate consumers on the
importance of supporting local agriculturists. There will be something for
everyone; it's is an event you don't want to miss!
I have attached and copied below a press release on the event. Feel free to
share it with others. I have also copied a more detailed list of
demonstrations that will be held by the different grower groups during the 
Fair
(with more to be added soon). Come visit Cal Poly's Organic Farm team on CSA
Day, 7/30!! Finally, also below is a copy of "5 Reasons to Buy Fresh and Buy
Local" for those of you who are interested to know more about the ideas behind
the campaign.
Hope to see you at the Fair this summer!! HF
***************************************************************************
San Luis Obispo County Region
BUY FRESH BUY LOCAL CAMPAIGN
Mid-State Fair Kick-off: 7/28-8/8
The San Luis Obispo 'Buy Fresh Buy Local' campaign will be hosting an
educational booth at the Mid-State Fair in Paso Robles in the new "County
Marketplace" pavilion for the duration of the Fair (7/28-8/8). A beautiful
label featuring locally grown items has been created that producer and 
retailer
members will be able to use to identify food, fiber and flowers grown in SLO,
Santa Maria, and a few rural areas in Southern Monterey County. The Mid-State
Fair exhibit will be the first public Buy Fresh Buy Local event in our Central
Coast area.
This will be a great opportunity for everyone to find out about the campaign
and meet many of our local agriculturalists including:
7/28-7/29: Local ranchers and meat producers
7/30: CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) farmers
7/31-8/1: Members of the Central Coast's Agritourism Council
8/2-8/3: Local fiber producers (including wool and alpaca)
8/4: Roadside stand farmers
8/5-8/6: Farmers' market providers
8/7-8/8: Nursery and herb growers

Each day, these growers will be showcasing their farms, ranches and businesses
and, in most cases, providing products for sale, samples, and/or 
demonstrations
on related topics.
Please join us as we launch SLO's Buy Fresh Buy Local campaign. We are looking
forward to meeting you!
When: July 28 -August 8, 2004
Where: The "Country Marketplace"at the Mid-State Fair Grounds, Paso Robles
Times: Wednesday, July 28, 4 p.m. - midnight.
Thursday, July 29 - Sunday, August 8, 12 noon - midnight.
Tuesday, August 3 gates will open at 10 a.m. for Seniors Day.
Admission: General admission - $7-adults, $5-ages 12-16, $4-ages 6-11
Season passes $40-adults, $29-ages 12-16, $13-ages 6-11
Monday, August 2 is Kids Day - children 12 and under-free admission
Tuesday, August 3 is Seniors Day - adults 55 and older -$3.50.
For general Mid-State Fair details see: www.midstatefair.com
For more information about the Statewide Buy Fresh Buy Local Campaign, please
visit the Community Alliance with Family Farmers' website at:
http://www.caff.org/programs/buylocal.shtml
For more information about the nationwide campaign, please visit the 
FoodRoutes
Network at:
http://www.foodroutes.org/buylocal.jsp
******************************************************************************
Hunter Francis
Program Coordinator
Sustainable Agriculture Resource Consortium
c/o Horticulture and Crop Science Department
California Polytechnic State University
San Luis Obispo, California 93407
(805)756-5086


San Luis Obispo County Region
BUY FRESH BUY LOCAL CAMPAIGN
Mid-State Fair Kick-off: 7/28-8/8


The San Luis Obispo 'Buy Fresh Buy Local' campaign will be hosting an 
educational booth at the Mid-State Fair in Paso Robles in the new "County 
Marketplace" pavilion for the duration of the Fair (7/28-8/8).  A beautiful 
label featuring locally grown items has been created that producer and 
retailer members will be able to use to identify food, fiber and flowers 
grown in SLO, Santa Maria, and a few rural areas in Southern Monterey 
County.  The Mid-State Fair exhibit will be the first public Buy Fresh Buy 
Local event in our Central Coast area.

This will be a great opportunity for everyone to find out about the 
campaign and meet many of our local agriculturalists including:

7/28-7/29: Local ranchers and meat producers
7/30: CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) farmers
7/31-8/1: Members of the Central Coast's Agritourism Council
8/2-8/3: Local fiber producers (including wool and alpaca)
8/4: Roadside stand farmers
8/5-8/6: Farmers' market providers
8/7-8/8: Nursery and herb growers

Each day, these growers will be showcasing their farms, ranches and 
businesses and, in most cases, providing products for sale, samples, and/or 
demonstrations on related topics.

