Greetings, Friends!

It’s hard to believe that April is already nearly over! Just last week, partners from around the region celebrated Earth Day by planting and giving away trees, at community garden cleanups, with community celebrations, and in dozens of other ways. Earth Day is a reminder of the work we have to do as stewards of the natural world around us, of course, but for me it also serves as a reminder of community connections and the joys of spring.

I’ve always loved spring, with its promise of longer days, the warmth of the sun, and the steadfast determination of plants unfurling in spite of unpredictable temperature swings and late freezes. As a parent, I’m reminded of the excitement of spring from a child’s perspective- mud pies, bugs, flowers, and the wonder of a yard filled with wishes (dandelions). This year my kiddos have been particularly excited to taste all of those unfurling plants and sometimes I can’t help but laugh. I mean, can you eat hostas once they’ve started to open up? Sure- but they aren’t exactly a five year old’s idea of a tasty treat, haha. (Did you know that hosta shoots taste a lot like asparagus before they begin to open up?) But the wandering eyes and curious hands of a child exploring the outdoors can offer us much more than a funny story to file away. They can offer us an opportunity to slow down and appreciate, to actually take note of all the ways that spring engages with our senses, and to set aside all of the things we “have” to do so that we can enjoy the things we should do in appreciation of the moment. With their fearless questions, children can remind us that it’s okay to admit what we don’t know and to learn more every day. In a practical sense, they can help us to notice those corners of the yard that go unnoticed, and also of how incredible it is when a seed begins to sprout and push its way through the soil. Perhaps most importantly, the whimsy of a child can remind us of our joy and that the to-do list really can wait another day- especially when there are fairy villages that need to be repaired after a long winter’s slumber.

As April comes to a close, I hope that all of you can make the time to step outside and observe the wonder of the natural world around us. Plant a seed, put your fingers in the dirt, and soak in the warmth of the sun. If you’re feeling as fearless as only a child can, maybe try something new- whether it’s planting something different in your garden, foraging for a spring salad in your yard, or slowing down to watch the insects and pollinators begin to emerge.

Region Roots Local Farm & Food Hub

Hello Region,

Since becoming a farmer, Spring has definitely improved its ranking with me as a favorable season. Growing up, I always found it to be rainy and cold without the whimsy of winter snow or the lush color of summer. But now I find so much excitement in it with each new bud and the slow creep of fresh flavors making their way back onto my family’s dinner table.

Asparagus season feels extra special! We have several farms in the hub, (Garwood, Mick Klug and Zandstras) who grow incredible asparagus and offer tender and thin selections for delicate platings and heftier stalks for pickling and grilling. Purple asparagus will be available at the end of April, too! Whenever a certain fruit or vegetable comes into season, our family loads up on it to the point of tiring out our tastebuds and being perfectly content to wait until the season returns again next year. Nothing compares to locally grown and, for me, there’s always been a heightened sense of joy anticipating and savoring the short-termed availability of these flavors.

Delightful spring radishes are ready, along with ramps and herbs and strawberries are not far behind. One of my absolute favorite recipes that celebrates Spring, is from Mrs. Dornberg’s Culinary Experience (and fellow board member, Cheryl Dornberg!) – Strawberry Asparagus Salad with Tahini Dressing. This salad makes everyone smile, I promise. It gives you the crunch you’ve been waiting for all winter; it’s savory, tangy and just sweet enough to keep you coming back for more.

Load your kitchens, pockets and freezers with all the asparagus you can! The high season is just getting started!

P.S. We’ve been getting some questions lately - what IS Region Roots? For those of you following along who aren’t quite sure yet, we’d love to tell you!

