Marketing and Food Systems initiative 

What's new | Projects | Food miles | Market research | Place-based foods
Value chains | Other resources | Key Research Findings | About

This initiative focuses on market-based approaches that reward Iowa farmers for protecting Iowa’s water resources while producing highly differentiated food, fiber, or energy products of superior quality. The Initiative will research and test new marketing strategies and business structures that allow Iowa’s farmers to retain more of the value for these food, fiber, or energy products.

What's new

• Help for organic farmers   Robert Karp, former director for Practical Farmers of Iowa is launching a new program for organic and sustainable farmers who need additional land or need help maintaining their existing land base. Farmers will be linked up with a socially motivated investor who will purchase the farmland needed and lease it to the farmer on a long-term, renewable lease. Farmers must pre-apply by June 15. Read more about this opportunity [PDF].

• Leopold Center Marketing and Food Systems workshop  Presentation materials from our March 11 event are on the workshop web page.

• Low-Carbon Diet Initiative  What's needed as we track energy use in our food system? Leopold Center Associate Director Rich Pirog participated in a recent symposium to outline research needs. Read summary from the symposium [PDF], held at the University of California-Davis.

• New tool  A new tool helps farmers determine the profitability of various crops and perform crop-by-crop comparisons. Users manual [PDF] On-line calculator  News article

• Assistantship  The Leopold Center again will sponsor a graduate student interested in business and sustainable agriculture. More

• Transaction costs  What are these costs for direct-market farmers and farmer networks? An ISU group considers six case studies. Read a summary of their research findings [PDF].

Projects

• 2008 grant projects  Read about 13 new projects for the initiative. Grants for four 2007 projects also were renewed. Read descriptions of projects and profiles of the people who will be doing the work. 
   

• Earlier projects of the initiative Read about projects that began in 2007, 2006, 2005 and 2004.
   

• Value chains   The Marketing and Food Systems initiative works closely with a related project, the Value Chain Partnerships for a Sustainable Agriculture (VCPSA). Initiative leader Rich Pirog directs VCPSA, funded by a grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. The project oversees three working groups in niche pork, bioeconomy, and local and regional foods. Pirog leads the Regional Food System Working Group; participants include many of the marketing initiative grantees.  Overview of project [PDF]
   

• 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
   

• Iowa Produce Market Potential Calculator  Explore the markets that could be created if Iowa consumers ate more locally grown fruits and vegetables. Go to the calculator
   

• Farm to ISU Program  A new program of ISU Dining that will result in increased markets for local, fresh foods. The Leopold Center is one of six organizations represented on the steering committee. More

Food Miles and Food Pathways Reports

• Critical Issues and Research Methods in Food Life Cycle Assessment, Summary of Symposium and description of the Low-Carbon Diet Initiative, University of California-Davis, October 8-10-, 2007, including a presentation by Leopold Center Associate Director Rich Pirog, "Food miles and fossil fuel use in food distribution"
   

• The Low Carbon Diet: Reducing Energy Intensity and Greenhouse Gas Emissions in the Food System Using Life Cycle Assessment Approach, Overheads from a presentation, February 20, 2008, by Sonja Brodt with Gail Feenstra and Tom Tomich, University of California, Davis
   

• Consumer perceptions of the safety, health and environmental impact of various scales and geographic origin of food supply chains, Leopold Center report showing results of a nationwide web-based survey of consumers, September 2007
   

• Calculating food miles for a multiple ingredient food product [PDF], Leopold Center report showing food miles for strawberry yogurt, March 2005
   

• Food miles and consumer perceptions of locally grown foods, presentation at the annual conference of the Society for Nutrition Education, July 2004
   

• Food Miles: A simple metaphor to contrast local and global food systems [PDF], article written for newsletter of the Hunger and Environmental Nutrition (HEN) Dietetic Practice Group of the American Dietetic Association, Summer 2004
   

• Checking the food odometer: Comparing food miles for local versus conventional produce sales to Iowa institutions [PDF], Leopold Center report showing that locally grown produce traveled an average of 56 miles from farm to point of sale (compared to average of 1,494 miles), July 2003
   

• Audubon County Food System Atlas: Exploring Community Food Systems [PDF], Report written by ISU sociologist Clare Hinrichs, September 2002
   

• Benton County Food System Atlas: Exploring Community Food Systems [PDF], Report written by ISU sociologist Clare Hinrichs, September 2002
   

