Annual/Termination Reports:

[10/22/2012] [03/11/2014] [03/19/2015] [02/22/2016] [01/15/2017]

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Participants

Contained in minutes

Brief Summary of Minutes

Please see attached minutes

Accomplishments

Not applicable for this first meeting

Publications

Not applicable for this first meeting

Impact Statements

1. Not applicable for this meeting

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Participants

Mary Ahearn, USDA/ERS, mahearn@ers.usda.gov;
J. Gordon Arbuckle, Jr., Iowa - Iowa State University (IOW), arbuckle@iastate.edu;
Carmen Bain, Iowa - Iowa State University (IOW), cbain@iastate.edu;
Christy A Brekken, OTHER-Oregon State University, brekkenc@onid.orst.edu;
Larry L Burmeister, OTHER-Ohio University, burmeist@ohio.edu;
Kate Clancy, OTHER-Independent Food Systems Consultant, klclancy@comcast.net;
David S. Conner, Vermont - University of Vermont (VT.), david.conner@uvm.edu;
Kathryn De Master, California -Berkeley : University of California, Berkeley (CALB), kathryn.demaster@berkeley.edu;
Michael D. Duffy, Iowa - Iowa State University (IOW), mduffy@iastate.edu;
Gail W Feenstra, University of California-Davis (CALB), gwfeenstra@ucdavis.edu;
Alicia Fisher, OTHER-University of Kentucky, alicia.fisher@uky.edu;
Charles A Francis, Nebraska - University of Nebraska (NEB), cfrancis2@unl.edu;
Thomas W. Gray, USDA, thomas.gray@wdc.usda.gov;
Lauren E Gwin, OTHER-Oregon State University, lauren.gwin@oregonstate.edu;
Shermain Hardesty, University of California-Davis, shermain@primal.ucdavis.edu;
Clare Hinrichs, Pennsylvania - Pennsylvania State (PEN), Agricultural Economics, Sociology, and Education, chinrichs@psu.edu;
Jan Joannides, OTHER-University of Minnesota, joann001@umn.edu;
Robert King, Minnesota - University of Minnesota (MIN), Applied Economics, rking@umn.edu;
Fred Kirschenmann, Iowa - Iowa State University (IOW), Leopold Center, leopold1@iastate.edu;
William Lacy, California -Davis : University of California, Davis (CALB), Human and Community Development, wblacy@ucdavis.edu;
Daniel A. Lass, Massachusetts - University of Massachusetts (MAS), Resource Economics, dan.lass@resecon.umass.edu;
Larry S. Lev, Oregon Cooperative Extension (ORE), Agricultural and Resource Economics, larry.lev@oregonstate.edu;
Marcia Ostrom, Washington - Washington State University (WN.P), WA Co-op Extension / Ctr for Sus. Ag & Nat. Res., mrostrom@wsu.edu;
Hikaru Peterson, Kansas - Kansas State university (KAN), hhp@agecon.ksu.edu;
George (Steve) Stevenson, Wisconsin - University of Wisconsin (WIS), gstevenson@mailplus.wisc.edu;
Keiko Tanaka, Kentucky - University of Kentucky (KY.), Community and Leadership Development, ktanaka@uky.edu;
Michelle R Worosz, Alabama - Auburn University (ALA), Ag Econ & Rural Sociology, michelle_worosz@auburn.edu;
Zhaohui Wu, OTHER-Oregon State University , wuz@bus.oregonstate.edu;
Tal Yifat, OTHER-University of Chicago, tal@uchicago.edu;

Brief Summary of Minutes

Brief summary of annual meeting:

Date: October 15-16, 2013

Location:
Campus Club in Memorial Union, University of Minnesota
300 Washington Ave. SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455

Attendance:
Christy Anderson Brekken (OSU), Larry Burmeister, Kate Clancy, David Conner, Gail Feenstra, Alicia Fisher (UKY), Lauren Gwin, Shermain Hardesty, Jan Joannides, Rob King, Fred Kirschenmann, Larry Lev, Michelle Miller (UW, replacing Steve Stevenson), Marcy Ostrom, Hikaru Peterson, Keiko Tanaka, Zaohui Wu, Tal Yifat

General Project Discussion:

As seen by the list of various outputs from the group members, the state project group members individually had a productive year. There were a few new members to the group, which later led to a lively discussion on what the Ag of the Middle is and the multi-state project groups identity. It was also important that two AFRI proposals were generated from the discussion from the 2012 annual meetings, in efforts to offer collaborative opportunities among members to further the project objectives.

