If you are reading this, it means you made it through 2020. And what a year it's been! Our local farm community (like the entire world) was dealt a tough hand, from a global pandemic to wildfires to economic turbulence. And while we're not out of the woods yet, it's important that we stop for a moment to acknowledge how through it all our local food system held strong, how our family farmers rose to the occasion when our communities needed them most, and how 2020 was not just a year of tragedy but also one of astounding adaption.

So that's the theme of next month's annual gathering. While it won't be in person this year, we invite you to join us for a virtual get-together to celebrate resilience in the face of unprecedented change. Grab a drink and join us virtually on Zoom to co-mingle with friends we've not seen in months and to hear three stories from the North Bay about farmers adapting to profound changes, from market disruptions to processing bottlenecks to a year in politics unlike any before. Then stick around for an update on CAFF's work, both locally and across the state.

Free, all welcome!

THIS YEAR'S PRESENTERS:

The Bay Area Ranchers Co-op (Bar-C) was founded to provide local farming and ranching communities with USDA-inspected animal harvest in a sustainable, non-competitive environment. After being shut out of the only remaining facility for hundreds of miles around, these ranchers banded together around transparency, honesty and the benefit of oversight from the ranching community itself. Hear from two founding members who are adapting through collaboration to overcome this vital bottleneck and to keep our local ranches alive for generations to come.

FEED Sonoma has been central to our local farm community for years and was in the process of shifting to a cooperative model, but when the pandemic shut down the food businesses on which it relied, the team at FEED had to pivot and pivot fast. Hear about how this food hub switched gears, launching a direct to consumer produce program that helped keep invaluable sales outlets open for dozens of farmers across the North Bay.

Farmer George Davis has been a long-time fixture at CAFF. Founding Porter Creek Vineyards way back in the 1970s, today George has turned his attention towards national politics, advocating for policies that promote fairness for family farms and that advance regenerative agriculture. On top of everything, 2020 also brought big changes in D.C. Hear from George what new leadership in the White House will mean for farmers, local food and our communities.