2007 Marketing and Food Systems Initiative Competitive Grants [Return to Marketing Initiative page] |
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Building a direct-to-consumer food distribution system in Iowa The project investigator hopes to lay the groundwork for a self-supporting direct-to-consumer distribution system in Iowa. A working group will oversee the project and develop a business plan for an alternative distribution system that incorporates farmer and consumer ownership and control. Goals of the project are to increase marketing and sales of at least 20 farmers by at least $100,000, and involve at least 150 consumers.
Gary Huber is a senior member of the Food Systems Program staff at Practical Farmers of Iowa. He also coordinates the Pork Niche Market Working Group, an association of more than 30 groups working to address challenges facing niche pork marketing efforts. He is a certified instructor for the NxLeveLTM for Agricultural Entrepreneurs Program and teaches marketing for specialty farmers. His work focuses on developing new markets for farmers and supporting farmers to successfully sell to these markets.He has degrees in agronomy, public administration, and rural sociology from ISU. |
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Cash flow and product profitability analysis and improvement for small meat processors The purpose of the project is to improve the financial viability of small meat processing firms through financial management education and assistance provided by the investigators. Tools offered include a direct cost software and cash flow analysis and other planning tools that will help small meat processor owner/managers improve product and services pricing, improve cash flow and understand the impact of various decisions on their businesses.
As a senior consultant and industrial specialist at CIRAS, Anders provides quality management system implementation and training for Iowa manufacturers. He also works with companies in the areas of feasibility studies, financial management issues such as cash flow planning and job shop costing, business and strategic planning, and LEAN manufacturing principles for small wood products companies. Anders has a B.S. in forestry/wood products from ISU, and an MBA in finance from the University of Mississippi. |
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Development of a niche agriculture small business money map and process to disseminate information Limited access to consistent and reliable sources of capital seems to be a common problem faced by small-scale niche producers in Iowa. This project will gather information designed to improve access to capital for this segment of producers. The project includes focus group discussions, surveys and development of a "pathways money map" to simplify capital acquisition. The pathways money map will be tested by niche agricultural producers to determine its usefulness.
Howard Van Auken is the Bob and Kay Smith Entrepreneurship Fellow in the ISU College of Business. He has a Ph.D. from Oklahoma and has worked for more than 15 years with small businesses in Iowa on business planning, acquisition of capital, pricing, and business valuation. His consulting has included work for Pillsbury and the World Bank, and he has extensive expertise in the areas of business start-ups and new venture financing.
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| Effects of ambient temperature and transportation distance on the resulting pork quality $18,000, 1 year, Ray Hansen and Reg Clause, ISU Value Added Agriculture Program [M2007-13] STATEWIDE In this study, the investigator will look at the effects of ambient temperature, transportation and transportation distance on the resulting pork quality of Berkshire hogs. The study will attempt to measure and correlate trailer configuration and loading realities to pork quality variation.
Ray Hansen is interim director for the ISU Extension Value Added Agriculture Program. He has undergraduate and graduate degrees from ISU in agricultural education and extensive employment background working with agricultural businesses and commodity associations. Currently he works with producer groups developing new market opportunities; he also has experience in developing and implementing ISO quality management systems.
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Enhancing the sustainability of the University of Iowa food system: A factor-10 approach This project will develop a plan to increase the University of Iowa’s local and regional food purchasing by finding creative ways to overcome some of the barriers that are present in the existing system. By forming partnerships between university faculty, staff and students; farmer networks and supporting organizations, investigators hope to increase the purchasing of local and regional foods as well as increase the awareness about food system sustainability.
Rex Honey is a political geographer with an interest in how people struggle to gain control over their lives and how they use space and place in those struggles. His research has taken him to five continents, allowing him to study how different polities resolve particular kinds of issues.Much of his research has examined jurisdictional organization in various societies, particularly the struggle for jurisdictional change and the consequences of jurisdictional structure.
Leah Wilson is coordinator for the Johnson County Local Food Alliance (JCLFA), an organization that assists farmers, food businesses, consumers and related organizations in working together cooperatively to foster local, sustainable food commerce. She also is finishing a graduate program in Geography at the University of Iowa, studying sustainable food systems.
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Food product demand mapping Investigators will work on refining the Iowa Produce Market Potential Calculator web-based tool. They will develop a second tool for market sizing (i.e. demand only) for the range of food products listed by USDA/ERS, which includes meats, dairy and other products.
David Plazak has been Associate Director for Policy at the Center for Transportation Research and Education since 1996. He is responsible for research, project management and new proposal development in a variety of areas including access management, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), transportation and land use, and distance collaboration. He is former director of the Midwest Transportation Consortium, and is currently serving as the group's educational coordinator.
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High tunnel production and distribution model for produce 
Ray Hansen is interim director for the ISU Extension Value Added Agriculture Program. He has undergraduate and graduate degrees from ISU in agricultural education and extensive employment background working with agricultural businesses and commodity associations. Currently he works with producer groups developing new market opportunities; he also has experience in developing and implementing ISO quality management systems.
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Investigating the feasibility of establishing food processing and distribution centers for western Iowa The Floyd Boulevard Local Foods Market of Sioux City and the Cass County Cultivars group are working together to better understand the purchasing requirements of regional institutional and wholesale food companies in the western Iowa region. They will conduct research to determine current demand for and production of local foods in the region. With this information the group will look at how a centralized processing and distribution system could be designed to efficiently move products to consumers. Should such a system appear viable, they will conduct a detailed feasibility study for the project.
