The local food system is one of the fastest-growing markets in agriculture. Learn more about using organic agriculture and sustainable crops and livestock in local food systems.
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Local Food System
The local
food system
is one of the
fastest-growing,
most promising
markets in
agriculture today.
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Local Foods
The local food system is one of the fastest-growing, most promising markets in
agriculture today. The concept behind local food is based on one central idea:
when food is grown, processed, and sold locally, it is better for farmers, better for
communities, better for the environment, and—in both taste and nutrition—better
for you.
In the early 1900s, almost all agricultural systems were local food systems, but
with the technological innovations of the 20th century, most of the local facilities,
transportation and delivery systems, and marketing connections have disappeared.
Much of what remains is designed for agricultural scales well beyond the needs of local food. Generally, local
food implies both that all production, processing, and retail of food occurs within a specific locality; and all
production, processing, and retail are locally owned. There may be specific rules applied to local foods, varying with context. For instance, the “A Taste of Iowa” logo recognizes food and agricultural products that
are at least 50 percent raised, grown, or processed
in Iowa.
Compared to conventionally grown food, local
food not only travels a shorter distance from farm
K. DELATE
to plate, it shortens the “social distance” between
farmers and consumers, and it puts consumers more
Food grown, processed, and sold locally is better for
farmers, better for communities, better for the environment,
and better for you.
PM 1995 November 2005
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Local Food System
closely in touch with the food they eat.
Consequently, people who participate in
the local food system can claim a wide
variety of benefits from local food:
• Fresher, tastier, more nutritious, and
safer food;
Many local food
efforts focus
on education,
• For everybody, local food requires
(and rewards you with) more relationships and a deeper knowledge of the
food you eat, emphasizing its unique
character in the marketplace.
food policy, and
There are many possibilities in
local
food, including organic, convenfood security.
• Support to local farmers and the local
tional, direct marketing, and marketeconomy;
ing through special relationships with
• Broader
consumer
knowledge
brokers, processors, restaurants,
about food from production through
schools, and/or retailers. Some local
consumption;
food enterprises are privately operated; others are cooperatively operated;
• Lasting relationships among farmers,
and others are government operated.
processors, retailers, and consumers;
Many local food efforts focus on educa• Creation and strengthening of commution, food policy, food security, and other significant
nity; and
issues not directly involved in the food supply chain.
There is as much variation in local food systems
• Protection of the environment by transporting
as there is in the communities where they can
food shorter distances and by supporting more susbe found.
tainable agricultural practices.
Who should participate in local food?
The Relationship among Organic,
Sustainable, and Local
T
• For consumers, local food is an opportunity not
only to eat fresher, tastier food, it is an opportunity
to “vote with dollars” for a more transparent food
system that aligns with values of sustainability
and community.
The Sustainable and Organic Agriculture
Programs at Iowa State University Extension are
committed to assisting and advancing the interests
of local food and local food farmers in Iowa.
According to the National Organic Standards
Board, organic agriculture is “an ecological production management system that promotes and
• For small and mid-sized farmers, local
food is an opportunity to disengage from
some of the price and efficiency pressures of
commodity agriculture, to market a value-added
product, to adopt more sustainable agricultural
practices, and to develop relationships with different marketing venues and individual consumers.
WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY
• For processors, retailers, restaurants, and
institutions, local food is an opportunity to provide
for distinct needs in a growing sector of the food
economy while also supporting local farms and an
alternative vision of agriculture.
In 2001, there were 2.3 million acres in organic production
in the United States.
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enhances biodiversity, biological cycles, and soil
biological activity. It is based on minimal use of
off-farm inputs and on management practices that
restore, maintain, or enhance ecological harmony”
(NOSB, 2003). For a farm to be certified organic,
a third-party certifier, accredited with the USDANational Organic Program, must certify annually
that synthetic chemicals have not been used on the
farm for a period of three years. Farms generating
less than $5,000 per year from organic sales are
not required to undergo organic certification but
must be registered with the Iowa Department of
Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS) if selling
their produce as “organic”
(see PM 1880, What Is
Market studies
Organic Agriculture?).
Many local farmers use
indicate that people
organic practices, although
buy local food
some opt not to be “certified
organic.” Due to scales of
for freshness
production and the farmand taste.
ing philosophies involved,
organic agriculture and the
local food system often go
hand in hand. Both offer
alternatives to conventional commodity agriculture—organic agriculture
provides an alternative to its production practices,
while local food provides an alternative to its longdistance, unsegregated market strategies.
The sustainable agriculture movement
identifies three areas of concern: economics,
environment, and social structure. Sustainable agriculture must provide a fair and reasonably secure
living for farm families; it should benefit rather than
harm the natural environment and must at least
maintain basic natural resources such as healthy
soil, clean water, and clean air; and it should support viable rural communities and fair treatment of
all involved in the food system, from farm workers
to consumers. While a fully sustainable system of
agriculture does not yet exist, both organic and
local food systems are important steps in the direc-
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Local food provides many benefits to the customer that may
not be available in highly processed food that has traveled
long distances.
tion of achieving sustainable agriculture. For more
information on sustainable agriculture, contact the
ISU Extension Sustainable Agriculture Program (see
“Resources”).
T
The Benefits of Local Food
The growth in local foods is being driven by
both ends of the food chain. Consumers demand
locally grown food largely because of its taste,
its freshness, and the support it provides to local
farmers. Farmers with an entrepreneurial spirit and
an ability to build relationships seek out local food
production as a way to step away from the commodity chain. There are many benefits from local food;
the most commonly discussed are taste, freshness,
and supporting local farmers. This section provides
a brief overview of local food benefits categorized
by four types: food qualities, economy, community,
and environment, and provides case studies of farm
families and marketing groups who sell local foods
in Iowa.
Food Qualities
Freshness and Taste
Market studies indicate that people buy
local food for freshness and taste. Food at the
grocery store routinely travels from such distant
places as Colorado, Florida, California, Mexico, and
New Zealand. When food travels so far from farm
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Many consumers
feel safer knowing
the farm or farmer
who has provided
the food
on their table.
to plate, it can spend
days or weeks in transit.
To make such a journey, it
must be bred for shelf life
and durability. In contrast,
food bought today from a
farmers’ market or at a localfood-oriented restaurant may
be as fresh as this morning,
and the farmer producing
it can exercise greater flexibility in selecting flavorful
breeds and varieties.
farm or farmer who has provided the food on their
table—the ability to trace food to its origins offers
direct accountability that is often absent in supermarket food purchases.
Economy
Next to taste and freshness, the top reason consumers cite for buying local food is to support local
farmers. In 2002, farmers earned their lowest real net
cash income since 1940 (USDA, 2002). Meanwhile
corporate agribusiness profits have nearly doubled
since 1990 (Elitzak, 2000). Nearly 90 percent of farm
households rely on off-farm income. By choosing to
buy local, consumers “vote with their dollars” for an
agriculture that accords with their values—values
such as family farms, community, local economy,
and sustainability. In doing so, consumers help both
local farmers and the local economy.
Studies suggest that—when taste, quality, and
price are comparable—roughly one-quarter to onethird of consumers will pay a 5–20 percent premium
for locally grown vegetables and meats (Burdine et
al., 2001; Zumwalt, 2001; Leopold Center, 2003), thus
indicating the potential for local food profitability.
When combined with more labor-intense practices,
local food can generate many times the net return
per acre as common commodity crops (Leopold
Center, 2003), suggesting that local food can be
a viable strategy for small acreages. Additionally,
data show that only 20 percent of the average consumer food dollar contributes toward the farm value
of the food (Elitzak, 2000); since many local food
schemes feature direct farmer-to-consumer marketing, it is possible for a farmer at a farmers’ market,
CSA (community-supported agriculture), or roadside
stand to capture more of the consumer food dollar
while still offering a competitive price.
On the broader scale, local food purchases also
have the effect of bolstering the local economy. A
study in southeast Minnesota revealed that, despite
over $866 million in the sale of regional farm products in 1997, the region still lost as much as $800
million because of non-local consumer food purchases and farm input purchases (Meter, 2001). Even if
local food can capture as little as 1 percent of that
Nutrition
Recent data suggests
that changes in cultivated
varieties may have led to
declines in nutrition in a
trade-off for higher yields (Davis et al., 2004).
Because local farms are free to produce a wider variety of breeds and varieties, they can select to grow
more nutritious foods. Also, because foods begin
losing nutritional content at the moment of harvest,
fresher local foods retain more nutritional value.
