Friday, August 20, 2010
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Monday, August 16, 2010
Thursday, August 12, 2010
We need more people in this country to care about our food sources.
http://mostlywater.org/italian_activists_storm_field_crush_gm_maize
Italian Activists Storm Field, Crush GM Maize
Syndicated from Common Dreams
Promoted by blackandred on Wed, 2010/08/11 - 9:45pm.
Italian Activists Storm Field, Crush GM Maize
Tuesday, August 10, 2010 - ANSA News (Italy)
PORDENONE, Italy - A group of 70 no global activists on Monday staged a lightening strike against a field of genetically modified (GM) maize, crushing all the plants and effectively preventing their harvest.
The GM crop at Vivaro, near the northeastern town of Pordenone, has been at the centre of a storm for the last two weeks, after the farmer who planted the maize, Giorgio Fidenato, announced it was ready to be harvested.
Some 70 activists, dressed alike in white overalls, were able to stomp on all the plants before police arrived and dragged them away, a spokesman for the Ya Basta anti-GM group said.
"Our action was aimed against the violence that GM crops wreak on the environment and on humans," said Luca Tornatore.
Despite widespread opposition to GM crops by most Italian farmers, the action was nevertheless roundly condemned by all. Pro-biotech group Futuragra said the raid was "an act of vandalism" and the result of "terror sown by the media" against GM crops. Farmers' union Coldiretti, which actively campaigns for organic agriculture, blasted the anti-globalists, saying that "the law must always be respected".
But Coldiretti also criticised officials for having dallied on the issue. Last week several members of the largest opposition group, the centre-left Democratic Party (PD), joined MPs of the governing coalition's rightwing Northern League party at a press conference outside the Senate to protest the lack of an "effective response" to the situation at Vivaro.
An umbrella organization coordinating efforts against the crops, the Task Force for an Italy Free of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs), which represents 27 conservation, farming and environmental associations, called for the "immediate destruction of fields where GM maize is grown".
It warned of a "devastating impact on the local environment, wild fauna and the crops of other farmers" if pollen from the maize was allowed to disperse.
Greenpeace attempted to storm the field last week and numerous representatives from the GMO-Free Italy Task Force erected a protest camp next to the land.
The governor of Friuli Venezia Giulia where Vivaro is located, Renzo Tondo, has vowed that the law will be upheld and any infringements will be dealt with swiftly.
The president of the neighbouring region of Veneto, former Italian agriculture minister Gianluca Zaia, voiced support for Greenpeace, warning that cross-contamination from the crop could have a catastrophic effect on local agriculture.
Agriculture Minister Giancarlo Galan condemned Monday's raid, likening it to attacks carried out by Fascist thugs.
"I hope police will identify those who took part in it because they are a group of violent and intolerant thugs of the worst sort," he said, stressing that officials had been working with local authorities to analyse the crops.
Fidenato, who heads the pro-biotech Federated Farmers (AF) association, claims he acted lawfully in planting the seeds and likened GMO critics to Nazis "with their irrational fears of biological-racial contamination of the plant species".
Although there is no outright ban on the cultivation of GM crops in Italy, a long-running legal tangle effectively prevents farmers from doing so.
Farmers are technically allowed to grow GM crops provided they first obtain permission under procedures to be drafted by the agriculture ministry.
However, these procedures have never been finalized.
After months of foot dragging, a 2006 ministry circular eventually halted the drafting process entirely until regional governments agreed on local measures to prevent cross-contamination between GM and traditional crops.
But four years on, regional governments have still not agreed on definitive coexistence measures and, despite a January court ruling ordering the ministry to finalize the authorization procedures anyway, it has not yet done so.
Fidenato started lobbying local officials to allow him to plant GM crops in 2007 but received no reply.
"At this point, since they haven't said no, I take it I can go ahead," he said, shortly after announcing he had planted the GM maize earlier this year.
