About Us

The Dakota Local Food Network was created in response to the deteriorating quality of the industrial food now found in supermarkets and convenience stores throughout the country. Too many chemicals, too much processing, abusive treatment of animals, drugs and hormones, genetically modified crops (in some cases modified to tolerate more pesticide), recalls of tainted food, the list goes on. The solution is to grow our own food and buy from local farmers and ranchers, people we know and trust.

This is an interactive website and everyone is invited to participate. So ask your questions, contribute to our posts, send us additions and updates, and help us continue our long South Dakota tradition of being good neighbors.

Three people organize and maintain this website:

Shirley Frederick retired from teaching in the Rapid City Schools in 1996. Since then she has worked as an environmental educator in the Southwest and as a local organizer in the Black Hills area. Her interests include health, nutrition, and protection of our air, water, and soil. She lives in Rapid City.

Tonya Gomez is a SDSM&T graduate and worked as an environmental consultant in south Florida for several years. She returned with her husband and two children to the Black Hills several years ago. Ever since, she has been on a quest to find locally the best-quality food possible. After raising some thirty chickens and multiple gardening attempts, the adventure is only beginning…!

Barb taught for ten years in the Rapid City School District. Currently, she is at home raising her children. Barb has always loved gardening and cooking from the garden. The past few years, she has also enjoyed discovering the locally produced, healthy foods in this area.