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Strength Through Diversity: People, Products, Markets

By PSFN’s Communications and Outreach Coordinator, Emma Brewster

On Thursday, Cascade Harvest Coalition hosted the Olympic Peninsula Farm to Table Trade Meeting in Port Townsend. The overwhelming theme of the day was the importance of diversity: diversity of knowledge, experience, markets, and products.

To kick off the event, Dr. Laura Lewis, the new Director of WSU extension services for Jefferson County, delivered a refreshingly scientific keynote address. Dr. Lewis spoke about “agrobiodiversity” and economic development opportunities therein for farmers and members of the local food economy on the Olympic Peninsula.

Much of Dr. Lewis’s presentation drew on the concept of Edge Theory, commonly used in permaculture design, among other applications. Edge Theory asserts that the edges of areas (of biomes, of neighborhoods, of garden plots…) harbor a tremendous amount of diversity, and discusses the desirable resiliency and stability found through such eclecticism. Dr. Lewis offered the example of ecotones: the areas between biomes or environmental regions such as the salty march which separates the grassy dunes from the sea, or the Serengeti savannah which joins the Sahara desert to the central rainforest in Africa. These inter-regions are areas of great biodiversity, abundance, and environmental dynamism, and are less affected by changes which might devastate the environ on either side. Ecotones both result from and indicate a gradient of conditions between zones, such as changing precipitation levels, shifting temperature, or differential access to sunlight.

Dr. Lewis reminded us that realms between more distinct areas are not just an environmental or biological phenomenon, but that the local food economy on the Olympic Peninsula (and in other regions) is a sort of ecotone itself. Dr. Lewis pointed out that our agricultural system is not simply a linear chain from seed to spoon, but rather there is in fact a large amount of dynamism and potential where players in the food system interact and overlap.

In these overlapping areas of knowledge and practice, we can choose to ignore or capitalize on our interconnectedness by choosing to either share or withhold knowledge from one another. For instance, a chef who discontinues his order from a local farm, but does not tell the farm what it was that made the chef switch to a different source – quality, price, delivery hiccups – foregoes the opportunity to improve the relationship and the system as a whole because the farm has not learned or grown from the experience. Relationships among different players in the system and the system entirely are strengthened and both see more stability in the long term when knowledge and experience are shared.

The space in the center of the diagram here is the “area of vital connection” across systems. It is this area of diversity and interconnectedness in our own agricultural system that we need to sustain together, and which should be more highly valued and utilized in an effort to strengthen our local agricultural economy.

With this in mind, as players in the regional food system we can decide to capitalize on the edges that exist within our own systems to identify barriers and weaknesses and to strengthen bonds and systematic resiliency. Interaction between producers and consumers can point out the weaknesses in processing capacity, storage facilities, marketing assistance, and distribution capabilities available. We can then work together to develop milling, meat processing, and distilling facilities; wholesale, direct, collective, and cooperative distribution options; and other infrastructural helps. The more successful we are at preserving interconnectedness, the more stable we’ll all be in the long term. PSFN is proud to be a group that represents each sector in this vital center (consumers, producers, processors, distributors and other service providers). We aim to help share knowledge and information across perceived barriers in an effort to support the regional food economy in the Puget Sound.

Photo courtesy of Nash's Organic Produce

A panel discussion also spoke to the idea of diversity and to the benefit to diversifying both products and markets. PSFN Member Kia Armstrong spoke about all the different outlets for Nash’s Organic Produce, and about the pros and cons of each. Nash’s is currently wholesaling about 50% of their products through three or four major wholesalers throughout the Northwest and Canada. Nash’s recently opened its own small grocery store where you can buy all your favorite Nash’s produce and everything else “from olive oil to toilet paper!” as Kia says. In addition to the store, the farm is now more active than ever before at farmers’ markets, and is looking to expand its partnerships with regional institutions. Nash’s currently holds an on-site farmers market at the Olympic Medical Center on Tuesdays. Hospital staff are able to swipe their payroll deduct cards at the market (as opposed to needing cash), which is convenient for shoppers and reliable income for the farm. In its efforts to expand its institutional relationships, Nash’s is also in the process of getting into local schools through the Jefferson and Clallum county Farm to Cafeteria programs, as both schools are working under new local buying initiatives. Kia and Nash’s Organic Produce has partnered with PSFN in the past in marketing their produce to child care centers and to senior meal programs through our Farm to Table Project.