The issue of GM crops is particularly explosive in Italy.
As the second-largest producer of organic crops in Europe and the fourth largest in the world, there is widespread fear of the potential damage resulting from accidental GM contamination.
Coldiretti has issued several reports suggesting that widespread public hostility to GM crops would not only damage the domestic market for farm produce but would also result in a 60% drop in exports.
Italian Activists Storm Field, Crush GM Maize
Syndicated from Common Dreams
Promoted by blackandred on Wed, 2010/08/11 - 9:45pm.
Italian Activists Storm Field, Crush GM Maize
Tuesday, August 10, 2010 - ANSA News (Italy)
PORDENONE, Italy - A group of 70 no global activists on Monday staged a lightening strike against a field of genetically modified (GM) maize, crushing all the plants and effectively preventing their harvest.
The GM crop at Vivaro, near the northeastern town of Pordenone, has been at the centre of a storm for the last two weeks, after the farmer who planted the maize, Giorgio Fidenato, announced it was ready to be harvested.
Some 70 activists, dressed alike in white overalls, were able to stomp on all the plants before police arrived and dragged them away, a spokesman for the Ya Basta anti-GM group said.
"Our action was aimed against the violence that GM crops wreak on the environment and on humans," said Luca Tornatore.
Despite widespread opposition to GM crops by most Italian farmers, the action was nevertheless roundly condemned by all. Pro-biotech group Futuragra said the raid was "an act of vandalism" and the result of "terror sown by the media" against GM crops. Farmers' union Coldiretti, which actively campaigns for organic agriculture, blasted the anti-globalists, saying that "the law must always be respected".
But Coldiretti also criticised officials for having dallied on the issue. Last week several members of the largest opposition group, the centre-left Democratic Party (PD), joined MPs of the governing coalition's rightwing Northern League party at a press conference outside the Senate to protest the lack of an "effective response" to the situation at Vivaro.
An umbrella organization coordinating efforts against the crops, the Task Force for an Italy Free of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs), which represents 27 conservation, farming and environmental associations, called for the "immediate destruction of fields where GM maize is grown".
It warned of a "devastating impact on the local environment, wild fauna and the crops of other farmers" if pollen from the maize was allowed to disperse.
Greenpeace attempted to storm the field last week and numerous representatives from the GMO-Free Italy Task Force erected a protest camp next to the land.
The governor of Friuli Venezia Giulia where Vivaro is located, Renzo Tondo, has vowed that the law will be upheld and any infringements will be dealt with swiftly.
The president of the neighbouring region of Veneto, former Italian agriculture minister Gianluca Zaia, voiced support for Greenpeace, warning that cross-contamination from the crop could have a catastrophic effect on local agriculture.
Agriculture Minister Giancarlo Galan condemned Monday's raid, likening it to attacks carried out by Fascist thugs.
"I hope police will identify those who took part in it because they are a group of violent and intolerant thugs of the worst sort," he said, stressing that officials had been working with local authorities to analyse the crops.
Fidenato, who heads the pro-biotech Federated Farmers (AF) association, claims he acted lawfully in planting the seeds and likened GMO critics to Nazis "with their irrational fears of biological-racial contamination of the plant species".
Although there is no outright ban on the cultivation of GM crops in Italy, a long-running legal tangle effectively prevents farmers from doing so.
Farmers are technically allowed to grow GM crops provided they first obtain permission under procedures to be drafted by the agriculture ministry.
However, these procedures have never been finalized.
After months of foot dragging, a 2006 ministry circular eventually halted the drafting process entirely until regional governments agreed on local measures to prevent cross-contamination between GM and traditional crops.
But four years on, regional governments have still not agreed on definitive coexistence measures and, despite a January court ruling ordering the ministry to finalize the authorization procedures anyway, it has not yet done so.
Fidenato started lobbying local officials to allow him to plant GM crops in 2007 but received no reply.
