PORT TOWNSEND — Increasing the region’s reliance on local food is an attainable goal that will increase the overall health of the community, said organizers of a food conference.
“We produce about 4 percent of our food locally in Jefferson County,” said Katherine Baril, Washington State University Extension executive director, at a Food and Finance Summit at Fort Worden State Park on Friday.
“If we moved that up to 20 percent, that is $45 million a year that will go into our economy in direct contributions and grants we don’t have to write and new investments we don’t have to make.”
Baril said that 20 percent “food security” is a reasonable goal within the “Puget Sound foodshed” of Clallam, Jefferson, Skagit, King, Kitsap and Mason counties.
She also said that such a goal is attainable specifically in Jefferson County.
“We should encourage county . . . plans to set a goal of 20 percent local food security by 2020 and then develop specific action plans of how to achieve that level,” she said.
Her suggestions included allowing farm stands, prioritizing land that can grow local foods, encouraging more local purchases and developing seeds and plant varieties that can grow year-round in the county’s climate.
Baril said that 167 people attended the conference, mostly food producers, and more than one-third were from Jefferson County.
Among those from Clallam County were Commissioner Mike Doherty, Clallam County representatives of Ecotrust Shorebank, as well as representatives of the Sequim Lavender Co. and Nash’s Organic Produce.
Baril said the turnout at the conference was higher than projected. Only 100 people were expected to attend.
The conference was directed toward both food and finances, which is not as incongruous a mix as it may sound.
“The food system and the financial system have a common adversary, which is complexity,” said Cascade Harvest Coalition program manager Alex Moore, the conference’s moderator.
“We see a complexity in the modern industrial food complex where a potato or a carrot may be handled by a dozen entities before it reaches your plate, and it is treated like gold bullion, while there are people starving on the developing world.”
If the topic of food and finance is a new one, the networking component was similar to any other conference.
“This was an opportunity for people to meet face to face and talk about their business,” Moore said.
“I have heard that a lot of the attendees made some valuable contacts today.”
Sarita Shaffer of Viva Farms in Skagit County said the average age of farmers is 57 years old, and it is necessary to replenish the farming workforce in order for the local food movement to succeed.
“It’s very difficult what farmers do, and they need to know that what they do has some value,” she said.
“The best thing is to give them business, but even words of encouragement are very important.”
Many of the attendees were small local food producers. The Port Townsend Food Co-op had seven representatives.
Co-op outreach manager Brwyn Griffin said that locally grown food can be more expensive than other food, but its value is judged on factors other than price.
“If someone pays more for locally grown food, they need to realize what they are not paying for,” she said.
Those who buy food grown elsewhere — which may be cheaper — “are not paying to support the community,” Griffin said.
“They are not keeping the dollars local, and they are not being responsible about the environmental cost of the production methods.”
Griffin said that education is a necessity for letting local farmers know that a market exists.
Baril also values consumer education, saying that the greatest obstacle to increased local food production is perceptual.
Port Townsend Mayor Michelle Sandoval said that the government can speed the rate of increasing local food production by creating opportunities for affordable housing.
Farmers are enthusiastic about the idea of supplying 20 percent of local food but first need some assurance of the demand.
“I can go from producing 50 cartons of eggs a week to 80 cartons a week using the system that I have in place,” said Chimacum farmer John Bellow.
“But if I have to go up to 300 cartons a week, I will need to add more equipment and develop new systems.”
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Jefferson County Reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or charlie.bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.