Local Food Systems

in IowaOverview

Alice Topaloff

ISU Extension and Outreach – Local Foods

Topaloff@iastate.edu

314.269.7162

www.extension.iastate.edu/localfoods

Why local? Economic Impact

Beginning Farmers

Environmental Impact

Healthy Kids

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

1959 1964 1969 1974 1978 1982 1987 1992 1997 2002 2007

Percent of Iowa Farmers Over 65 and Under 35 Years Old

< 35 > 65

Steering Committee:

- 3 Local food coordinators

- 3 Non-profit leaders

- Policy chair

- Evaluator

RFSWG Field Day on June 23rd

RFSWG

Local food marketing channels:

1) Direct to consumer marketing

2) Sales to institutions

3) Intermediated sales food hubs, grocery

stores, restaurants

Economic Impact

USA

- No increase in DTC sales between 2007 and 2012.

- Farms selling local food through DTC marketing channels were

more likely to remain in business

Iowa

- (Tagtow, 2008): 10% of $8 billion spent on food is produced

locally

- (Swenson, 2008): If 25% of fruits and vegetables consumed by

Iowans were grown and directly marketed by Iowa farmers: $140

million in output, over 2,000 jobs

Economic Impact

Total local food sales by farmers: >$13 million

Total funds leveraged by groups: $474,000

Total FT jobs created: 39

Public cost of creating 1 new FT job: $14,300

UCS study

Economic Impact – RFSWG (2013)

Food Hubs

Shared-Use Kitchens

Food Safety

Farm To School

Policies

Land Access

Food Justice

Hot Topics

Food Hubs

Food Hubs

Food Hub Managers

Working Group

Shared-Use Kitchens

Advantages:

- Remove restrictive barriers of high-cost

capital investment,

- Start-up space for food businesses,

- Support, resources, technical

assistance: reduce risk of failure.

Types of kitchens:

Processing center

Co-packing facility

Kitchen incubator

Community kitchen

FSMA- Does not apply to product that is for personal or on-farm

consumption

- Farms that have an average annual value of <$25,000 in previous 3

years

Rules

* Produce Rule

* Preventative Controls Rule (manufacturer, processor, packer, food

hubs)

Date to comply depends on size of farm/company

Food Safety

Group GAP: - GAP: almost required to sell in large volumes

- Lower the cost of the food safety certification

Food Safety

Farm to School

The Challenge: School Food Environments

FoodCorps Iowa

• Des Moines Public Schools

• Davenport Community Schools

• Black Hawk County Extension

Waterloo

• Northeast Iowa Food & Fitness

Initiative

Postville, Elkader, Oelwein

• Linn County Extension

Cedar Rapids

• Wapello County Extension

Ottumwa

Our Impact:

16,819 17

4,000 1,068

Healthier Kids, Healthier Schools, Healthier Nation

Access to capital & land

Insurance

Storage facilities

Processing facilities

Policies

Institutional procurement of local food

Easements

Zoning

Policies (local)

AgLink

SILT

PFI

WFAN

Land Access

“It means having a choice.”

Grow Johnson County

Double-up Food Bucks at farmers markets

Food Justice and Food Access

extension.iastate.edu/localfoods

localfoods@iastate.edu

Facebook: Local Foods – ISU Extension and

Outreach

Alice Topaloff

ISU Extension and Outreach – Local Foods

Topaloff@iastate.edu

314.269.7162

www.extension.iastate.edu/localfoods

Thank you