Community Based Food Systems

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Community Based Food Systems
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Two Parallel Food Systems

• Industrial

• Community Based

• Focus on corn, soy and CAFO pork, chicken and
  beef
• Large property sizes
• Heavy machinery required
• Work with only a few large corporations
  throughout the world

• Focus on Specialty crops, pastured pork, poultry,
  and beef
• Small property sizes
• Minimal equipment needs
• Work directly with consumers

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IndustrialFood Systems

• The top five industrial agricultural commodities
  in Iowa are corn, hogs, soybeans, cattle, and
  dairy.
• The primary uses of these crops are to
• 1. Feed livestock
• 2. Produce High Fructose Corn Syrup
• 3. Produce Hydrogenated Oil
• 4. Provide Affordable Poultry, Pork and Beef
  proteins
• The technologies and adaptations in commodity
  agriculture, whether you like it or not, have
  helped make more types of food products available
  at very low cost to people around the world.

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Community Based Food Systems

• Produce whole food crops not typically intended
  for intensive processing.
• Distribution is usually done on a local scale
  crops not intended to leave the community or
  region where they are produced.
• Products are sold directly to consumers or
  institutions, very few third party distribution
  partners.

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The Elements of a Local Food System

• Healthy food, including fresh produce and leaner,
  grass based meats
• Stewardship practiced particularly by farmers but
  also considering the distance food travels and
  other post harvest practices
• Access to healthy food for people at all income
  levels, not just for well-to-do foodies
• A livable wage for farm-workers and a decent
  livelihood for farmers
• Anthony Flaccavento

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What is a Value Chain?

• A value chain is a supply chain that is designed
  to link supply with markets efficiently, but to
  do so while promoting certain core values
• Equity and fair pay for farmers, farm-workers,
  food producers, businesses and workers in the
  supply chain
• Sustainability beginning with more resilient
  farming practices, but also considering the total
  footprint or production, processing, shipping etc
• Community Capacity to better meet its own food
  needs and to build a more self-reliant economy,
  primarily through locally owned infrastructure
  and assets
• Health and Food Access for all, with a
  particular concern for people of limited means
• Anthony Flaccavento

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What This Could Look Like
What This Could Look Like
The farmer that wholesales
The farmer that sells direct

• Grows on less than an acre
• Typically is un-mechanized
• Grows up to 50 different varieties of fruits and
  vegetables
• Invests in season extending technologies such as
  cold-frames
• Markets direct to individuals, farmers markets
  and CSAs
• Can scale-up to wholesaling after success in
  direct markets

• Grows on a minimum of 2 acres
• Requires machinery to maintain efficiencies
• Grows 3-5 varieties of fruits or vegetables
• Invests in greenhouses and high-tunnels for
  season extension and year-round growing
• Markets to grocers, hospitals, schools,
  institutions
• Often participates in direct marketing as well

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Filling in the Gaps

• Farmers Markets

• What Sells

• Every Farmers Market in the region needs more
  fruit, vegetable, and niche meat vendors.
• There are many communities and organizations that
  want to start farmers markets but cant find
  enough vendors.

• Most vendors already grow and sell the standards
  tomatoes, onions, zucchini, turnips, etc.
• New vendors should consider differentiated
  products niche meats, heirloom varieties, baby
  vegetables, gourmet vegetables and FRUIT!

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An Iowa Farmers Market

• Farmers market means a marketplace which
• seasonally operates principally as a common
• market for fresh fruits and vegetables on a
  retail
• basis for off-the-premises consumption
• Iowa Food Code 137F.1.

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Iowa Farm EnterprisesPast Present

• In 1920 more than 75 of ALL Iowa farms raised
  horses, cattle, chicken, corn, hogs, apples, hay,
  and oats!
• Up to 62 of farms also raised cherries, wheat,
  plums, grapes, ducks, geese, strawberry, pears,
  mules, sheep, timothy, peaches, bees, barley,
  raspberry, turkeys, watermelon, syrup sorghum,
  gooseberry, sweet corn, apricots, tomatoes,
  cabbage, popcorn, AND currants!

• In 2002 the primary crops grown were corn,
  soybeans, hay, cattle, horses, hogs, and
  chickens.
• Roughly 1 of Iowa farms raised oats, sheep,
  goats, duck, and geese.
• Other crops were not grown in significant enough
  amounts to track.

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Growing What We Eat

• Apples
• Apricots
• Asparagus
• Beans (Snap)
• Blackberries
• Blueberries
• Broccoli
• Cabbage
• Cantaloupes
• Carrots
• Cauliflower
• Cherries
• Cucumbers
• Eggplant
• Garlic
• Grapes
• Greens/Collards/Lettuce (Head)
• Lettuce (Leaf)
• Nectarines

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Filling in the Gaps

• Farm to School

• Farm to Institution

• Local food producers can work with their local
  schools food service program to help improve
  access to fresh and nutritious food in our
  community schools. From kindergarten through
  college campuses are embracing local food.