Additionally, as documented by a recent study of
local farm-to-school programs in California, access
to local food can improve the nutritional choices
made by school children by exposing them to fresh,
nutritious selections (Ohmart and Feenstra, 2004).
Food Safety
Every year, consumers navigate a series of
food-borne diseases, contaminations, and safety
concerns. Dramatic recent events include a major
outbreak of hepatitis-A, mercury contamination,
scares of mad cow disease and bird flu, and concern over genetically modified and irradiated foods.
More common but less publicized cases of food
poisoning, environmental contamination, and recent
concerns about the potential for terrorism affecting
the U.S. food supply have led many to become more
informed about the sources of their food. Local food
does not provide immunity on issues of food safety;
however, many consumers feel safer knowing the
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loss, that would be $8 million that stays in the region
to support local farms, communities, and towns.
The same study estimates that local food dollars
cycle 2.3 times through the local economy, while
dollars spent at larger farms only cycle 1.9 times.
include the Muscatine
Melon Festival, the Adel
Sweet Corn Jamboree,
When people buy
and the Greenfield Squash
Round-Up.
locally, they are
A third benefit of
encouraged to think
local food is in raising
food awareness. When
more about the
people buy locally, they
health and nutritional
are encouraged to think
more about the health and
consequences
nutritional consequences
as well as the
as well as the social and
economic consequences of
social and economic
their decisions.
consequences
Finally, local food bolsters food security. Food
of their decisions.
security denotes the ability
for all people “to obtain a
safe, culturally acceptable,
nutritionally adequate diet
through a sustainable food
system that maximizes
community self-reliance and
social justice” (CFSC, 2005). Local food naturally
boosts food security due to its link with organic and
sustainable agriculture. However, a large number
of local food initiatives intentionally service lowincome stakeholders through WIC coupons (the
Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women,
Community
In addition to the economic benefits brought to
the local economy, many social benefits also accrue
from a robust local food system. Key among these
are the relationships that local food systems build;
these relationships both connect people and establish lasting business ties. The following list provides
just a small sample of the possibilities:
• Farmers and customers at a farmers’ market
• Neighbors in a community garden
• Nutritionists and chefs engaged in food security
education
• Farmers, food brokers, and wholesale retailers in
a delivery system
• Hospital purchasers, farmers, and county officials
arranging institutional buying.
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J. DeWITT
A local food system demands the cultivation
of more relationships among all stakeholders, and
these relationships usually involve a greater diversity of stakeholders. Many who choose local food
production or consumption find that the community
they develop is one of the most rewarding aspects of
their involvement; however, there can be no doubt
that the relationships also demand more time and
people skills.
Another community benefit of local food is the
building of a sense of place and identity. When shoppers know the farm that produces their food—when
they know a farmer, a chef, a nutritionist, a city official, and neighbors who buy locally—then they will
feel a stronger connection and greater pride in place.
Not surprisingly, communities with a strong sense of
place can—through farmers’ markets, local festivals,
and local character—develop attractive agritourism
possibilities. Examples of this sense of place could
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K. DELATE
Local Food System
Organic livestock must be fed 100 percent organic feed
and hay.
Organic crops are required to be grown in rotations, as
demonstrated by the corn-soybean-oat-alfalfa rotation,
shown at the ISU. Neely-Kinyon Farm.
Infants, and Children) and food stamps,
school programs, gleaning (food recovery
programs associated primarily with food
banks and group meal sites), and other
strategies. Additionally, emphases on
education and democratic participation
help make many local food groups more
food secure.
Local food provides
one clear benefit
Local food provides
in limiting
one clear benefit
the fossil fuel
in limiting
used in transport.
the fossil fuel
used in transport.
Environment
One reason many consumers choose
to buy locally is the perceived environmental benefit it confers. Local food
provides one clear benefit in limiting the
fossil fuel used in transport, but it also
correlates with agricultural practices that
are also friendlier to the environment.
On average, food travels more than 1,500 miles
from farm to plate, the equivalent of a drive from
Davenport, Iowa, to Miami, Florida. The main reason
is because so much food we eat travels all the way
from California and Florida. Consequently, for many
foods, we burn more fossil fuels in transporting them
than we do in growing them. A 2002 study by the
Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture indicated
that local foods would save 79–94 percent of the CO2
emissions from food transport versus non-locally
sourced foods (Pirog et al., 2001). Local food, by its
very nature, provides an obvious alternative for lowering harmful greenhouse gas emissions from fossil
fuel consumption involved in transporting goods.
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As stated earlier, local food is often
correlated with organic practices. When
a consumer chooses to support a local
organic farmer, the consumer supports environmental practices aimed to
provide cleaner water, soil conservation, pesticide reduction, and wildlife
diversity. Other local farmers implement
environmentally
sound
practices
associated with small-scale and/or
local farming.
O
Local Food Strategies
On the practical level, how does
local food work? How can you engage in
it? There are several avenues:
• Direct marketing
• Indirect marketing
• Local food processing
• Education
• Policy and advocacy
For resources to get you started on any of these
topics, please see the “Resources” section at the
end of this document.
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Direct Marketing
J. DeWITT
Direct marketing refers to any situation in
which a farmer sells directly to the end consumer.
More than any other form of marketing, it
requires good people skills and the desire to build
personal relationships. For farmers, it is also a
chance to fully control how food is sold and to
bypass intermediaries in the food chain. For
the
consumer,
direct
market buying is the
best
opportunity
to
connect a farmer’s face and
farming practices to the
Over the past
food one eats. The personal
10 years, the number
connections forged can
lead to stable long-term
of farmers’ markets
buyer-seller relations and
in the United States
to excellent educational
opportunities.
has more
Farmers’ markets offer opportunities for small- and largescale operations.
tion within, a farmers’ market is a process involving
thoughtful planning and an ability to adapt. The
market should not only attend to the preferences
of its consumer base, but it also needs to follow
municipal guidelines and give consideration to its
own rules of self-governance. (See resources on
Farmers’ Markets.)
than doubled.
Farmers’ Markets
Over the past 10 years,
the number of farmers’ markets in the United States
has more than doubled.
Organic growers account for
one-third of market vendors
and participate in more than
80 percent of farmers’
markets. As of 2004, the
USDA lists 172 farmers’
markets in Iowa (AMS, 2004). Farmers’ markets
present an attractive place to buy and sell food.
Farmers interact directly with consumers, gain
valuable feedback, and sell without a middleperson.
Consumers get to know the farmer growing the food
they eat, receive fresh food, and engage in a cultural
event. Larger markets can increase sales in nearby
businesses and boast a variety of crafts, performers,
or other attractions. However, like all local food initiatives, the successful construction of, or participa-
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Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Farms
In a CSA farm, consumers purchase advance
shares (and sometimes contribute their labor) in
a small, local farm’s production that includes a
wide variety of vegetables and may include animal
products, fruit, flowers, honey, jam, or other items.
Consumers become shareholders in a CSA because
they receive fresh produce, support a local farm,
develop a personal relationship with the farmer,
and often support environmentally safe practices.
Farmers develop relationships with their customers,
often practice organic methods, are able to share
their risks, and are guaranteed a reliable market.
The CSA structure often provides flexibility to
accommodate needs of both farmer and consumer.
As of January 2005, the demand for CSAs in Iowa
well exceeds the ability of local CSAs to meet it.
ISU Extension maintains a directory of known Iowa
CSAs. (See “Resources” section on CSAs.)
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Farm Stands and U-Picks
Farm stands and U-Picks provide a direct marketing opportunity without issues of delivering or
transporting food. The success of both depends
heavily on location and good marketing. Farm
stands can be as small as a pickup bed or as large
as a small grocery store; either way, customers are
as interested in the relationship with the farmer as
they are in their purchase. U-Picks provide more of
a seasonal and agritourist experience, and farmers
can save some labor on harvest, since customers can
assist with harvesting. In both types of enterprises,
farmers need to be aware of permits, liability, and
insurance issues. (See resources on Farm Stands
and U-Picks.)
and good relationships among farmers, food buyers,
and food service staff. (See resources on Farm-toSchool.)
Farm-to-Restaurant
Restaurants offer one of the most robust
opportunities in the local food economy. In 2000,
47.5 percent of the U.S. consumer food dollar was
spent in restaurants (Elitzak, 2000). In a 2003 survey
of chefs of sustainable cuisine, 73 percent agreed
that “purchasing locally grown food has a positive
impact on my foodservice establishment’s bottom
line profits,” and 57 percent preferred to purchase
local food directly from a farmer (Zumwalt, 2003).