Please join us as we launch SLO's Buy Fresh Buy Local campaign.  We are 
looking forward to meeting you!


For general Mid-State Fair details: www.midstatefair.com

For more information about the Statewide Buy Fresh Buy Local Campaign, 
please visit the Community Alliance with Family Farmers' website at:
http://www.caff.org/programs/buylocal.shtml

For more information about the nationwide campaign, please visit the 
FoodRoutes Network at:
http://www.foodroutes.org/buylocal.jsp

BUY FRESH BUY LOCAL
Mid-State Fair Booth
Featured Producers [in brackets] and Demonstrations (indented)


Wednesday 7/28 [Homegrown Meat Producers]

         7-9 PM:  Cooking with Natural Beef with Chef Kathleen DeChadenedes -
                    ongoing cooking tips over two hour period

Thursday 7/29 [Homegrown Meat Producers]

         (Demonstrations TBA)

Friday 7/30 [Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) programs]
1-1:45  PM:  Cooking with Farm Fresh Produce: Focus on Salads - with Tim 
and Stephanie Bolle' of Affaire L'amour Catering

2:00-3:00 PM: Garden Bed Preparation & Vermicomposting for Natural Soil 
Enhancement with Greg Parizek of Wise Acre Farm and Allyson Nakasone, Cal 
Poly Soil Science graduate

3:00-4:00 PM:  Food Fun for Kids with Judie Anders!

4:00-4:45  Cooking with Farm Fresh Produce: Focus on Salads - with Tim and 
Stephanie Bolle' of Affaire L'amour Catering
Saturday 7/31 [AgriTourism]
1212:45 PM:  "Water conservation  sustaining the family farm" with Cindy 
Newkirk of the Wineyard

3:004:00 PM:  Horizontal Wine Tasting with Allie Rush & Nate Marquart of 
Eagle Castle & Eberle Wineries

4:005:00 PM:  "Pairing Food & Wine" with Leslie Gainer of Fermentations
Sunday 8/1  [AgriTourism]
12-1:00 PM:  "Crafting with Lavender" with Kirsten Wright

1:00-2:00 PM:  Developing a Small Business in Ag-tourism with Lori Rai

3:004:00 PM:  Horizontal Wine Tasting with Alison Rush & Nate Marquart of 
Eagle Castle & Eberle Wineries
FIVE REASONS TO
BUY FRESH AND BUY LOCAL

ENJOY FRESHNESS
There are many benefits to supporting local agriculture.  A big one is 
taste.  Food needing only to travel short distances tends to be fresher 
with more vital nutrients kept in tact.  A local grower with close markets 
is able to provide a broad range of produce chosen for flavor, not just 
transportability or shelf-life.

SUPPORT LOCAL FARM FAMILIES
When local goods are purchased, we all benefit by keeping dollars 
circulating within our community.  That translates to jobs.  And when those 
dollars are going to locally owned farms and ranches, we help provide 
owners with the resources they need to carry on revered farming traditions.


PROTECT GENETIC DIVERSITY
In the industrial agricultural system, many unique and heirloom varieties 
of crops have been avoided because they are difficult to grow, store or 
ship.  This has resulted in a narrowing of genetic diversity and consumer 
choice.  Local farmers are helping to preserve age-old varieties not well 
suited to remote distribution.  Fiber producers serving discriminating 
"tastes" likewise offer a wide selection of quality fibers from a diversity 
of uncommon species.



PRESERVE OPEN SPACES AND THE ENVIRONMENT
When you buy locally grown food, you are doing something proactive about 
preserving the agricultural landscape.  Loss of farmland to development is 
less likely when farms are profitable.  A well-managed family farm is a 
place where the resources of fertile soil and clean water are valued, and 
provides important habitat for many wildlife species.

KEEP AGRICULTURE VIABLE
The Central Coast is still a highly agricultural region.  One of the best 
ways to help it retain its rural character is to keep local farmers in 
production.  To remain economically viable, local growers need to have 
markets for their food and fibers.  By being able to identify which 
products are grown in the local area, consumers are given more freedom to 
support the local agricultural economy.

Make your food and fiber choices with purpose
Buy Fresh!  Buy Local!