I am Alice Chalmers. I run Sunbird Farm not as a farmer, but as someone that has worked alongside and among farmers to help them create market outlets, help with financial literacy, food safety, grant writing, navigating distributor relationships, and coordination among farmers.

After a career in business and finance, I was saddened by what looked like the inevitable disappearance of family farms around me, as McMansions replaced cattle and Land rovers replaced tractors.

I spent 8 years in the non-for-profit sector, raising money, helping on boards such as Maryland Agriculture Resource Council, co-launching the Beginner Farmer Training Program in the Chesapeake Region and running Future Harvest.

I launched Local Food Connection out of Ohio/Kentucky in 2015 and expanded the model as part of national food distribution company:

• Founded a local food distribution company (regional food hub) - Local Food Connection (LFC)

• Pioneered Farm-to-Institution at scale in the region, establishing local programs in large institutions such as the University of Kentucky and Cincinnati Public Schools

• Sold to hundreds of restaurants across 4 states

• Was awarded funding and technical support as only 1 of 5 companies out of 125 in Chicago-based Food Foundry’s Accelerator Program

• Integrated LFC as the local food division of Creation Gardens, Inc, grew local sourcing by 50% in 2 years, and replicated the local sourcing model to their wider footprint (ex: Tennessee, Colorado, Indiana)