It is institutional markets like these that excite Kathy Pryor of Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility (WPSR) and Heathcare Without Harm (HWH), who also participated in the panel. Kathy is working to gain signatories to the Healthy Food in Healthcare pledge, which commits healthcare institutions to use their enormous purchasing power to improve the health of the food system while also modeling healthy behavior for patients, visitors, and staff.

The healthcare industry is the third largest institutional purchaser of food (after colleges and universities, and elementary schools), and mostly purchases through the same mainline distributors as other, smaller institutional buyers like preschools and senior meal programs. The Healthy food in Healthcare commitment asks hospitals to use their “moral authority” as healthcare providers to support local producers who healthfully and ethically produce their products. By harnessing the purchasing power of the hospitals, WPSR and HWH is able to pave the way for smaller institutions and other local buyers to source their food carefully and locally.

Some local success stories of hospitals partnering with farms include:

The Olympic Medical Center in Port Angeles was the first hospital in the state to set up an onsite farm stand, and to use produce purchased from that stand in kitchen at least once a week.
Harrison Medical Center in Bremerton is now directly purchasing whole carcass beef over the winter months, something that Kathy hasn’t seen yet elsewhere.
United General Hospital in Sedro-Woolley just won second place in the nation for its sustainable food purchasing. Head Chef Chris Johnson made lots of local purchasing relationships with PSFN member farms at our Skagit and Seattle summer Wholesale Markets, and has been able to sustain them, leading to his award.

United General Hospital is currently purchasing 15% of its food for cafeteria and in-patient dining from local producers. The hospital that placed first in the competition (Fletcher Allen Healthcare in Burlington, VT – not far from where I grew up) is at an astounding 40%! So… it can be done!

In contrast to these inspiring local purchasing percentages of 15 and 40%, panel moderator, Katherine Barill of EDC Team Jefferson, reminded us that across the country, only one half of 1% of consumer food is purchased direct from the farmer by the end user. In Jefferson County, that proportion is a relatively impressive 4%. Ms. Barill challenged the audience to envision what might be possible economically for the county and the region if we could raise that number to 20% by 2020? The goal of 20% by 2020 is also the goal set out by the Real Food Challenge, a key partner of PSFN this year, for colleges and universities in the Northwest. The Real Food Challenge also has a food commitment to be signed by college and university presidents and chancellors to similarly harness the purchasing power of colleges and universities.

Kathy sees this region of Washington as a prime candidate for this type of innovative food purchasing at healthcare and other institutions because of the high diversity of farms, as well as the somewhat limited geographic layout: Kathy markets the idea of local food purchasing to hospitals as an essential part of the facilities’ emergency preparedness plan, which all hospital are required to have. It’s an incredible resource to have food at their fingertips (and have the necessary relationships in tact) to feed patients in case of any major disaster which might result in limited transportation or other infrastructural losses.

This panel also discussed the importance of diversifying local products manufactured and sold in our region. Panelist Laura Lawless of the Port Townsend Food Co-op harped on value-added products as one of the most effective ways of ensuring income over the winter months for regional farms. She suggested the alternative value-added markets of health and beauty products, the herb and spice market, and medicinals as the next frontier for local producers. (PSFN is so excited for our soon-to-be-former Operations Manager, Ann Leason, for soon devoting the majority of her time to her own herb farm for health and beauty products, as well as medicinal herbs. Go Ann!)

Laura also gave some great suggestions of value-added products needed in the area:

Processed meats like salami and sausage
Frozen convenience foods for busy families – at the Port Townsend co-op they have a frozen Tamale that they can’t keep on the shelves!
Kale and produce chips
Salad Dressing
Pet food

For advice on, and assistance in, entering the value-added marketplace, PSFN and NABC are offering a Transition to Value Added Business Course this winter. The introductory courses in market assessment and business plan development have already passed, but product development classes in a variety of categories remain:

Value-added Dairy Workshop – Friday, January 27, 2012
Value-add Floral and Nursery Workshop – Thursday, February 2, 2012
Value-added Meat Workshop – Monday, February 6, 2012
Valued Added Prepared Foods – Thursday, February 16, 2012

For more information about these classes, contact Jeff Voltz: jeff@agbizcenter.org / (360) 593-4744

As a final word of advice, Laura said the most important thing you can do as a producer is to take the time to come to the store, demo your product, and tell your story your way to your customers. We at PSFN agree. Telling your story through your brand, your label, and in person is essential.

