Local Food: A System, Not a Trend with Rick McNary of Shop Kansas Farms

“I think understanding how things are grown and letting the farmer tell you will calm a lot of the fears placed in people by the major corporations.” In this episode, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Rick McNary. Rick used to be a pastor and had the chance to go to Nicaragua on a mission trip. His experience from that trip sparked a passion to connect more people with food. Rick shared how he and his wife started Shop Kansas Farms as a way to give people access to locally grown/produced food and help people learn where their food comes from. Rick also discussed the Harvest Hub project in Rice county, another project to connect people with local food and products.      About our guest: Rick McNary, Shop Kansas Farms - Kansas Rick McNary is a writer, photographer, global hunger expert and founder of a remarkable new Facebook group known as Shop Kansas Farms. For 20 years, he served as a pastor of a church in Potwin, Kansas. After going on a mission trip and interacting with starving people in Nicaragua, he organized a humanitarian food relief organization. Today, he is still involved in such efforts through The Outreach Program, a non-profit that organizes food packaging events across the country. Rick has published three books. Many of his articles have been published in Kansas Farm Bureau’s Kansas Living magazine. If you are interested in connecting with Rick, check out his website or visit the Shop Kansas Farms Facebook page.     At a glance:  Rick’s missionary experience in Nicaragua.  How Shop Kansas Farms got started and why Rick and his wife wanted to create Shop Kansas Farms. Harvest Hub in Rice county and how local might not mean the same thing to everyone. Things Rick wished the general public knew about their local food system.  You may also enjoy… #27 Market Shifts in Direct to Consumer Marketing in the Beef Industry #30 Alaskan Agriculture and a look at the Remote Food Supply Chain #31 Expanding Local Food Businesses and Food Education with Bruce's Bullseye Farms   About the Host of Farming on Purpose, Lexi Wright:  I’m your host, Lexi Wright. I started the Farming on Purpose Podcast from a passion for sharing the stories of agriculture from generations past, preserving the skills and lessons learned along the way, and ensuring the best of that is passed onto those who will continue to lead the way into the future of production agriculture. I’m so glad you’re here and I hope you’ll take a moment to join the conversation with me and other listeners on social media.  Connect with me on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok.