McKinney Roots occupies five acres in west McKinney. Over the last few years, they have grown and donated thousands of pounds of organic produce and eggs to organizations serving the food-insecure in Collin County.

When COVID-19 became a global health crisis in March of 2020, the needs of the McKinney community changed overnight. Mayor of McKinney, George Fuller, City Manager, Paul Grimes and restaurateur, Rick Wells brought together a group of people from the public and private sectors to gain an understanding of the impact of the virus and maintain a pulse on the constant changes taking place.

Out of an abundance of caution and to help flatten the curve of Covid-19, we are cancelling all of our upcoming events through May. We are incredibly disappointed, but public safety and suppression of this virus is critical.

Going west on 380 you are sure to pass a number of towns each with the same small-town essentials, from the local gas stations, to the town halls and the two or three churches that dot the landscape, it almost all seems the same. But tucked a few miles north of 380 is the small town of Krugerville, Texas that is home to a special community of passionate and caring individuals.

Our first Symposium of the year affirmed that the local food movement is gaining steam and stronger than ever! Local farmers, ranchers, artisans, county extensions agents, and advocates packed the Grand Ballroom to network, make new friends, and catch up with old ones.

Our first Supper with a Cause of the year is a wrap, and we have truly started the year off with a bang! After selling out in record time, fifty-three guests joined us at Harvest to celebrate Empty Bowls McKinney.

Hello, it is Lily McCutcheon and I am back again with another garden visit. This time I had the opportunity to visit the 40+ acres right on the edge of Mckinney and Fairview that make up Cornerstone Ranch.

After reviewing applications from several North Texas nonprofits that share our mission of creating a more sustainable future, we have selected six grant award winners from our application process for 2020!

For years the Seed Project Foundation has given out grants to farmers in the North Texas area to help grow and support local farmers, but the stories of the impact of these grants onto its recipients has never been told.

The holiday season is upon us, and we’ve decided to make it even more fun. At Harvest, every purchase of a seed paper star ornament for $25 is one chance to win a $500 gift card to Rick’s Chophouse and Harvest! All proceeds from the sales are donated to the Seed Project Foundation, which we’ll put to good work funding more local sustainable causes in 2020.

Texan by Nature, a conservation non-profit founded by former First Lady Laura Bush, today announced the honorees of the first-ever Texan by Nature 20 (TxN 20), an official ranking of 20 companies with Texas operations that have made a demonstrative commitment to conservation.

For the first time, we hosted one of our Farm Tours during the fall! The organizers of the Dallas food festival Chefs for Farmers asked if we would do a tour as part of their weekend lineup of events, and we happily obliged.

It was a celebration of all things Harvest. Over a dozen of the farmers and ranchers that grow food for the restaurant were in attendance, alongside many of Harvest’s greatest supporters over the last five years. Several artists and artisans were in attendance as well, including Paul Ernest, who’s stunning images of North Texas agriculture on the walls have become synonymous with Harvest itself.

Time to get your applications in for grants administered in 2020! If you are a North Texas school or nonprofit that embraces sustainability, read the eligibility requirements and fill out an application. The application period closes at midnight on December 31st. There is no disqualification from receiving a grant in successive years.

In 2019, the Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance’s Farm and Food Leadership Conference was held in San Marcos, Texas. For the first time, FARFA partnered with Texas State University’s Small Producer’s Initiative, to offer more sessions, speakers, and workshops than ever.

Webb Elementary School is a Title I school and home to nearly 400 students in grades K-5 on McKinney’s east side. Nearly three quarters of the students enrolled are on free or reduced lunch programs.

Farmers markets are wonderful, but there is nothing like actually visiting a farm to make you feel truly connected to the people that grow your food. For our spring farm tour this year, we visited Water Boy Farms in Lucas, Pure Land Farm in McKinney, and Stonebranch Microfarm in Celina.

Easily our favorite event of the year, the fourth annual Chef and Farmer Pot Luck was held at Water Boy Farms on Memorial Day Weekend. Due to the never-ending rain this spring, it was too muddy to set a long table in the paddock as we usually do, but that wasn’t going to slow us down!

It was a beautiful rare spring day in 2019, rare because it wasn’t raining! A hundred guests gathered at the long table in the meadow for a special Supper with a Cause to support the Connemara Conservancy Foundation.

Hugs Café is a very special place. Just off the square in Downtown McKinney, Hugs is a restaurant staffed almost entirely by adults with special needs. It was a dream of founder Ruth Thompson.