(Radio Iowa) — Media mogul Martha Stewart addressed nearly a thousand people over the noon-hour Friday, at a conference in downtown Des Moines. “I’ve always wanted to come to Iowa,” Stewart said, with a laugh. “I have some ties here. Meredith Corporation is publishing ‘Martha Stewart Living’ and ‘Martha Stewart Wedding’ and our special issues and it was a great opportunity to come and visit…and to see what’s going on here in farm country. ” Stewart was the keynote speaker at the 12th annual “Land Investment Expo” which draws bankers and farmers for a day-long series of seminars. Stewart described her own 150-acre farm in New York State. “I do get dirty. I do get out into the garden. I do clean out the chicken coops. I do know how to do all of that stuff, so it’s authentic,” Stewart said. “…When you’re trying to teach people, if you’re not authentic, you’re not a very good teacher.”

Stewart used the phrase “backyard farm” to describe her operation and she listed the wide variety of livestock, poultry, vegetables and fruits produced there.  “Even though I’m just on a little ‘farmette’ I like the idea of farming and growing,” Stewart said. Most Americans are “really ignorant” about where their food comes from, according to Stewart.  “I think there is room for more exploration and more teaching in that area,” Stewart said. “I think all the fabulous farmers in this room should promote, more, about how it happens.”

Stewart, an advocate of organic food and farming practices, said consumers are growing more concerned about “chemicals and byproducts” in their food. Developing more small-scale organic farms is important, according to Stewart. “The big farms, of course, they’re important and they feed the world,” she said, “but the small farms, too, should be encouraged and subsidized in some way.”

The third season of Stewart’s television collaboration with rapper Snoop Dogg, an advocate for recreational marijuana, starts in February. Stewart emphasized that she does not smoke pot on the show, but Stewart said she is investing in research of the potential medical benefits from cannabis in products for pets as well as humans.

AMES, Iowa ― Iowa State University Extension and Outreach will host a MarketReady workshop for area producers in Atlantic on Tuesday, February 26. The training is designed to provide producers with the skills and knowledge needed to make sound decisions about diversifying operations into wholesale, retail, and institutional market outlets. The workshop will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Cass County Community Center, 805 West 10th St., Atlantic. This training will focus on best marketing practices when dealing with these market outlets, including communications and relationship building, regulations, packaging and labeling, grading, pricing, logistics, and more.

The workshop will also include a buyer panel. The intent of this part of the program is for buyers to meet farmers and producers, and for both sides of the sales transaction to understand what the other needs in order to supply and buy local food. Panelists will include chefs, grocers, and institutional buyers such as those working for school districts and hospitals.

Cost for the workshop is $20 per person or $35 per couple (or two employees from the same farm). The fee includes training materials, lunch, and refreshments. Pre-registration is required by 4 p.m. Friday, Feb. 22. To register, visit www.extension.iastate.edu/cass, stop by the Cass County Extension Office, or call (712) 243-1132 by 4 p.m. Friday, Feb. 22. For more information about the workshop, contact Emily Coll, program assistant with ISU Extension and Outreach Local Foods and Value Added Agriculture Programs, at ecoll@iastate.edu or (515) 296-0586.