This November, farmers, chefs, educators and community members will gather for Bastrop County's first ever Local Food Fair.
Hosted by the Texas Center for Local Food and in partnership with local organizations such as Bastrop County Cares, the event will aim to engage residents with local food producers and bolster the shrinking agricultural industry in Bastrop.
Event details
According to the event page, the fair will occur at the Bastrop Convention Center on November 10.
Attendees can visit dozens of booths hosted by local food growers and restaurants while enjoying kids' activities, interactive exhibits and fall-themed photo opportunities.
While admission to the event will be free, fundraising will take place through silent auctions, grants and sponsorships.
The background
Like many fast-growing counties in Central Texas, Bastrop's agricultural roots are being paved over.
According to the American Farmland Trust, Central Texas counties, including Bastrop, rank among the top U.S. counties for farmland loss. If development continues, the Trust estimated Bastrop could lose an additional 13,300 acres of farmland to non-agricultural use by 2040.
At the same time, about 95% of food produced in the county isn't processed, sold or consumed in Bastrop, according to a release from the Texas Center for Local Food.
The local food fair is just one program within the organization's 2024 Bastrop County Local Food Action Plan to address the lack of local food sources.
The plan outlines the current state of Bastrop's food systems and recommends solutions to address food insecurity, farmland loss and food supply chain disruptions.
What else
Other programs within the plan include, but are not limited to:
- Bastrop County Seed Library; Late 2024: In collaboration with Master Gardeners’ existing seed library, the program will allow community members to collect free seeds for plants/produce adapted to the Central Texas environment.
- Bastrop County Gleaning; May 2025: Bastrop County Cares will help distribute unharvested crops (glean) from small farms and community gardens to local food pantries.
- Rural Central Texas Kitchen Incubator; May 2026: The incubator will provide kitchen space on Main Street in Smithville to help new food businesses test their products.
- Farmer-Led Incubator and Mentoring Cooperative; 2026: The cooperative will increase affordable land access and provide production support for new and beginning farmers, prioritizing minority and underserved communities.
- Expand Farm-to-Kids Texas to K-12; ongoing through 2026: After-school educational programming will engage Elgin ISD students with the local food system.
Get involved
Those looking to get involved with the local food fair can contact Bastrop County Cares or, to participate in the action plan programs, reach out to the Texas Center for Local Food.