Independent and upscale restaurants tend to carry
local food more often, because their menus are
flexible enough to accommodate seasonal availability, and because their clientele is perceived as
more willing to pay a premium for local food. As
in other local food operations, consistency in availability, supply, and delivery can present obstacles;
communication, ordering procedures, and pricing
also can be problematic.
A case study on selling
Customers
Customers
to institutions is described
in the next section. (See
are
areas
asinterested
interested
resources on Farm-toin
inthe
therelationship
relationship
Restaurant/Institution/
Retail/Wholesale.)
Indirect Marketing
Indirect marketing refers to the sale of food to
any entity who is not the end consumer. Schools,
restaurants, hotels, hospitals, convention centers,
cafeterias, grocery stores, wholesalers, and food
brokers are all venues for indirect marketing.
Farm-to-School
At a time when childhood obesity has become
a national concern, farm-to-school programs offer
an innovative strategy for food service providers
and farmers alike. A recent study in California
reinforces the connection between farm-to-school
programs and improved children’s nutritional
choices (Ohmart and Feenstra, 2004). When combined with school gardens and curricula, they
create unique educational opportunities. In Iowa,
farm-to-school decisions occur at the school district
level, but a variety of resources also issue from
the Department of Education’s Bureau of Nutrition
Programs and School Transportation. Farm-to-school
programs are susceptible to similar barriers as other
farm-to-institution agreements: communications,
delivery, supply, food safety, food service labor, and
price. Procedures for school food service purchasing usually do not accommodate small-scale local
buying. Successful farm-to-school programs begin
with initiative, flexibility, collaboration, patience,
P
with
withthe
thefarmer
farmer
Farm-to-Institution
Marketing to hotels,
hospitals, nursing homes,
conference centers, and
corporate cafeterias is an
attractive idea because
institutional buyers generate a steady demand for
food and could serve as an
excellent consumer education forum. Many institutions are interested in
the fresher, often healthier
diet that can be achieved
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as
asthey
theyare
are
in
intheir
theirpurchase.
purchase.
J. DeWitt
K. DELATE
Opportunities are available to producers who wish to sell
their products through larger vendors.
Individual stores usually have flexibility in their ability to
purchase local food.
by supplementing food service with local produce, dairy, and meats. Farm-to-institution umbrella
groups have been founded in multiple locations
in Iowa over the last decade, meeting with varied
success; these have usually been initiated by producers. When farmers decide to sell directly to institutions, they need to be aware of the new responsibilities they are undertaking and the standards that
those institutions have come to expect from food
suppliers. Frequent challenges include pricing, adequate supply, transportation and delivery setups,
food safety, and consistency, among others. Working
with institutions will generally require more professionalism and more of a business mindset than
other local food ventures. A case study on Selling to
Institutions is described in the next section. (Also
see resources on Farm-to-Restaurant/Institution/
Retail/Wholesale.)
cles arise in logistics—
providing enough food
Large vendors
meeting specified criteria
are interested
in a consistent fashion at
in local food,
a low enough price. Large
vendors are interested in
but it must
local food, but it must be
be provided
provided in a way that is
in a way
compatible with the busithat is compatible
ness sense of commercial
with the
retail food operations.
business sense
Farmers interested in
of commercial
selling to retail and wholesale markets should considretail food
er a few strategies. First,
operations.
cooperation among farmers
can be effective, because it
helps provide the market
with an adequate supply,
and it can help streamline delivery and packaging requirements. Second,
individual stores usually have flexibility in their
ability to purchase local food; building a relationship with the purchaser is important, as is making
the purchaser’s job as straight-forward as possible.
Finally, advance planning and product development
are prerequisites.
Farm-to-Retail/Wholesale Operations
Most Americans purchase their take-home food
at the supermarket; it is here where food of any sort
can reach the widest audience. However, it is also a
market that is difficult for small local food providers
to enter, and even entry into the market will not
guarantee success without adequate promotion.
Contrary to misconceptions, large grocery chains
like Hy-Vee and large wholesalers like Sodexho and
Sysco are interested in local food. The main obsta-
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Many farmers prefer to avoid large retailers
and focus instead on small, local groceries, ethnic food stores, consumer co-ops, or health and
nutrition stores. Many of the logistical barriers are
more negotiable in the smaller setting, and the use
of local food may be more explicitly in line with
local retailers’ missions. Additionally, by targeting
a niche market (i.e., organic or ethnic), a farmer
may minimize competition. Finally, selling through
a locally owned vendor is more in keeping with
the philosophy of local food. (See resources on Farmto-Restaurant/Institution/Retail/Wholesale.)
value added and also diversify a farmer’s product
line and seasonal availability. Farmers should do
their research on the labor, skills, and equipment
requirements of these processes, the market, and
applicable regulations, and then they should
develop a sound business plan. (See resources on
Business Planning.)
Other sorts of processing require facilities,
equipment, and labor that generally necessitate
farmer cooperation, private business, or governmental assistance. These include community kitchens
(incubator kitchens), meat lockers, grain elevators,
and slaughterhouses. As local food develops as a
market, the need for and opportunity arising from
local food processing operations will only continue
to grow. Strategic ventures that service local food
will, in turn, invigorate regional and local food
markets. (See resources on Local Food Processing.)
Local Food Processing
A farmer must sell
more than 83 lbs. of corn to
With innovative
purchase 25 oz. of frosted
thinking, planning,
flakes on sale. The value
of processing, packaging,
and product
and marketing food vastdevelopment,
ly increases its purchase
value. Obviously, processlocal farmers can
ing and preparing food
successfully launch
is a real opportunity in
local food. However, the
and sustain
history of 20th-century
value-added
agriculture has dictated
that many of the facilities
enterprises.
associated with adding
food value no longer
operate in such a way as
to accommodate small
scale or local farming
Nonetheless, with innovative thinking, planning, and
product development, local
farmers can successfully launch and sustain valueadded enterprises.
Local food processing can range from simple
home operations to free-standing private enterprises. Individual farmers can make cheese, dry
meat, ferment tofu, and pickle, can, or preserve
many fruits and vegetables. All of these sell with
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Labeling and Certification
Labeling and certification are important strategies in raising consumer awareness. Labels are
present on the product and therefore distinguish
it from other similar products at the point of sale.
Certification verifies the authenticity claimed by
the label according to a set standard. Since food’s
local origin is not obvious just by looking at it, local
food is a logical candidate for labeling. Ultimately, a
recognized label seeks to both increase demand and
create a premium for locally grown food.
Labeling and certification are important strategies in
raising consumer awareness.
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In Iowa, there are two large-scale local food
labeling programs that are combined with marketing programs to promote their visibility—A Taste
of Iowa (ATOI) and Buy Fresh, Buy Local. ATOI is
administered by the Iowa Department of Economic
Development and designates food that is at least
50 percent raised, grown, or processed in Iowa. Buy
Fresh, Buy Local is a FoodRoutes Network program
administered in Iowa by Practical Farmers of Iowa
and regional partners; Buy Fresh, Buy Local specifically services direct marketing farmers.
Labeling also can operate at the farm or
community level, as exhibited by Amana meats,
Naturally Iowa dairy, local wineries, and any number of place-specific brand names. (See resources on
Labeling and Certification.)
ity issues. Buy-in from a city park district, master
gardeners’ club, and/or church or private sponsor
can really improve a garden’s flexibility and ability
to cope with challenges. (See resources on
Community Gardens.)
Health and Nutrition
There has been a strong health and nutrition
emphasis in local food education. The root of it lies
with food security—access for all people to a safe,
culturally acceptable, nutritionally adequate diet
through a sustainable food system that maximizes
community self-reliance and social justice. At a time
when nutritionists and dietitians have been grappling with widespread obesity in the United States,
A successful future
they have encountered
for local food systems
glaring blind spots in the
average American diet.
hinges heavily on
The causes included masdeveloping a market
sive commercial marketing
of non-nutritious products,
of educated,
busy consumer schedules,
committed consumers.
ignorance of healthy, balanced dietary needs, and
lack of training in basic
cooking skills. In order to
encourage the consumption
of locally grown foods, it
may be necessary to educate consumers on how to
balance a diet and how to cook foods that are locally
available. Conversely, one effective way to provide
this education is to connect consumers more closely
to the food chain—talking to farmers, learning new
recipes, and understanding organic and sustainable principles. Farm-to-school/cafeteria/restaurant
programs raise the profile of local food and encourage more knowledgeable eating habits. Nutrition
education and local food are mutually compatible
exercises. (See resources on Health and Nutrition.)
