MONTROSE – An effort is underway in Montrose to create a regional online distribution network for local farmers.

A group of passionate farmers and their customers and community leaders is surveying Montrose and surrounding communities to understand the challenges inhibiting local agricultural products from getting onto local forks.

The group is part of the Valley Food Partnership, a volunteer group of diverse stakeholders dedicated to growing the area's local food system while improving the health of its citizens and economy.

After several focus groups met in December, the partnership facilitated a Feb. 10 meeting aimed at one of the most pressing questions: distribution.

As a result of that meeting, a volunteer subcommittee is surveying the community in hopes of creating an action plan to help local farmers distribute their products locally, said Abbie Brewer, who is heading the subcommittee, and works for the Focus on Resource Efficiency Alliance in Montrose.

“It seems to me a distribution system needs to form, in one way or another,” Brewer said. “We want to build a co-op situation, and at the same time, pilot an online system to match buyers and sellers.”

Although it would be new to the Montrose area, systems like what Brewer proposes have been successful in other regions.

Maya Silver is the communication director for the Office for Resource Efficiency, a nonprofit organization based in Gunnison County that promotes energy efficiency and renewable energy through partnerships, programs and outreach.

Resource Efficiency recently took over the management of the Local Farms First program, an online nonprofit farmer's market that serves Delta County, Crested Butte and Gunnison.

Silver attended the Feb. 10 meeting and said that Local Farms First has the potential to help the Montrose community and that it has already established an online system.

“What we are looking at is not integrating both markets or merging,” she said in an interview with The Watch. “But starting from scratch means plans, policies, websites and marketing, which we've already done and we think they could use.”

Silver said the program in Gunnison still has logistical challenges to tackle. They include finding convenient locations to drop off produce because it's too cumbersome for customers to pick up every order from the farmer. How to process payments is another technical issue yet to be solved.

“Otherwise, it's been easy,” she said.

Local Farms First customers are mostly families or college students, and a few small businesses and catering companies, Silver said. It has yet to tap into institutional markets, such as hospitals and schools.

In Montrose, relationships between local farmers and local institutions are growing.

The Montrose County School District has changed its meal plans from 90 percent processed food about two years ago to more than 90 percent cooking from scratch, with many of the ingredients coming from local farmers, said Kathy DelTonto, director of nutritional services for the district.

Mike Krull, who's in charge of the food service and grill at Montrose Memorial Hospital, also works hard to get local food onto his menu.

But both admit there are challenges, including knowing what is in season and how much is available about two weeks before they need it.

“One of the hardest things is knowing who is growing what and when it will be ready,” Krull said during the Feb. 10 meeting.

After working at it for more than three years, Krull said he is working directly with farmers, some of whom are calling him to ask what they should plant based on his needs.

A system that could have helped Krull reach this point, and help others starting out, would be ideal, he said.

“There are only so many producers I can handle. A central medium would be nice,” Krull said.

Smaller buyers also see a future for a local foods network in Montrose.

“I think Valley Food Partnership has tremendous potential to raise awareness and accessibility to healthy, local foods,” said Janice Wheeler, owner of Pine Cone Catering Company in Montrose. “I think if they go forward, everyone in the community is to benefit, so I hope that is the case.”

Brewer is soliciting comments for her survey and seeking farmers and consumers who did not attend the meeting but are interested in the network movement. She can be reached at Abbie@forealliance.com.

More information on the Valley Food Partnership can be found at www.valleyfoodpartnership.org.

kohare@watchnewspapers.com