Beyond the Market in the Cariboo

Cariboo RD Area B Heloise Dixon-Warren has brought the following information to my attention:

Dear Fans of Food and Farming in the Cariboo,

For three years, we have been running a successful community economic development program for the agriculture sector out of Prince George, serving communities along the Highway 16 corridor. In that time, we have come to recognize the tremendous need for the services we provide and are honoured to provide real hands-on service to real hands-on farmers. The current phase of the program is due to expire in February 2014, and our community advisory board has encouraged us to draft new proposals to continue to offer services to the northern agriculture communities. We’ve also have several requests to expand these services in the Cariboo. As such, we are spending this month exploring the opportunities for this project and are seeking a wide variety of input, from YOU – the farmers, food providers and community developers and in the Cariboo.

There are several ways to learn about the work of the Beyond the Market project and provide your input on future services offered in your region. I will be traveling to the Cariboo to offer a series of open houses and meetings in two weeks time. I would also like to book meetings with an interested community groups or farming organizations during my travels.

If you are not available to meet in person, you can learn about what the project has offered in the past by browsing our website or taking a look at our facebook page:
http://www.beyondthemarket.ca/
https://www.facebook.com/BeyondtheMarket

IMPORTANT: I hope all of you will provide much needed feedback through an online survey that I would encourage all food and farm operators in the Cariboo to fill out: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/TN28T5L

If available, please consider attending one of three open houses:
· Quesnel: Mon, Oct 21, 4-6pm @ Community Futures (335 Vaughan St)
· 100 Mile House: Wed, Oct 23, 4-6pm, Location TBD
· Williams Lake: Thurs, Oct 24, 4-6pm @ Community Futures (266 Oliver St)

We will also be presenting to the Cariboo Regional District on Friday, Oct 25 at 11:30 and the public is welcome to join.

I would love to meet some of you in person, so please contact me directly to book a meeting or a coffee chat during my stay in the communities.

I’m looking forward visiting and learning what the needs of past, present and future Cariboo farmers are. Please share this notice broadly with your networks.

Sincerely,

Jillian Merrick
Project Coordinator
Beyond the Market: Growing the North