Education
A successful future for local food systems hinges heavily on developing a market of educated,
committed consumers. There are many strategies
toward raising awareness, but three are noted
here: community gardens, health and nutrition, and
consumer-initiated efforts.
Community Gardens
Community gardens can effectively serve
multiple purposes in an urban area. They offer land
and a venue for gardening enthusiasts, including
apartment dwellers, retired farmers, and ethnic communities. Community gardens address food security
problems by providing fresh and nutritious foods
to low-income areas at a minimal cost. Gardens
educate youth and adults alike about where food
comes from and how it is grown. However, the
strongest benefit of urban gardens is their
contribution to building community and bringing
together an often diverse assembly of neighbors in a
common activity.
The successful operation of a community garden requires attention to the coordination of many
issues from access to water and soil testing to
writing membership rules and attending to liabil-
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Organized consumers
Consumer-Initiated Efforts
and IDALS engages in everything from
have
the
capacity
Organized consumers have the
farmers’ markets to organic certification
capacity to change the food system withto marketing promotions of Iowa-grown
to change the
out waiting for retailers or producers to
fruits and vegetables. Additionally,
food system.
take the lead. This has been witnessed
some individual state and local officials
when college students lobby campus
dedicate significant personal energy
food services for local and organic food.
to championing and supporting local
It is evident when consumers combine
efforts. Iowa’s support for local food
buying power to form a co-op grocery.
is also evident in many ISU Extension
It is evident when meditative, yoga,
programs and the Leopold Center for
naturopathic, or spiritual groups explore
Sustainable Agriculture.
diet and self. Oftentimes, small informal education activities will emerge
Food Policy Councils
from the nucleus already present in
Food policy councils are organizasuch efforts.
tions that identify strategic opportuniThe consumer voice is becomties and challenges, working to influing increasingly apparent through the explosive
ence policymakers in designing regulations and
growth of Slow Food International. Slow Food is “an
legislation that are favorable to local agriculture.
educational organization dedicated to promoting
Most advisory councils are sanctioned by governstewardship of the land and ecologically sound
ment but have no official decision-making capacfood production; reviving the kitchen and the
ity. Established in May 2000 by Governor Vilsack,
table as the centers of pleasure, culture, and comthe Iowa Food Policy Council was one of the first
munity; invigorating and proliferating regional,
state-level food policy councils in the United States.
seasonal culinary traditions; creating a collaborative,
Regional and municipal food policy councils are also
ecologically oriented, and virtuous globalization; and
becoming increasingly popular in the United States.
living a slower and more harmonious rhythm of life.”
(See resources on Food Policy Councils.)
As of February 2005, consumers have coalesced to
form four Slow Food chapters in Iowa—Ames,
Des Moines, Iowa City, and Pella. (See resources on
Consumer-Initiated Efforts.)
Policy and Advocacy
Government
The policies of state and local government—
incentives and regulations—form an integral component of local food systems. A favorable policy environment encourages entrepreneurship, promotes
local farm stability, and advances public awareness.
For instance, the city of Burlington, Vermont, has
pledged to a goal that 10 percent of food purchased
in the city will be local. Such a policy sends a
strong signal of support to local farmers. In Iowa,
many policies are embedded in the activities of
various agencies and departments—the Department
of Education implements farm-to-school programs,
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Many governmental institutions are working to create
policies that support local agriculture.
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Local Food Alliances
Perhaps the most common advocacy groups
are networking organizations that forge alliances
among key stakeholders in the food system. As
more growers, buyers, and consumers engage in
local food, the need for coordination becomes more
apparent. In Iowa, local food programs are active in
Practical Farmers of Iowa (PFI), the Iowa Network
for Community Agriculture (INCA), the University of
Northern Iowa Local Food Project, and the Grinnell
Area Local Food Alliance.
One of the more useful tasks often undertaken by policy councils and food alliances is the
“food audit”—a sort of census of food resources,
eating habits, agricultural practices, and general demographics for a region. With this information, groups are able to strategically plan how to
increase local food consumption in the food system.
(See resources on Local Food Alliances.)
the need for new skills, new equipment, and new
knowledge. Farmers must learn, hire, and/or cooperate in order to achieve economical sustainability.
Business Planning: Participating in a local food
system involves a complete marketing strategy, and
it requires a well-crafted plan. Research suggests
that some CSAs sell their shares too cheaply, some
farmers overlook their labor in calculating costs,
some sellers overestimate the potential market, and
some processors fail to investigate the appropriate
regulations and restrictions for labels. Therefore,
it is strongly advised that stakeholders learn how
to develop a business plan. (See resources on
Business Planning.)
Marketing: For labels,
new products, and roadAs more growers,
side stands, a local food
enterprise needs to have
buyers, and
the resources and the abilconsumers
ity to reach and captivate
the public eye. Spending
engage in local food,
adequate funds to develop
the need for
an appealing label, informational brochure, and/or
coordination becomes
farm stand will help sell
more apparent.
your product. Networking
will improve your sales
through word-of-mouth
advertising, as well as
other opportunities. When
selling through a retailer,
T
Challenges
K. DELATE
The local food system offers an inviting array of
benefits and provides a robust alternative to commodity agriculture for those who are willing to put
the extra time into developing their markets. More
relational marketing means more time required
to maintain the network of connections involved.
Organic approaches may mean more labor required
per acre. Buying locally often entails a search for
local food vendors. For institutions and processors,
local food supports local farmers, but it may invite
logistical maneuvers and problems with supply
and demand.
What follows is a list of common obstacles
and challenges associated with local food. Some
challenges are more relevant to some local food
operations and regions than are others.
In the Local Food System, a Farmer is Rarely
Just a Producer: To sell locally, farmers often must
take on the responsibilities of adding links in the
food supply chain. With these new functions come
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Local Character: Any local food effort needs
to understand and highlight the region it serves.
This is not only true for producers, processors,
and retailers who need to research the market and
the availability of compatible resources, it is also
true for policy councils, alliance organizations, and
educational efforts.
Infrastructure: As communities rediscover the
value of locally centered agriculture, infrastructure
building must occur. Proximity to appropriate facilities may create a time and transportation issue,
and installing your own equipment can be cost prohibitive. Working with city, county, regional, or state
economic development programs can be a fruitful
exercise for securing local processing facilities.
Logistics: Particularly in indirect marketing,
logistics—delivery, ordering, adequate supply,
appropriate packaging—has proven to be one of
the most common stumbling blocks. Purchasers
are accustomed to standardized protocols, and
producer groups need to be able to meet their
expectations. The most successful producer groups
invent solutions to logistical dilemmas. Above all,
a lack of consistency and dependability is one of
the most significant frustrations voiced by local
food purchasers.
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restaurant, or institution,
it is important to coordinate marketing efforts
with the vendor in order to
Any local food effort
maximize your sales and
needs to understand
to make your product an
indispensable part of your
and highlight
vendor’s operation.
the region
Customer Service and
People Skills: Local food
it serves.
requires more relationships. Farmers who market
directly will need to have
sales skills and be able
to respond directly to the
needs of the end consumer. Selling to restaurateurs
and hotels also requires
an ability to appeal to
and appreciate the needs
of the purchasing agent.
Make an appointment and
bring your best product to
show. Learn buyers’ needs
and work backwards to
provide for them—supplying the crop varieties or
cuts of meat they want and delivering according to
their schedule.
Networking: If farmers market directly, they
need to cultivate and maintain a consistent clientele. If marketing to restaurants, schools, or
institutions, they need to develop relationships
with administrators, chefs, and food service professionals. Conversely, consumers, restaurants,
schools, and institutions need to know where to
find sources for local foods. It is largely due to a
lack of local food infrastructure that local farmers,
buyers, and consumers must compensate with
stronger networks.
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Policy Environment:
Having a local food system is an economic develHaving
Having aa
opment strategy. Because
it is local, it multiplies the
local
local food
food system
system
flow of money within the
is
is an
an economic
economic
local area, and because
it is community-oriented,
development
development
it builds connections and
strategy.
strategy.
cohesion as well. For these
reasons, city and county officials can be great resources
if they are on-board with
local food. Every effort
should be made when feasible to engage governmental
representatives
and departments. However,
policy also can aspire to a
higher level of organization—to a more strategic
vision—and this vision can be written into municipal, county, and state legal codes. The vision of food
policy councils is to create a legislative atmosphere
that rewards stakeholders who buy, sell, and eat
locally grown food.