So in summary, diversity is the key! We should all work to diversify relationships and enhance interconnectedness among different players in the regional food system; producers should diversify their markets (and focus on institutional partnerships) and their products. Diversification of activities across the agricultural continuum will enable all stakeholders to manage risk, which will promote economic development. Diversity is the key to regional economic stability and resilience. So… let’s get talking!

Posted by Emma Brewster on December 12th, 2011

PSFN Member Goes Extra Mile to Source Local for Sedro-Woolley Hospital

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Across the country, there are a growing number of hospitals getting involved with the local food movement. Right here in Northwest Washington, we have plenty of great examples to boast about. Last week PSFN’s Lucy Norris caught up with one such leader: Chef Chris Johnson, Food Services Director at United General Hospital in Sedro-Woolley, WA. United General is a great example of a community hospital in a rural area who has shown they can do better, to make better choices for the community they serve. We applaud the efforts of Chef Johnson, his amazing staff, and the hospital administration for their efforts.

Tell us a little about your background and your current position.

Chef Johnson and boxes full of local products purchased at the Skagit WholeSale Market

As a chef, I have worked mainly in locally owned restaurants. I helped open the old Sweetwater Bistro in Mt. Vernon (The Trumpeter is now in that space). The food scene has really changed around here. I remember walking over to the Mt Vernon Farmers Market in the early days. It was pretty sad in the beginning but nowadays there’s an awesome variety of foods and so many more food producers there. I’ve also taught at the Skagit Valley College. I still work part-time at the La Connor Brewing Co. It’s a really great time to live here and cook for a living.

I remember one instructor telling his students about the importance of buying from local farms. He didn’t preach about it, but you could tell he was passionate. He was sourcing local thirty years ago-when a chef had to go out of the way to buy local. Now, there are resources to help anyone who is the slightest bit interested. There’s no excuse not to buy local.

I’m now the Director of Food Service for United General Hospital responsible for inpatient meals as well as the cafeteria, called Coho Café. I supervise 13 full time employees including a registered dietician (who is smarter than me), and some really amazing cooks and dishwashers. It’s a great group of people.

Institutional food gets a bad wrap, and rightly so. So much of the ready-to-eat foods are highly processed. This food has made people sick over time and too many of those people end up in our hospital because of poor diet. United General is a community hospital in a rural area and we have a responsibility to do better, to make better choices for the community we serve. Skagit Valley is the perfect place to start something like this (Skagit WholeSale Market and Puget Sound Food Network). There are a huge variety of crops here and people want to eat it. We’re pretty lucky.

When I got here, the staff was not cooking from scratch. Food was already prepared, so all they had to do was heat it and serve. Training is an ongoing process. For example, golden beets aren’t that fancy, but the cooks didn’t really know what to do with them. Still, they are always open to trying new things. Everyday is a chance to learn something new and it keeps our work interesting. We all work well together.

It’s a small hospital so we serve about thirty-five inpatient meals per day. About a hundred and fifty people visit the cafeteria. The cashiers tell me that new people are coming for lunch these days– the cashiers have never seen some of these visitors before. People tell me they like the food a lot. I also talk to people about what we’re doing with buying local food. We’ve got the support from administration.

How long have you been sourcing local food for this kitchen?

It started last year. We bought two CSA shares from Hedlin Farm last year. Every Friday was like Christmas. That was the day boxes were delivered.

This year we got more serious with buying local products. I started getting more products from Hedlin and reached out to Sakuma for berries. I also work with Taylor Shellfish and have made some new contacts through the Skagit WholeSale Market. (Editors note: Chef Johnson is a new PSFN member!)

