Josh Suppan is a grain and vegetable farmer, operator of Fatchance Farmstead, and President of the National Farmers Union-Ontario. His farm runs a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) food box program and produces small grains milled into local flour. On September 22, he will join the panel for "Food Sustains Us: Building a Local Food System that Nourishes Community," a breakfast event hosted by the Community Foundation for Kingston & Area at the Delta Hotel Kingston Waterfront.

Q: Tell us about Fatchance Farmstead.

A: "My business is split roughly 50% vegetables and 50% grain. On the vegetable side, the heart of it is our CSA food box program, which is where I sell the bulk of my produce. The other half is small grains milled into flour, sold directly and to local stores and bakeries. I started milling flour in 2021 and have been slowly expanding ever since."

Q: What are the biggest challenges facing local food producers?

A: "For established producers, it's finding enough customers so you're not spending all your time on marketing. For newcomers, it's access: land, equipment, infrastructure, and knowledge. I can't imagine trying to be a new farmer today. It would just be so much more difficult."

Q: What does Kingston need to build a stronger local food system?

A: "My message to institutions is simple: do one thing, buy one thing, and do it all the time. Farmers need reliable outlets. If Queen's University committed to buying one product every year, plenty of producers could build their business around that. That kind of stability changes everything. And a community food hub driven by people, not profit, with buy-in from local government could help bridge the gaps that programs like CSA boxes can't reach alone."

Q: What do you hope people take away from September 22?

A: "We have to think of our food system as something more important than just profit. If we embrace local food, whether that's signing up for a CSA box, buying locally milled flour, or pushing institutions to source nearby, we're going to have a much more robust regional food system. We can do so much more than we're doing now."

"Food Sustains Us: Building a Local Food System that Nourishes Community" takes place Tuesday, September 22, 8:30 to 10:00 a.m. at the Grandview Room, Delta Hotel Kingston Waterfront, 1 Johnson St. Space is limited. Register Here.