Regional Food Business Center Grant Invests in Appalachia with Funding for Food and Farm Businesses

The US government’s largest single investment in the Appalachian food system just hit our region. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has invested $42 million in Central Appalachia to support food and farm businesses with market entry and strengthen existing connections with urban markets through increased efficiency in aggregation and distribution, meaning food and farm […]

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Connect with Producers in Central Appalachia

FASWG Processing, Aggregation, and Distribution (PAD) members have launched a Facebook group to connect producers of all skill levels and agricultural interests in the region. The Central Appalachian Producers Group was created by CAN participant Appalachian Sustainable Development and other regional partners to build community, share tips and tricks with their peers, and share what’s […]

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A Fair Food System: Summit 6 Recap

Summit Five March 23, 2023 9:00AM–1:00PM EST Day Six Recording: https://youtu.be/fi5W6vPUm6Q Slides: CAN Summit 6 Slides Links & Additional Resources: USDA RFSP Application Page: https://www.ams.usda.gov/services/grants/rfsp/apply USDA RFSP March 29th Webinar: https://www.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_LJgr-SU9QTKl8cnxa8qM4A Osteopathic Heritage Foundtions website: https://osteopathicheritage.org/ Recommendations for the Farm Bill: https://action.oeffa.com/farm-bill/ Invest Appalachia Fund: https://mailchi.mp/e82dbc628291/19m-for-invest-appalachia?e=0c7badede0 Speakers We are proud to welcome a litany of […]

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A Fair Food System: Summit 5 Recap

 Summit Five January 26, 2023 9:00AM–1:00PM EST Day Five Recording: https://youtu.be/l3Dsd63S6AA Slides: CAN Summit 5 Slides Links & Additional Resources: “Food as Medicine: Current Efforts and Potential Opportunities” testimony before the United States Senate Subcommittee on Food and Nutrition, Specialty Crops, Organics, and Research: https://www.agriculture.senate.gov/hearings/food-as-medicine-current-efforts-and-potential-opportunities Appalachian Harvest Food Hub: https://www.asdevelop.org/programs-resources/food-hub/ Appalachian Harvest Herb Hub:  https://www.asdevelop.org/programs-resources/herbhub/ […]

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A Fair Food System: Summit 2 Recap

Summit Two August 25, 2022 9:00AM–1:00PM EST Day Two Recording: https://youtu.be/Dp4f04r7l0A Please note: YouTube copyright doesn’t allow the inclusion of the United Shades of America episode we viewed during the summit and has been removed, our apologies. Slides: https://www.cannetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/CAN-Summit-2-Slides.pdf Speakers We are proud to welcome a litany of talented food systems experts from across Appalachia. Below, you […]

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A Fair Food System: Summit 1 Recap

Summit One July 28, 2022 9:00AM–1:00PM EST Day One Recording: https://youtu.be/m9naRUBzEsY Day One Slides: https://www.cannetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/A-Fair-Food-System-Day-One-Slides.pdf Speakers We are proud to welcome a litany of talented food systems experts from across Appalachia. Below, you can read about each speaker slated to present at the first session of A Fair Food System: A Summit on Scalable Solutions to Creating […]

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Red Mantra Convening Report: “Building a Thriving Regional Agricultural Economy in the Rural South and Central Appalachia”

In August 2013, the Red Mantra Group brought CAN members and other local food system developers and supporters together with a diverse group of corporate buyer representative. Executives from Whole Foods, Wal-Mart, Kroger, Nestle, CH Robinson, Harris Teeter, and others sat down to discuss the obstacles to a thriving regional food economy, particularly the challenges […]

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Chesterhill Produce Auction: A Case Study

In this publication, rural Action and the Voinovich School at Ohio University chronicle the story of the Chesterhill Produce Auction in this case study. Tom Redfern from Rural Action explains the produce auction is part of a larger sustainable agriculture picture. “It keeps the farmer on the land; it keeps local people working; it keeps […]

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Healthy Food Systems: A Toolkit for Building Value Chains

This publication from 2009 profiles the work of CAN member Appalachian Sustainable Development and their Appalachian Harvest food hub as a case study of local food value chain development. In this toolkit, ASD shares experiences and lessons from Appalachian Harvest and other value chain initiatives. It’s designed to help new and emerging value chain efforts and […]

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