Patrick Garrity is executive director of Floyd Boulevard Local Foods Market in Sioux City. The non-profit association operates a market for 35 producers, a local foods restaurant, store and brokerage service, and hopes to create a processing center. Garrity has an undergraduate degree in horticulture from South Dakota State University and 26 years as a fruit orchardist in South Dakota. He also worked several years at Gurney Seed and Nursery and has been president of the South Dakota Fruit Growers Association and South Dakota Specialty Producers Association. He was active in the Yankton Chamber of Commerce and area farmers market associations. |
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Iowa Grasslands Products Calculator Investigators will develop a prototype mapping tool that compares county-level demand and supply for the production of fuel from perennial tall grass crops in Iowa. Databases will be developed to show the potential capacity for grassland production in each county, potential demand based on fuel currently sold in each county, and conversion rates for grass crops of primary interest to the Leopold Center. These databases will be linked to show potential markets for grassland production related to renewable fuels.
David Plazak has been Associate Director for Policy at the Center for Transportation Research and Education since 1996. He is responsible for research, project management and new proposal development in a variety of areas including access management, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), transportation and land use, and distance collaboration. He is former director of the Midwest Transportation Consortium, and is currently serving as the group's educational coordinator.
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Is the meat goat enterprise profitable and sustainable? Investigators will develop a program to help meat goat producers track, analyze and evaluate expenses, income and profitability for their enterprises. The information will enable researchers and producers to identify leaks in profitability so that long-term sustainability can be established within the industry. This tool will be tested with 5 to 10 meat goat producers during the first year, and another 5 to 10 producers in the second year of the project.
Dennis DeWitt has a B.S. and M.S. in Animal Science from ISU, joining ISU Extension in 1977. He works extensively with livestock producers, county extension education directors, agribusiness personnel, and public and private organizations. He has gained vast expertise in animal nutrition, ration formulation, management decisions, record analysis, computer technology, production technologies, and on-farm composting of dead livestock.
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New champions expanded scope: Developing an action plan for building an expanded regional food economy in Black Hawk and surrounding counties This grant will focus on building capacity for a stronger regional food economy in the eight-county region around Black Hawk County. Project funds will be used to build on work already done by UNI’s Local Food Project and develop a strategic plan for the region.
Kamyar Enshayan manages UNI's Center for Energy and Environmental Education and directs several community-wide projects including Buy Fresh Buy Local and the Yard for Kids community health education program. He also works with UNI's Energywi$e, a program to reduce energy waste on campus. He is an agricultural engineer and teaches environmental studies as an adjunct faculty at UNI.
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Organic agriculture program viability study The project includes a survey to assess the long-term viability and interest for an organic agriculture program at the community college to serve the western Iowa region.
Awoke D. Dollisso is an agribusiness technology instructor at Western Iowa Tech, and will direct the viability study for an organic agriculture program. He earned his doctorate in Agricultural Education from Iowa State University, where he conducted research on sustainable agriculture. He has published several articles in the Journal of Agricultural Education and other publications. |
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Researching and evaluating an effective web-based local food sales template The goal of this project is to create and test a functional, versatile, on-line sales tool that addresses the needs of farmer networks marketing products to both institutional and household markets. Investigators hope this tool can be used by grower networks across Iowa and in other regions to facilitate the sales of locally grown foods within a manageable delivery distance. The Northeast Iowa RC&D will partner with the Iowa Valley, Prairie Partners and Prairie Winds RC&D areas in Iowa to develop and test the template for the project. |
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Safe food handling on the farm: Foodservice operations' expectations This grant will fund workshops for producers to learn best practices for safe food handling. Participants will focus on the human element in controlling contamination of food while on the farm, and address procurement concerns of retail foodservices. Topics related to safe food handling during harvest, post-harvest, transportation and delivery, and policy development will be covered. Producers attending the workshop will also learn how to more effectively communicate with foodservice operators.
Catherine Strohbehn has been a faculty member in the ISU Hotel, Restaurant and Institution Management program since 1986. She has taught courses in quantity food production, human resources management, and food safety and sanitation. Currently she serves as the HRIM extension specialist. Her published research has been in areas of food safety and perceptions of benefits and challenges of using local food by foodservice buyers in various sectors of the industry.
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A system to operate greenhouses and aquaculture in conjunction with Iowa's ethanol plants This grant will be used to conduct a “gap” analysis to determine the opportunities and risks associated with biorefinary diversification through the utilization of waste heat and CO2 streams. The project will establish a biorefinary working group to evaluate the opportunities and constraints of building related business adjacent to existing biofuel plants.
Ray Hansen is interim director for the ISU Extension Value Added Agriculture Program. He has undergraduate and graduate degrees from ISU in agricultural education and extensive employment background working with agricultural businesses and commodity associations. Currently he works with producer groups developing new market opportunities; he also has experience in developing and implementing ISO quality management systems.
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Strengthening the local and regional food system in the Iowa Valley This grant will be used to bring together champions interested in local food production and who represent a cross-section of people from each county in the Iowa Valley RC&D region. A formal coalition will be established with a clear vision, mission, and strategic plan to coordinate and strengthen local and state food distribution efforts on a regional scale. |
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