HISTORY of fga
FGA’s organizing years, 2005-2006
The Food and Growers Association of Laughery Valley and its Environs emerged as an informal grass roots organization in the fall of 2005 through the efforts of Margaret Mary Community Hospital’s community outreach director, Geralyn Litzinger, and dietitian, Kathy Cooley, and the outreach staff person at Michaela Farm in Oldenburg, Indiana, Claire Whalen, OSF. These early leaders were soon joined by others including several family farmers who shared their vision of promoting markets for locally grown food, especially Shelia Merkel, Tracy and Chris Fox and Angie Martz.
By the November 2nd meeting in 2005 of the Farm/City Vision Group—the original name of this group, FGA leaders were drafting a mission statement and goals for their shared vision and were suggesting a name change. They believed they needed to become a not-for-profit organization or a formal cooperative to be able to accomplish this work and to invite others to join them. They set about writing Articles of Incorporation and By-laws with the hospital representatives leading this effort. The first formal document approved by this group, “Local Food Initiative,” would soon appear on FGA’s new website in July, 2006, with FGA member Chris Bruns creating the site and maintaining it.
Meetings in the fall months of 2005 focused on the disciplined task of revising these documents, but once finished, FGA’s “Mission, Vision and Goals” served as an official guide for the work of FGA leaders and for inclusion in PR pieces and website data. The legal documents for incorporating were completed in 2006 as well, but not used because FGA leaders acted on the recommendation that the collaborating farmers should be the first to become a legal cooperative for their CSA project which began in June of 2006.
In 2006 FGA leaders continued to attend local and state meetings related to local food ventures and sought out assistance of resource persons from the Indiana Cooperative Development Center in Indianapolis, Chad Martin, and Purdue University’s “Ways to Grow” field agent, John Keeton. The Jennings County Growers Coop leaders, Bud Beasley and Richard Adrian, were most helpful as well. The latter recommended that FGA become a project committee of Hoosier Historic Hills, a formal R&D Conservation Office of the US government at the time.
It was fortuitous that the City of Batesville was studying plans to use the city’s purchase of two historic buildings in downtown Batesville for a possible Community and Welcome Centerduring the same months that FGA was organizing itself. FGA leaders kept in touch with the progress of the Mayor’s Committee for this project and offered its own suggestions that would advance FGA’s goals to promote markets for locally grown food especially through an enhanced farmers market and a shared community kitchen. (See the historical narrative, “Keeping the Dream Alive, The Farm/Connection” about this venture in 2004-2006.)
FGA leaders sought out grant opportunities, donations and fund-raising activities to pay for the original expenses for promoting the Saturday Farmers Market in Batesville and start-up costs of the website. The first financial statement on August 24th made by FGA treasurer, Shelia Merkel, showed an income of $4,250.00 in August 24, 2006 with expenses of $850.19 mostly for publicity for the farmers’ market. The income included $1,500.00 from the City of Batesville, $50.00 from membership dues and the balance from one large private donation of $2,000.00 other donations of varying sizes. (See Minutes of that meeting.)
FGA team leaders connected with other civic groups and turned their attention to encouraging membership in FGA. FGA became affiliated with the Batesville Area Chamber of Commerce and took part in the city’s Farm/City Banquet. They circulated their newly printed brochures at businesses and events and offered to list data about local farms on their website. FGA became a project committee of Historic Hoosier Hills in February of 2006 and shared their story at Annual Meetings of that supporting organization. Names of persons not listed above who served as team leaders included: Richard Cartwright who created the logo for FGA, Karen Doyle who worked on the business plan and Chris Merkel, who was among the original growers for FarmFreshCSA.
Narrative by Claire Whalen, OSF, FGA Secretary from 2005-2011 and keeper of the minutes. June 7, 2014
FGA, 2010-2011—The Struggling Years
These two years brought FGA team leaders to face the financial needs of this grass-roots organization if they wanted to pursue the goals and objectives that would move their visions into action. They welcomed the pro-bono services of Larry Strange to create a strategic plan and continued to receive limited funds from the Batesville City Council for the farmer’s market program. FGA Team leader, Paul Freeland, created the first-ever budget plan for FGA noting that without some regular income there would be a limit to what FGA could accomplish through volunteer service alone.
Margaret Mary Health continued to provide personnel and cash support especially related to the Farm-to-School program that led to hospital staff collaborating with Batesville School administrators to plan for healthy school lunches using some local food. During these same years the hospital dietitian, Kathy Cooley, who was FGA’s s president, took a leadership role in promoting school gardens to awaken interest in healthy eating among school-age children.
The winter Producer Seminar was costing more money, but it was not intended to make a profit. Regular membership just never got off the ground, but FGA initiated a vendor fee of $10-$15 per market season that required each farmer selling at the Saturday market to be an automatic FGA member. This fee helped to fund publicity for the market and partially pay for a small stipend for the market master. The annual August Farmers Market breakfast depended too heavily on good weather for a large turnout, thus FGA could not count on it for a source of revenue.
FGA leaders talked a lot about fund-raising activities and began planning for one in cooperation with Lil’ Charlie’s restaurant, but that event was cancelled close to its due date. Other types of fund-raisers were pursued, but only a special breakfast event materialized at Amack’s Well across from the parking lot where the weekly market was held.
Grant-writing efforts were also pursued through Historic Hoosier Hills or through the local hospital using their status as non-profit organizations to be eligible to submit such requests. FGA still had not moved forward to become its own federal 501-C3 organization.
One significant grant written by Kathy Cooley and backed by the hospital offered $2000 to be used for stipends for Batesville teachers to attend a school garden training week in the summer of 2011. This award came through the National Food Security Coalition. Kathy was also appointed to Indiana’s Healthy Weight Initiative, a program of Indiana State Department of Health, and became Indiana’s representative for the National Farm to School Program.
FGA promoted farm tours and backyard gardening with the potluck for this event becoming the forerunner of an FGA-sponsored monthly potluck event later.
Some team leaders left the group while others came on board. New leaders included Mary Meyer, Mary Stevens, Michael Hood, and Bonnie Robbins. At the annual meeting in December, 2011, Mary Meyer took on FGA’s secretarial duties when Claire Whalen stepped aside after seven years in that role.
Claire Whalen, OSF, June 24, 2014