November 11th, 2008       6:30pm      

Fellowship Hall, Good Shepherd Lutheran Church

504 S. Main Street * Viroqua

Rodrigo Lopes of Brazil's Landless Workers Movement

US family farmers and agrarian advocates

Family Farm Defenders & Farmers' Daughters Auxiliary

Participatory Socio-Drama "Momma Nature Says"

Agricultural Missions and the Landless Rural Workers Movement of Brazil (MST), together with farmers and rural justice advocates in the US, are stopping in Viroqua as part of a national tour, bringing us the voices of activists working at the grassroots to make their voices heard in the boardrooms of agribusinesses and to mobilize mass movements addressing the root causes of the current crises.  The event will feature a participatory symbolic drama that evokes the absurdities of factory farms and patented seeds and the beauty of community-based agriculture and the solidarity economy.

Sponsored by National Family Farms Coalition/Via Campesina and its member organizations, World Hunger Year (WHY) and the national solidarity network Friends of the MST

Live Streaming by Ustream.TV

Food Marketing Essentials: Accessing Local Markets is a fast-paced workshop offering producers the keys to selling local foods. The event will take place Nov. 14 at Western Technical College in Viroqua. Registration starts at 9:30 a.m., with speakers and information presented from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. A local foods lunch and all materials are provided. Cost is $20.

To register, contact Jeanne Carpenter, Local Foods Consultant, 608-358-7837 or email Jeanne@wordartisanllc.com. Pre-registration is required and is due Nov. 4. Get a copy of the registration form here or in the full story.

Keynote speakers include:

    * Heather Hilleren, Founder, Greenleaf Market. Hilleren has built a national network for producers and buyers of local foods at www.greenleafmarket.com. Learn how this tool can help your business grow to the next level.
    * Walking the Walk Panel Discussion: Several local entrepreneurs -  farmers Cate & Mat Eddy, Ridgeland Harvest Farm, Viroqua; retailer Jan Rasikas, Viroqua Food Cooperative; chef Monique Hooker; and local Farm to School organizers Jessica Luhning and Marilyn Volden  - will share their stories and advice on how to sell local foods to retailers, chefs and institutions.
    * Jeanne Carpenter, Local Foods Consultant. Carpenter has surveyed grocery stores across the state and developed a report providing insight on grocery store product and delivery needs, quality and pricing issues, timing needs of buyers and their local foods philosophy. This report will be shared with all participants. In addition, Carpenter will work with participants to develop an action plan to implement what producers learn at the seminar once they get home.

All attendees will also receive a printed copy of the new Wisconsin Local Food Marketing Guide: A Producer's Guide to Marketing Locally Grown Food, published this month as part of the workshop project.
The workshops are sponsored by a grant from the North Central Risk Management Education Center,
the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade & Consumer Protection, the Wisconsin Grocers Association & UW Extension Emerging Ag Markets Team.

Get a copy of the registration form here or in the full story.

Photo of Ben from his website

Entrepreneurs should take action and not find excuses to not get started on their ideas.  Casnocha stressed. "Do something, then make corrections when you see what you are doing is wrong," he said. "A lot of great companies start with a "mediocre" idea by somebody who takes "baby steps" in starting action on that idea, makes some failures and then makes adjustments," he added. "A big problem in most companies and most lives is too much talk, too little do. So go start accumulating unique experiences. Have a business idea? Jump in. Start something!"

Ben Casnocha is a Silicon Valley-based entrepreneur, author, and college student. Currently twenty years old, he serves on the board of Comcate, an e-government technology firm he founded at the age of fourteen.  He is the author of the book "My Start-Up Life: What a (Very) Young CEO Learned on His Journey Through Silicon Valley".

More in the Full Story...

Also check out the BRAVE_bike_ride in the Gays Mills/Eastman area on the 20th. Great events for a beautiful weekend.

Come early to network at 6:00 pm, program starts at 6:30 pm.  Everyone is welcome! For more information, call Sue Noble at 637-5396.