Cooperation: In most cases, participants in local
food systems are better off when they cooperate
with one another. Farmers’ markets are more successful when they have more farmers and when
farmers do not undercut prices. When farmers work
together, sales to institutional buyers include more
food and often arrange better delivery. CSAs can
provide more variety when they partner with other
local farms. Local food efforts do more to build the
community when they act with a common purpose.
Most people who stay with local food over the long
term are committed to the need for cooperation.
K. DELATE
Seasonality: Especially for institutional buyers,
seasonality can be a serious factor. It complicates
planning when a vendor can only offer products for
part of the year, and with vegetable farmers, the
selection of produce changes frequently. Seasonal
concerns also demand more coordination with the
food service staff. For school programs, purchasing ceases during most of the summer months. For
many of these reasons, some farmers have targeted
high-end restaurants that have frequent menu
turnover and flexibility in food preparation.
Legal Issues and Insurance: Permits for farm
stands, organic standards for livestock, rules for
food stamps at farmers’ markets, food safety standards for processing and institutional purchasers, labeling restrictions on products, liability for
injury at a U-Pick—these are but a few examples
of the legal restrictions, regulations, and insurance
issues that apply to local food ventures. The Drake
Agricultural Law Center is one of the nation’s best
authorities on agricultural legal issues, and their
book The Legal Guide for Direct Farm Marketing is
a valuable resource.
Seasonality can be an issue of concern and requires
that producers effectively target other markets with
alternate crops.
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Targeting
leading to land expansion and facilities acquisitions that would ultimately
is a choice for those
change the nature of the dairy and
Local Organic Dairy Operation
who wish to avoid
its local relationship with its customer
Our local dairy case study operates
the commodities
base.
according to a strictly local marketing
The farm family cites two central
market with its
strategy. The entire operation of the dairy
reasons
for their success: (1) they have
is on-farm, from the organic pasture,
large volumes and
grown the business slowly; and (2) they
to the milking facility, to the processlow margins.
have a strong local base. Their slow
ing, packaging, and marketing funcgrowth mirrors the prevailing wisdom in
tions. The dairy processes 1,500 gallons
local food of taking small steps. To run
of dairy weekly and produces three types
an operation akin to this dairy requires
of milk (whole, 2%, and skim), several
a broad increase in skills and knowlcheeses,
yogurt,
and
whipping
edge—they are not only grass-based
cream. These products are marorganic producers, but processors and
keted through a dozen local restaumarketers as well. So, small steps make
rants and three grocery stores—two
good
sense.
Their buyer base is at least as importsupermarkets and a locally owned natural
ant. The farmer believes that most places in Iowa
food store.
could not provide an adequate buyer base for his
The farm family’s decision to remain local
grass-fed organic local dairy; he identifies large
has been an intentional one. They emphasize a
cities and college towns as the most viable markets.
strong desire to continue serving their customers
Maharishi International University, with its focus on
a quality product. Customers enjoy the taste of
organic and sustainable foods, helps create such a
grass-fed, organic, non-homogenized milk; they
market in Fairfield, Iowa.
appreciate the nutrition; and some like the nostalgia
Asked why a dairy would target a local market,
of cream that rises to the top. Because they are local,
the farmer says it is a choice for those who wish to
customers also have become friends. Customers
avoid the commodities market with its large volhave come to feel both ownership and pride in the
umes and low margins. If you can develop a local
dairy. Despite increasing demand for their products,
identity—a locally marketed, value-added product—
the family has decided not to expand the dairy due
then you can produce less quantity and get higher
to the need for a series of major business decisions,
value for what you do produce. When the farm
family bought the dairy 13 years ago, most dairy
farmers were shedding their on-farm processing
operations, and there was little discussion of valueadded farming. On-farm processing did not make
sense in a commodity context, but it did in a
local context.
The farmer does not encourage most producers to farm for the local market. “Those who try
it just to make money probably will not make it.”
Likewise, local food is not for those with a “commodity mindset” either. “It is labor-intensive and
knowledge-intensive. If a farmer is committed to, or
Milk from grass-fed, organic cows is enjoyed for its taste
has an enthusiasm for producing for local markets,
a local market
K. DELATE
Case Studies
and nutrition.
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and if the farmer likes a challenge, then
(s)he can make it work. Local is a lot like
organic in this way.”
Recommended reading for getting
involved in local dairy operations is
included in the resources on Local Dairy
Operations.
“In local food systems,
producers contribute
toward community
through the product
they grow.”
Local CSA and
Farmers’ Market Operation
This case study examines a primarily
vegetable-based, 3- to 4-acre CSA farm in
north-central Iowa. The farm also generates revenue from pasture poultry (butchered at a state-inspected facility nearly
60 miles away). Flower-selling has become
a hobby developed by their daughter. The variety of
strategies is akin to diversifying one’s farm for stabilizing income. The farm also partners with other
local growers, providing its members with more
variety; while this arrangement does help the partners to sell some produce, the increased variety is
also a tool to engage CSA members by both making
more variety available and by making it easier for
them to participate in local food.
The farmer first entered the local food system
when she grew a large garden for the local town’s
farmers’ market. Two years later, she expanded
to the CSA. The CSA has 73 members and delivers locally to four cities within 45 miles, as well
as to Des Moines and West Des Moines. The farm
participates in farmers’ markets in two towns within
35 miles of the farm, but this may be reduced to
one in the future. While using organic practices,
the farm chooses to not seek organic certification
because of the strong connection to its consumers.
The consumers learn directly from the farmer what
methods were used to grow a crop.
With an environmental education background,
the local food system concept has been attractive
to the farmer because it integrates areas of the
environment, social justice, community, and rural
community. For these reasons, the farmer began
an association in 1996 with the Iowa Network for
Community Agriculture (INCA—see “Resources”)
P
to help organize local food producers
and consumers, because it integrates
areas of the environment, social justice, community, and rural community.
Education and advocacy are included
in her role as a producer. In her vision,
local food is both a production strategy
and a community-organizing strategy.
In local food systems, producers contribute toward community through the
product they grow (with an intentional
focus on the market).
The benefits of the local food
system have been:
• Viable livelihood. Local farming generates income and acts upon issues they
care deeply about (i.e., they have found meaningful work). Like most CSAs, they mix their income
sources; it is a financial parallel to diversifying
your farm.
• The work also builds identity for the family. It
builds values for the children and generates dedication to a mission. In particular, the connectedness
and complexity of their way of farming (for both
community and the environment) is important for
their family.
• The farm is enriched by the number of connections
in this relationship-based business.
• Hope and possibility are greater than before to
stop the decline of rural communities.
• Enough evidence has been amassed that others
are getting intrigued and are more willing to experiment with similar local food systems.
The local food system in north-central Iowa
is market-challenged. The farmer presents the
following information: “If you don’t already have
a market, then it’s a real leap to decide to enter
the local food market. For example, it has been
difficult to locate chefs and restaurants with the
interest, the labor, and the logistical flexibility to
serve locally raised food.”
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“By increasing skills,
markets. Everything is certified organic
The lack of infrastructure of produclocal
food
except the chickens and the locally protion restricts the options. For example,
cessed hogs (the processing facilities
if there were a community kitchen such
could become
are not certified, so although the farm
as a cannery or meat locker, they could
more than
meets certification criteria, livestock proplan their farm to take advantage of the
cessed through the two facilities are not
resources at hand. There is a need for
just a hobby.”
certified organic). Organic grains are
a skill base—business plans, the ability
marketed in Iowa and in other states
to compile a price list, etc. By increasing
(see PM 1880 for potential organic grain
these skills, local food could become
and buyers).
more than just a hobby.
Meats are marketed either directFor those who want to get involved
ly to the end consumer or through
in the local food system, the farmer rechealth food stores in greater metommends contacting one or more of the
ropolitan areas. The farm family first
following organizations: Iowa Network
started selling locally through a confor Community Agriculture; Practical
nection with alternative medical clinics
Farmers of Iowa; the Leopold Center
that wanted to encourage healthier eating in their
for Sustainable Agriculture; the Women, Food, and
patients. Some of the patients who were receiving
Agriculture Network; your local RC&D; and certainchemo-/radiation therapy noted that the grassly other local food farmers and farmers’ marketers.
fed organic meat was easier to digest than other
Local Organic Meat
meats. Subsequently, their local food marketing
Production/Processing
grew primarily by word of mouth, selling to almost
This local organic farm is 620 acres—480 owned,
150 customers in Des Moines.