• Farmers and ranchers can sell product directly to
  hospitals, care facilities, restaurants, grocery
  stores, correctional facilities, etc.
• Be willing to work with their requirements to
  create a strong professional relationship.

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Farm to School in Iowa

• In 2007, Iowa lawmakers passed Farm to School
  legislation to establish a
• program that would link elementary, secondary,
  public and non-public schools
• with Iowa farmers provide schools with fresh and
  minimally processed Iowa
• grown food for inclusion in school meals and
  snacks and to encourage
• children to develop healthy eating habits and
  provide them with hands-on
• learning opportunities, such as farm visits,
  cooking demonstrations, and
• school gardening and composting programs.
• The Farm to School Program is coordinated by the
  Iowa Department of
• Agriculture and Land Stewardship in partnership
  with the Iowa Department of
• Education and a seven-member Farm to School
  Council. The Iowa Farm to
• School Program will reach out to communities to
  establish strong
• partnerships.

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Filling in the Gaps

• Land

• Lots of Land

• It doesnt take much land to put in a garden it
  doesnt take too big a garden to feed your family
  or sell at a farmers market.
• Western Iowa Development Association has
  developed a land-bank of small (1/10th acre and
  up) parcels available for rent/lease in the area
  specifically to local food producers.
• We are working to create community gardens so
  that those without land can use public land to
  grow food.

• For people that want to acquire ten or more acres
  of land there are programs that can offer
  guaranteed loans and business development
  assistance.
• We have a strong coalition that can help new or
  expanding food producers access land.

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Filling in the Gaps

• Regulations Policy

• Food Safety

• The local food coordinator, the local food policy
  councils, the RCD, and many state local
  agencies are available and willing to help local
  food producers navigate the web of policies,
  inspections, regulations, rules, and issues that
  can impact production.
• How could forming a local food policy council
  help your communities?

• Food Safety should be one of our top priorities
  as we work to create an economically successful
  local food system. Developing strong standards in
  local food production will protect all of us.
• Local food system champions should be prepared to
  help consumers, purchasers, and producers
  understand what they can do to ensure the safety
  of the food system.

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Scaling Up Beyond Farmers Markets

• The following checklist is only a few of things a
  farmer or rancher needs to think about before
  starting a new business or expanding the scope of
  an existing one.
• CAN YOU PROVIDE SERVICES TO MEET THESE NEEDS?
• 1. Business plan Have you developed a business
  plan that is an
• operating manual for your business?
• 2. Business entities Have you selected the
  business entity that
• best fits your business plan?
• 3. Insurance Have you reviewed your insurance
  coverage for your
• business recently and made sure you have adequate
  coverage?
• 4. Food safety Have you taken the time to
  determine how food
• safety rules fit into your present and future
  business plan?
• 5. Equipment and packaging Have you reviewed
  your
• equipment and packaging materials to make sure
  they are
• food grade?
• 6. Finance Have you reviewed your business plan
  with your
• banker and lined up adequate financing?
• 7. Marketing plan Have you identified your
  prospective
• customers and determined how to market to them?
• 8. Equipment plan Have you priced and located
  the type of
• equipment you will need to conduct your business?

From Selling to Institutions An Iowa Farmers
Guide by Robert Luedeman Neil D Hamilton Drake
University Agricultural Law Center
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What Can a Local Food Working Group Do?

• Identify all existing local food producers.
• Identify all existing local food value chains.
• Identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities,
  and threats to the Fremont County Local Food
  System.
• Develop and implement actionable plans to build
  on strengths, encourage opportunities, overcome
  weaknesses and alleviate threats.
• Work with policy makers within the county to
  engender an environment that supports local food
  production and consumption.

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Filling in the Gaps

• Local Lockers

• Federal Inspection

• Currently we are incredibly lucky to have small,
  local meat and poultry lockers in SW Iowa.
• Most regions in Iowa have seen their local
  lockers close.

• Unfortunately without Federal inspection local
  niche meat producers who want to sell to
  restaurants, institutions (schools, hospitals,
  care facilities, jails, etc) or anywhere across
  state lines, haul their livestock out of state
  for processing.

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Federally Inspected Processing Economic
Development

• Current state inspection in Iowa is an EXACT
  replica of Federal Inspection. There is no
  regulatory difference. Currently all lockers in
  SW Iowa are state inspected.
• Hauling livestock has negative impact in many
  ways its hard on the animals, sends dollars out
  of state dollars that dont come back, and is a
  time consuming activity for producers.
• Local processing with federal inspection would
  keep more of our hard earned money in our
  communities, shorten distances animals have to be
  hauled for processing, and create more markets
  for local, niche meat and poultry products.

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Regulating Agencieswill they work with local
food producers in your communities?

• For Farmers Markets

• For Wholesale

• Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals
• County City Departments of Public Health
• Iowa Food code
• Iowa Department of Agriculture and land
  Stewardship
• FDA
• Food Safety Inspection Service

• Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals
• County City Departments of Public Health
• Iowa Food code
• Iowa Department of Agriculture and land
  Stewardship
• FDA
• Food Safety Inspection Service

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Filling in the Gaps

• What Counties Can Do

• What We All Can Do

• Asses what planning and zoning regulations impact
  local food production
• Meet with local food producers to find common
  ground
• Amend policy to ensure small farmers and ranchers
  are getting the support they need to fully
  develop their operations.