We’re taking baby steps integrating local food into inpatient meals. Right now, Sakuma berries are served to patients twice a week. Hedlin’s lettuce mix is also served. We slice Hedlin’s tomatoes with sandwiches when we have them. Tasteless softballs we get from the distributor do not compare to delicious and ripe, local tomatoes.

So what’s going on in the cafeteria these days?

The Coho Café offers specials throughout the week that include local products. This is the inaugural “Farm Fresh Friday” and we are having Taylor Shellfish Farm clams sauteed w/Skagit River Ranch Sweet Italian Sausage and Hedlin Farm Fennel. For those who prefer meatless, we have the sausage-free version made with Twin Sisters mushrooms. We’ll also have Ralph’s Greenhouse Glazed Carrots, and whatever else I can find to cook up!

The menu for next week includes Taco Day- it’s not gourmet but people love it. I just bought some organic ground beef from Skagit River Ranch at the Skagit WholeSale Market this week. I am also trying their organic ground pork that I’ll combine to create my own seasoned taco filling. I’m also making spinach lasagna made with Ralph’s Greenhouse spinach and San Juan Island Pasta Co noodles. There will be baked San Juan Island Pasta Co rigatoni and Twin Sisters Mushrooms. I just bought some Skagit Fresh sparkling beverage and it sold out. I want to get more.

A recent visitor told me, “I never thought to come to a hospital for steamed clams!” If I can sell this food in a small hospital in Sedro Woolley, any business around here can and should do it. As soon as you start putting local on your menu and letting people know — people will go crazy, and flock to it.

The Skagit WholeSale Market launched just three weeks ago in Mt. Vernon. You came the first day and every market day since. Tell me about your experiences so far. How did you find out about it?

Actually, Celeste at Sakuma Bros told me about it. I had called to place an order and she told me to meet her there to collect my order. I didn’t really have any expectations. But while I was there, I met other food producers. I order from Hedlin and Sakuma every week anyway, so now I can pick up stuff at the market now. Since coming to the market, I have orders with Ralph’s, San Juan Island Pasta Co, Twin Sisters, and Skagit River Ranch. I also found out that Samish Bay Cheese does more than the hard cheeses like gouda. I had no idea they also do fresh cheese and yogurt, too! It was also great to see Don from Nerka SeaFrozen Salmon this week. I used to buy from him when I was at the Sweetwater Bistro. It’s excellent quality fish!

The Skagit WholeSale Market and PSFN are both awesome! The Market is so refreshing because you can have a face-to-face relationship with the people who grow your food, versus clicking a button in an ordering program.

There is a popular belief that local food is just too expensive for institutional budgets. So how do you do it?

Actually last year when we started sourcing local food, we came under budget. So this year, they gave us less budget because apparently they think we don’t need it. Nah, we’re OK. Since participating in the Skagit WholeSale Market, I haven’t compared the invoices with my regular line distributor, but I’m pretty sure we’re spending less this year. The farmers have been willing to work with me on invoicing. As a hospital employee, I can’t just write a check. On Thursdays when I come back with my products, I sit down at my desk and sign off on the invoices. Then I walk them straight down to Finance. I do this as quickly as possible so the producer doesn’t have to wait long to get paid. It’s a leap of faith for small farmers but that trust grows when you do what you say you are going to do.

I look at the cost of sourcing local from a different angle. For ready-to-eat foods, I was paying for labor twice. Now I pay once for labor- my co-workers seem to like what we’re doing and we’re attracting more business. Sourcing local makes perfect sense.

(Editor’s Note: Created by Chef Johnson and inspired by local, seasonal bounty, “Farm Fresh Friday” at Coho Café happens Fridays from 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. Come and enjoy menu items made with fresh produce from local farms, including fruits, vegetables, meats, cheeses and more. Affordable, healthy, and delicious! It will change the way you think about hospital food! For more information, please call (360) 707-4238. United General Hospital is located at 2000 Hospital Drive • Sedro-Woolley, WA 98284. Visit www.unitedgeneral.org.)