• Johnson County Food System Atlas: Exploring Community Food Systems [PDF], Report written by ISU sociologist Clare Hinrichs, September 2002
   

• Marshall County Food System Atlas: Exploring Community Food Systems [PDF], Report written by ISU sociologist Clare Hinrichs, September 2002
   

• Grape Expectations: A food system perspective on redeveloping the Iowa grape industry, Leopold Center paper that looks at Iowa's once thriving grape industry and its potential today, August 2002
   

• Food, fuel, and freeways: An Iowa perspective on how far food travels, fuel usage, and greenhouse gas emissions, Leopold Center paper that looks at possible advantages and environmental benefits of a regional and local food system compared to a conventional food system, June 2001
   

• Apples to apples: Iowa perspective on local food systems, Leopold Center report that looks at Iowa's once thriving apple industry from a food system perspective, October 1999

Market Research Reports

• Users Manual for the Produce Profitability Calculator [PDF], Guide to an on-line calculator that allows crop-by-crop comparisons to determine the profitability of various food crops; developed by the Hotel, Restaurant and Institution Management Extension program at Iowa State University, January 2008. Go directly to the on-line calculator
   

• Northeast Iowa Local Food Survey [PDF], Report of a special Leopold Center Marketing and Food Systems Initiative project prepared by the Northeast Iowa Food & Farm Coalition, results of a survey of 140 institutional food buyers in a five-county area of northeast Iowa, July 2007 More about this project.
   

• Northeast Iowa Consumer Household Survey, Report of a special Leopold Center Marketing and Food Systems Initiative project prepared by the Northeast Iowa Food & Farm Coalition, results of a survey of 553 consumers in a five-county area of northeast Iowa, June 2007. Video provides overview of results, also provided by county.
   

• The United States pork niche market phenomenon [PDF], Journal of Animal Science, looks at successful niche pork marketing efforts for Berkshire and natural pork, among 35 to 40 such efforts in Iowa in 2003. Authors include Mark Honeyman, Rich Pirog and Gary Huber.  August 2006
   

• Successfully direct marketing grass-based meat: Lessons from three Iowa farms, Includes case studies (and marketing materials) from a 2004-05 competitive grant to help producers from grass-based operations better market their products, June 2006
   

• The economic impacts of increased fruit and vegetable production and consumption in Iowa: Phase II [PDF], Dave Swenson, Iowa State University, looks at the amount of sales and additional jobs related to four scenarios for increased fruit and vegetable production in Iowa, May 2006
   

• Iowa Produce Market Potential Calculator  Explore the markets that could be created if Iowa consumers ate more locally grown fruits and vegetables. This web-based tool was developed by the Center for Transportation Research and Education at ISU and the Leopold Center, November 2005.
   

• An evaluation of the importance to consumers of selected niche pork attributes [PDF], Research funded by the National Pork Board with additional support from the Pork Niche Market Working Groups, May 2005
   

• Evaluating economic impacts of local food purchasing in several market channels in Black Hawk and surrounding counties [PDF], Farmers from Black Hawk County and surrounding areas received $465,000 for meat, dairy, vegetables and baked goods that were served or sold locally by 23 restaurants, food services, grocery stores and retailers in 2004. Report from a project funded by the Regional Food Systems Working Group, April 2005
   

• Consumers, vendors and the economic importance of Iowa farmers' markets: An economic impact survey analysis [PDF], Final report of a study conducted for the Regional Food Systems Working Group. Report looks at the economic impact of 161 markets on the Iowa economy, March 2005
   

• Examining Awareness of and Support of Regional Food Systems in Iowa [PDF], Final report of a study conducted for the Regional Food Systems Working Group, January 2005
   

• Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) in the Midwest United States: A regional characterization [PDF], January 2005. The Leopold Center surveyed nearly 150 CSAs in nine Midwestern states.
   