140 rented. The farm is run using a whole-systems
Plans
to
scale
back
marketing
in
approach. This statement of sustainable and organDes Moines and increase sales more locally are
ic principles also has a practical-level consequence
under way. Storage issues are easier to control
in that the family markets a wide variety of farm
and cheaper if they store meat locally rather than
products—grains (food corn, feed corn, barley, oats,
in Des Moines. The loss of city customers will
soy) and livestock (beef, pork, chicken). This effort
can be viewed as an agro-ecological equivalent of a
diversified investment portfolio. Income is derived
solely from farm enterprises.
Livestock operations include 90 cows in a
cow-calf operation (grass-finished), 150 hogs
(farrow-to-finish), and chickens. Some of the beef is
butchered in Des Moines; the rest is sold to a large
organic marketing cooperative. Most of the hogs are
butchered at a nearby meat locker, but the rest are
also sold to the same organic marketing cooperative. The chickens are butchered at a third facility
and then flash-frozen at the local meat locker. A particular problem of the meat industry is the distance
Grass-fed organic meat has been found to be easier to
to certified lockers for processing and distance to
digest than other meats, according to some consumers.
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“The main reason
be replaced by building a larger cusis strong, and it makes the final product
for marketing
tomer base nearer to home, and selleven better, both in the quality of proing to the organic co-op will always be
cessing and in the packaging.
food locally
possible. The farm family has learned
University of Northern Iowa
is the community.”
a lot through trial-and-error, and their
Local Food Project
experiences in Des Moines will serve for
“What we’ve done here can happen
many practical purposes as a trial run for
anywhere.
What you need is a commitmarketing locally in their home county.
ment of time.” Kamyar Enshayan is the
“If you know what you’re doing and
Director of the University of Northern
if you know your market, and if you’ve
Iowa (UNI) Local Food Project (LFP), an
got a quality product, then try it,” this
organization that facilitates local food
operation advocates. It is labor-intensive,
buying and selling between institutionhowever.
al buyers (hospitals, nursing homes,
Inventory is a consideration in livecolleges, restaurants, and groceries)
stock. Marketing to the health food stores
and producers. LFP began in 1997,
has had a stabilizing effect, since they
when the Practical Farmers of Iowa (PFI) began
have fairly regular patterns of purchase, both in
to
examine
local
food
and
farm-toquantity and selection of cuts. Direct marketing is
college strategies.
more erratic; meat is sold in packages, which both
In 1998, with funding support from the Leopold
guarantees that their cut inventory is balanced and
Center for Sustainable Agriculture, LFP facilitated
that their customers get a good variety. The farm
connections between local farmers and UNI, Allen
has seven freezers at home. As a note, chickens
Memorial Hospital, and Rudy’s Tacos, generatare more trouble for inventory, since they do not
ing $110,000 in local food expenditures. By 2002,
store compactly and because their sales are more
seven institutions were spending $200,000 in the
variable. Chickens are also a bit more laborproject. By 2004, LFP’s participation had jumped to
intensive, because they need to be processed at
23 institutions in and around Black Hawk County,
two locations.
trading in $460,000 of locally produced food. The
The farm family has taken to developing inforrecent jump coincides with the Buy Fresh, Buy Local
mation for customers on how to prepare their meat.
Campaign that was launched in Black Hawk and
The main reason for marketing food locally is
neighboring counties through a partnership
the community. Local food brings them into contact
between LFP and PFI.
with interesting people, bridges the urban-rural
Enshayan emphasizes that the components for
divide, allows them to get feedback and ideas, and
LFP
were already in place—there were institutions
gives them a place to market a truly quality product
ready to experiment with serving locally supplied
to an appreciative audience. The appreciation for
foods, and there were farmers who could provide
“good meat” has cemented their reputation. Their
an adequate supply for the scale of operations
consumers gain all of these things plus knowing the
contemplated. What was needed was a person or
source of their food.
organization—a catalyst—to invest the time needed
When they chose to process their beef organito forge connections. Enshayan’s affiliation with
cally, they had to make a broad and thorough search
UNI afforded him a position from which to facilitate
before they decided upon a butcher in Des Moines.
those connections. The readiness of both farmers
The owner there took the necessary steps for the
and institutions reinforces Enshayan’s assertion
beef to be organically certified with the farm family
that institutional local food buying “can happen
paying the costs of certification. The relationship
anywhere.”
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builds a market base. The community
“Buying and selling
The strategy for LFP has been to
also benefits from the economic impact.
target purchasers, because they have
locally is an
Over the 7-year span of the program, LFP
the buying power to leverage and start
economic and
has helped the Black Hawk County area
a market, and because most buyers are
relationship-building
retain almost $1.5 million in food expennot necessarily committed at first but
act
that
intentionally
ditures. For every dollar invested in LFP,
become so through little steps that lead
LFP has helped $6.50 stay in the commuto increased commitment and trust.
builds community.”
nity. Enshayan explains that buying and
Conversely, at the outset, it was not difselling locally is an economic and relaficult to find farmers—the farmers are
tionship-building act that intentionally
there and are producing a product—they
builds the community, since the focus of
need the market. However, as LFP has
the system is on the community, not the
grown, supply is apparently becoming
commodity.
more of a constraint, as there are a limitFor those interested in investigating
ed number of farmers able to provide the
their own local food projects, Enshayan
requisite amount of food and who are
suggests a four-ingredient recipe:
trained in the practices required to sell to
(1) Funding, (2) Time, (3) Making Connections,
institutional buyers.
and (4) Organizing. The work is, at its core,
The chief reward of LFP’s efforts has been
about community organization. The LFP Web
their benefit to the community. LFP connects many
page, along with many lessons drawn from its
institutions and farmers who otherwise may never
experiments and experience, is available at
identify their common interest. LFP also expends
http://www.uni.edu/ceee/foodproject/. Also, please
significant energy in public education (see “Buy
see resources on Selling to Institutions in the
Fresh, Buy Local” campaign in the Labeling and
“Resources” section.
Certification section) that generates enthusiasm and
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Ohmart, J. and G. Feenstra. Fall 2004. “Plate
Tectonics”: do farm-to-school programs shift students diets? Sustainable Agriculture Research
and Education Program Newsletter 16(3).
http://www.sarep.ucdavis.edu/newsltr/v16n3/
sa-1.htm.
References
Agricultural Marketing Service of the USDA. 2004.
Farmers’ market growth. http://www.ams.usda.
gov/farmersmarkets/FarmersMarketGrowth.
htm.
Pirog, Richard, Timothy Van Pelt, Kamyar Enshayan,
and Ellen Cook. 2001. Food, fuel and freeways:
an Iowa perspective on how far food travels,
fuel usage, and greenhouse gas emissions.
Iowa State University, Leopold Center for
Sustainable Agriculture. http://www.leopold.
iastate.edu/pubs/staff/ppp/index.htm.
Burdine, K., L. Maynard, and L. Meyer.
2001. Consumer willingness to pay for local meat
products. Agricultural Situation and Outlook—
Fall 2001. ESM-27. University of Kentucky,
Department of Agricultural Economics. http://
www.uky.edu/Ag/AgEcon/pus/esm/esm_27/
esm_27-9.pdf.
Tegtmeier, E. and M. Duffy. 2005. Community supported agriculture (CSA) in the Midwest United States:
a regional characterization. Iowa State University,
Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture.
http://www.leopold.iastate.edu/pubs/staff/files/
csa_0105.pdf.
Community Food Security Coalition. 2005.
What is community food security?. Quotation
from Mike Hamm and Anne Bellows.
http://www.foodsecurity.org/views_cfs_faq.html.
Davis, D., M. Epp, and H. Riordan. 2004. Changes
in USDA food composition date for 43 garden
crops, 1950 to 1999. Journal of American College
of Nutrition 23(6):669–682.
USDA. 2002. Farm income and balance sheet statistics in constant U.S. dollars, 1929–2002.
Economic Research Service. http://www.ers.
usda.gov/data/farmincome/finfidmu.htm
Elitzak, Howard. 2000. Food marketing costs: a
1990’s retrospective. Economic Research
Food
Review
23(3):27–30.