• Understand that by working together we can
  accomplish more.
• Try to see the situation from everyones
  perspective not just your own.
• Be willing to compromise a little progress
  today may lead to lots of progress tomorrow.

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How Does Fremont County Define a farmFederal,
State, Local Policy Definitions of A Farm

• The US Census defines a farm as any place from
  which 1,000 or more of agricultural products
  were produced and sold during the census year.
• Iowa state code defines a farm as ten acres or
  more of land in agricultural use.
• The Pottawattamie County Assessor defines a farm
  as 15 or more acres. (this varies from county to
  county)
• The Pottawattamie County Department of Planning
  and Zoning defines a farm as 35 acres. (this also
  varies from county to county)
• USDA defines a farm by US Census standards for
  statistical purposes only individual USDA
  programs have their own standards
• The Farm Service Agency (of the USDA) defines a
  farm as 10 acres or more.
• The Cass County Auditor defines a farm as ten
  acres or more of land in agricultural use.
• Boone County defines a farm as an enterprise
  which is recognized in the community as a farm
  rather than a rural residence. 

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To Put Food Production Into Perspective

• The average county in Iowa contains 240,300 acres
  of harvested cropland
• In order to produce the 22 typical fruits and
  vegetables that Iowans consume - 30,000 acres
  would be needed STATE-WIDE.
• Current seasonal production would require just
  over 12,000 acres.

• This 12,325 acres represents just 5.1 of the
  cropland in just one county!
• If this production were distributed across the
  entire state this would require just 123 acres
  per county slightly less than 1/5th of a square
  mile. Food production has different requirements
  than corn and soy production typically counties
  have this much or more vacant land that is
  suitable to use for food production.

From The Economic Impact of Fruit Vegetable
Production is SW Iowa Considering Local Nearby
Metropolitan Markets by David Swenson 2009
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Possible Economic Impacts

• In SW Iowa, farmers produce 792 Million in
  food commodities per year, yet spend 887 Million
  to raise them. Losing an average of 95 million
  in production costs each year. Farmers also spend
  an estimated 400 million buying inputs sourced
  from outside the region.
• Residents of SW Iowa spend more than 370
  Million on food annually. More than 90 is
  imported from other states and countries.

• Iowans spent 7 Billion on food in 2006
• The 2006 Iowa corn crop was worth 4 Billion
• Proven agricultural techniques show it is
  possible to earn up to 50,000 per acre using
  Small Plot Intensive Techniques
  (www.spinfarming.com)
• Iowans eat 25.9 million pounds of carrots each
  year and only 5 of these are grown in Iowa.
• Demand for local, sustainable, humanely-raised,
  fair-trade food production has increased
  growing about 20 per year

Cass, Fremont, Harrison, Mills, Montgomery,
Page, Pottawattamie, Shelby Counties
Data from Crossroads Resource Center Ken Meter
2006 A Vision for Good Food for Iowa by Angie
Tagtow
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Current Health Trends in Iowa

• Two-thirds of Iowans are overweight or obese.
• Iowas direct costs attributed to obesity are
  estimated to be more than 783 million.
• Since 1996 there has been more than a 60
  increase in the rate of diabetes in Iowa.
• Researchers have predicted that because of the
  dramatic rise in obesity and related chronic
  diseases, especially among young people, Iowans
  may experience a decline in life expectancy by as
  much as five years in the next few decades. Our
  children may have shorter life spans than their
  parents.

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Health Benefits of Community Based Food Systems

• As access to locally-grown food increases, food
  security improves, more fruits and vegetables are
  consumed and diet related chronic diseases
  decline.
• Food is a basic human need and the quality and
  quantity of food available is essential to our
  good health.

• Diverse foods are needed to meet the food,
  nutrition, and health needs of all Iowa eaters.
• Diversifying farm production helps meet the
  demand and enables a producer to spread out their
  production and level of risk.
• Local food enable Iowans to reconnect with where
  their food comes from. We have a strong cultural
  and historical connection to raising our own
  food.
• Our ancestors that settled this state did so
  primarily as self-sufficient farmers and
  ranchers.

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For More Information about Community Based Food
System Development in Southwest Iowa

• Southwest Iowa Food Farm Initiative
• (SWIFFI) Harrison, Shelby, Audubon, Guthrie,
  Pottawattamie, Cass, Mills, Montgomery, Fremont,
  and Page Counties
• www.swiffi.org
• Local Food Coordinator Bahia Barry
• At Golden Hills Resource Conservation
  Development (RCD) 712-482-3029
• Western Iowa Development Association (WIDA)
  Donna Peters
• 712-343-6368

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"I think our governments will remain virtuous for
many centuries as long as they are chiefly
agricultural and this will be as long as there
shall be vacant lands in any part of America."
--Thomas Jefferson to James Madison, 1787.
Papers 12442