seedstock | Grow Local Riverside

The Life of a Local SoCal Forager: Dwight Detter Explains How Products Get onto Whole Foods’ Shelves

February 16, 2015 | seedstock

Dwight Detter. Photo courtesy of Whole Foods Market.

Dwight Detter, who will be leading breakout sessions on local food marketing and buying at the upcoming 2nd Annual GrowRIVERSIDE Conference, is a food forager.

But he’s not spending his days gathering nuts and berries from the forest. Instead, he’s sourcing local producers for Whole Foods Market in southern California.

Detter shares his region with two other Local Foragers; together they help select the products and the producers for 40 Whole Foods stores. He likens his role to a worker bee supporting the hive (in this case, the hive is a Fortune 500 company with $14.2 billion in revenue in 2014).

City Councilmember Chris MacArthur Channels Citrus Background into Enthusiasm for Local Food

February 11, 2015 | seedstock

Riverside City Councilmember Chris MacArthur, a founder of GrowRIVERSIDE, has a unique perspective on local food and agriculture because of his citrus farming background. He is excited about the upcoming Grow Riverside conference in June. (photo courtesy of Chris MacArthur)

Riverside City Councilmember Chris MacArthur not only has a background in citrus farming, but he has channeled his enthusiasm for local agriculture into being a founder of GrowRIVERSIDE and promoting the GrowRIVERSIDE conference, in partnership with Seedstock.

Seedstock recently asked Councilmember MacArthur about his vision for local agriculture in Riverside, his hopes for this year’s GrowRIVERSIDE conference, slated June 11-13, 2015 and more.

What is your vision for local food in Riverside?

I envision a robust city and region-wide farm-to-fork network from farmers/growers to restaurants. The supply chain should extend from farmers/growers to schools, hospitals, universities, local groceries and food retailers and active farmers’ markets and fruit/vegetable stands in the greenbelt. This will provide access for all of our residents to locally grown food (including residents who live in food deserts). Read More

GrowRIVERSIDE “Dinners in the Grove” Series to Kick-off on March 14; Get Your Tix Now!

January 29, 2015 | seedstock

Imagine a dinner in a grove under the stars, sipping on a cocktail infused with local Riverside citrus, eating food sourced from the farm down the road, all prepared by a notable local chef. Well, come March this “dinner in a grove” idea will be a reality.

Introducing a unique dinner series to support GrowRIVERSIDE and celebrate the City of Riverside’s citrus heritage and locally grown produce, “Dinners in the Grove – A Farm-to-table Dining Experience” will literally take place in different orange groves across the city over the next couple of months.

The first “Dinner in the Grove” will take place on Saturday, on March 14, 2015 at Fairlawn Farms. Read More

USDA Partnering to Conduct Grant Workshops to Support Local Foods

January 27, 2015 | seedstock

post_usdalogo WASHINGTON, Jan. 27, 2015 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) and National Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA) today announced a partnership through the Agricultural Marketing Service Technical Assistance (AMSTA) Project to conduct workshops that will help potential grant applicants understand, develop, and submit their Federal grant applications for the Farmers Market and Local Food Promotion Program.

“The Farmers Market and Local Food Promotion Program is a key to USDA’s efforts to revitalize rural economies by supporting local and regional food systems,” said AMS Administrator Anne Alonzo. Read More

Grow Riverside Conference to Examine Economic, Community Benefits of Local Sustainable Agriculture in Urban Areas

January 14, 2015 | seedstock

Riverside, CA — January 14, 2015 — Seedstock, in partnership with the City of Riverside, today announced it once again will present the “Grow Riverside” conference slated for June 11-13, 2015.

This year’s conference at the Riverside Convention Center sets its focus on “The Future of Local Food” with the goal of sharing vital lessons and information with many municipalities.

Using Riverside’s significant accomplishments over the past 12 months as a model, the conference will examine the City’s initial steps to build and strengthen its local food system as well as explore solutions to help other cities and local governments establish and bolster their own similar initiatives. Read More

2nd Annual Grow Riverside Conference to Focus on Future of Local Food

December 23, 2014 | seedstock

Riverside local food Following on the success of last year’s inaugural Grow Riverside – Citrus and Beyond! Conference, which drew a sold out audience of over 420 entrepreneurs, residents, growers, business execs, non profit participants, researchers and students focused on propelling the growth of urban agriculture and the local food marketplace in cities across the country, Seedstock in partnership with the City and Community of Riverside is happy to announce that it will be hosting the 2nd Annual Grow Riverside Conference – The Future of Local Food.

Building off of the momentum of last year’s conference as well as local food development and growth in the City of Riverside, the conference will explore solutions to help cities establish and bolster their local food system initiatives. Using the City of Riverside as a model, the program will look at the steps the City has taken to begin to build and strengthen its local food system.

Land Trust Secures Vacant Lots for Urban Agriculture, Recreation in LA’s Underserved Neighborhoods

December 19, 2014 | seedstock

Photo courtesy of the LA Neighborhood Land Trust

Founded in 2002, the LA Neighborhood Land Trust is a nonprofit organization that identifies underutilized space in a 475-square miles area in and around Los Angeles, and transforms it into green space for urban agriculture and community recreation projects.

Real estate costs are high in Los Angeles, so the work of the Trust moves forward one small lot at a time.

“Our little land trust is good with conserving half-acre properties and creating green space in a community that has never existed before,” says Mark Glassock, director of special projects for the Trust. “In terms of our acreage, we are quite small, but in terms of our impact and our reach in terms of population, I believe we’re actually very, very large.” Read More

Presentation: The Potential of Regional and Local Agriculture to Generate Economic and Social Returns

May 7, 2014 | seedstock

The following presentation, which was given by Dr. Glenda Humiston, California State Director for U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development, looks at the vast opportunities out there to generate economic and social return by leveraging and promoting local and regional agriculture assets. The presentation was given at the Grow Riverside: Citrus and Beyond! conference on March 19 – 20 at The Riverside Convention in Riverside, CA.

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