We had a productive discussion on the Ag of the Middle website (http://agofthemiddle.org/), which was initially developed by a coordinating committee of the Ag of the Middle initiative. The site had been managed by the Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems (CIAS) at UW Madison, affiliated with one of the coordinating committee members. The coordinating committee was officially dissolved in May 2013. The multi-state project group agreed that the web site is invaluable outlet for the projects activities and outputs on Ag of the Middle. A sub-committee was formed to work with the communication manager at the CIAS on redesign and update content.

Another sub-committee was formed to pursue the idea of organizing a symposium/conference co-hosted by multiple professional associations to feature the project work on Ag of the Middle. In addition to the two primary associations of the attending members, the sub-committee explored the idea of reaching out to other professional and disciplinary associations who address issues of food systems.

A third small group discussed ideas of sharing teaching resources on the topics pertinent to Ag of the Middle and other food systems issues. Their activity will depend largely on whether the member-only access can be created on the Ag of the Middle website. Group members outside the small group showed interest in contributing to the effort.

Two other topics discussed by all attendees were on the policy update and funding opportunities outside the federal government, which was shut down during the meeting. We discussed how as individuals affiliated with academic institutions we can voice our concerns to proposed policies such as the Food Safety Modernization Act. Members shared their knowledge of various non-governmental funding agencies. The discussion led to how we should promote the project/group to these agencies. We agreed that we should continue discussing how to reach out to these private/non-profit agencies with the importance of the work on Ag of the Middle, as we successfully made inroads to the land-grant and the USDA.

Lastly, each member identified which NC-1198 project objective his/her work contributes most and discussed accomplishments and directions for the coming year. The group consisting of members contributing to the economic objective discussed how to use the Food Systems Indicator developed by King effectively in research and outreach activities and to illustrate the current state of the Ag of the Middle. Only two members were primarily working on the labor and community objective; they were co-authoring a working paper. No member was currently engaged in activities addressing the environmental objective, but the activities were proposed in the AFRI grant proposal on impacts on farmers. Even if the proposal is not funded in the current round, the PIs agreed to pursue the idea in some way. Another large group discussed their work on the policy objective. The group agreed that they have identified research questions on existing policies but have not examined the optimal designs/alterations of policies and programs to enhance future performance of Ag of the Middle entities.

