National Farm To Table Alliance Is Launched
June 9, 2016 
The National Farm to Table Alliance, which has been formed by those who host the annual Farm To Table Experience conference, brings together local growers, state level agriculture departments, and consumer farm-to-table organizations.
The new Alliance is a collection of organizations interested in the production, use and benefits of sustainable local farm fresh seasonal products and supports the important exchange between practitioners, policy makers, and consumers, while promoting food safety.
The founding members include the Louisiana Department of Agriculture, the Arkansas Agricultural Department, Bonterra Organic Vineyards, Centerplate, Indiana State Department of Agriculture, Slow Foods USA, and the National Food and Beverage Foundation.
The goals of the Alliance will be to:
- Support the development of best practices in bringing fresh products to the table.
- Experiential learning.
- Live and virtual learning expositions.
- Communications and research to build a knowledge base of farm to table trends.
- Provide information on federal and state policy including payment processing, insurance, federal nutrition assistance programs, grant opportunities, incentive programs and tax issues.
- Improving public awareness of the farm-to-table Industry.
“Louisiana is proud to have a leading role in the formation of the Alliance which will serve as a forum for leaders in the farm to table movement,” says Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry (LDAF) Commissioner Mike Strain, D.V.M. “Alliance members will gather at the Farm to Table Experience this August to organize. The LDAF was one of the first to support the development of the Farm to Table Experience five years ago and sees this annual event as an opportunity for small producers, ag enthusiasts, consumers and suppliers to have a dialogue.”
Alliance members will help shape the programming for the Farm To Table Experience, which takes place August 18-20, 2016, at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Morial Convention Center. The event is open to the public and will feature hands-on experiential learning and demonstrations by award winning chefs. To register or for more information, go to f2texperience.com.
Contact [email protected] to become a member.