"At this point, since they haven't said no, I take it I can go ahead," he said, shortly after announcing he had planted the GM maize earlier this year.
The issue of GM crops is particularly explosive in Italy.
As the second-largest producer of organic crops in Europe and the fourth largest in the world, there is widespread fear of the potential damage resulting from accidental GM contamination.
Coldiretti has issued several reports suggesting that widespread public hostility to GM crops would not only damage the domestic market for farm produce but would also result in a 60% drop in exports.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Off topic but - I'm voting for the guy from The Real Food Party
http://www.news-press.com/article/20100715/NEWS0107/7150365/1075/A-two-party-system?-Lee-County-can-claim-38
A two-party system? Lee County can claim 38
27 have 20 or fewer members
BY GLENN MILLER • GMILLER@NEWS-PRESS.COM • JULY 15, 2010
1:10 A.M. — The Prohibition Party has two members in Lee County.
The Real Food Party - the state chairman of which, Jimmy Carter, once ran for president - has one Lee County member, a surprise to the man who shares the same name as our nation's actual 39th president.
"As far as I know, I was the only one in the party," said Carter, who owns a goat and water buffalo dairy near Live Oak, in Suwannee County.
The Surfers Party of America has five local members, down from six last month. That decrease can possibly be traced to 64-year-old Keith Branstetter, who has moved from Sanibel to Okoboji, Iowa.
Sure, Lee County has Republicans and Democrats, who have a combined total of more than 250,000 members out of about 342,000 registered voters.
But the big two are not alone. Of the 38 parties listed on the Lee County Supervisor of Elections rolls, 27 have 20 or fewer voting members.
The Prohibition Party, with two people, has twice as many local members as the Real Food Party. Lee County may be a relative hotbed for Prohibition activity. Florida has more counties - 67 - than Prohibition Party members.
"The last count I had was 51," said William Bledsoe, the party's state chairman.
Prohibition is just one of 23 principles of its conservative platform, Bledsoe said.
"Our party has always been a social-issue party," Bledsoe said. "We, like most conservatives, believe in less taxes, smaller government."
So many choices. The American Poor People Party and the American Party of Florida each claims two voters in Lee County.
Faith and Patience has three voters. The Christian Party has one member.
The Christian Party's state chairwoman is Arcadia resident Nancy Grant, who founded the party in 2000. She said it has 1,200 Florida members. Its philosophy is simple.
"It's the Ten Commandments," Grant said.
The small parties range across the political spectrum.
The Veterans Party has 20 members in Lee, and it seeks greater respect and benefits for veterans.
"It is a national shame that our president, courts, Congress and Senate are publicly against benefits for veterans and those still on active duty," the website claims.
The Southern Party of Florida has four Lee members. Google the party name and one is directed to The Florida Patriot, which claims it is the "official news agency of the Floridians by Floridians!"
The site goes on to note that the Patriot's ultimate goal "is to become a viable daily print publication that will run competitively against the tainted Yankee transplant yellow rags."
America's Independent Party has six Lee members and bills itself as America's new home of conservatism. It shares many beliefs with the tea party but has some differences, according to Tom Hoefling, its chairman.
"We're focused on electing people to office," Hoefling said. "The tea party is primarily a protest movement, one that is certainly needed. But in the end, policy is set by people in office."
On the other side of the spectrum are the Socialist Party of Florida and the Florida Socialists Party. The Florida Socialists hold an 11-6 lead in Lee registration over the Socialists Party of Florida, which may have the best name for a chapter.
The Southeast Florida chapter calls itself the Bolshevik Beach Bums.
At the other end of the peninsula is Carter of the Real Food Party.
"We're more interested in agriculture and the right to eat food that doesn't kill us," Carter said.
He doesn't plan another presidential run.
"I think I could get more done as a congressman than as president," Carter said. "A third party could not possibly win a presidential race anyway because of the Electoral College."