Accomplishments

Accomplishments - October 2012 to September 2013:<br /> <br /> Outputs:<br /> <br /> Activities: <br /> <br /> Grants Submitted by members<br /> <br /> Peterson, H.H., G.W. Feenstra, S.D. Hardesty, M.R. Ostrom, K. Tanaka, C. Anderson-Brekken, and A.M. Fisher. Impacts of Values-Based Supply Chains on Small and Medium-Sized Farms. 2014-2017. Submitted to the USDA-AFRI, Small & Medium-Size Farms Priority area. Under review.<br /> <br /> Lev, L., R. King, J. Joannides, G. Feenstra, S. Hardesty. Cultivating Specialty Food Industry Sales: New Opportunities for Small and Medium-Sized Farms. Submitted to the USDA-AFRI, Small & Medium-Size Farms Priority area. Under review.<br /> <br /> Lass, D., and D. Conner. Farmer Profitability in the New England Farm to Institution Market: Impacts of Transaction Costs and Market Structure. 2014-2017. Lass, PI; Conner co-PI. Submitted to USDA-AFRI. Under review. This project would measure farmer willingness to engage in institutional markets, identify opportunities and barriers and design educational and outreach materials.<br /> <br /> Stephenson, G., and L. Gwin. Beyond Direct: Asessing the Potential of Local and Regional Wholesale Markets to Enhance Farmer Prosperity. Submitted to the USDA-AFRI, Small & Medium-Size Farms Priority area. Under review.<br /> <br /> Grants and Awards Received by members<br /> <br /> Social-Economic Dimensions of the Nutrient Reduction Strategy. Cathy Kling, Lois Wright Morton, and J. Gordon Arbuckle Jr. $116,000. Iowa Nutrient Research Center. 2013-2014.<br /> <br /> Developing an Integrated Management and Communication Plan for Sudden Death Syndrome. D. Mueller, L. Leandro, J. Arbuckle, C. Bradley, M. Chilvers, S. Cianzio, J. Faghihi, A. Fakhoury, V. Ferris, G. Hartman, D. Malvick, A. Tenuta, G. Tylka, and K. Wise. $500,000. North Central Soybean Research Program. 2013  2015.<br /> <br /> Mary Harris (PI), Matt Helmers, (PI), J. Gordon Arbuckle Jr. (Co-PI), Matt Liebman, Matt ONeal, Lisa Schulte-Moore, and John Tyndall. Facilitation of Multipurpose Prairie STRIPs Adoption by Iowa Farmers. $52,511. Iowa State Soil Conservation Committee R&D Grant Program. 2012-2013.<br /> <br /> J. Gordon Arbuckle Jr. (Co-PI) and Edward Cox. Sustainable Agricultural Land Tenure and Risk Management for Extreme Climatic Events. $46,299. Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture. 2/1/2013 to 1/31/2014.<br /> <br /> Lisa Schulte-Moore (PI), J. Gordon Arbuckle Jr. (Co-PI), Kristi Franz, Emily Heaton, Matt Helmers, Kirsten Hofmokel, Tom Isenhart, Matt Liebman, and John Tyndall. Integrating Project Knowledge, Land Use Scenarios, and InVest Modeling: The Next Step in Developing a Payment for Ecosystem Services Scheme for the Big Creek Watershed. $35,460. Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture. 2/1/2013 to 1/31/2014.<br /> <br /> Fostering sustainable livestock production in Vermont: prospects for value chain partnerships. Vermont Agricultural Experiment Station, 2012-2014. (Conner, PI). $34,905 Peer-reviewed by internal UVM panel. This project measures the preponderance of value chain partnerships in the VT livestock sector.<br /> <br /> Feenstra, G. Davis Farm-to-School Evaluation, from Yolo Farm to Fork. SAREP will evaluate outcomes of the Davis Farm-to-School Program, particularly the extent to which DJUSD increases farm fresh food for school lunch. SAREP contract: $6,690 for 6/1/13  12/31/13.<br /> <br /> Feenstra, G. Capitalizing on new values-based marketing channels: Using market tours to link small, beginning, and immigrant producers with wholesale buyers, Gift from Farm Credits. ASI/SAREP award: $60,000 for 7/13-6/14.<br /> <br /> Feenstra, G. Yolo County Farm to School Planning and Implementation: Evaluation, from Yolo County (part of their CDFA funded project). SAREP will evaluate program components. ASI/SAREP award: $60,000 for 10/12  6/15.<br /> <br /> Grant Proposals Submitted, not Funded<br /> <br /> Takle, E.S., C. Anderson, J.G. Arbuckle, W.J. Gutowski, M.J. Helmers, T.G. Johnson, C.M Ammann, J. Delmuth, H. Lazrus. Midwest Integrated Sciences and Assessments (MISA): An Innovation Space for Decision Making. Submitted to NOAA, April 2013. $3,536,742. Not Funded.<br /> <br /> Milestones:<br /> <br /> We currently have a few existing collaborations among the members and many activities with members collaborating with colleagues outside the NC-1198 project. Successful outcomes of the grants generated by discussions from the 2012 annual meeting and changes to the Ag of the Middle website will be milestones looking ahead.<br />

