The public is invited to the annual meeting of the South Central Chapter of the Sustainable Farming Association on Saturday at the First Baptist Church in Clarks Grove. This year’s program features an address and discussion on farm policy to be presented by John Mesko, the executive director of the Sustainable Farming Association. Three people from the area are to talk about the work they are doing related to sustainable farming. Dean Goette will tell about his work as a consultant to farmers on environment friendly farming practices and on marketing opportunities. Linda Meschke will provide information about Rural Advantage, a non-profit organization that she heads, which is involved in several different projects for making improvements in agriculture and rural communities. The third local speaker will be Jim Stiles who operates a store, Super Fresh, which sells many food items produced locally.

The presentation by Mesko is part of a new SFA initiative that seeks input from the public to direct SFA’s efforts related to farm policy. Come prepared to share your thoughts on how SFA should move forward with farm policy work. The farm policy session will fill the afternoon time slot running from about 1 to 3 p.m. The other talks will come in the morning following a short business meeting that will start at 9:30 a.m. Everyone is welcome to join for a noon meal which will include homemade soup and bread as well as other food items supplied by members of the south central chapter. There will be time for visiting at lunch, between sessions and during registration which starts at 9 a.m.

This meeting is free and open to the public. There will be an opportunity to join SFA or to renew your SFA membership during registration between 9 and 9:30 a.m. The cost for membership is $30 per year. The noon meal is available for $5. The First Baptist Church, where the meeting will be held, can be found by traveling west from the I-35 exits for Clark Grove to 1st Avenue S.E. and going two blocks south to the church. For information call 256-4876. This meeting provides a great opportunity to learn about new developments in sustainable farming. It will also be an opportunity to visit with people from our area who are working to make improves in the land and in agricultural practices as well as seeking to improve the health of our communities.