York

Speaker to discuss building a local food system for York County

“Building a Local Food System for York County” is the topic when Rob Wood of Spoutwood Farms in Glen Rock, Pa., speaks at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 14, at Penn State York. The free program, sponsored by the Penn State York Agricultural Science Club, is in the Community Room of the Joe and Rosie Ruhl Student Community Center and is open to the public. The Agricultural Science Club invites speakers to the campus to talk about topics related to animals and farming.

Wood will discuss the differences between locally grown organic crops and those that are imported to the supermarket. Most of our food usually comes from California or Florida, but increasingly it is imported from China, Mexico and even South America, South Africa, or New Zealand. The average fruit or vegetable travels about 1,500 miles to reach your plate with less than 1 percent of food coming from York Country Resources. 

What would it be like if we grew food locally and grocery stores, schools, hospitals, restaurants and food pantries got most of their food meats, grains, vegetables, dairy products and fruits from local farms or local value-added food producers?  Wood will share his thoughts and ideas on how this could happen.

Wood has been the co-owner and co-founder of Spoutwood Farm Center since 1988 when it was created. Under his direction, Spoutwood Farm Center has become a regional leader in the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) movement since 1996. Spoutwood grows everything using organic methods as prescribed by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) for compliance with the National Organic Program and International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Guide 65.

He served as the founding president of the Horn Farm Center for Agricultural Education in Hellam Township, York County, Pa., and is a lifetime member of the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (PASA) and a longtime participant in the Millersville Native Plants and Landscape Conference. Locally, he is on the steering committee of York County Buy Fresh Buy Local, actively involved with the formation of the Healthy World Café, and is a member of The Food Availability Task Force of the Office for Community Improvement at WellSpan Health.

In addition, Spoutwood Farm has developed a reputation for innovation and community education through its festivals (May Day Fairie Festival, Mother Earth Harvest Fair and Tastes of York) and its ongoing education programs, most recently including Teen Battle Chef, a garden to table culinary education project.

 

Rob Wood, right, and his wife, Lucy Sollers Wood, are co-owners and co-founders of Spoutwood Farm in Glen Rock, Pa. Credit: Penn StateCreative Commons

Last Updated March 12, 2012

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