Increasing local food production in the Lexington area is one key objective of the city's newly named local food coordinator.
Ashton Potter-Wright presented her agenda this week to Lexington council members. Potter-Wright admits it's unrealistic to expect significant, short-term economic gains in bluegrass food production.
She says getting area schools and groceries to use more locally grown foods is no easy task. "It's a challenge, I will tell you. I mean, to say in a year, we'll be able to move the needle in respect to economic development, it's probably a lofty goal. We can certainly make some small steps and I feel like I've already made some of those connections. Facilitating relationships with local growers and new markets, such as a new wholesaler, which has already happened with a grower in Bourbon County," said Potter-Wright.
Potter-Wright says she's working with the Fayette County school system and the University of Kentucky to increase local food purchases.
She suggests a retired Lextran bus could be used as a local mobile food vehicle to visit neighborhoods. Potter-Wright says one challenge is getting produce from the field to buyers. "So, there's really a lack of coordinated infrastructure for local food for production processing, aggregation. We really don't have aggregation so smaller growers that only have 10 acres of corn, you know Kroger will need 20 acres," added Potter-Wright.
Potter-Wright says she's also researching ways to winterize Lexington's downtown pavilion for year round farmer's market sales.