Region Roots is a program of the NWI Food Council and is a mission-driven, non-profit food hub. The hub provides new market opportunities to farmers throughout NW Indiana to reach restaurants, institutions, schools and wholesale buyers. We ensure farmers receive 100% of the price they set for their products–no extractive big biz price haggling here! The hub adds a small markup to cover the cost of pick up from farms and delivery to buyers, getting fresh, locally grown products to buyers within days of harvesting. Region Roots is farmer-founded and farmer-led and continues to grow by supporting NWI Food Council programming that purchases food at fair market prices from farmers to be distributed to those who need it most. Farmers that join Region Roots have full control over their listings and get to build their relationships and capacity with the support of a growing network and team of committed coordinators. Know a farmer or wholesale buyer who might be interested? Send them our way! Our two Farmer-to-Chef Coordinators, Anna and Allyssa are here for you. anna@nwifoodcouncil.org / allyssa@nwifoodcouncil.org

Anticipation

As April draws to a close, our team is feeling anticipation for what's to come. The return to wintery weather and grey mornings has us anticipating the emergence of spring and summer sun. Most of us are eagerly anticipating the abundance of our gardens, farms, and all of spring veggies (I don't know about you, but there's something about asparagus, ramps, and snap peas that just tastes like the color green to me). What are you anticipating this spring season?

If you are looking to grow your own food this year, check out the new Purdue Indiana Vegetable Garden Planting Calendar-- and don't forget to grow an extra row for your local pantry! If your gardening is more focused on bringing beauty into the world, we hope you'll check out the native plants sales being offered by our friends at Gabis Arboretum and Wild Ones/Gibson Woods. Why not feed the pollinators as you cultivate beauty for a win win?

As a follow up to last months newsletter where we talked about food insecurity, Indiana has released more information about its much anticipated WIC and Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program modernization efforts! Farmer applications for WIC and Senior voucher acceptance are available. You can learn more here or fill out an application under "Farmer Forms" here.

As an organization, we're also eagerly anticipating the start of grant programs that have been announced and will launch later this year, from our FarmHer to Mama program to the School Food Transformation Grant mentioned below.

The Illinois Public Health Institute (IPHI) was recently awarded a School Food Innovation Award by the USDA. The Food Council is excited to be a part of this effort, and can’t wait to share more as the program gets started later this year! "IPHI is excited to announce we’ll be working with U.S. Department of Agriculture, MSU Center for Regional Food Systems, Seven Generations Ahead, Kids Forward and healthTIDE, and NWI Food Council to lead implementation of the USDA School Food System Transformation Challenge Sub-Grants initiative in Illinois, northwest Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin! We can’t wait to see what schools, farmers, producers, and communities can do to transform school food systems."

Policy Updates

Local:
The Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission (NIRPC) is proud to announce the draft NWI 2050+ is ready for your viewing and comments! This document builds on the main themes of NWI 2050 envisioning a Region which is connected, renewed, united, and vibrant. NWI 2050+ takes a deeper dive into several topics of importance to Northwest Indiana including roadways, transit, freight traffic, active transportation networks, land use patterns, and climate change. The draft NWI 2050+ will be available on NIRPC’s website for review and comments submitted beginning April 5, 2023, with the public comment period ending May 5, 2023. Read the draft here and submit comments to comments@nirpc.org.

National:
The US Department of Agriculture’s Equity Commission recently unveiled recommendations to stop discriminatory practices across the agency and in farming. The report focused on four areas for the USDA to improve: how the agency works with farmers and ranchers; the need for department-wide change; the agency’s commitment to farmers and their families; and reevaluating agency programs. Read more from The Hill here.

The FDA last fall moved to update its requirements around what foods can use the word "healthy" on packaging — the first change since the rule was implemented in the 1990s. The proposed changes would leave out high-sugar, low-fat products that currently are allowed to use the healthy label today, such as fruit-flavored low-fat yogurts and Raisin Bran cereal. As the federal government moves to change rules for what foods can sport "healthy" labels, manufacturers are pushing back. Read more from CBS News here.

The Environmental Working Group has come out with its “Dirty Dozen” list of fruits and vegetables, with strawberries topping the list again. All of the fresh fruits and vegetables on the list have pesticide residues below the legal limits but a single strawberry tested positive for 22 different pesticides. The EWG suggests that consumers buy organic fruits and vegetables to avoid such situations. Read more from Food Safety News here.

The USDA has recently proposed rule changes to its child nutrition program standards, which will affect more than 30 million children who rely on school, after-school, and early childcare meal programs. The proposed rules contain important updates that can result in increased local food in schools, equitable and culturally-relevant meals, better nutritional standards, and expanded career opportunities for school nutrition professionals. Before implementing these proposed changes, the USDA is asking individuals and organizations to share feedback on how these changes would affect people and what to keep in mind when implementing. Public comments are due May 10, 2023—this is YOUR chance to make your voice heard around what you want for the future of school meals. Submit public comment here.