For Branstetter, joining the Surfers Party wasn't part of a statement of political philosophy.
"I don't know anything about the party," Branstetter said.
He liked the name because it reminded him of his surfing days.
It's highly unlikely anybody from any of these parties will win a significant race, but that isn't the point, according to the Prohibition Party's Bledsoe.
"We want to give people a choice," Bledsoe said.
He is well aware his will not place a candidate in high office.
"We believe that we vote our head and our heart," Bledsoe said. "We vote our conscience."
A two-party system? Lee County can claim 38
27 have 20 or fewer members
BY GLENN MILLER • GMILLER@NEWS-PRESS.COM • JULY 15, 2010
1:10 A.M. — The Prohibition Party has two members in Lee County.
The Real Food Party - the state chairman of which, Jimmy Carter, once ran for president - has one Lee County member, a surprise to the man who shares the same name as our nation's actual 39th president.
"As far as I know, I was the only one in the party," said Carter, who owns a goat and water buffalo dairy near Live Oak, in Suwannee County.
The Surfers Party of America has five local members, down from six last month. That decrease can possibly be traced to 64-year-old Keith Branstetter, who has moved from Sanibel to Okoboji, Iowa.
Sure, Lee County has Republicans and Democrats, who have a combined total of more than 250,000 members out of about 342,000 registered voters.
But the big two are not alone. Of the 38 parties listed on the Lee County Supervisor of Elections rolls, 27 have 20 or fewer voting members.
The Prohibition Party, with two people, has twice as many local members as the Real Food Party. Lee County may be a relative hotbed for Prohibition activity. Florida has more counties - 67 - than Prohibition Party members.
"The last count I had was 51," said William Bledsoe, the party's state chairman.
Prohibition is just one of 23 principles of its conservative platform, Bledsoe said.
"Our party has always been a social-issue party," Bledsoe said. "We, like most conservatives, believe in less taxes, smaller government."
So many choices. The American Poor People Party and the American Party of Florida each claims two voters in Lee County.
Faith and Patience has three voters. The Christian Party has one member.
The Christian Party's state chairwoman is Arcadia resident Nancy Grant, who founded the party in 2000. She said it has 1,200 Florida members. Its philosophy is simple.
"It's the Ten Commandments," Grant said.
The small parties range across the political spectrum.
The Veterans Party has 20 members in Lee, and it seeks greater respect and benefits for veterans.
"It is a national shame that our president, courts, Congress and Senate are publicly against benefits for veterans and those still on active duty," the website claims.
The Southern Party of Florida has four Lee members. Google the party name and one is directed to The Florida Patriot, which claims it is the "official news agency of the Floridians by Floridians!"
The site goes on to note that the Patriot's ultimate goal "is to become a viable daily print publication that will run competitively against the tainted Yankee transplant yellow rags."
America's Independent Party has six Lee members and bills itself as America's new home of conservatism. It shares many beliefs with the tea party but has some differences, according to Tom Hoefling, its chairman.
"We're focused on electing people to office," Hoefling said. "The tea party is primarily a protest movement, one that is certainly needed. But in the end, policy is set by people in office."
On the other side of the spectrum are the Socialist Party of Florida and the Florida Socialists Party. The Florida Socialists hold an 11-6 lead in Lee registration over the Socialists Party of Florida, which may have the best name for a chapter.
The Southeast Florida chapter calls itself the Bolshevik Beach Bums.
At the other end of the peninsula is Carter of the Real Food Party.
"We're more interested in agriculture and the right to eat food that doesn't kill us," Carter said.
He doesn't plan another presidential run.
"I think I could get more done as a congressman than as president," Carter said. "A third party could not possibly win a presidential race anyway because of the Electoral College."
For Branstetter, joining the Surfers Party wasn't part of a statement of political philosophy.
"I don't know anything about the party," Branstetter said.
He liked the name because it reminded him of his surfing days.
