The Kansas Farmers Union is holding a series of workshops focusing on food co-ops and how local family farms can feed their communities.

The first workshop, on how to start an online food cooperative, will take place April 6 at Highland Community College’s Klinefelter Barn in Hiawatha. The focus will be on providing people who enjoy locally produced food with information on forming partnerships and cooperatives.

A second workshop exploring organization of food hubs is expected to be announced shortly.

Several operations are modeling their approach on the Oklahoma Food Co-op, which brings consumers and producers together as owners of a cooperative. Together, the consumers and producers share the costs and risks, as well as the
benefits.

Sponsoring organizations are Kansas Farmers Union, Kansas Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (KS-SARE), Glacial Hills RC&D, Kansas Center for Sustainable Agriculture and Alternative Crops (KSCAAC), Kansas Rural Center, Brown County Healthy Foods Coalition, Glacial Hills Food Center and Highland Community College.