Publications

Arbuckle, J. Gordon Jr. 2013. Farmer support for extending Conservation Compliance beyond soil erosion: Evidence from Iowa. Journal of Soil and Water Conservation 68(2): 99-109.<br /> <br /> Arbuckle, J. Gordon Jr. 2013. Farmer attitudes toward proactive targeting of agricultural conservation programs. Society & Natural Resources 26:625-641.<br /> <br /> Arbuckle, J. Gordon Jr. 2013. Clean Water State Revolving Fund Loans and Landowner Investments in Agricultural Best Management Practices in Iowa. Journal of the American Water Resources Association 49(1): 67-75.<br /> <br /> Arbuckle, J. Gordon Jr., Lois Wright Morton, and Jon Hobbs. 2013. Understanding Farmer Perspectives on Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation: The Roles of Trust in Sources of Climate Information, Climate Change Beliefs, and Perceived Risk. Environment and Behavior. doi:10.1177/0013916513503832<br /> <br /> Arbuckle, J. Gordon Jr., Patti Cale-Finnegan, and Tony Toigo. 2013. Applied Social Science Research to Improve Water Quality Programming: Participatory Evaluation of Iowas Clean Water State Revolving Fund Program. Water Resources Impact 15(2): 3-5.<br /> <br /> Arbuckle, J. Gordon Jr., Lois Wright Morton, and Jon Hobbs. 2013. Farmer beliefs and concerns about climate change and attitudes toward adaptation and mitigation: Evidence from Iowa. Climatic Change. 118:551563. DOI 10.1007/s10584-013-0700-0.<br /> <br /> Arbuckle, J. Gordon Jr., Linda Stalker Prokopy, Tonya Haigh, Jon Hobbs, Tricia Knoot, Cody Knutson, Adam Loy, Amber Saylor Mase, Jean McGuire, Lois Wright Morton, John Tyndall, Melissa Widhalm. 2013. Climate Change Beliefs, Concerns, and Attitudes toward Adaptation and Mitigation among Farmers in the Midwestern United States. Climatic Change Letters. DOI 10.1007/s10584-013-0707-6.<br /> <br /> Becot, F., Nickerson, V., Conner, D. & Kolodinsky, J. 2012. Costs of Food Safety Certification on Fresh Produce Farms in Vermont. HortTechnology, 22(5). 705-714.<br /> <br /> Buckley, J., Conner, D., Matts, C. and Hamm, M. Social relationships and farm-to-institution initiatives: complexity and scale in local food systems. Journal of Hunger and Environmental Nutrition (Accepted for publication May 6 2013).<br /> <br /> Campbell, D., I. Carlisle-Cummins and G. Feenstra. Community food systems: Strengthening the research to practice continuum. Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems and Community Development, Vol 3(3). [http://www.agdevjournal.com/volume-3-issue-3/343-community-food-systems.html?catid=133%3Aopen-call-papers].<br /> <br /> Clancy, K. 2013. Values-based food supply chains: Program participation and policy challenges. CIAS, University of Wisconsin.<br /> <br /> Conner, D., Izumi, B., Liquori, T. and Hamm, M. 2012. Sustainable School Food Procurement in Large K-12 Districts: Prospects for Value Chain Partnerships. Agricultural and Resource Economics Review 41 (1): 100113.<br /> <br /> Conner, D. Institutional Food Service. In P.B. Thompson and D.M. Kaplan (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Agricultural and Food Ethics [in press].<br /> <br /> Feenstra, G. and D. Campbell. Local and regional food systems. In P.B. Thompson and D.M. Kaplan (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Agricultural and Food Ethics [in press]. <br /> <br /> Gwin, L., A. Thiboumery, R. Stillman. 2013. Local Meat and Poultry Processing: the Importance of Business Commitments for Long-Term Viability. Washington, DC: USDA Economic Research Service.<br /> <br /> Gwin, L. and A. Thiboumery. 2013. Local Meat Processing: Business Strategies and Policy Angles. Vermont Law Review (June).<br /> <br /> Hardesty, S., G. Feenstra, T. Lerman, D. Visher, D. Thilmany-McFadden, A. Gunter, T. Gilpatrick and G. Nurse. In press- 2014 (should go online any day nowsee OnLine First at http://edq.sagepub.com/. Values-based Supply Chains: Supporting Regional Food and Farms. Economic Development Quarterly.<br /> <br /> Hinrichs, C. Clare. 2013. Regionalizing food security? Imperatives, intersections and contestations in a post-9/11 world. Journal of Rural Studies 29: 7-18.<br /> <br /> Hinrichs, Clare and Liz Charles. 2012. Local food systems and networks in the US and the UK: Community development considerations for rural areas. Pp. 156-176 in Rural Transformations and Rural Policies in the UK and US, edited by M. Shucksmith, D. Brown, S. Shortall, J. Vergunst and M. Warner. New York: Routledge.