The Community Food & Agriculture Coalition is a multi-stakeholder coalition that addresses community needs related to food and agriculture in a comprehensive and creative way. The dedicated involvement of citizens, public officials, and people with a range of interests, such as farmers and anti-hunger advocates, is essential to securing the health of our local food and farming system. CFAC works to: - Secure policies that support the local food and farming system. For instance, we are working to get the Missoula Schools and restaurants to buy more local food to create larger markets for farmers.
- Promote the economic viability of area farms and ranches, which face real threats from development pressures. We are working to establish a Land Link program and ways to create new markets for local farmers.
- Educate Missoula County residents about the value of farming and healthy, fresh food. We organized the 2006 Harvest Festival and other educational presentations.
- Involve all citizens in decisions that affect their food system. We are inviting those most affected by food insecurity to help guide research about barriers to food access and to promote advocacy efforts to address these issues.
CFAC is currently conducting our annual membership drive. Last year, we added over 100 new members. Join us and help us grow the local food movement in western Montana. Plus, with a generous matching grant, you can double the impact of your donation between now and the new year! Please consider joining CFAC by clicking on the link below. | What's New with CFAC? 
- Capturing Missoula's Foodshed 2010 calendars are now available for purchase! Cost is $15 and all proceeds will directly support CFAC's work to rebuild and strengthen our local food system. Calendars are currently available at several local businesses in town. Or you can order yours through CFAC. Contact Paul at pfhubbard@gmail.com or (406) 543-0542 to order your calendars today! Discount rates on purchases of 5 or more.
- Our Farm to School program has already served over 39,000 pounds of local food to Missoula County's young scholars (K-12) this school year, exceeding last year's 31,000 lbs., 2006-2007's 17,000 lbs., and 2005-2006's 4,000 lbs. That's a darn good thing for our kids and farmers.
- Farm & Ranchland conservation continues to be taken more seriously, thanks to all your thoughtful voices. Here are a couple of those voices in a recent Missoulian opinion column. Also, City Council approved Chickasaw Place, a subdivision on 9.4 acres of Prime Farmland in Missoula's urban fringe. Read up on the fascinating details here. Thanks to the 30 CFAC members and concerned citizens who wrote their city councilors to conserve a few acres for farming!
Bob Wagner from the American Farmland Trust recently visited Missoula to speak about grassroots farmland conservation strategies. If you missed his lecture, listen to his interview with KUFM's Edward O'Brien. (Wagner starts at about the 7 min. 30 sec. point and runs for 15 minutes.) Wagner & CFAC also hit the front page of Sunday's Missoulian.
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