Farm Bill:
For food and agriculture policy lovers, Farm Bill season is in full swing! We’ll be keeping an eye out for opportunities to amplify the voices of the communities we serve.

Our Team in the Community

Our staff has been working to build their skills and share with the communities we serve!

Dominique Edwards will be sharing her research in the coming months. In June, Dominique will present her research "Hoosier Black Land Ties: A Trauma Informed Examination of Regional Food Accessibility in NW Indiana" at Morehouse University.

Porchea McGuire, Shiloh DIvine Farms, and the Black Unicorn Project recently co-hosted a virtual book talk for author and activist Leah Penniman, celebrating her new book Black Earth Wisdom.

Anna Martinez was selected to the Food Systems Leadership Network Spring 2023 Mentorship program! Anna will be working with Lydia Villanueva over the next several months. Read more about the mentorship program here.

Virginia Pleasant recently completed the brand new AgriCluster Resilience and Expansion Facilitator training offered by the North American Food Systems Network. This training will help her to better serve farms and food businesses in our region who are interested in building collaborative efforts.

Becca Tuholski and Virginia Pleasant recently joined Dee Dotson on Regionally Speaking, to talk about the Food Council, Farming, and Food Insecurity in our region. You can listen to their interview here.

Grant Opportunities

Check out opportunities for funding food systems programs:

Healthy Meals Incentives Grants- As a part of the agreement to implement the USDA food and Nutrition Service’s Healthy Meals Initiative, Action for Healthy Kids is offering competitive grants, up to $150,000 per SFA, to small and/or rural school food authorities. You must apply as a school food authority for this grant; individual schools are not eligible entities. Applications due May 26.
SPRING Fuel Up to Play 60-- Looking for funding to improve the healthy eating opportunities at your school? K-12 schools can apply for an equipment kit to improve access to healthy foods. To qualify for funding, schools must participate in the National School Lunch Program. Deadline May 2.
2023 Local Agriculture Market Program (LAMP) grants, including Local Food Promotion Program, Farmers Market Promotion Program, and Regional Food Systems Partnership grants.
- Local Food Promotion Program (LFPP)
- Regional Food System Partnership Grants (RFSP)
- Value-Added Producer Grants (VAPG)
- New this year: the addition of the “Turnkey” project type. This is a streamlined application type for a defined set of activities for FMPP and LFPP projects that range from $50,000 to $100,000.

Food Systems Job Openings

Indiana Department of Education Farm to School Coordinator–
The Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) Office of School and Community Nutrition is seeking a full-time Farm to School Coordinator as part of the USDA Farm to School State Formula Grant. This grant-funded position will work closely with IDOE’s Farm to School Specialist.

Partners in Food and Farming Co-Director–
PIFF is hiring our second Co-Director. This is a full time job, located in Indiana and we are looking for someone who will work closely and collaboratively with our part time Co-Director. Major responsibilities include: Fundraising and financial management, Network development, Staffing and Board leadership, and general organizational admin.

Snack Time Explorers Program Director--
The SnackTime Explorers Program Coordinator is a new, full-time position at Pilot Light overseeing operations of the SnackTime Explorers (FFVP) program.The Snack Time Explorers initiative is rapidly growing to include 3 new school districts in the coming academic year.

Pinney Purdue Vegetable Production Research and Education Field Assistant--
The field assistant will support production of vegetable crops, data collection and research, and education events.

Nurse Family Partnership of Northern Indiana (multiple openings)
Nurse Family Partnership of Northern Indiana is expanding and hiring for multiple positions. NFP pairs first-time moms with a free personal nurse to promote healthy pregnancies and healthy babies.

Support NWI Food Council

All funds raised go toward programming and outreach to support Northwest Indiana's local food system. We're a a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and donations are tax-deductible.

Donate by Card
You can easily pay by debit or credit card right now using PayPal.

Donate by Check
Please make checks payable to “NWI Food Council” and mail to:
PO Box 530
Crown Point, IN 46308

April 2023 Newsletter- Anticipation