Making Locally Grown Food More Available: Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food

The compass

Baton Rouge, LA – On Feb 29 the USDA introduced The Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food Compass.

Are you a farmer, rancher or food business entrepreneur interested in local and regionally-produced food? Are you a community leader wondering how local and regional food systems can help your local economy? Are you a consumer interested in learning more about where your food comes from? Now you can.

You can learn more about USDA’s support of local and regional food through the new Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food Compass. The Compass is an online multi-media narrative with stories, pictures and video about USDA’s support for local and regional food systems and an interactive map of USDA-supported local and regional food activities in all 50 states. With the Compass, you can navigate USDA resources for local and regional food; meet farmers, ranchers, businesses and communities in your state that are participating in local food chains; and learn about local and regional food projects across the country.

The Initiative was launched in 2009 to coordinate the work of USDA’s 17 agencies and many staff offices that invest in local and regional food systems. Since then, USDA has supported nearly 4,500 seasonal high tunnels (or “hoop houses”) to help farmers extend their growing seasons.

The Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food Compass is a valuable resource documenting the innovation, entrepreneurship and impact of local food systems across the country. It is driving job growth, keeping farmers on the land, and keeping wealth in rural communities.

Dive deep into this new tool, and be inspired by the stories it tells and the ideas it can spur for you and your community.

For more information, visit: http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?navid=KNOWYOURFARMER