It's highly unlikely anybody from any of these parties will win a significant race, but that isn't the point, according to the Prohibition Party's Bledsoe.
"We want to give people a choice," Bledsoe said.
He is well aware his will not place a candidate in high office.
"We believe that we vote our head and our heart," Bledsoe said. "We vote our conscience."
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Sunday, June 27, 2010
So, what's driving the downfall of the local grocery?
http://www.infozine.com/news/stories/op/storiesView/sid/41994/
Kansas a Food Desert? Absence of Local Groceries Troubling
Saturday, June 26, 2010 :: Staff infoZine
K-State Center, Research to Help Communities Make Food Accessible
Manhattan, KS -
Forgot the hamburger buns? While there was a time when a quick trip to a local grocery could make it easy to complete the meal, in many Kansas communities, the grocery store has closed.
Since 2006, 82 of 213 grocery stores serving Kansas communities with populations of 2,500 or less, have closed, said David Procter, director of the Center for Engagement and Community Development at Kansas State University, which organized and hosted a Rural Grocery Store Summit (at K-State) recently.
The closing of local grocery stores is not unique to Kansas, said Procter, who noted that the summit attracted nearly 200 participants representing 13 states.
The absence of a grocery or other store selling essential food items within a 10-mile radius is termed a "severe food desert," he said.
Such designations dot Kansas' landscape in both urban and rural areas, said Procter, who described the goals for the conference to be initiating dialog, identifying challenges and opportunities, charting a research agenda and networking to overcome the challenges and build on the opportunities.
The local grocery has traditionally fulfilled a key role in the community, Procter said.
In addition to the obvious -- making wholesome food accessible -- grocery stores have typically anchored community businesses and the community.
And, as an employer, the local grocery store has generated full and part-time employment opportunities, often with better benefits than larger employers, and revenue from sales taxes to support education, economic development and community improvements.
So, what's driving the downfall of the local grocery?
The lure of the big-box stores offering lower prices is a factor, but the value of the savings is eroded when travel time and money are factored into the equation.
Driving 10, 15 or 20 miles (each way) to a retail center takes time -- and it costs money. Conference presenter Doug Cunningham (from Norfolk, Neb., representing Affiliated Foods) noted that the American Automobile Association reports the current cost of driving a car is 56 cents a mile. That means the minimal cost for a 20-mile round trip is $11.20.
What often is overlooked, however, is the value of doing business locally, said Leah Tsoodle, K-State Research and Extension agricultural economist and researcher of grocery shopping preferences in Kansas communities.
For every $100 spent within a community, $45 stays within the community and may be circulated within the community as many as seven times, Tsoodle said. For every $100 spent outside the community, only about $15 is likely to return to the community.
"Small businesses drive local economies, yet given the combined loss in sales volume, consolidation of wholesalers, increase in minimum orders for delivery, and rising cost of transportation, smaller retailers face increasing challenges that may mean closing their doors," Procter said.
"Once the grocery store is gone, the closing (or consolidation) of the school often is not far behind," he said. And, without a grocery store and a school, a community will typically have trouble attracting new residents, and that means property values also will decline.
So, what's a community to do?
If Morland, Kan., a Graham County community of 150, is an example, the answer is "plenty."
According to Chris Petty, K-State Research and Extension agricultural agent in the county, the local grocery (Bean's Country Market) closed in 2006, when the owners retired.
The longtime store building needed updating, and the Morland Community Foundation looked into grant and other funds to help fund the renovation, but learned they were not eligible for the funding because the store was located in the flood plain, Petty said.
While some might have backed away from the project, this community of go-getters pooled resources to hire a civil engineer to evaluate existing zoning.
The business district hasn't been flooded since the early 1950s (more than 50 years ago), Petty said, so, after studying the landscape, the engineer updated the map to include a more accurate definition of the flood plain. Updating the zoning is expected to reduce insurance premiums for homeowners in the former flood plain and make building a garage or deck possible, he said.
