by Brian Shilhavy
Editor, Health Impact News

Are you interested in joining or starting local food distribution clubs to develop food security for you and your family should the corporate commodity food distribution system collapse?

This year’s Rogue Food Conference is being held in Florida next week. My company, Healthy Traditions, will have a booth and representative present this year.

Here are the details from their website:

Our first 2022 event is happening FRIDAY March 4th and Saturday March 5th at the beautiful Lighthouse Christian Center in Mayo, Florida.

To see the speakers and their current topics/talk titles, scroll down!

Mayo is in north Florida, not far from a number of major cities in Florida, just a short jaunt from Georgia, and both the gulf coast and the ocean are under two hours or less away! What more could you want in March?

Friday – at Alton Church of God, 2365 E US 27 Mayo FL 32066

Check in 8.15-8.45

Start at 9 and runs until 12.45

Friday morning John Moody will host a three-hour local food distribution intensive. In 2006, John and Jessica started Whole Life, a local food buying club in Louisville, Kentucky that is now in its 17th year. Not only has the club moved millions of dollars of food in the local and alternative food system, the club was one of the first organizations to win when raided by the government. All attendees will receive a free copy of John’s Food Club and Co-op Handbook, along with almost three hours of additional teaching and discussion on how to build alternative food systems.

Friday day weather permitting one or two local farm tours will be available (Details TBA).

Then, Friday night we will have our coveted VIP dinner. The previous two RFCs, these tickets sold out in under 12 hours!

Enjoy spending time with speakers and other special guests from 4.30-8.30 (be ready to be shooed away starting after 8.00!) along with an amazing meal to get you all ready for Saturday.

Saturday (Tentative Schedule, finalized around February 1st)

7.00-9.00 Breakfast, Check in, and Networking – Whether an early riser or the last one through the church doors on Sunday morning, this long window will accommodate all people and their morning preferences. It also will provide ample time to network with speakers, sponsors, vendors, and others coming to the event.

9.00 – 1.00 Morning speakers

1.00-2.30 Lunch and Networking – Enjoy another long break (people at RFC TN and Polyface loved the longer breaks to give time to connect with others!) and another wonderful real food meal sourced from local and regional and organic farms.

2.30-5.30 Afternoon speakers

5.30-6.00 Goodbyes and grab some stuff from our vendors and sponsors!

Speakers and talk info

Michael Kilpatrick

Ultimate Food Freedom: leveraging the power of a PMA to sell in the private domain without any government interference.

How are farmers taking back their rights and feeding their communities without permits, licenses, or inspections? By invoking their rights and entering into private contracts with their members through a Private Membership Association. Michael will break down what PMA’s are, what freedoms they do and don’t provide, and if they are right for you and your operation.

Pete Kennedy

Getting Your Money’s Worth out of the Custom and Personal Use Exemptions

Access to slaughterhouses, especially federal- and state-inspected houses remains the biggest weakness in the local food system. The federal requirement that only meat from an animal slaughtered and processed in an inspected facility (a facility where an inspector is present when slaughtering and processing takes place) can be legally sold has made it difficult for many farmers and ranchers to meet demand. There are two exemptions federal law provides for the mandatory inspection requirements for slaughter and processing; the custom slaughter and custom processing exemption (the “custom exemption”) and personal use exemption. Even though the law bans sales of meat from anyone operating under the exemption, there are still ways farmers can use the exemption to legally help their business. Find out how to market and legally distribute meat under either exemption. If access to custom facilities is difficult, the personal use exemption is a way that farmers can still market their livestock with minimal regulation right on the farm. Until the PRIME Act passes, taking full advantage of what each of the two exemptions offer could be the best way to effectively deal with the deficient slaughterhouse infrastructure in this country.

Bradley Bleasdale
Life, Liberty & the Pursuit of Raw Milk
Brad will present a short history of their experience with government officials during an investigation of their raw milk. Their successful outcome offers hope, empowerment and tips for both raw milk consumers and farmers.

He will then examine the relationship between individual liberty and personal safety, specifically around the  claim “there’s no such thing as safe raw milk”.  Whose responsibility is food safety?  As our rights get trampled on, who is really to blame? Prepare to be challenged!

Dennis Stoltzfoos

Phil Stoddard
Regulatory Judo and the Right of Revolution

What do you do when a run amok official tries to punish you and a friend over bootleg kombucha, raw milk, and other supposed misdeeds? You fight back, but you also fight smart. Learn how Phil has navigated a number of challenges over the past few decades.

Dave and Ginger Shields

Maximizing your Poultry Exemption Revenues.

With nearly 13 years of raising and selling pastured poultry, we have found that significant revenues can be achieved simply by maximizing your Poultry Exemption (PL 90-492) with on-farm processing. The Poultry Exemption is a true Godsend and enables many small family operations a path to get started with little infrastructure. Keeping under the radar with slow organic growth (staying out of farmers’ markets) allows you to avoid unnecessary attention yet maintain a consistent growing base of supporters. However, with growth, you’re eventual run-ins with FSIS or local agencies will come to pass. We will share our experience as the first PL 90-492 Farm in Florida inspected by FSIS and how we navigated through the encounter and ultimately thrived from the experience.

Learn more and register here. If you can’t make it they also offer a way to purchase the digital recordings.

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