Cass Clay Food Commission - November 7, 2018 Minutes
Members Present:
Arland Rasmussen, Cass County Commission, Chair
Mike Thorstad, West Fargo City Commission
Jenny Mongeau, Clay County Commission
Jim Aasness, Dilworth City Council
Sara Watson Curry, Moorhead City Council
Chelsey Johnson, Horace City Council
Nancy Carriveau, At -Large Member
Kayla Pridmore, At-Large Member
Members Absent:
John Strand, Fargo City Commission
Chris Olson, At-Large Member
Mindy Grant, At-Large Member
Bukola Bakare, At-Large Member
Others Present:
Kim Lipetzky, Fargo Cass Public Health
Rory Beil, Clay County Public Health
Megan Myrdal, NDSU Extension
Rita Ussatis, NDSU Extension
Noelle Harden, U of M Extension
Nikki Johnson, U of M and NDSU Extension
Margie Bailly y, Cass Clay Food Partners
Michael Olsen, Cass Clay Food Partners
Adam Altenburg, Fargo-Moorhead Metropolitan Council of Governments
Luke Champa, Fargo -M Moorhead Metropolitan Council of Governments
Chair Rasmussen called the meeting to order at 10:30 AM.
Chair Rasmussen welcomed and introduced new steering committee members Michael Olsen and Rory Beil.
Ms. Carriveau and Ms. Watson Curry arrived at 10:31 AM. Ms. Mongeau arrived at 10:32 AM.
la. Approve Order and Contents of the Overall Agenda
A motion to approve the order and contents of the overall agenda was made by Ms. Watson Curry and seconded by Ms. Carriveau. The motion was voted on and unanimously approved.
lb. Review and Action on Minutes from September 12, 2018
A motion to approve the minutes was made by M r. Aasness and seconded by Ms. Watson Curry. The motion was voted on and unanimously approved.
2. Commission Check-In
Chair Rasmussen stated that Commission members and the steering committee had an opportunity to provide updates on news or events happening in the community.
Ms. Watson Curry informed the Commission that she participated in a waste sort in Clay County to identify recyclable and compostable material in residential trash. She also participated in the first master recycling and composting class which will continue to be offered in the future.
Ms. Lipetzky informed the Commission that Fargo Cass Public Health will be hosting the Heart 'n Soul Community Cafe on November 20th from 11:00 AM to 1:30 PM and Chris Olson will be the chef for the event.
Mr. Beil arrived at 10:35 AM.
Ms. Bailly talked about the Northern Plains Sustainable Agriculture Society (NPSAS) conference in January and will be screening the film 'Wasted'. The film screens on January 13th at 2:00 PM at the Fargo Theater. The screening will be exactly two weeks before the NPSAS conference where Dan Barber, who is featured in the film, will be speaking.
Ms. Haugen informed the Commission of an upcoming Growing Together evening potluck on December 13th at the Olivet Lutheran Church.
Ms. Carriveau announced a hunger study that the Great Plains Food Bank conducted across North Dakota including Clay County. They surveyed clients and food pantries to gather the information for the study. Great Plains Food Bank will be hosting a community conversation open house at the Essentia Health on South University from 3:30 PM to 5:00 PM to talk to people about the study and specific information from Cass and Clay Counties.
Ms. Myrdal highlighted the Hunger and Health Summit that occurred on October 16th with various community partners to reenergize the Cass Clay Hunger Coalition, which used to be a very active group in the community and has been gaining steam in the last few years. The Coalition will begin meeting regularly on the first Tuesday of each month at 8:00 AM at Fargo Cass Public Health; the first meeting being December 4th• She discussed local efforts by the community to capture excess local produce, and this year 21,094 lbs. of excess food was captured and distributed through the charitable feeding network. She also passed around an NDSU Extension calendar which also contains useful information including recipes.
Mr. Beil introduced himself to the Commission and gave some information about his background, his focus on public health, and his role at Clay County Public Health.
Ms. Harden informed the Commission of an article she helped coauthor with Dr. Abby Gold called "Navigating Borders: The evolution of Cass Clay Food Partners", which was recently published in the Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development.
3. Food Waste Snapshot & Discussion
Ms. Myrdal gave a presentation about food waste to highlight statistics relative to the Fargo Moorhead Metropolitan area and how the Commission can have a positive impact on food waste. She discussed food waste by weight, by financial cost of food waste, and discussed what some people are doing across the country to address food waste. A few things to help address food waste locally include residential and commercial composting, food donation transportation to pick up perishable items to be delivered to food pantries, waste tracking, consumer education campaigns, and multi-jurisdictional food waste reduction goals. She highlighted consumer education campaigns and multi-jurisdictional food waste reduction goals.