Re-establishing the local grocery also could increase property values, said Petty, who noted that Morland has a bank, grain elevator, popular restaurant, hair salon and newly opened photography studio.
The local grocery and the restaurant (Prairie Junction) are expected to support each other, and that, too, will make the community stronger, said Petty, who explained that they expect to draw grocery customers from St. Peter, which is located 12 miles south; from Studley, six miles west; and Penokee, six miles east. The combined population of the potential customer service base is 350 people, he said.
Community organizers also have done their homework in working with Tsoodle and Paul Clark, a former K-State ag economist, to develop and conduct a customer survey to learn more about the products and services prospective customers want.
In developing the survey (funded by K-State's Center for Engagement and Community Development), ag economists focused on respondents' preferences in the grocery shopping experience with a follow-up section asking the respondents to rate how their current shopping experiences are meeting their expectations.
With a 30 percent response rate for such surveys considered excellent, the more than 40 percent response rate to the Morland survey reflected strong interest in the question of re-establishing the local grocery, Tsoodle said.
Overall, the responses were positive and encouraging to the Morland community organizers, she said. Eighty percent of the respondents identified quality of food as a reason for choosing to shop at a grocery store; 77 percent cited cleanliness of the store and store personnel, and 57 percent noted customer service as reason to shop at a grocery store.
Results from the survey also indicated that 95 percent of the respondents would likely purchase locally grown foods, the ag economist said.
The community has received verbal approval on the change in zoning, but is waiting for formal (written) approval to move forward, said Faye Minium, president of the Citizens State Bank and member of the Morland Community Foundation.
The foundation has applied for and received a commitment in stimulus funds to cover the majority of the renovations, but the money cannot be awarded until the zoning process is complete, Minium said.
We're ready to move forward, and hope to be open later this year, said Petty, who said the local store is initially expected to employ a manager and one-to-two assistant managers.
"The grocery store is an essential part of a community," Minium said. For now, however, it's not unusual for neighbors to loan a cup of flour, sugar, or, recently, an onion …
Related link
Rural Grocery Store Initiative and Summit - www.ruralgrocery.org
Kansas a Food Desert? Absence of Local Groceries Troubling
Saturday, June 26, 2010 :: Staff infoZine
K-State Center, Research to Help Communities Make Food Accessible
Manhattan, KS -
Forgot the hamburger buns? While there was a time when a quick trip to a local grocery could make it easy to complete the meal, in many Kansas communities, the grocery store has closed.
Since 2006, 82 of 213 grocery stores serving Kansas communities with populations of 2,500 or less, have closed, said David Procter, director of the Center for Engagement and Community Development at Kansas State University, which organized and hosted a Rural Grocery Store Summit (at K-State) recently.
The closing of local grocery stores is not unique to Kansas, said Procter, who noted that the summit attracted nearly 200 participants representing 13 states.
The absence of a grocery or other store selling essential food items within a 10-mile radius is termed a "severe food desert," he said.
Such designations dot Kansas' landscape in both urban and rural areas, said Procter, who described the goals for the conference to be initiating dialog, identifying challenges and opportunities, charting a research agenda and networking to overcome the challenges and build on the opportunities.
The local grocery has traditionally fulfilled a key role in the community, Procter said.
In addition to the obvious -- making wholesome food accessible -- grocery stores have typically anchored community businesses and the community.
And, as an employer, the local grocery store has generated full and part-time employment opportunities, often with better benefits than larger employers, and revenue from sales taxes to support education, economic development and community improvements.
So, what's driving the downfall of the local grocery?
The lure of the big-box stores offering lower prices is a factor, but the value of the savings is eroded when travel time and money are factored into the equation.
