New web site provides support for local food efforts

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December 2, 2009

AMES, Iowa -- Imagine one place where you can get tips on buying meat directly from a farmer, connect to local food groups in Iowa, explore post-harvest handling techniques, discover ways to manage niche pork feed costs, and learn how to use goats to control weeds.

Your one-stop information center is valuechains.org, the new Web site for Value Chain Partnerships (VCP), an Iowa-based network for food and agriculture working groups. Begun in 2002, VCP now includes groups working in the areas of niche pork, regional food systems, small meat processing, and the state’s fruit and vegetable and grass-based livestock industries.

“The new Web site is part of a year-long effort to assess the benefits and impacts of Value Chain Partnerships, and how best to communicate who we are and what we do,” said Rich Pirog, associate director at the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture who also leads the VCP project.

The new Web site has reports from the more than 60 projects funded by the five working groups during the past seven years. Projects range from multi-county surveys to gauge demand for local products to workshops on how to market niche beef. Small business owners, farmers, processors, distributors and others from across each supply chain who focus on environmental and community stewardship are part of each group. Coordinators of all the groups also meet on a regular basis to increase cooperation and opportunities across the groups.

“This project has become a platform for providing technical assistance, information sharing, and networking across a range of niche markets and community-based food systems,” Pirog said. “VCP is an inclusive and dynamic network of working groups that delivers results to its members through coordinated technical assistance, networking, and research.”

Here’s an overview of the latest resources at valuechains.org.

• Pork Niche Market Working Group: This group has funded more than 30 research and development projects. New resources include eight strategies for niche pork producers to use in managing high feed costs, also recent findings reported from a herd health survey of 26 niche pork herds in the Midwest.
• Regional Food Systems Working Group: Find out who’s working on local food efforts in Iowa. This group supports six regional food organizations and, along with current mini-grants, work in more than 50 Iowa counties.
• Small Meat Processors Working Group: Working with ISU Extension and other partners, this group has produced several publications, including a guide to buying whole animals directly from producers or local lockers, and where to find small-scale poultry processors in Iowa.
• Fruit and Vegetable Working Group: The newest resource is a comprehensive Post-Harvest Handling Decision Tool for vegetables, with details on handling bunched greens, tender crops such as tomatoes or summer squash, dry-cured crops such as onions and garlic, and root crops such as potatoes and carrots. The tool also has information about equipment and packing shed considerations, and food safety.
• Grass-Based Livestock Working Group: Just completed are five case studies, each showing a different aspect of managed grazing for grasslands improvement. The case studies looked at bison in the Broken Kettle Grasslands Preserve, grazing goats to control weeds, how to increase bird and wildlife habitat in pastures, special considerations for grazing CRP land, and using grassbanks during pasture renovation.

In addition to the Leopold Center, core partners in the VCP project are Practical Farmers of Iowa, the Iowa State University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, the ISU College of Business and ISU Extension. The VCP project also is supported by a grant from the Wallace Center at Winrock International. 

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The Leopold Center was established by the 1987 Iowa Groundwater Protection Act as a research and education center at Iowa State University to develop sustainable agricultural practices that are both profitable and conserve natural resources. Iowa State does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, age, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, sex, marital status, disability, or status as a U.S. Vietnam Era Veteran. Any persons having inquiries concerning this may contact the Director of Affirmative Action, 3210 Beardshear Hall, (515) 294-7612.

This page was found at http://www.leopold.iastate.edu/news/12-02-2009/new-web-site-provides-support-local-food-efforts on 01/21/2013