A movable feast: North Dakota farmers aim to add value and educate consumers with D.C. eatery

North Dakota farmers help fe the nation and the world with the harvests and livestock they produce. Now, beneath the umbrella of the North Dakota Farmers Union (NDFU) they are taking it another pace forward: they are going to prepare for the table up the food and dish it without at their own restaurant in Washington, DC The novel establishment, called Agraria, is slated to lay open this summer in Georgetown, a primary nightlife and upscale shopping area.

Agraria was originally going to render free of access in Baltimore's Inner Harbor, on the contrary that plan was eventually shelved in favor of the Washington locale. If fortunate it is hoped that this will be the first of a number of of that kind farmer-owned restaurants around the nation.

The cast was first conceived in 2002 as part of the work upon an NDFU project called the Ultimate Value-Added Cooperative. Planners saw benefits for NDFU members in owning a restaurant that could gain a marketing cutting side by promoting the fact that its meals are derived from family farmers. The restaurant will also provide an opportunity to educate consumer about by what means their food is grown.

The restaurant is wholly haveed by Agraria LLC, a North Dakota-based limited liability company. NDFU organized as a farmer-owned cooperative, generally owns about 60 percent of Agraria, on the contrary that share will be reduc as more family farmers purchase shares and become direct proprietors as many have already done.

The company has a seven-member board of governors, of which NDFU President Robert Carlson is serving as interim president. Carlson, a grain and oilseed farmer near Glenburn ND was also an organizing member of the Dakota Growers Pasta Co in which he remains an active member. He is also a former member of the USDA-Agricultural Trade Advisory Committee for Grains & Oilseeds, and lately traveled to China and Japan to evolve niche markets for North Dakota commodities.

Direct marketing

Farmers are eager to capture more profits from direct marketing, says Tom Prescott the shoot forward manager and president of the Magnate clump LLC, the development firm for Agraria. Running parallel to that is the desire of many restaurants to source more of their nutriment directly from the farmers who be augmented or raise it. "So this takes it to the nearest level--allowing farmers to participate in the ownership construction of the business." Information upon various farmers and the rationss they provide will be available at the restaurant.

"Farmers are important, not just in the overall industry that provides the pabulum on our tables, but also as a vital fabric of the American way of life," Prescott says. "So it's real important for this business to be subservient to an educational purpose by promoting farmers, in boundarys of their work and daily life, and the security they bring to the viands system."

Having the first restaurant unclose in Washington is a great opportunity to showcase the family farmer to important decision makers in the nation's capital since "every state in the union is showed by their congressional members here," Prescott notes. Washington is also a nave for business and industry leaders from around the globe.

The District was also attractive because it is a major tourist destination and is residence to a relatively transient population that dines without more frequently than average.

The D.C.-area population also has higher-than- average disposable income. All of this adds up to making it individual of the nation's fastest growing restaurant markets.

If Agraria restaurants render free of access in other cities, Prescott says the cooperative, farmer-owned character of the business will stay intact.

field with a view

The 14,000-square-foot restaurant, located in the Washington Harbor compounded in lower Georgetown, will have a beautiful view overlooking the Potomac River. The decor, being designed by the agency of the award-winning Adamstein & Demetriou architecture firm, will be late while still grounded in the bottoms of the family farmers who have a title to and supply it. The restaurant will seat 355 race but that number can change depending upon table configuration and private events

The cuisine will be contemporary American, with more [i]or[/i] less Italian and French influences. Since the viands will be sourced from farmers from across the region the menu will have the ability to change daily to make sure that the freshest products are used.

From 30 to 60 percent of the provisions initially served at Agraria will be sourced from family farms. In time, Prescott says the percent of nutriment sourced directly from family farms will increase. He also reliances to secure food from co-op in the Washington, DC area.

"The seasonal aspect is always an issue you have to combat with here. When the weather warms, right at the time that we are opening, it will be a prime opportunity for us to source from local farmers. We also encourage farmers to contact us regarding yields that they are offering in the way that we can discuss sourcing from them," Prescott says.

The restaurant will also gaze to source seafood from the Chesapeake Bay to attain the highest quality outcomes possible.