<br /> <br /> King, Robert P. and G.W Stevenson. 2013. Values-Based Food Supply Chains: Co-op Partners Warehouse. http://www.cias.wisc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/cooppartnersfinal061313.pdf<br /> <br /> King, Robert P., Larry Lev, and Marcia Ostrom. 2013. Using Values-Based Food Supply Chain Case Studies in University Classes. http://www.cias.wisc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/valuechainunivclassfinal082913.pdf<br /> <br /> Lev, L.; G.W. Stevenson. 2013. Values-based food supply chains: An introduction to nine case studies. CIAS, University of Wisconsin. <br /> <br /> Lev, L.; G.W. Stevenson. 2013. Values-based food supply chains: Shepherds Grain. CIAS, University of Wisconsin.<br /> <br /> Morton, Lois Wright, Jon Hobbs, and J. Gordon Arbuckle Jr. 2013. Shifts in Farmer Uncertainty Over Time About Sustainable Farming Practices and Modern Farmings Reliance on Commercial Fertilizers, Insecticides and Herbicides. Journal of Soil and Water Conservation 68(1): 1-12.<br /> <br /> Ostrom, M; G.W. Stevenson. 2013. Values-based food supply chains: Full Circle. CIAS, University of Wisconsin.<br /> <br /> Scherr, Rachel, Rachel Cox, Gail Feenstra and Sheri Zidenberg-Cherr. 2013. Integrating local agriculture into nutrition programs can benefit childrens health. California Agriculture Vol 67(1): 30-37.<br /> <br /> Stevenson, G.W. 2013. Values-based food supply chains: Good Earth Farms. CIAS, University of Wisconsin. <br /> <br /> Stevenson, G.W. 2013. Values-based food supply chains: Home Grown Wisconsin Co-op. CIAS, University of Wisconsin. <br /> <br /> Stevenson, G.W. 2013. Values-based food supply chains: Idahos Bounty. CIAS, University of Wisconsin. <br /> <br /> Stevenson, G.W. 2013. Values-based food supply chains: Organic Valley. CIAS, University of Wisconsin. <br /> <br /> Stevenson, G.W. 2013. Values-based food supply chains: Red Tomato. CIAS, University of Wisconsin. <br /> <br /> Stevenson, G.W.; L. Lev. 2013. Values-based food supply chains: Country Natural Beef. CIAS, University of Wisconsin. <br /> <br /> Stevenson, G.W.; R. Pirog. 2013. Values-based food supply chains: Strategies for agri-food enterprises-of-the-middle. CIAS, University of Wisconsin.<br /> <br /> Yifat, Tal, Olivia Parry and Sarah Lloyd. "The Wisconsin Food Hub Cooperative: building infrastructure for a regional food system". In Alfonso Morales and Julie Dawson, Cities of Farmers: Problems, Possibilities and Processes of Producing Food in Cities. University of Iowa Press, forthcoming.<br /> <br /> Extension reports<br /> <br /> Arbuckle, J. Gordon Jr., Paul Lasley, and John Ferrell. 2012. Iowa Farm and Rural Life Poll: 2012 Summary Report. Extension Report PM3036. Ames, IA: Iowa State University Extension. (12 pp.)<br /> <br /> Campbell, D., C. Marshall, G. Feenstra, and R. Galt. 2012. Community food system bibliography, Davis, CA: UC Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program/Agricultural Sustainability Institute. [http://www.sarep.ucdavis.edu/sfs/CFSresources].<br /> <br /> Lasley, Paul, John Ferrell, and J. Gordon Arbuckle, Jr. 2013. The Role of Farm Families in Local Community Philanthropy. Extension Report PM3049. Ames, IA: Iowa State University Extension. (8 pp.)<br /> <br /> Values-based food supply chain case study: Co-op Partners Warehouse. 2013. CIAS Research Brief #87.<br /> <br /> Values-based food supply chain case study: Country Natural Beef. 2013. CIAS Research Brief #79.<br /> <br /> Values-based food supply chain case study: Full Circle. 2013. CIAS Research Brief #92.<br /> <br /> Values-based food supply chain case study: Good Earth Farms. 2013. CIAS Research Brief #88.<br /> <br /> Values-based food supply chain case study: Home Grown Wisconsin. 2013. CIAS Research Brief #69.<br /> <br /> Values-based food supply chain case study: Idahos Bounty. 2012. CIAS Research Brief #86.<br /> <br /> Values-based food supply chain case study: Organic Valley. 2013. CIAS Research Brief #80.<br /> <br /> Values-based food supply chain case study: Shepherds Grain. 2012. CIAS Research Brief #81.<br /> <br /> Values-based food supply chain case study: Red Tomato. 2013. CIAS Research Brief #82.<br /> <br /> Working paper<br /> <br /> Skilton, P., and Z. Wu. Governance Regimes for Protected Geographic Indicators: Impacts on Food Marketing Systems.<br />

