Leopold Center - Marketing and Food Systems Initiative

Marketing and Food Systems Initiative

Click on topic titles in interactive matrix to view resources.

What's new

New climate change glossary There is now a handy reference for understanding terms used in climate change discussions. The glossary was written by Rich Pirog, Marketing and Food Systems Initiative leader, and Rebecca Rasmussen, Graduate Student in the ISU College of Business. Read the glossary. [PDF]
Beef and Pork Whole Animal Buying Guide This resource, produced by the Small Meat Processors Working Group of the Value Chain Partnerships project, is for consumers who want to buy pork and beef as whole animals (or portions thereof) from local producers. More information in Other Resources, or Extension.

Marketing workshop At least 250 people attended the March 30 Marketing and Food Systems Initiative workshop in Ames. Watch a video and listen to two audio reports and find other materials from this workshop. News release

Local food, World Book The latest Science Yearbook includes a report on local food, written by Leopold Center Associate Director Rich Pirog. Read the article, reproduced with permission from World Book Publishing.

Competitive Grants

2009 grant projects Read about 18 new projects for the initiative. Grants for 7 earlier projects also were renewed. Read descriptions of projects and profiles of the people who will be doing the work. Read about projects that cross all initiatives at the Leopold Center.
Food Facts: Results from Marketing and Food Systems Research This web page has key research findings from projects supported by the Leopold Center's Marketing and Food Systems Initiative and the Regional Food Systems Working Group. Also available as a colorful print report, March 2008

Value Chain Partnerships and Regional Food Systems Working Group

Local foods in Iowa The Leopold Center, through the Regional Food Systems Working Group, is supporting local food system efforts in these areas:
- Hometown Harvest of Southeast Iowa (Davis, Jefferson, Keokuk, Mahaska, Van Buren and Wapello counties), led by the Pathfinders RC&D, Fairfield
- Northeast Iowa Food and Farm Coalition (Allamakee, Clayton, Fayette, Howard and Winneshiek counties), led by Iowa State University Extension, Decorah
- South West Iowa Food and Farm Initiative (Adair, Adams, Audubon, Cass, Guthrie, Montgomery, Pottawattomie and Shelby counties), led by the Wallace Foundation for Rural Research and Development, Lewis
- Northern Iowa Food and Farm Partnership (Black Hawk and neighboring counties) led by the UNI Center for Energy and Environmental Education
- Northwest Iowa Regional Local Foods System (Cherokee, Ida, Monona, Plymouth, Sioux and Woodbury), led by the Floyd Boulevard Local Foods Market program in Sioux City (no web site available) and
- Marshall County (no web site developed yet)
About the Initiative

Objectives for the Marketing and Food Systems Initiative are to:

Research and test new marketing strategies and business structures that allow Iowa’s farmers and communities to retain more of the value for energy, food or fiber produced;

Support education, conduct research and facilitate partnerships to increase investment and support of local and regional food, fiber and energy enterprises; and

Using a communities of practice framework, conduct research and education to address challenges that impede farmers and farmer networks from being equal partners in energy, food or fiber-based value chains.

Initiative overview [PDF printable version]

Initiative leader: Rich Pirog, (515) 294-1854, rspirog@iastate.edu; or Program Assistant Beth Larabee, (515) 294-8530, blarabee@iastate.edu

Cool tools

Marketing and Food Systems Initiative

Click on topic titles in interactive matrix to view resources.

What's new

Competitive Grants

Value Chain Partnerships and Regional Food Systems Working Group

About the Initiative