Established in 2014, Bluegrass Farm to Table serves as a mechanism to increase coordination and collaboration among stakeholders at all levels of the local food system - from production to consumption. Bluegrass Farm to Table’s mission is to promote the development of a more vibrant local food economy by supporting food-related agricultural development. Specifically, Bluegrass Farm to Table:

• Facilitates coordination and collaboration among stakeholders of the local food economy.
  • Convenes Local Food Systems Stakeholder Group. This Group shares regular updates on local food systems projects, programs, and events. Participating organizations include:
  • Convenes farmers, processors, distributors, buyers, community organizations, and policy makers, as needed, to streamline communication, programs/activities, funding opportunities, and future planning efforts.
  • Maintains strategic partnerships—local, regional, and statewide.
• Supports market development for local food products by connecting Kentucky farmers and local food producers with buyers (schools, wholesale distributors, retailers, institutions, restaurants, etc.), with a particular emphasis on developing the supply and demand in the Lexington area and the Bluegrass Region.
• Supports value chain development for Kentucky farm products by:
  • Supporting the development of regional aggregation, distribution, and processing infrastructure for local food products.
  • Supporting educational efforts to promote local food purchasing among consumers, chefs, distributors, and other food purchasers.
  • Encouraging education about the benefits of local food production and consumption.
• Supports a more equitable distribution of local food sales across the community.
• Supports farmers’ markets and other ag/food businesses.