Local food, local economies

Ground Level is turning our attention to sustainable local agriculture and what the trend to more consumption of local food might mean for people in Minnesota.

We've launched a topic page here. One highlight you'll find is a video on a couple in Milan, Minn., who have extended the season with a greenhouse to feed 20 families with vegetables through the winter and who are looking to extend operations to include more producers.

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We also have a piece I produced on an effort in the Brainerd area to get producers and chefs together. You can hear that shortly on All Things Considered, as well.

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The page includes a "white paper" backgrounder explaining many of the issues involved in local foods and lots of links for more information.

Future stories will look at how a new restaurant in Wadena is trying to change the way people eat, why it's sometimes hard for farmers to find new markets for produce and the move to organize in co-ops for marketing and paying for processing equipment.

As always, we ask for your help, too. How do you define sustainable? Or local? Has the recession forced you to re-think how much you buy more expensive organics? Are we looking at a real change, or a boutique choice for the people who can afford to make it?

Meantime, we'll be adding links and short profiles of Minnesotans who make their living growing, distributing, selling and talking about fresh food.

Tell us about people we should include in this "Up Close" feature.