Impact Statements

1. Advanced the theory and empirical study of value-based agricultural and food supply chains with particular focus on small and medium-sized farms and agribusiness enterprises.

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Participants

Christy Anderson Brekken, Lily Brislen, Kate Clancy, David Conner, Lindsey Day Farnsworth, Gail Feenstra, Shermain Hardesty, Mary Hendrickson (Tuesday), Jan Joannides, Rob King, Bill Lacy, Larry Lev, Michelle Miller, Marcia Ostrom, Hikaru Peterson, Mary Ahearn (called in on Tuesday), Ge Backus (guest), Larry Burmeister (called in on Wednesday)

Brief Summary of Minutes

General Project Discussion:

The state project group members individually had another productive year. In addition to the activities listed here, many members were involved in issues on food and agriculture closely related to Ag of the Middle (AOTM). The two AFRI proposals generated from the 2012 meeting were resubmitted in 2014 and were recommended for funding. The proposals will contribute to the project objectives directly in coming years. The attendance was slightly lower than last year, but included a few new members.

The sub-committee on the Ag of the Middle website (http://agofthemiddle.org/) formed in the 2013 meeting presented the site redesigned by the UW-Madison Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems (CIAS) to reflect the group discussion in 2013. The AOTM website committee was officially formed, including the chair (Ostrom), reviewer for publications by non-members (Conner), and CIAS coordinator (Miller). Contextual contributions were assigned among website committee members and others. The group named groups of individuals that would form the target audience of the website and discussed the process to determine which publications would be included.

The group discussed various ways to promote AOTM to our professional audience. A small group decided to propose an organized symposium for the Food and Agricultural Marketing Policy Session track at the 2015 Agricultural and Applied Economics Association (AAEA) meetings. Yet another small group was formed to develop an AFRI conference grant proposal on supply chain governance, seeking to partner with other professional groups, such as the Inter-institutional Network for Food, Agriculture, and Sustainability (INFAS), Ag and Human Values, and peer-reviewed journals such as the Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development and Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics. The conference/workshop would be scheduled in Boston in 2016, where both Ag and Human Values and AAEA meetings are held in summer.

In addition, the group had an annual phone conference with the USDA AFRI Program Leader (Denis Ebodaghe), who administers the Small and Medium-Sized Farms priority area, and learned that no major change is expected in their Foundational Programs in terms of grant size and scope. Ebodaghe informed us about other upcoming grant opportunities, and the group informed him about the meaning of AOTM. The group learned from the guest attending the meeting about a producer-customer linking app that is developed and tested in the Dutch food system. The group was also briefed on a policy update.

