The Clear Creek Food Coop will have our first day of regular hours on Saturday, December 5th, from 10 AM to 6 PM! We may not have a full inventory yet, but we will be hosting a Holiday Bazaar where you can buy crafts and gift items from local artists, come see the new store, and talk with us about the future of the Coop. (And we’re conveniently located just a block from Morrisson-Reeves Library, so make sure you stop by the Alternative Gift Fair happening there that same day from 1 PM to 4 PM.)

WHERE: 710 East Main Street, Richmond (across from Veach's)
WHEN: Saturday December 5th, 10 AM - 6 PM

Ray Ruppel is a local entrepreneur/inventor/business man with about 170 A of organic ground to rent. The ground is in Southern Knox County (St. Thomas area). He is looking for someone to start this growing season. He owns a processing facility in Vincennes which cuts up and packages organic produce. He would like whoever farms the ground to grow 10-15 acres of fruits and vegetables for his packaging business. The rest of the acreage could be in row crops (corn, beans, wheat). There is a farmhouse (2 story, 4 bedroom) on the property that could be lived in by the farmer and that person will need to negotiate the details of living in the house with Ray.

Spread the word to anyone you know who may be interested. Ray can be reached by calling 812-881-9985.

E. Thomas Kemp has an article up on his blog commenting on the nature of modern food production:

The reality of modern food production is consolidation. In 1980, the US had 334,000 dairy farms. We now have 60,000. This means that most of the milk we consume, including “organic” milk comes from large scale factory farms. This consolidation is going on in all areas of food production, from produce to pigs. Control of the food market by large companies permits them to set the prices paid to producers, making it impossible for small producers to compete.

Thomas has written a number of entries related to CAFOs and food production in our area, and has his finger on the pulse of the practices of agribusiness in the region.