Buzz Hofford: As a culture we have lost our connection to food, where it comes from, how it relates to our ecosystem, and the relation to Global warming
NPR: Meatless Monday campaign-time saving was mentioned as a driver for vegetarian meals

Burning questions:
1. How do you use basic technology in order to improve logistics to raw food sourcing to large scale food buyers?

-Cultural inclination of farming-tend to by folks not intereted in technology, or marketing.

2. How could technology help the challenges of all scales of agriculture so they can work with industry?
3. Affordability issues....how do we make good clean food accessibility for all?

-Subsidy and healthcare....'pay your for your food now or your doctor later'
-Where are the subsidies going? What costs are externalized?
-We don't count the costs of the resources used across the value chain, it is not currently accounted for in model

Solution Brainstorming:

• Lucy Norris from PugetSound FoodNetwork- Consolidating Distribution: Food Drop- Wholesale Farmers Market-Allows various farmers facilitate distribution/travel to a central location with goal of reducing number of trucks on the road. Started on June 24th, 2010, first day only 16 buyers showed up with one school district and one hospital, positive results are starting to happen. Lucy talked about United General and their FarmFresh Fridays program. They have reduced food costs and utlizing local market almost entirely. Hospital promotes local farms.
• How can we utilize state and local government to drive subsidies and grants to promote local and sustainable foods.
• Education and awareness to the consumer, What is the issue? What are the challenges? Defining the market.
• Question: What is the best distribution model for sustainable, local food industry?
• How do we drive national subsidies for driving local, sustainable food and organic farming?
• Can regional/local consumers drive supermarket choice?
• What is best model for consumer to deliver product?
• What if there was a way to tie subsidies with healthcare into food movement?

Afternoon Session:

• challenges exist in supply chain and logistics as demand outstrips supply
• challenges exist across the entire organic supply chain, this is part of supply issue
• challenge exist taking product from small farms out to consumers:
• What problem should group focus on?
• Cost is compelling but a big 'boil the ocean' idea
• idea of focusing on supply chain and distribution channel, working on small farms and have them work as one together
• some of the issues for small farms include staging area or warehouse area vs. Joe driving a truck each week to market
• food processing mechanism for small farms
• Local FOOD SYSTEM....focus on this. Infrastructure, delivery systems, warehousing, sales/distribution markets, food processing
• Creation of distribution for small farmer
• Organic farming consortium, is this a possibility? Feedback: by nature farmers have not been open to work together
• create drop spots for CSA's, perhaps with the Microsoft's and Boeings of the world
• create a series of small positive steps to move the initiative forward: examples: educate at local pea patches, utilization of technology,
• create a website that consolidates education and awareness for consumer