Posted by Lucy Norris on July 12th, 2010

CSAs Mean Business

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Many people already know the definition of Community Support Agriculture or CSA, but for the rest, let’s just say it is a grassroots partnership between a farmer and individuals that helps reconnect eaters to the source of their food. Before season, a farm will assign monetary value of producing say, 20 weeks worth of food, and then divide this amount into “shares” and charge a flat upfront fee to anyone in a given community who wants to participate. The shareholders (or individuals and families) then receive weekly “shares,” boxes or bags of seasonal produce (and sometimes animal products) grown on that farm or collective of local farms throughout the season. Provided there are no dramatic hiccups in production, everybody wins.

There are many types of CSA operations in Northwest Washington. A compliment to farmers markets and grocery stores, CSAs are responding to consumers desire for food that is local, fresh, delicious, fair, and clean to eat. It also helps establish a rapport between producer and consumer–building community through food.

Several years ago while living in Portland, I was introduced to the concept of “CSAs for restaurants.” Our local Slow Food chapter held a lecture on the subject with Chef John Taboada of Navarre restaurant who purchased shares for his small kitchen in NE Portland from 47^th Ave Farm (http://www.47thavefarm.com). His kitchen was rather small but highly creative and the menu flexible. He and his staff were committed to sourcing local and seasonal, not only because of high ideals, but because the food quality was excellent. To this day, Chef Taboada maintains his relationship with 47^th Ave Farm through CSA shares because the mutually supportive relationship works for his business- in terms of balancing cost to overall quality his customers seek.

Since Moving to Washington, I have queried restaurants in the Seattle area to find out who here receives CSAs in their kitchens. So far, not one has been identified but I’m sure they are out there. I have found more businesses are offering their locations as drop sites, making it easy for their employees to participate in CSAs. Says PSFN member Clayton Burrows of Growing Washington,

“We don’t deliver CSAs to restaurants, per say, but we certainly are helping to lead the charge with workplace CSAs. We basically utilize businesses and drop-off points for our CSA. We ask that businesses have at least five people sign up for a box, and then we deliver their food to their place of work each week. Some of the businesses pay a portion of the share, some do it through payroll deduction. We also do Business Share Snack Packs, where we deliver snack type items (e.g. berries, cherry tomatoes, pickling cucumbers, salads, grapes, etc.), to businesses each week. Our workplace CSA program is going great.”

There are a variety of CSA farms and local produce box delivery services within the Puget Sound Food Network and can be researched at www.psfn.org. Before choosing, business owners should keep in mind that each producer is unique in terms of certifications, geography, delivery options, products offered, cost and seasonal share availability. They include:

DEVine Gardens
The Raven and the Spade
Sol to Seed Farm
Whidbey Green Goods
Willowood Farm on Ebey’s Prairie
Greenbank Farm
Growing Washington
Maha Farm
Molly’s Island Garden
Full Circle Farm in Carnation

As a business, you can to decide if a weekly CSA share will work for you, your employees or your restaurant kitchen. But you’ll need to decide quickly! Many CSA farms are gearing up for their first of the season deliveries. In fact, Growing Washington just announced on their Facebook page, “You’ve got less than 48 hours to sign up for our Local Choice Food Box in King and Snohomish Counties and then they are closing down registration for the season.”

For more information about choosing a CSA for your business or restaurant, please login to PSFN and search CSAs in the member profiles, paying attention to the names of the above farms. You can also find an exhaustive directory of CSAs in the Puget Sound Fresh 2010 Farm Guide or online at http://www.pugetsoundfresh.org/csa.htm.

Contributing blogger Lucy Norris is Puget Sound Food Network’s Regional Food Systems Developer. For more information, please see staff bios at http://www.psfn.org/staff/

Posted by Lucy Norris on June 1st, 2010

New report recommends ways to strengthen farmers markets and bolster rural areas

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King County’s flourishing farmers markets offer a great selection of tasty and nutritious food while providing a boost to local farmers. A new report includes several recommendations to help ensure the stability of farmers markets well into the future.

“The growing popularity of farmers markets across King County is a very positive development, but we can’t take them for granted and must continue to explore new ways of supporting them,” said King County Executive Dow Constantine. “Farmers markets are the best place for people to find out how tasty and fresh locally-grown food can be, and to support our rural economy.