Driving 10, 15 or 20 miles (each way) to a retail center takes time -- and it costs money. Conference presenter Doug Cunningham (from Norfolk, Neb., representing Affiliated Foods) noted that the American Automobile Association reports the current cost of driving a car is 56 cents a mile. That means the minimal cost for a 20-mile round trip is $11.20.
What often is overlooked, however, is the value of doing business locally, said Leah Tsoodle, K-State Research and Extension agricultural economist and researcher of grocery shopping preferences in Kansas communities.
For every $100 spent within a community, $45 stays within the community and may be circulated within the community as many as seven times, Tsoodle said. For every $100 spent outside the community, only about $15 is likely to return to the community.
"Small businesses drive local economies, yet given the combined loss in sales volume, consolidation of wholesalers, increase in minimum orders for delivery, and rising cost of transportation, smaller retailers face increasing challenges that may mean closing their doors," Procter said.
"Once the grocery store is gone, the closing (or consolidation) of the school often is not far behind," he said. And, without a grocery store and a school, a community will typically have trouble attracting new residents, and that means property values also will decline.
So, what's a community to do?
If Morland, Kan., a Graham County community of 150, is an example, the answer is "plenty."
According to Chris Petty, K-State Research and Extension agricultural agent in the county, the local grocery (Bean's Country Market) closed in 2006, when the owners retired.
The longtime store building needed updating, and the Morland Community Foundation looked into grant and other funds to help fund the renovation, but learned they were not eligible for the funding because the store was located in the flood plain, Petty said.
While some might have backed away from the project, this community of go-getters pooled resources to hire a civil engineer to evaluate existing zoning.
The business district hasn't been flooded since the early 1950s (more than 50 years ago), Petty said, so, after studying the landscape, the engineer updated the map to include a more accurate definition of the flood plain. Updating the zoning is expected to reduce insurance premiums for homeowners in the former flood plain and make building a garage or deck possible, he said.
Re-establishing the local grocery also could increase property values, said Petty, who noted that Morland has a bank, grain elevator, popular restaurant, hair salon and newly opened photography studio.
The local grocery and the restaurant (Prairie Junction) are expected to support each other, and that, too, will make the community stronger, said Petty, who explained that they expect to draw grocery customers from St. Peter, which is located 12 miles south; from Studley, six miles west; and Penokee, six miles east. The combined population of the potential customer service base is 350 people, he said.
Community organizers also have done their homework in working with Tsoodle and Paul Clark, a former K-State ag economist, to develop and conduct a customer survey to learn more about the products and services prospective customers want.
In developing the survey (funded by K-State's Center for Engagement and Community Development), ag economists focused on respondents' preferences in the grocery shopping experience with a follow-up section asking the respondents to rate how their current shopping experiences are meeting their expectations.
With a 30 percent response rate for such surveys considered excellent, the more than 40 percent response rate to the Morland survey reflected strong interest in the question of re-establishing the local grocery, Tsoodle said.
Overall, the responses were positive and encouraging to the Morland community organizers, she said. Eighty percent of the respondents identified quality of food as a reason for choosing to shop at a grocery store; 77 percent cited cleanliness of the store and store personnel, and 57 percent noted customer service as reason to shop at a grocery store.
Results from the survey also indicated that 95 percent of the respondents would likely purchase locally grown foods, the ag economist said.
The community has received verbal approval on the change in zoning, but is waiting for formal (written) approval to move forward, said Faye Minium, president of the Citizens State Bank and member of the Morland Community Foundation.
The foundation has applied for and received a commitment in stimulus funds to cover the majority of the renovations, but the money cannot be awarded until the zoning process is complete, Minium said.
We're ready to move forward, and hope to be open later this year, said Petty, who said the local store is initially expected to employ a manager and one-to-two assistant managers.
"The grocery store is an essential part of a community," Minium said. For now, however, it's not unusual for neighbors to loan a cup of flour, sugar, or, recently, an onion …
Related link
Rural Grocery Store Initiative and Summit - www.ruralgrocery.org
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)