5 minute read
FAREING WELL Advocating for Idaho’s independent food producers
Top: Farmer’s Microgreens. PHOTO COURTESY OF FARMER’S MICROGREENS.
By Chelsea Chambers
Rows upon rows of freshly grown produce, exceptional cheeses, homemade wines, and quality cuts of meat dance around the market square. The bustle and motion found at an Idaho farmers market is incredibly invigorating and always promises a good deal and a solid find—or ten. My tote bag quickly fills with local goods and I hardly wait to get home before busting into a new package of white cheddar cheese, already plotting which wine would pair best with this new flavor.
Part of the excitement of a market is finding vendors who align with your desires or even needs. For husband-and-wife duo Joel and Wendy Farmer, Joel’s diabetes diagnosis initiated a search for a more nutritious ways to supplement their diet, which led them to microgreens. Now, Farmer’s Microgreens specializes in a variety of sprouts including red cabbage, radish, basil, and more—and they’re available right here in Idaho.
The importance of shopping local bears repeating—keeping Idaho dollars in Idaho and supporting the economic growth of our friends and neighbors. With more than 60 local farmers markets across the state offering thousands of goods a year, it’s no wonder that agriculture is the Gem State’s biggest economic driver, accounting for nearly 20% of our economic output.
Idaho is home to a variety of excellent markets because, in part, our agricultural roots run deep. “My husband has been milking cows since he was tall enough to reach them,” explained Misty Evans. After a lot of research, and what Evans calls “a lot of failure and some great success”, she and her husband Eric decided to turn an interest in dairy life and a cheesemaking hobby into Evans Farmstead Cheese. Since then, they’ve even collaborated with some local wineries to make infused cheeses.
Katie Baker, Northwest & Rocky Mountain Food Business Center Grant Manager of FARE Idaho, shares Evans’s desire for collaboration, and puts advocating for Idaho’s agriculture production at the top of her list of priorities. FARE—which stands for food, agriculture, restaurants, and establishments—focuses on advocacy, connecting Idaho producers and buyers, and building communities to work together to create positive change for the industries that they represent. “It is critical that independent food and beverage businesses have a voice and, as a united front, we are able to create more sustainable changes to the local food system,” Baker explained.
Sustainability and a commitment to community are just some of the things that drive Boise Vertical Farms, founded in 2019.
“The mission is to create a safe community that provides hope and employment for individuals in substance abuse recovery by growing local produce,” explained co-founder Jeff Middleton.
“Our entire board of directors have been personally affected or experienced the effects of addiction and so we founded the organization to help others overcome the effects of addiction and to give them an opportunity to become successful and self-sufficient,” he said.
Boise Vertical Farm sells a variety of products at local markets including plant starts, DIY mushroom grow kits, and handmade planter boxes. Both Middleton and co-founder Crystal Spencer believe that sometimes people just need a caring hand and nudge in the right direction.
For Baker, FARE Idaho is an avenue to lend a helping hand too.
“I thrive in community, and we are creating that with and for the businesses that we represent. There’s space for supporting each other and thriving together when we approach it as a food system,” she said.
Baker works as an advisor to the Idaho Farmers Market Association and spends time speaking with legislators on how best to serve our agricultural community as a whole, ensuring long-term economic success for both the state and the producers.
For producers like Steele Legacy Honey & Crafts, a multigenerational heritage of bees, honey, and hard work, this business runs in their blood. Malia Steele-Tate, her husband Goose, and their two children are part of a beekeeping legacy. “ Our family takes great pride in providing great quality honey to our customers here in the Valley,” she said.
“We also want to mention how much we love the local market scene here. It really is something special. There are so many talented and smart entrepreneurs that we get to associate with at each market. We’ve had a great time learning from them and collaborating with each other. There really is a great feeling when you can fuse your passion with the passion of another entrepreneur’s product.”