• Ecolabel Value Assessment Phase II: Consumer perceptions of local foods, May 2004
   

• Consumer perceptions of pasture-raised beef and dairy products: An Internet study
   

• Ecolabel value assessment: Consumer and food business perceptions of local foods
   

Place-based Foods Reports

• Iowa Place-Based Foods, This web site tells the story behind a number of Iowa foods including Maytag Blue Cheese, Maasdam's Sorghum and Amana rhubarb wine. The site was developed as part of two grants from the Marketing and Food Systems Initiative, January 2007
   

• Consumer perceptions of place-based foods, food chain profit distribution and family farms [PDF], Report prepared for the Leopold Center by the ISU College of Business, October 2005
   

•  Muscatine Melon: A case study of a place-based food in Iowa [PDF], Special grant project report, October 2004
   

• A Geography of Taste: Iowa's potential for developing place-based and traditional foods, Leopold Center report about Iowa's unique food heritage, October 2004
   

• Geographical Indicated Products in The Netherlands [PDF], report by student intern from Wageningen University in The Netherlands, September 2004

Value Chains Reports

• Transaction Cost Case Studies for Six Iowa Food Producers [PDF], Summary of a final report about research conducted by Clyde Walter, ISU Logistics and Supply Chain Management; Randy Boeckenstedt, ISU Center for Transportation Research and Education; and Craig Chase, ISU Extension farm management specialist, July 2007
   

• Developing a Vibrant and Sustainable Regional Food System: Suggestions for Community-Based Groups [PDF], A guide that looks at key elements of a sustainable regional food system, including sample vision statements and indicators, developed by a subcommittee of the Regional Food System Working Group, August 2006
   

• Final report of a project funded by the Regional Food Systems Working Group, the Leopold Center and the Alces Foundation, Analysis and comparison of the technical and business planning needs of Iowa farmers marketing directly to consumers and Iowa farmers marketing through supply chains [PDF], by Connie Hardy, ISU Extension Value Added Agriculture, June 2006
   

• Presentation, Investing for Triple Bottom Line Returns: Business Practices that Support Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development, by John Berdes, ShoreBank Enterprise Pacific; and Dennis West, Northern Initiatives, Marquette, Michigan; June 1-2, 2006
   

• Supply chain options for biobased businesses [PDF], Final project report, September 2004
   

• Executive summary from Value Chain Partnerships for a Sustainable Agriculture Annual Report [PDF] March 2004
   

• Executive summary from Alternative Swine Cost of Production Project, 2003 Progress Report [PDF]
   

Other Resources

• Follow That French Fry: Food Miles and Roadway Damage  This is a policy research paper prepared for the Texas Department of Transportation by Gretchen Stoeltje, a researcher in the Government and Public Affairs Division of the Texas DOT. March 2008
   

• What is a food mile?  Forecast Earth, a weekly program produced by The Weather Channel, explains the science behind food miles (weighted average source distance) in a segment that aired beginning March 17, 2008. Listen to the clip
   

• 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
   

• The Case for Local and Regional Food Marketing, One in a series of Issue Briefs of the Farm & Food Policy Project (FFPP), written to support new initiatives introduced to the 2007 Farm Bill. FFPP is a diverse alliance of family farm, sustainable agriculture, rural, public health, anti-hunger, environmental, faith-based, and other groups with a commitment to address the full spectrum of public needs addressed by this critical piece of legislation. May 2007
   

• Northeast Iowa Food & Fitness Initiative   This innovative project involves Howard, Winneshiek, Allamakee, Fayette and Clayton counties in Iowa. See what they're doing to make healthy foods available, encourage physical activity, and improve the overall health and well-being in those communities.
   

• Future of the Bioeconomy in Green County, A Pilot Study for Iowa, Final report of a project funded by the BioEconomy Working Group of the Value Chain Partnerships project coordinated by the Leopold Center. Other partners were the Greene County Development Corporate and Iowa Energy Center. November 2007 [PDF- NOTE: File is 4.7 MB; report is 206 pages]
   

•  Local food, local policy: A case study on engaging policy makers in the development of their foodshed, Final report of a special project funded by the Leopold Center and conducted by the Johnson County Local Food Alliance, October 2007
   

• Grow Your Small Market Farm   This is an annual series of seminars designed for small-market farmers. Seminars begin each January with activities scheduled throughout the year. 2008 program brochure [PDF]  Latest issue of a newsletter produced for graduates of the program [PDF]
   

• Organic Marketing Resources  Fact sheets produced by the Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service (MOSES) are for organic producers interested in marketing. Topics include organic grains, marketing organic meat and dairy products to parents of young children, and a resource directory of marketing and certification agencies, seed suppliers, buyers, processors and other resources in the Midwest. Publications can be downloaded at the MOSES web site.
   

