Leopold Center - Center staff papers

Center staff papers

Many of these papers are available only in PDF format . To download and install Acrobat Reader, visit Adobe's download page. Reports with a symbol can be viewed as text. Other work done by Leopold Center staff is on the Speeches and presentations page.

January 2010	The Economic Impact of Fruit and Vegetable Production in Southwest Iowa Considering Local and Nearby Metropolitan Markets Analysis conducted by Dave Swenson, Iowa State University Department of Economics, for increased local food production, processing and consumption in 10 Iowa counties (Adair, Adams, Audubon, Cass, Guthrie, Harrision, Mills, Montgomery, Pottawattamie and Shelby) and the Omaha-Council Bluffs and Des Moines metro areas. January 2010. The work was funded by a competitive grant from the Leopold Center Marketing and Food Systems Initiative.
December 2009	Is local food more expensive? A consumer price perspective on local and non-local foods purchased in Iowa This study compared prices for Iowa-grown vegetables, eggs and meat with non-local counterparts. Written by Iowa State University graduate student Nick McCann and Leopold Center Associate Director Rich Pirog.
September 2009	Investigating the Potential Economic Impacts of Local Foods in Southeast Iowa Analysis conducted by Dave Swenson, Iowa State University Department of Economics, for increased local food production, processing and consumption in Davis, Jefferson Keokuk, Mahaska, Van Buren and Wapello counties in Iowa. The work was funded by a competitive grant from the Leopold Center Marketing and Food Systems Initiative.
June 2009	Understanding Common Terms Used in Discussions about Climate Change and Agriculture Glossary of climate change terms with definitions, sources and links for more information following each term. Written by Rich Pirog and ISU graduate student Becky Rasmussen.
September 2008	Food, Fuel and the Future: Consumer Perceptions of Local Food, Food Safety and Climate Change in the Context of Rising Prices Report summarizes findings of a web-based consumer marketing survey conducted by the Center's Marketing and Food Systems Initiative. Written by Rich Pirog and ISU graduate student Becky Rasmussen.
June 2008	Assessing fuel efficiency and CO2 emissions of two local food distribution options in Iowa Study looked at which method was most energy efficient: farmer delivery or customer pick-up of food products for an Iowa Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) enterprise. Written by Rich Pirog and ISU graduate student Rebecca Rasmussen.
September 2007	Consumer perceptions of the safety, health and environmental impact of various scales and geographic origin of food supply chains Report that summarizes the findings of a web-based consumer marketing survey conducted by the Center's Marketing and Food Systems Initiative. Written by Rich Pirog and ISU graduate student Andy Larson
Summer 2006	Farming, Food and Health Essay by Fred Kirschenmann in the Summer 2006 Gleanings newsletter of the Glynwood Center, Cold Spring, New York.
May 2006	The economic impacts of increased fruit and vegetable production and consumption in Iowa: Phase II Report prepared by Dave Swenson, ISU Economics, for the Regional Food Systems Working Group and the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture
April 2006	Pleasure and process: A recipe for good eating Essay by Fred Kirschenmann for the Center for Ecoliteracy's "Thinking Outside the Lunchbox" program
March 2006	Is sustainability in our energy future? Column written by Fred Kirschenmann for Winter 2006 newsletter of Practical Farmers of Iowa
November 2005	Potential for a New Generation of Biodiversity in Agro-ecosystems of the Future Paper prepared by Fred Kirschenmann for the 2005 Trisocieties (ASA-CSSA-SSSA) International Annual Meetings Nov. 6-10, 2005 in Salt Lake City, Utah.
October 2005	Consumer perceptions of place-based foods, food chain profit distribution and family farms Consumers who participated in this Internet survey would like to see farmers receive a higher share of the profits for retail food products. Conducted for the Leopold Center by the ISU College of Business.
October 2005	Spirituality in Agriculture In this paper prepared for the Concord (MA) School of Philosophy, Fred Kirschenmann considers how the scientific revolution has resulted in a fragmented approach to agriculture, and the need for a systems approach that focuses on ecological relationships.