Service.
h t t p : / / w w w. e r s . u s d a . g o v / p u b l i c a t i o n s /
foodreview/septdec00/FRsept00e.pdf.
Zumwalt, B. 2001. Attracting consumers with locally grown products. Food Processing Center,
Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources.
University of Nebraska–Lincoln. http://fpc.unl.
edu/Newsworthy/localfood.htm.
Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture.
2003. Ecolabel value assessment: consumer
and food business perceptions of local foods.
http://www.leopold.iastate.edu/pubs/staff/ecolabels/index.htm.
Zumwalt, B. 2003. Approaching food service establishments of locally grown products. Food
Processing Center, Institute of Agriculture and
Natural Resources. University of Nebraska–
Lincoln. http://fpc.unl.edu/Newsworthy/localfood.htm.
Meter, Ken. 2001. Finding food in farm country.
Crossroads Resource Center. www.crcworks.
org/ff.pdf.
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A G R I C U L T U R E
A N D
A N D
L I V E S T O C K
I N
S U S T A I N A B L E
C R O P S
T H E
Local Food System
Iowa State University Sustainable Agriculture
Extension Program, Jerry DeWitt, 2104
Agronomy, Ames, IA 50011-1050. Phone: (515)
294-7836; Email: jdewitt@iastate.edu; https://
www.susag.iastate.edu/
Resources
General Resources (Iowa)
Agricultural Law Center, Neil Hamilton, Director,
Drake University, 2507 University Avenue,
Des Moines, IA 50311, Phone: (515) 271-4956;
https://www.drake.edu/law/clinics-centers/
aglaw/
Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture,
209 Curtiss Hall, Iowa State University, Ames,
Iowa 50011-1050. Phone: (515) 294-3711.
http://www.leopold.iastate.edu/
• Hamilton, Neil D. 1999. The Legal Guide
for Direct Farm Marketing. Drake University
Agricultural Law Center.
National Catholic Rural Life Conference, 4625
Beaver Avenue, Des Moines, Iowa 50310. Phone:
(515) 270-2634
Ag Marketing Resource Center, 1111 NSRIC, Iowa
State University, Ames, IA 50011-3310; Phone:
(866) 277-5567; Email: AgMRC@iastate.edu;
https://www.agmrc.org/
Practical Farmers of Iowa, P.O. Box 349, Ames,
Iowa 50010. Phone: (515) 232-5661. http://www.
practicalfarmers.org/
• Iowa Cafe II: Training for New Food and
Farming Ventures; http://www.agmrc.org/
services/cafeii/cafe%20ii.htm
Women, Food, and Agriculture Network. 59624
Chicago Road, Atlantic, IA 50022-9619. Phone:
(712) 243-3264. Email: cowfan@metc.net;
https://wfan.org/
Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land
Stewardship, Maury Wills, Bureau Chief,
Agricultural Diversification & Marketing
Development Bureau, Wallace State Office
Building, Des Moines, Iowa 50319. Phone: (515)
281-5783, Email: maury.wills@idals.state.ia.us,
https://iowaagriculture.gov/
General Resources (United States)
Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas
(ATTRA). P.O. Box 3657, Fayetteville, AR 72702.
Phone: (800) 346-9140. http://attra.ncat.org/
Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems,
University of Wisconsin–Madison, College of
Agricultural and Life Sciences, 1450 Linden
Drive, Madison, WI 53706. Phone: (608) 2625200; http://www.cias.wisc.edu/
Iowa Network for Community Agriculture, Email:
info@growinca.org; http://www.growinca.org/
Iowa State University Extension Organic
Agriculture Program, Dr. Kathleen Delate,
Associate Professor, Organic Specialist, Depts.
of Agronomy/Horticulture, 106 Horticulture Hall,
Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, Phone:
(515) 294-7069; Email: kdelate@iastate.edu;
http://extension.agron.iastate.edu/organicag/
Community Food Security Coalition. P.O. Box 209,
Venice, CA 90294. Phone: (310) 822-5410.
http://www.foodsecurity.org/
FoodRoutes Network. P.O. Box 443, Millheim, PA
16854. Phone: (814) 349-6000. http://www.
foodroutes.org/
Local Harvest. http://www.localharvest.org
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Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education
(SARE)—North Central Region Office, University
of Nebraska–Lincoln, 13-A Activities Bldg.,
1734 N. 34th Street, Lincoln, NE 68583-0840.
Phone: (402) 472-7081. http://www.sare.org/
ncrsare/
Practical Farmers of Iowa (see General Resources,
Iowa).
USDA-SARE, 2003. Reap new profits: marketing
strategies for farmers and ranchers. http://
www.sare.org/publications/marketing.htm
ISU Extension, PM 1692. 1999. Community supported agriculture: local food systems for Iowa;
http://www.extension.iastate.edu/Publications/
PM1692.pdf
Resources for CSAs
Alternative Farming System Information Center,
http://www.nal.usda.gov/afsic/csa/
W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Food and Society Program;
https://www.wkkf.org/grants/grant/2000/01/
food-society-p0075434
Leopold Center, 2005. “Community supported agriculture (CSA) in the Midwest United States: a
regional characterization.” http://www.leopold.
iastate.edu/pubs/staff/files/csa_0105.pdf
World Hunger Year. 505 Eighth Ave., Suite 2100,
New York, NY 10018-6582. Phone: (212) 6298850; Email: FSLC@worldhungeryear.org;
http://www.worldhungeryear.org
Robyn Van En Center for CSA Resources.
Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education,
http://www.sare.org/csa/index.htm
Farmers’ Markets
Agricultural Marketing Service of the USDA
http://www.ams.usda.gov/farmersmarkets/
• Iowa Farmers’ Markets Listing: http://www.
ams.usda.gov/farmersmarkets/States/Iowa.htm
Bachman, Janet. October 2002. “Farmers’ markets:
marketing and business guide.” ATTRA. http://
attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/farmmrkt.html
Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land
Stewardship, Horticulture and Farmers’ Market
Bureau: https://iowaagriculture.gov/agricultural-diversification-market-development-bureau/
horticulture-and-farmers-markets
• Barbara Lovitt, Iowa Department of Agriculture,
Wallace State Office Building, Des Moines,
IA 50319. Phone: (515) 281-8232; Fax: (515)
242-5015; E-mail: barb.lovitt@idals.state.us.ia
P
J. DeWITT
• Farmers’ Market Directory, http://www.
agriculture.state.ia.us/farmermarket.asp
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A G R I C U L T U R E
A N D
A N D
L I V E S T O C K
I N
S U S T A I N A B L E
C R O P S
T H E
Local Food System
Iowa Department of Education, Bureau of Nutrition
Programs and School Transportation (515)
281-5356, https://educateiowa.gov/pk-12/nutrition-programs
ISU Extension publication, PM 1853A. 2000. “Local
food connections: from farms to schools,”
https://store.extension.iastate.edu/product/5424
ISU Extension, PM 1693. 2003. Community supported agriculture: Iowa CSA farms and organizers:
http://www.extension.iastate.edu/pubs/su.htm
Farm-to-Restaurant,
Farm-to-Institution, and
Farm-to-Retail/Wholesale
SARE: https://wsaregrants.usu.edu/
GROWN Locally, 776 Old Stage Road, Postville, IA
52162. Phone: (563) 864-3847 or (563) 382-9255.
J. DeWITT
FoodRoutes: http://www.foodroutes.org/
National Farm to School Program, Center for Food
and Justice, Urban and Environmental Policy
Institute, Occidental College, 1600 Campus
Road, Mail Stop M1, Los Angeles, CA 90041, (323)
341-5095, https://www.farmtoschool.org/
CSA Directories
USDA: http://www.nal.usda.gov/afsic/csa/csastate.
htm
Iowa State University Hotel, Restaurant,
and Institution Management Extension.
h t t p : / / w w w. e x t e n s i o n . i a s t a t e . e d u / h r i m /
localfoods/
Farm Stands and U-Picks
Hamilton, N. 1999. “Insurance and liability: how to
protect your farm from the risk of being sued”
in The Legal Guide for Direct Farm Marketing.
Drake University.
