2008 Renewed Projects - Marketing and Food Systems Initiative |
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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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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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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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2008 Renewed Project - Special Dairy Call |
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Sustainable economic development through organic and grazing dairy farm establishment and transition The study is looking to increase the number of grass-based dairy farms in Iowa, and will target beginning (younger) and organic farmers in eastern Iowa, along with conventional producers transitioning to organic. The project will increase the technical assistance to producers and consultants/advisors they work with such as lenders, nutritionists, veterinarians and suppliers. Also as part of the project investigators will develop training activities and resources for farm advisors and extension personnel. The goal is to help producers understand market outlet options for new and transitioning operations, and help lenders understand that organic and grazing dairy farmers can be profitable alternatives to conventional systems. Building Your Own Low Cost TRANS Iowa Parlor (presentation
by Larry Tranel) |
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[Return to 2008 Marketing and Food Systems Initiative Grant Descriptions] |
Larry F. Tranel has held extension faculty positions at the University of Wisconsin and at Iowa State University. During his tenure in Wisconsin, he was also a successful dairy producer. He has gained valuable international dairy experience through his involvement with International Mission and Dairy Development Projects in Nicaragua, Moldova, Ireland, New Zealand, Canada and Mexico. He will work with Robert Tigner who is a farm management specialist for ISU Extension in northeast Iowa.