The Commission and audience broke into small groups and discussed strategies for how the Cass Clay Food Commission can have a positive impact on food waste. Each group highlighted their ideas for strategies to reduce food waste. The Commission had overarching strategies to educate the public about food waste.
4. Metro Food Plan Update
Mr. Altenburg provided a brief update about the Metro Food Plan. He discussed how indicators and trends have been identified by the steering committee and that they will help contribute to the body of the plan. He explained that the rough draft has been coming together slower than anticipated, but that the Commission would be updated and a rough draft can be brought forward after the next meeting in January. Ms. Watson Curry asked when there is a rough draft if there were any plans to present the plan at local jurisdictional commission meetings. Mr. Altenburg agreed that although it was not initially planned, it would be beneficial to present the Metro Food Plan to the local jurisdictions.
Sa. Backyard Chicken Blueprint Update
Ms. Lipetzky presented information about previous blueprints that need to be updated to match local ordinance language, as the regulations change over time. She said the first blueprint that needs to be updated is the Backyard Chickens Blueprint. She explained that language in red would be removed from the document, and language in green would be added or updated to match the local ordinance changes. A motion to approve the update to the Backyard Chicken Blueprint was made by Mr. Olsen and seconded by Ms. Carriveau. The motion was voted on and unanimously approved.
Sb. Backyard Beekeeping Blueprint Update
Ms. Lipetzky presented information about the second blueprint that needs to be updated which is the Backyard Beekeeping Blueprint. She explained that language in red would be removed from the document, and language in green would be added or updated to match the local ordinance changes. There was a general discussion about whom to contact within the local jurisdictions because a lot of them do not address backyard beekeeping. The commission agreed that people should contact their local jurisdiction in regards to backyard beekeeping. A motion to approve the update to the Backyard Beekeeping Blueprint was made by Mr. Aasness and seconded by Mr. Olsen. The motion was voted on and unanimously approved.
6. Public Comment Opportunity
Verna Kragnes, Conference Coordinator for the Northern Plains Sustainable Agriculture Society (NPSAS), gave some background about the organization and her involvement with their upcoming conference. She discussed the conference dates and some of the keynote speakers coming to Fargo from across the country and encouraged the Commission to come to the conference and participate in workshops if they have the slightest interest in sustainable agriculture. She also informed the Commission that the NPSAS office has moved from Lamoure, North Dakota to Moorhead, Minnesota.
Barb Villella, with the Prairie Roots Community Fund, a nonprofit started by the Prairie Roots Food Co op, informed the commission about their efforts to reduce food insecurity within the neighborhood the Co-op is located. She said that they have held two health and wellness classes including about 10 people per class. The Prairie Roots Community Fund is working on different partnerships to increase their neighborhood's access and education regarding healthy food.
Travis Hoffman, NDSU Sheep Extension Specialist, discussed his interest in the Commission's work and providing resources to people regarding backyard protein sources, if they are permitted and so choose to have them. He also discussed his interest in reducing food waste through more sustainable slaughter facilities, as animals still serve as a major protein source and contribute to food waste.
Jemima Heppner, founder of FM Pay it Forward and FM Community Resources, helps people with rides to food pantries and also picks up food donations from businesses and people who may be moving and cannot take their food with them.
7. Commission & Steering Committee Roundtable
Mr. Thorstad recommended that the Commission add the City of Horace to their blueprints as they are facing rapid growth and will undoubtedly have residents looking for information regarding food systems and urban agriculture.
Ms. Harden suggested that the Commission encourage their city councils and city commissions to adopt language and ordinances that address certain blueprint topics (unaddressed topics such as beekeeping), so there is less confusion and digging needed by residents and city staff regarding the issues.
Ms. Lipetzky congratulated and thanked Mr. Rasmussen for his service as Chair of the Cass Clay Food Commission since its inception in 2015, and wished him the best of luck with his retirement. She presented a framed certificate of appreciation and Mr. Rasmussen said he learned a lot serving as Chair of the Commission.
8. Commission Action Steps
Mr. Rasmussen informed the commission of the next First Fridays event on December 7, 2018. Ms. Myrdal added that the topic would be 'the Life of Chefs.'
Mr. Rasmussen stated that the next Commission meeting would be held on January 9, 2018. Chair Rasmussen adjourned the meeting at 11:53 AM.