• Low-cost dairies   ISU Extension dairy specialist Larry Tranel has used a Leopold Center grant to show how to remodel a stall barn for a low-cost dairy parlor. See and hear his presentation, Building your own low-cost TRANS dairy parlor, August 2007. More about the grant.
   

• Determining the methods for measuring the economic and fiscal impacts associated with organic crop conversion in Iowa  Study funded by the Leopold Center Marketing and Food Systems Initiative shows the potential regional economic impact of organic crop production, March 2007.
   

• Local Foods: From Farm to Foodservice  Resources from the Hotel, Restaurant and Institution Management program at Iowa State University. Many of the resources were developed with grants from the Leopold Center.
   

• Greener Eggs and Ham: The Benefits of Pasture-Raised Swine, Poultry, and Egg Production, an overview of alternative pork and chicken production systems, prepared by the Union of Concerned Scientists, December 2007
   

• Results from Iowa's Collaborative CSA Member Survey  Summary report from a research project funded by the Leopold Center on collaborative CSAs as a business incubator for small-scale rural enterprises in Iowa. Prepared by the North Central Regional Center for Rural Development at Iowa State University, October 2006 [PDF] More results from this project
   

• Eat Fresh and Grow Jobs, Michigan [PDF], Report from the Michigan Land Use Institute at the University of Michigan shows that Determined efforts to increase sales of fresh, local foods in the state could significantly boost employment and personal income, September 2006
   

• Map of Iowa Vineyard and Native Wineries  Prepared by ISU Extension, with more information on the ISU Viticulture page. September 2006
   

• Local Produce = Local Profits   A display at the 2006 Farm Progress Show in Iowa highlighted the economic impacts of farmers markets, Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) enterprises as well as sales of Iowa-grown produce to restaurants and institutions. See more of the Leopold Center display
   

• Enterprise budgets  ISU Extension farm management field specialist Craig Chase used a Leopold Center grant to develop worksheets to help small producers better estimate their costs of production. They are available in the publication, Iowa Vegetable Production Budgets [PDF]. February 2006
   

• Iowa Market Maker  This is an interactive mapping system that locates businesses and markets of agricultural products in Iowa, providing an important link between producers and consumers. It was developed by the ISU Agricultural Marketing Resource Center with support from the Leopold Center, Altria, and the ISU Extension Value Added Agriculture program. Iowa Market Maker web site
   

• New book   The Sustainable Agriculture Network has published a new resource, How to Direct Market Your Beef. The 96-page book includes information about processing, labeling, packaging, sales outlets and marketing basics. A section of feature stories profiles successful agricultural entrepreneurs. Order a copy or download a PDF
   

• Regional food and farm economies   How much money do people in a region spend on food? How much food is actually produced in that region? Ken Meter from Crossroads Resource Center analyzed the regional economy in northeast Iowa and in Woodbury County. Read summaries of his results: Northeast Iowa [PDF] Woodbury County [PDF]
   

• Canadian food miles  A health planner for the Region of Waterloo Public Health Department has looked at the distance traveled by 58 common foods before they reach supermarkets in southwestern Ontario, in his report, Food Miles: Environmental Implications of Food Imports to the Waterloo Region [PDF], November 2005
   

• Making the Farm/School Connection  Food consultant JoAnne Berkenkamp prepared this report on the opportunities and barriers to greater use of locally grown produce in Minnesota public schools. January 2006 [PDF]
   

•  Missouri Regional Cuisines Project   A project of the University of Missouri Extension that seeks to market Missouri wine and food products using distinct labels of origin based on ecological regions of the state.
   

•  Frequently Asked Questions   This 15-minute video answers common questions that people have when they set up a vineyard or winery. Produced by the Iowa State University Value-Added Agriculture Program. December 2005. Wine Resources brochure [PDF]
   

• Map to Iowa Mazes, Apples, Pumpkins and Strawberries [PDF], full-color map of all orchards and u-pick enterprises in Iowa, provided by the Agricultural Diversification and Market Development Bureau at the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship. This was a collaborative project of the Iowa Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association and Iowa Farm Bureau. September 2005
   

• Wine budget workbooks  People interested in establishing a vineyard or winery can download two workbooks, Ten-Year Winery Financial Planning Workbook and Cost to Establish a Vineyard Workbook, to determine feasibility and costs. Developed by the Agricultural Marketing Resource Center (AgMRC) and the ISU Extension Value-Added Agriculture Program with a grant from the Leopold Center Marketing Initiative, October 2005. Wine Resources brochure [PDF]
   

• Perceptions of the U.S. Food System [PDF], This 96-page report prepared for the W.K. Kellogg Foundation looks at what and how Americans think about their food, including summaries of public opinion research, interviews with food advocates and a content analysis of media reports, 2005.
   

