CONCORDIA – At a town hall meeting to discuss state and local food and farm issues, Cloud County citizens learned that only 29.6 percent of the county’s eligible voters turned out for the August primary election.

This means that only 1 in 3 people eligible to vote took the time to do so and are making decisions to critical to everyone’s well being.

The meeting was part of a series of four forums the Kansas Rural Center (KRC) held across the state in late August and September to encourage greater engagement in public policy making by facilitating discussion of local and regional economic and social issues and urging people to get out to the general election in November.

About 30 area citizens attended the event in Concordia where they listened to speakers discuss state economic and budget issues, food access initiatives that benefit both consumers and farmers, and held a lively roundtable discussion on local food system issues. The Dinner and Dialogue town hall meeting was held on August 30 in Concordia. Citizens enjoyed a locally sourced meal prepared by Marla’s Joy House.

Roundtable dialogue included discussion about low voter turnout during the primary election, how to mobilize the community to vote, questions to ask candidates prior to the general election, and other interest topics critical to the election year.

Local/Regional Organizations who presented included: Republic County Economic Development, North Central Regional Planning Commission, Climate + Energy Project, Kansas Appleseed, Kansas League of Women Voters, and Kansas Rural Center.

The speakers and organizations fielded questions from attendees covering Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefit recipient requirements, local food distribution challenges, Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) certification for growers, and marketing obstacles for local products. These topics surfaced through an open dialogue session highlighting local and regional needs and concerns.

Paul Johnson, a policy analyst for KRC, opened the dialogue stating, “We need to set a standard by 2025. Can we get to 20-25 percent of food grown and sold in Kansas? Currently, this figure is less than 5 percent.”

KRC and others at the meeting are working to elevate the importance of local and regional food production for local economic development.

Luke Mahin, Republic County Economic Development, and Doug McKinney, North Central Regional Planning Commission, led a panel discussion highlighting businesses using locally grown and produced ingredients. In addition to sharing the many accomplishments in the region, challenges with distribution, marketing, and consumer education were also shared. Regional statistics from their presentation included:

• All meat served in Concordia schools are sourced from a local meat locker.
• Republic County is the No. 1 pumpkin-producing county in the state.
• Donated meat to schools and pantries are better tax-wise for farmers than a bad day at the market.

This event is a part of a series of evening “town halls” KRC is hosting around the state to provide information and analysis on federal and state level food and farm policy and programs. Within the broader context of state budget and revenue issues and the need for greater citizen engagement, the town halls focus on local and regional level efforts to strengthen community access to food, resources for farmers, healthcare, and education. A roundtable dialogue at each meeting reaches deeper into the issues and highlights how to get involved or take action.   

These forums are part of KRC’s “Community Food Solutions for a Healthier Kansas” initiative and Integrated Voter Engagement project, working toward better incorporating Kansas farms and communities into the state’s healthy food supply chain. Individuals and organizations attending are encouraged to continue to share information and reach out to their neighbors and other citizens to work on local and regional issues and encourage grassroots engagement.

The mission of KRC, founded in 1979, is to promote the long-term health of the land and its people through community-based research, education, and advocacy that advances an economically viable, ecologically sound, and socially just food and farming system in Kansas. For more information, visit kansasruralcenter.org.