On May 23, 2012, I was privileged to ride along on a northeast Kansas Local Food Bus Tourcoordinated by Glacial Hills Resource Conservation & Development, Wetmore, and the Glacial Hills Food Center of Horton.

The tour highlighted specialty crops, local producers, processing, merchandising, rural businesses, and healthy lifestyles.

Passengers enjoyed a free ride and free food during the tour, with many thank to a grant from the Kansas Department of Agriculture.

Between 7:30am and 6:00pm, the bus featured a number of speakers, with 10 stops from Hiawatha (Brown County) to as far west as Washington County.  Featured businesses included:  Hearthside Country Store, Sabetha; Granite Road Greenhouses, Beatty; Frankfort meat processing locker (now certified for organic processing); Elsie Grace’s, Frankfort; Winslow’s Gardens, Frankfort; Wellness Weaver’s, Waterville; Laflen Gardens, Greenleaf; David Coltrain/ Coltrain Produce, Palmer; MarCon Pies, Washington; Hanover Farmers Market.