Community Food Systems

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Community Food Systems

• Nebraska Sustainability Leadership Workshop
• Jim Crandall
• Nebraska Cooperative Development Center-UNL

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Nebraska Cooperative Development Center

The Nebraska Cooperative Development Center is
Nebraskas center for cooperative based business
development. We provide education, training, and
technical assistance to cooperatively owned
business, be it a cooperative, an LLC, or other
business structure.
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Nebraska Cooperative Development Center

• Created in 1999 to help develop rural businesses
  that were cooperatively owned. NCDC has worked
  with over 60 cooperatively owned businesses since
  its inception. NCDC is now part of UNL, CARI,
  Ag Economics Dept.
• Worked with several value added agriculture
  companies, many of them involved in direct
  marketing their production to the consumer.
• Began working with Local Foods in early 2000.
  (AmeriCorps Members, Buy Nebraska, All Nebraska
  Meals, and more)

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Trends

• National trend to buy and consume locally grown
  food
• Know who your food comes from
• Perceived as safer
• Perceived as more nutritious
• Interest in sustaining local farmers
• Some view as food security issue

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General Economies

• US residents spend slightly less than 10 of
  their household income on food
• Nebraska median household income (1999 census) is
  39,250.
• Approximately 3900 spent on food annually
• A community of 1000 people spends 975,000 on
  food
• Beatrice spends 12,187,500 !!

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General Economies

• If local food producers could capture even 1 of
  the Beatrice grocery expenditures, it would
  amount to 121,875!!
• That 121,875 stays in the community
• Is it worth it for community leaders to help
  facilitate local food systems?

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Local economies

• Local grocers
• Local restaurants
• Farmers Markets
• Local organizations/businesses
• Examples.

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Local Food Guide
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Buy Fresh, Buy Local Nebraska Founding Partners
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New Buy Fresh Buy Local Areas

• Central Nebraska
• South Central RCD
• Loup Basin RCD
• Prairie Land RCD

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Contact Us Billene Nemec Coordinator 103 Miller
Hall Lincoln, NE 68583 472-7352 bnemec2_at_unl.edu
Elaine Cranford 103 Miller Hall Lincoln, NE
472-1746 ecranford2_at_unl.edu www.buylocalnebraska
.org
Nebraskan Demand for Local Products

• 95 of Nebraskans believe that it is important
  that food products are locally grown and produced
• 98 of Nebraskans are interested in purchasing
  local food from grocers
• 88 of Nebraskans are interested in purchasing
  local foods in restaurants
• 41 of Nebraskans are willing to spend more than
  the typical retail price to select foods that are
  locally produced

Source Attracting Consumers With Locally
Produced Products, UNL Food Processing Center,
2001.
Eating is an Agricultural Act-Wendell
BerryIts a Political Act as Well-Michael
Pollan
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Sample Impacts

• More than 5400 pounds of ground beef sourced from
  local farms for 2 meals per month August-May.
• One cafeteria, some at East Campus Union, plus
  some catered meals
• The first year they sourced food from about 20
  farmers/producers. Now they source from 68.

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Food system without Bricks and Mortar

• On-line market
• Members of the cooperative are producers and
  consumers
• Delivery to central location twice/month
  seasonally, once/month out of season
• Volunteer labor to sort and package

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Were Not Doing it Alone

• Coordinated Effort through Nebraska Local Foods
  Network
• UNL Nebraska Cooperative Development Center
• University of Nebraska-Rural Initiative
• UNL-Extension
• UNL-GFL
• Center for Rural Affairs
• Nebraska Food Cooperative
• Farmers/Ranchers
• Nebraska Market Maker
• Chefs
• UNL Food Processing Center
• Agronomy Horticulture
• Many More

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Food Related business development

• Family Farm and Rancher Meats Coop
• Farmers Choice
• Farmstead First Dairy
• Good Fresh Local, UNL Dining Hall
• GROW Nebraska
• Heartland Nuts N More Coop
• Mainbow Meats
• Many Rivers Producers Coop

• Nebraska Food Cooperative
• Nebraska Sandhills Yellow Perch Coop
• Northstar Neighbors LLC
• Nutritech Ostrich LLC
• Small Farms Cooperative
• Wolfs Den Grocery

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Sustainable Communities

• Sustainable Leadership
• Sustainable Businesses
• Ash Hollow grocery store coop, Ainsworth Clothing
  Coop, Bloomfield Soy Products LLC, Blue River
  Ethanol
• BuyNebraska.org, CC Ag., Centerville Market LLC,
  Community Crops, Custer County Ag. Products,
• Daly Ranch Meats, Eddyville Steakhouse LLC,
  Ethanol Power Producers, Imperial, Ethnic Farmers
  Market project
• Family Farm and Rancher Meats Coop, Grain Value
  added processing, Blackwoods Hunting and
  Recreation
• Heartland Natural Fibers Coop, Heartland Nuts N
  More Coop, Hilltop Hay Coop, Husker Ag.
  Processing LLC
• KAAPA-Mexican grain project, Libby Creek Farm
  Alliance, Lindsay Grocery Store Coop,
• Longpine Business Incubator, Madrid Ethanol, NC
  Organic Seed, Nebraska Community Food Network
• Nebraska Farmers Market Association, Nebraska Sun
  Oil Coop, Nebraska Woody Florals Coop
• New Millennium Sheep Alliance, Niobrara Wood
  Products LLC, Nutritech Ostrich LLC, Oregon Trail
  Ethanol Coalition
• Panhandle Rural Health Coop, Panhandle Marketing
  Coop, Partners Hay Marketing cooperative,
• Prairie Farms Marketing Alliance, Producer Owned
  Woolen Mill, Regional Natural Meats Coop
  (multi-state)
• Roseland Distillers Grain Project, Rural
  Ranchers, SE Nebraska Alternative Crops (Arbor
  Trails Winery Cooperative)
• SE Nebraska Area Producers Coop, Seasonal Grass
  Dairy, South Central Biodiesel Project,
• St. James Market Place/Heartland Experience,
  Tele-health Coop, The Worm Firm, Unified Soy
  Processors LLC
• Valley Vegetable, Western Nebraska Grape Growers
  Assn., Wyo-Braska Bean Cooperative

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Local Foods Local Impacts

• Jim Crandall
• Associate Director
• Nebraska Cooperative Development Center-UNL
• Cooperative Business Development Specialist
• 11854 730 Rd.
• Holdrege, NE 68949
• 308-995-3889
• crandall3_at_unl.edu