April 2005	Rising Energy Prices and Iowa Farmers This report looks at the impact of 25 and 50 percent increases in fuel costs on estimated costs of crop production in Iowa. Written by Mike Duffy and Darnell Smith.
March 2005	Calculating food miles for a multiple ingredient food product This report details the assumptions and calculations used to estimate the food miles for a container of strawberry yogurt.
January 2005	External Costs of Agricultural Production in the United States This article by Associate director Mike Duffy and Erin Tegtmeier was published in the International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability [Vol. 2 No. 1, 2004].
January 2005	Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) in the Midwest United States: A regional characterization This report analyzes information from a survey of nearly 150 CSAs in nine Midwestern states.
January 2005	Toward a Global Food and Agriculture Policy This is a draft report from a Leopold Center Policy Initiative Task Force that examined possible directions and considerations for the next U.S. farm bill.
December 2004	Number of crop and livestock enterprises produced for sale on Iowa farms, 1920-2002 This two-page sheet shows how Iowa farms have changed in the number of commodities produced for sale since 1920.
October 2004	A Geography of Taste: Iowa's Potential for Developing Place-based and Traditional Foods The Leopold Center's Marketing and Food Systems Initiative studied foods that have been a unique part of Iowa's history
September 2004	Geographical Indicated Products in The Netherlands This paper was prepared for the Leopold Center by Laura Mout, an intern in the ISU Dept. of Animal Science and student at Wageningen University in The Netherlands.
July 2004	Are We About to Lose the Agriculture of the Middle? Center director Fred Kirschenmann wrote this article for the July 2004 issue of Juliens Journal, Dubuque, Iowa, www.juliensjournal.com
June 2004	Why worry about the agriculture of the middle? Center director Fred Kirschenmann, associate director Mike Duffy and others prepared this working paper for the Agriculture of the Middle project [More about the project]
June 2004	Food Miles: A simple metaphor to contrast local and global food systems This article was written for the Summer 2004 newsletter of the Hunger and Environmental Nutrition (HEN) Dietetic Practice Group of the American Dietetic Association
May 2004	Ecolabel Value Assessment Phase II: Consumer perceptions of local foods Rich Pirog worked with the ISU Business Analysis Laboratory to understand consumer interest in ecolabels and their perceptions of locally grown foods.
Feb 2004	Consumer perceptions of pasture-raised beef and dairy products: An Internet consumer study Rich Pirog worked with the ISU Business Analysis Laboratory to study perceptions of Iowa consumers about pasture-raised beef and dairy products.
Nov 2003	Ecolabel Value Assessment: Consumer and Food Business Perceptions of Local Foods Rich Pirog worked with the ISU Business Analysis Laboratory on this marketing survey to test prototypes for food ecolabels.
July 2003	Telling Our Story: Partnering with the Media, A report of conversations convened by the Leopold Center and the Glynwood Center
July 2003	Checking the food odometer: Comparing food miles for local versus conventional produce sales to Iowa institutions Rich Pirog and ISU student Andrew Benjamin found that locally grown produce traveled an average of 56 miles from farm to point of sale, compared to an average of 1,494 miles for 30 types of produce from conventional sources.
Aug 2002	Grape Expectations: A food system perspective on redeveloping the Iowa grape industry Rich Pirog looks at Iowa's once thriving grape industry and its potential today.
April 2002	How Far Do Your Fruit and Vegetables Travel? This chart and table summarize findings from the Leopold Center's Food, Fuel and Freeways report. Reprinted from the Spring 2002 Leopold Letter.
Feb 2002	Iowa Agriculture -- Beyond 2002 Fred Kirschenmann and Mike Duffy consider the challenges facing agriculture.
June 2001	Food, Fuel, and Freeways: An Iowa perspective on how far food travels, fuel usage, and greenhouse gas emissions This paper looks at possible advantages and environmental benefits of a regional and local food system compared to a conventional food system.
Oct 1999	Apples to apples: Iowa perspective on local food systems This paper looks at Iowa's once thriving apple industry from a food system perspective.