Everyone from Willie Nelson to your average Zuccotti Park resident knows that we need to see policy that reflects our national needs for good, clean, healthy, and fair food. But, how and where to get involved in a piece of legislation as complicated and entrenched as the Farm Bill? To aid in your education, we’re excited to announce a special Kitchen Table Talks on Sunday, November 6, in conjunction with the Community Food Security Coalition’s annual conference. Join us in San Francisco for a lively conversation about the Farm Bill at our new location at 18 Reasons and we’ll take a look at this important piece of legislation from national, state and local levels, and answer your questions about what the it is, where it is headed and how you can get involved.

When: Sunday, November 6, 2011; 6:30-8:30 p.m.

Where: 18 Reasons, 3674 18th Street (@Dolores), San Francisco

Tickets: $10, available at Brown Paper Tickets

Food and drink at 6:30 pm; Discussion at 7:00 pm
8:30/9:00 Mission Pub Crawl with Jen Dalton

Joining us in conversation will be:

Kari Hamerschlag is a senior analyst with the Environmental Working Group. Kari monitors implementation of the 2008 Farm Bill and promotes policies that expand local and sustainable agriculture, increases consumption of healthy food and reduces agriculture’s negative impact on the environment. She educates and activates consumers on these issues and recently authored a comprehensive Meateater’s Guide to Climate Change and Health. Kari is a member of Oakland’s Food Policy Council and recently helped lead a collaborative effort with over a dozen groups to promote a California citizen petition and organizational sign on letter on the Farm Bill around National Food Day.

Udi Lazimy helps farmers advocate for federal policies that support organic agriculture, and currently runs the Organic Farming Research Foundation’s (OFRF) national 2012 Farm Bill Campaign to ensure that widespread public support for organic is adequately reflected in the Farm Bill. Before coming to OFRF, he ran the farmland preservation and agriculture outreach program for Cascade Land Conservancy in Seattle. Udi has also directed programming for nonprofit conservation and sustainable development organizations across the country and abroad.

Susan Kuehn is the SF Coordinator for Food & Water Watch building a grassroots coalition of SF residents, organizations and businesses around our Resolution proposing that the San Francisco Board of Supervisors support initiatives that rebuild local and regional food infrastructure, support small and medium-sized producers and ensure that they are fairly compensated by buyers, promote sustainable and urban agriculture, increase access to health food, and connect San Francisco residents with local farmers and ranchers.

Kitchen Table Talks is a joint venture of CivilEats and 18 Reasons, a non-profit that promotes conversation between its San Francisco Mission neighborhood and the people who feed them. Space is limited, so please RSVP. Seasonal snacks and refreshments generously provided by Bi-Rite Market and Shoe Shine Wine.