Practical Farmers of Iowa, 2000. “Practical Farmers
of Iowa grocery and HRI study.” http://www.
practicalfarmers.org/resources_foodsystems.
asp
Wolfe, K., R. Holland, and J. Aaron. 2002. “Roadside
stand marketing of fruits and vegetables”
University of Georgia Center for Agribusiness
and Economic Development. http://www.
agecon.uga.edu/~caed/roadside2.pdf
Practical Farmers of Iowa, 2002. “Expanding local
food systems through direct marketing to Iowa
institutions.” http://www.practicalfarmers.org/
resources_foodsystems.asp
Farm-to-School
Practical Farmers of Iowa, 2004. “Revealing the
secrets of the All-Iowa Meal: Local Food
Brokering Project of Practical Farmers of Iowa.”
http://www.practicalfarmers.org/resources_
foodsystems.asp
Community Food Security Coalition, P.O. Box 209,
Venice, CA 90294, (530) 756-8518, http://www.
foodsecurity.org/farm_to_school.html
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Labeling and/or Certification
University of Northern Iowa Local Food Project,
Dr. Kamyar Enshayan, Center for Energy &
Environmental Education, Cedar Falls, IA 506140293. Phone: (319) 273-7575. https://ceee.uni.
edu/uni-local-food-program
Buy Fresh, Buy Local Campaign (see Practical
Farmers of Iowa under General Resources).
Food Alliance Midwest, Blair Arcade West, Suite Y,
400 Selby Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55102. Phone:
(651) 265-3682; Email: jean@foodalliance.org;
http://www.foodalliance.org/producers/fa_
midwest/midwest.html
Zumwalt, B. 2003. Approaching food service
establishments with locally grown products.
Food
Processing
Center,
Institute
of
Agriculture and Natural Resources. University
of
Nebraska–Lincoln
http://fpc.unl.edu/
Newsworthy/localfood.htm
Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, (see
General Resources, Iowa).
Food Processing
Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture. 2003.
Ecolabel value assessment: consumer and
food business perceptions of local foods. http://
www.leopold.iastate.edu/pubs/staff/ecolabels/
index.htm
Food Entrepreneur Program, Jill Gifford, The Food
Processing Center, University of Nebraska–
Lincoln, 143 Food Industry Complex, Lincoln,
NE 68583-0930. Phone: (402) 472-2819;
Email: jgifford1@unl.edu; http://fpc.unl.edu/
FoodEntrepreneurProgram/index.htm
“The Consumers Union Guide to Environmental
Labels,”
Iowa Department of Inspection and Appeals, Robert
Haxton, Program Manager, Food and Consumer
Safety Bureau, Lucas State Office Building,
321 East 12th Street, Des Moines, Iowa 503190083. Phone: (515) 281-6539; Email: rhaxton@
dia.state.ia.us; https://dia.iowa.gov/
Community Gardens
American Community Garden Association,
c/o Council on the Environment of New York
City, 51 Chambers Street, Suite 228, New York,
NY 10007. Phone: (877) ASK-ACGA or (212)
275-2242; http://www.communitygarden.org/
Iowa Manufacturing Extension Partnership, 2701 SE
Convenience Blvd., Suite 13 Ankeny, IA 50021.
Phone: (515) 289-0600 or toll free (877) 9654637; http://imep2.imep.org/
Des Moines Community Gardening Coalition,
Teva Dawson, Community Garden Coordinator,
Des Moines Parks Department, 3226 University
Avenue, Des Moines, IA 50311. Phone:
(515) 237-1386; E-mail: TLDawson@dmgov.org;
http://www.ci.des-moines.ia.us/departments/
PR/Comm_Gard/
Iowa State University Extension publication
PM 1294. 2000. “Iowa laws: sale of homeprepared food.” https://store.extension.iastate.
edu/product/4668
Iowa State University Extension, Dr. Sam Beattie,
Food Safety Specialist, Department of Food
Science and Human Nutrition, 133A MacKay
Hall, Ames, Iowa, 50011-1120. Phone: (515) 2943357; Email: beatties@iastate.edu
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A N D
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I N
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C R O P S
T H E
Local Food System
Toronto Food Policy Council, Wayne Roberts,
Project Coordinator, 277 Victoria Street, Suite
203, Toronto, Ontario M5B 1W1. Phone: (416)
338-7937; Email: tfpc@toronto.ca; http://www.
city.toronto.on.ca/health/tfpc_index.htm
Health and Nutrition
and Food Security
American Dietetic Association, Hunger and
Environmental Nutrition Dietetic Practice Group,
Angie Tagtow; http://www.hendpg.org
Local Food Alliances
Community Food Security Coalition (see General
Resources, United States)
Grinnell Area Local Food Alliance, Jonathon
Andelson, Center for Prairie Studies, Grinnell
College, Grinnell, IA 50112. Phone: (641)
269-3139; Email: andelson@grinnell.edu;
https://www.grinnell.edu/academics/centers-programs/prairie-studies/garden/history
Iowa State University Extension. Iowa food: security, insecurity and hunger. http://www.extension.iastate.edu/hunger/
ISU Extension to Families, Nutrition and Health Field
Specialists. http://www.extension.iastate.edu/
families/staff/nutrition.html
Iowa Network for Community Agriculture (see
General Resources, Iowa)
Practical Farmers of Iowa (see General Resources,
Iowa)
Society for Nutrition Education, Division of
Sustainable Food Systems, 7150 Winton Drive,
Suite 300, Indianapolis, IN 46268. Phone: (317)
328-4627 or (800) 235-6690. http://www.sne.org
University of Northern Iowa Local Food Project (see
General Resources, Iowa)
Women, Food, and Agriculture Network (see General
Resources, Iowa)
Business Planning
“Grow Your Small Market Farm.” Contact Penny
Brown Huber, Program Manager. Penny L. Brown
at 515-289-0238 or Brownpenny@aol.com; or
Sherry Shafer, Small Business Development
Center at Drake University at 515-271-2655 or
sharon.shafer@drake.edu
Consumer-Initiated Education
Slow Food USA (and a directory of Iowa chapters),
http://www.slowfoodusa.org/
Food Policy Councils
Iowa Food Policy Council, Neil Hamilton, Drake
University, The Law School, Agricultural Law
Center, 2507 University Avenue, Des Moines, IA
50311. Phone: (515) 271-2065; (515) 271-4956;
http://www.iowafoodpolicy.org/
Dairy Operations
Dunaway, Vicki H. 2000. “The Small Dairy Resource
Book.” SARE: Beltsville, MD. Note: out of print.
Available online at http://www.sare.org/publications/dairyresource.htm
State and Local Food Policy Council, Neil Hamilton,
The Agricultural Law Center, The Law School,
Drake University, 2507 University Avenue,
Des Moines, IA 50311. Phone: (515) 271-2065;
(515) 271-4956; http://www.statefoodpolicy.org/
J. DeWitt
Wisconsin Department of
Agriculture
website
https://datcp.wi.gov/
Pages/Homepage.aspx
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This research project is partially funded by the
Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture at
Iowa State University and the USDA-IFAFS
Organic Agriculture Consortium.
In accordance with Federal law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil
rights regulations and policies, this institution is prohibited from discriminating
on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, and reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.)
Program information may be made available in languages other than English.
Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for
program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, and American Sign
Language) should contact the responsible State or local Agency that administers
the program or USDA’s TARGET Center at 202-720-2600 (voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at 800-877-8339. To file a program
discrimination complaint, a complainant should complete a Form AD-3027, USDA
Program Discrimination Complaint Form, which can be obtained online at https://
www.ocio.usda.gov/document/ad-3027, from any USDA office, by calling 866632-9992, or by writing a letter addressed to USDA. The letter must contain the
complainant’s name, address, telephone number, and a written description of the
alleged discriminatory action in sufficient detail to inform the Assistant Secretary
for Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature and date of an alleged civil rights violation. The completed AD-3027 form or letter must be submitted to USDA by: (1)
Mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil
Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW Washington, D.C. 20250-9410; or (2) Fax:
833-256-1665 or 202-690-7442; or (3) Email: program.intake@usda.gov. This institution is an equal opportunity provider.
Developed and supported by Kathleen Delate and Adam
Martin-Schwarze (Organic Ag Program) and Jerry DeWitt
(Sustainable Ag Program), Iowa State University.
Designed by Mary Sailer, Spring Valley Studio.
Some photos on the cover were provided courtesy of Iowa
State University College of Agriculture and the USDA NRCS.
For the latest on organic agriculture from Iowa State University
go to http://extension.agron.iastate.edu/organicag/.
For the full non-discrimination statement or accommodation inquiries, go to
www.extension.iastate.edu/diversity/ext.
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