“By strengthening farmers markets across the county, we not only improve the future of farming here, but also bolster the small businesses that form the fabric of our communities,” he added.

Among the recommendations in the King County Farmers Market Report are:

Posted by Elliot on March 22nd, 2010

Cold Storage Facilities Now Eligible For USDA Facility Loan Program

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WASHINGTON, March 17, 2010 – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today said that the Farm Storage Facility Loan program has been amended to allow producers to build cold storage facilities to store their fresh fruits and vegetables. This program is part of USDA’s ‘Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food’ initiative and uses discretionary authority provided by the 2008 Farm Bill authorizing the eligibility of cold storage facilities for fruits and vegetables.

“Expand the Farm Storage Facility Loan program will provide our nation’s fruit and vegetable producers with new storage and marketing opportunities,” Vilsack said. “On-farm storage may cost a lot to build, but it can help farmers to maximize profits. USDA’s program will help these producers to finance the purchase, construction, or refurbishment of these important farm storage facilities.”

Posted by Elliot on March 18th, 2010

Kate Arding – The cheese lover

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Cowgirl Creamery founder and co-founder of Culture Cheese Magazine, British native, Kate Arding has become a cheese sensei. She was recently featured in an interview by culinate.com which discusses the past, present and future of cheese.

How did you first become interested in cheese?
My uncle had a business that sold mustards, and I started working for him. One day I made a delivery at Neal’s Yard Dairy. There was floor-to-ceiling cheese, and it was a hive of activity. The first thing they did was hand you a sample of cheese, and they talked to you about it in a friendly way. I was smitten.

When you moved to northern California in 1997, how did the artisanal-cheese industry in the United States compare to England’s?
England was trying to preserve the traditions of cheesemakers, and the United States was trying to establish them. When I started working for Cowgirl Creamery, making artisanal cheese was an embryonic movement.

Read the full interview here: http://www.culinate.com/articles/the_culinate_interview/kate_arding

Posted by Elliot on February 17th, 2010

Regional Food Economic Impact Quotes

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Tim Crosby, Puget Sound Food Network’s Network Coordinator, gathered some interesting quotes from States around the US. Each quote gives us a glimpse into the economic climate of each State’s food cycle. All follow a similar trend, that if State spending is shifted to local farms and produce, there is a dramatic increase in jobs and economic output.

King County, WA

A shift of 20% of our food dollars into locally directed spending would result in a nearly half billion dollar annual income increase in King County alone and double that in the Central Puget Sound region.

Source: Viki Sonntag, “Why Local Linkages Matter: Findings from the Local Food Economy Study,” Sustainable Seattle, April 2008, http://sustainableseattle.org/Programs/localfoodeconomy

Oregon

For every food dollar spent locally by the two school districts, an additional 87 cents was spent in Oregon, generating a multiplier of 1.87 for farm to school spending.

Dollars spent in Oregon agriculture reverberated into 401 of 409 of the state’s economic sectors.

Source: Ecotrust, ” Farm to School Investment Yields a Healthy Return into State Coffers”, March 18, 2009, http://www.ecotrust.org/press/f2s_investment_20090318.html , viewed March 19, 2009

Iowa

If Iowans purchased a quarter of their produce from Iowa farmers, it would create $139.9 million in new economic output and more than 2,000 jobs for the state.

Source: Sarah DeWeerdt, “Local Food: The Economics”, Worldwatch Magazine, Worldwatch Institute, July/August 2009

Iowa State University research showed that if that region’s consumers ate five locally-grown fruits and vegetables each day for only the three months when they are in season, it would create $6.3 million of labor income, and 475 new jobs within the locale.

Secondary Source: Ken Meter, “Local Food as Economic Development” Crossroads Resource Center October, 2008, http://www.crcworks.org/lfced.pdf

Primary Source: Swenson, David (2008). “Economic Impact Summaries” covering Black Hawk County region. March. University of Northern Iowa Center for Energy and Environmental Education.

Illinois

Even small increases in the amount of food grown for local consumption can generate an enormous amount of new economic activity, all of it within the state, for farmers and others in food-related businesses … generating $20 to $30 billion in economic activity and thousands of new jobs in farming and the food industry each year.