• Iowa ag snapshot [PDF] Using farm census data, the Leopold Center has created a table and chart listing crop and livestock enterprises each year on Iowa farms, including the most current data from 2002, December 2004.
   

• Local Food Project   Farmers in and around Black Hawk County are selling directly to restaurants and food services, thanks to the efforts of the University of Northern Iowa Local Food Project. The project began in 1997 with a grant from the Leopold Center, which continues to support these efforts. See the web site for more resources.
   

• Profitable Pork: Alternative Strategies for Hog Producers  This online guide profiles a number of producers and alternative systems from hoops to pastured systems. Published by the USDA Sustainable Agriculture Research Education (SARE) program.
   

• Farmer Training Survey  Four-fifths of the 4,000 farmers in 26 Iowa counties have off-farm income, a situation they see continuing in the long term. University of Northern Iowa's Strategic Marketing Services surveyed this group to determine what skills or training they might need as part of a 2005 Leopold Center grant. Read survey results [PDF], April 2005
   

• The Total Wine Package  A four-part video answers key questions about starting a vineyard of winery business. Available as streaming video on the Internet, or in DVD format by request from Craig Tordsen, (515) 294-1938. This project was funded by the Leopold Center's Marketing and Food Systems Initiative and developed by ISU Extension's Value-Added Agriculture Program and the Agricultural Marketing Resource Center at ISU. March 2005. Wine Resources brochure [PDF]
   

• On-farm Food Safety  This series of fact sheets provides guidelines for producers, developed by the Hotel, Restaurant and Institution Management (HRIM) program at Iowa State University and funded by a Leopold Center grant. Titles include: Guide to Good Agricultural Practices (GAPS), Guide to Food Handling, and Guide to cleaning and sanitizing [PDF]
   

• Renewing America's Food Traditions  This book highlights the stories of 20 authentic place-based American foods. It is available from the Center for Sustainable Environments at Northern Arizona University.
   

• Expert Resource Directory  The W.K. Kellogg Foundation has identified farmers, educators and community leaders to serve as expert resources for questions about subjects ranging from agricultural trade to buying local food, public health/nutrition and farm policy.
   

• Rethinking School Lunch  This initiative by the Center for Ecoliteracy seeks to restore the connection of farms to communities, meals to culture, and health to environment. The initiative includes a web-based guide with essays by influential thinkers and seminars.
   

• Selling to Institutions: An Iowa Farmers Guide [PDF] lists helpful information on insurance and legal issues for producers who want to enter institutional food markets. It was written by Des Moines attorney Robert Luedeman and Neil Hamilton from the Drake Agricultural Law Center [PDF].
   

• Directory of Meat Processing Plants lists small and very small plants in Iowa, Wisconsin, Missouri and Nebraska that want to work with producer groups. The directory is based on a survey conducted by the Food Processing Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
   

• On-line ready-to-use advertising and information tents to promote local food events are available from the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture. The materials are part of the group's Farm to College program and its Get Vocal. Ask for Local. campaign designed to encourage college dining service directors and student groups to host an event featuring locally grown food.

About the initiative

• The Leopold Center's 2006 Request for Projects resulted in 69 preproposals and 26 competitive grants for 2007. List of 2007 competitive grants [PDF].
   

• Students interested in sustainable agriculture and business are invited to apply for assistantships funded by this initiative.  More

   

• Our objectives are to:

  • Research and test new marketing strategies and business structures that allow Iowa’s farmers to retain more of the value for food, fiber, or energy produced with high standards of stewardship that protect Iowa’s water resources.

  • Support education, conduct research, and facilitate partnerships to increase investment and support of local and regional food, fiber, and energy enterprises that protect Iowa’s water resources and provide significant economic benefits to Iowa farmers and rural communities.

  • Conduct research and education to address challenges that impede farmers and farmer networks from being equal partners with other players in food, fiber, or energy-based value chains. (*A value chain is a network of businesses cooperating to satisfy market demands for a particular product.)