Cultivate KC

It's 𝗚𝗢𝗢𝗗 𝗡𝗘𝗪𝗦 𝗙𝗥𝗜𝗗𝗔𝗬, and we are still riding high on the good vibes from last Saturday's Annual Farmers & Friends Meeting! If you sponsored the event, helped cater the meal, were a panelist or presenter, were on the planning committee, submitted a poster project, played music, brought pie, or just attended and enjoyed fellowship ... THANK YOU. What a fantastic day it was! Please visit this post at our website to read alllll about it, find out the post-event survey for attendees, and view the amazing 2026 AFFM Webzine! https://lnkd.in/gzUky2nQ

Spread the word! Cultivate KC is currently hiring for FOUR positions- Operations Manager, Volunteer & Outreach Specialist, Graduate Support Specialist, and Dotte Mobile Grocer Seasonal Crew Member. You can find detailed job descriptions with application instructions through this link: https://lnkd.in/grAfWS7J

Cultivate KC and partners are excited to offer two advocacy training sessions in February. This is your opportunity to learn about effective strategies for talking with lawmakers, and to spend some time practicing your advocacy ‘pitch’ while receiving pointers from the lawmakers themselves on how to be the best advocate you can be for local food and farmers.    This series is hosted in partnership by Cultivate KC, Ivanhoe Neighborhood Council, The Food Circle, The Giving Grove, Urban Produce Push, and The KC Farm School. It is funded in part by the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition. Learn more and register: https://lnkd.in/gz5YuD2h

This year Cultivate KC welcomes three new members, Sherise Kirkwood, Christine Sanders, and Suzanne Gunning, to our Board of Directors. We are thrilled they are joining us and lending their knowledge and experience to help lead our organization! Read a little more about them at our website: https://lnkd.in/gm6hz84f

The keynote panel looks amazing. The breakout sessions are planned. Lunch is ordered, and WE CANNOT WAIT for the pie potluck. This Saturday is the 2026 Annual Farmers & Friends Meeting! It's one of our favorite events of the year and provides us with so much inspiration for the upcoming growing season. Will we see you there?! Information & free registration: https://lnkd.in/gZcpDHnd

This year's Annual Farmers & Friends Meeting keynote panel discussion, 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆, will examine the ways individuals can better strengthen their communities and food systems through mutual aid, and the challenges that arise when building those ties. Our moderator, Jasmin Moore of Earthjustice will sit down with Stayroyce Nealy, Executive Director of Global One Urban Farming, Ryan Sorrell, founder of The Kansas City Defender, Raymond Forstater, Sunrise Movement KC, and Thomas Smith, KC Tenants to discuss the importance of community organizing and how you can get involved! Will we see you there THIS SATURDAY? Info and free registration: https://lnkd.in/gX43iTga

We're excited to share the 2026 Annual Farmers & Friends Meeting Breakout Session 2 topics today! UPDATE: Claire Sinovic will be a co-moderator for Session 1 "Local Food Purchasing: Connecting Farmers & Buyers" 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗕𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗮 𝗙𝗮𝗿𝗺𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁 𝗩𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗼𝗿 This breakout session offers a practical, beginner-friendly overview of what it takes to become a successful market vendor. We’ll walk through the essentials: how to choose the right market, what vendors should know before applying, and the best practices that help farms stand out and build loyal customers. Speakers: Jenny Doty- K-State's Food System Entrepreneurial Resource Navigator 𝗔𝗹𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗙𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗲𝘀 Discover non-traditional funding sources for your farm & farming projects. Federal & local funding opportunities will be presented by locally based providers, each followed by a case study, where you'll hear directly from producers about their experience taking advantage of each funding source. Speakers: Ellie Anderson-Smith- Farm Funding Specialist, Cultivate KC, Sarah Waggoner- Grants & Programs Manager, City of KCMO, Bruce Holloway- West 9th Street Community Garden, Nathan St. Clair - Area Educator of Horticulture, Lincoln University, Sharon Autry - Herdsman House Farm, Tim McCoy- District Conservationist, National Resource Conservation Service, Annalise Lallana- Midwest Urban Ag & Small Farm Outreach Specialist, American Farmland Trust, Rick Mareske- The Garden at Dogwood Forest 𝗟𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴: 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀 & 𝗦𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 Access to land remains a central challenge for growers in the metro. This session frames the reasons for this issue and offers an overview of some solutions, including farm transition planning initiatives and the launch of KC FarmLink, an online platform that links land owners with those seeking land to grow on. Attendees will have a chance to discuss their own needs and ideas in small groups. Speakers: Ashley Bath- Education and Outreach Director, KC Farm School, Rick Mareske-Backbone Member, KC F.A.R.M.E.R.S. Coalition, Sid Shelby- Action Team Lead & Land Access, KC F.A.R.M.E.R.S. Coalition, Eric Hemphill- Program Manager, Cultivate KC Find free registration here: https://lnkd.in/gZcpDHnd

Annual Farmers & Friend Meeting Breakout Sessions are finalized! Here are the topics for session one: 𝗟𝗼𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗙𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗣𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴: 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗙𝗮𝗿𝗺𝗲𝗿𝘀 & 𝗕𝘂𝘆𝗲𝗿𝘀 This session brings together farmers and food businesses for a practical, experience-driven discussion about building strong farmer-buyer relationships. Panelists will highlight best practices for producers interested in selling to restaurants, retailers, institutions, and other business buyers, along with insights for buyers looking to source more local products for their business. Moderators: Tracy Flowers, Brooke Freeman, Claire Sinovic Panelists: Robin Moore- Myco Planet, Tina Yake- The Wooden Spoon, Shane Konicki- Local Pig, Rebecca Clark- Bo Lings, Jeremy Fyler- Fyler Farms 𝗙𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗦𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺𝘀, 𝗙𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰𝘆 & 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗲 𝗘𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗢𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 Join Dr. Tricia Jenkins and the Kansas and Missouri Farmers Unions for a grounded conversation about how current food policy shapes our local food system. This session will break down key concepts, walk through notable policy shifts, and explore visions for policy transformations and more communal futures. Moderator: Dr. Tricia Jenkins- Kansas State University Panelists: Nick Levendofsky- Executive Director, KS Farmers Union, Tom Coudron- President, MO Farmers 𝗔𝗹𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗘𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗲𝘀: 𝗢𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘄 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗙𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗕𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 & 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 This presentation explains alternative economy concepts with examples illustrating the benefits of using alternative economies to start/scale farm businesses. A presentation featuring several examples of resource sharing in the KC area will be followed by small group discussion of additional partnerships for collaboration and shared resources. Presenters: Ashley Bath- KC Farm School, Sharon Autry- Miami Co Conservation Districts Visit the AFFM event webpage for more info and registrations! https://lnkd.in/gZcpDHnd

Did you know that during the growing season, Dotte Mobile Grocer offers produce grown by New Roots farmers?! The ability to offer local produce is directly in line with Cultivate KC’s missions to increase access to healthy food and strengthen the local food system. Partnering with New Roots to provide local produce has been a natural progression for the DMG program. Read all about the exciting partnership at our website through this link! https://lnkd.in/gpD9cXKi