National Local Food Association to conduct board meeting in Stanford

Organization works to increase market access for local food

STANFORD, Ky. (March 26, 2014) — The Local Food Association, a national business and trade organization for those engaged in the business of local food, will conducts its annual meeting of its board of directors March 27-28 in Stanford.

The LFA supports community-centered businesses, maintaining healthy relationships in commerce and nature, and increasing mindfulness in food decisions. Led by its board of directors and a professional staff, the LFA provides strategic coordination to a strong national grassroots movement.

Working to increase market access and market share for local food businesses, the LFA supports its members through the exchange of business best practices, provision of networking opportunities, professional development and continuing education, research and development, and public policy representation on all levels of government.

The Local Food Association board is comprised of 12 leaders representing the full spectrum of the food business world. From produce farmers to ranchers, from institutional food buyers to the nation’s preeminent academic researcher on local food issues, the LFA Board includes members with widely diverse and far-reaching experience. Each member is a senior leader within his or her own respective organization, and they bring the highest caliber of leadership to their Local Food Association board positions.

Board members (in alphabetical order) include: Rudy Arredondo, founder/president/chief executive officer of the National Latino Farmers and Ranchers Association, based in Washington, D.C.; William “Rusty” Clark, president of First Southern National Bank and a farmer from Lincoln County, Ky.; Todd Clark, owner of Clark Family Farms in Lexington, Ky.; Preston Correll, a partner at Marksbury Farm Market and co-owner of St. Asaph Farm in Stanford, Ky.; Dr. Michael Hamm, C.S. Mott Professor of Sustainable Agriculture and Director of the Center for Regional Food Systems at Michigan State University; Will Harris, owner of White Oak Pastures in Bluffton, Ga.; William L. Johnson, president and chief executive officer of Farm Credit Mid-America, based in Louisville, Ky.; Melissa Kogut, executive director of Chefs Collaborative in Boston; Bill Lacey, senior vice president of marketing and operations of Sodexo Campus Services in Williamsburg, Va.; Stephen Reily, founder of Vibrant Nation and Seed Capital Kentucky and chairman/managing director of IMC Licensing in Louisville, Ky.; Judith Redmond, a partner at Full Belly Farm in Guinda, Calif.; and, Betti Wiggins, executive director of the Office of School Nutrition at the Detroit Public Schools.

Executive Director John-Mark Hack leads the LFA. He is a partner in Marksbury Farm Market and founded the Governor’s Office of Agricultural Policy in 1998 in Kentucky. Hack led the development of Kentucky’s financial investment programs, including the Kentucky Tobacco Settlement Trust Corporation and the Agricultural Development Fund, focusing on facilitating the diversification of the commonwealth’s once tobacco-dependent farm economy. He also serves as an adjunct faculty member at the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture.

Local Food Association membership is open to farm families, food processors and manufacturers, farmers’ markets, grocers, food buying clubs, food distributors, food service companies, restaurants and institutions. Membership also is available to financial, legal, insurance, creative and other professional service providers; farm supply and machinery companies; other food-related businesses; nonprofit organizations and government agencies.

For more information on the Local Food Association or to become a member, visit www.localfoodassociation.org.