Source: Illinois Local and Organic Food and Farm Task Force, ” Local Food, Farms & Jobs: Growing the Illinois Economy: A Report to the Illinois General Assembly By The Illinois Local and Organic Food and Farm Task Force”, March 2009, http://www.foodfarmsjobs.org/ , viewed May 14, 2009

Detroit, MI

Just in the city of Detroit, shifting twenty percent of food spending would increase annual output by nearly half a billion dollars. More than 4,700 jobs would be created, paying $125 million more in earnings. The city would receive nearly $20 million more in business taxes each year.

Source: Michael Shuman, “Economic Impact of Localizing Detroit’s Food System”, Fair Food Foundation, http://www.fairfoodnetwork.org/pdf/handout070617.pdf , viewed May 18, 2009

New Jersey Fresh, NJ

The study showed that each dollar spent on the Jersey Fresh program increased farm revenues by $31.54 … and $54.49 of increased economic output in the State. With a current budget for Jersey Fresh being about $800,000, this means an increase in farm revenues of $25.2 million, and a total increase in economic output for the state of $43.6 million.

Source: New Jersey Dept. of Agriculture, 2004 Annual Report: Agricultural Statistics, http://www.state.nj.us/agriculture/04AnnualReport.pdf

Posted by Elliot on January 11th, 2010

Ecology of Food

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In a recent article, the Hartman Group predicts future trends of how American will obtain and consume food. The study suggests a number of notions including the advent of private label foods, like Trader Joe’s, growth of Farmer’s Markets and smaller to medium sized retail outlets which will lead to increased diversity.

[S]uch evolving needs for quality food experiences prove an opportunity for retailers willing to make bold moves and stake out clearly delineated positions in the marketplace of the future.

Read the full article here.

Posted by Elliot on November 19th, 2009

Safe to Eat?

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An insightful event is coming up in December about the science, politics and economics of food. Featuring Thomas Besser, PhD, DVM and Bill Sischo, DVM, MPVM, PhD (Professors, School for Global Animal Health, College of Veterinary Medicine), discussions include food safety and food related disease.

Check out the neat event preview video here.

Thursday, Dec. 3, 2009
Registration: 11:30 a.m.
Lunch program: noon
$45 per person (includes lunch)
Guests welcome

Fairmont Olympic Hotel
Spanish Ballroom
411 University Street, Seattle

Food- and water-borne illnesses are growing concerns for people in the United States and abroad. Disease-causing microbes can spread easily from animals to people through contaminated meat, water, and produce, while the processes and interventions to prevent their spread often differ. Although Americans may be relatively unaware of the ways our food is grown, harvested, and brought to market, people in less-developed countries often interact closely with food-producing animals. How do the laws, customs, and economic realities involved in our food-production system affect the things we eat? What is the science behind our on-farm food safety efforts? How can we ensure a safe, affordable, and sustainable supply of food for ourselves while respecting the needs of our global community?

Professors Thomas Besser and Bill Sischo are among innovative WSU scientists leading international efforts in food safety through their research into the detection, prevention, and control of the causes of food-borne illness. Their investigation of the science, politics, and economics of food—from farm to fork—is crucial to the health and well-being of people and animals across Washington and worldwide.

Posted by Elliot on November 5th, 2009

Eco-Label Programs for Michigan Farmers

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Lia Spaniolo, a graduate student at Michigan State University, has recently put together a brochure, “Eco-Label Programs for Michigan Farmers,” to assist farmers in determining which, if any, are appropriate and beneficial for their operations. It describes some more established labels, as well as some that are in development. It also has a checklist that summarizes the broad criteria embodied in each label.

Most of the 13 eco-labels summarized in this brochure are also available to farmers in other US states. These include: American Grassfed, American Humane Certified, Animal Welfare Approved, Certified Humane Raised & Handled, Certified Naturally Grown, Demeter Biodynamic, Domestic Fair Trade, Family Farmed, Food Alliance, Predator Friendly, Protected Harvest, Select Michigan, USDA Organic.

Here is a link to the brochure in pdf format:

http://www.msu.edu/%7Ehowardp/ecolabelspamphlet.pdf

Posted by Elliot on November 5th, 2009