The last topic of discussion was about a longer-term vision for the group’s work on AOTM. Since usable funds at UW-Madison CIAS are limited to support the AOTM site, the group members agreed to write in expenses to maintain it in future grant proposals. The group also agreed to apply for another five-year multi-state research project on AOTM when this project is completed.

Accomplishments

Accomplishments - October 2013 to September 2014:<br /> <br /> Outputs:<br /> <br /> Activities: <br /> <br /> Listed are the major grants involving NC-1198 project members. Members have written and submitted other grant proposals with other collaborators on issues related to AOTM that are not listed here. For example, Francis et al. have applied for a three-year grant from CERES Foundation called "Efficient Research Methods for Minimal-Cost Organic Agriculture" that will establish four demonstration/commercial gardens in each of two communities with Native American entrepreneurs in Northeast Nebraska. This is a cooperative project with Center for Rural Affairs.<br /> <br /> Grants Submitted and Awards Received by members<br /> <br /> Peterson, H.H., G.W. Feenstra, M.R. Ostrom, K. Tanaka, and C. Anderson-Brekken. “Impacts of Values-Based Supply Chains on Small and Medium-Sized Farms.” 2015-2017. USDA-AFRI, Small & Medium-Size Farms Priority area. Recommended for funding. [Obj 1, 2, 3, 4] <br /> <br /> Lev, L., R. King, J. Joannides, G. Feenstra, S. Hardesty. “Cultivating Specialty Food Industry Sales: New Opportunities for Small and Medium-Sized Farms.” USDA-AFRI, Small & Medium-Size Farms Priority area. Recommended for funding. [Obj 1, 2]<br /> <br /> Miller, M. “Regional food freight transportation study”. September 2014 – August 2015. USDA-AMS, Transportation Division [Obj 1, 4]<br /> <br /> Grant Proposals Submitted, not Funded<br /> <br /> De Master, K., S.K. Bowen, D. Conner, P. Howard, L. Lev, M. Miller, M. Ostrom, T. Yifat. “Factors Influencing the Resilience of Multifunctional Agri-Food Clusters in the U.S.” USDA-AFRI, Rural Communities and Regional Development Priority area. Not funded.<br /> <br /> Milestones:<br /> <br /> The major milestone was the two AFRI grants proposed by the NC-1198 project members being successfully recommended for funding starting in January 2015. Looking ahead, the launch of the renewed AOTM website and proposed organized symposium and AFRI conference proposal grant will be milestones.<br /> <br /> Impacts<br /> <br /> Activities:<br /> <br /> Many members are prolific in sharing the vision of Agriculture of the Middle and the latest research findings pertaining to the project objectives. In addition to the specific activities listed below, individual members have multiple ongoing activities related to AOTM.<br /> <br /> For example, the Sustainable Agriculture, Research & Education Program (SAREP) has been actively developing three types of research and outreach initiatives that relate to Ag of the Middle for the past several years: (1) farm to school/ farm to institution evaluation focusing on regional procurement, (2) assessing and developing markets for small and mid-scale, beginning and ethnic producers through values-based supply chains, and (3) exploring economic, health and community benefits of urban agriculture (Feenstra). All 3 areas involve “Ag of the Middle,” but from different perspectives. Having the opportunity to view the challenges of Ag of the Middle from consumer, retailer, wholesaler, distributor, processor and community perspectives, has allowed us to understand the issues in values-based supply chains from more of a systems lens. <br /> <br /> Many on-going activities are related to local foods. At Auburn University, for example, Worosz has been involved in community food security assessment, consumer study on purchasing local meats, and examination of local foods in colleges and universities. The local meat study emphasizes lower socio-economic status and minority groups which are not typically addressed in the literature. Some policy implications are expected from the last project. A recently-concluded grant at University of Nebraska Lincoln "Building Regional Food Systems," financed by USDA/AMS, surveyed farmers and consumers to assess their interest in growing more food for direct sale and for local markets (Francis). Another initiative on "Alternative Funding for Food System Development", funded by NCRC, involved workshops and focus groups looking for creative ways to finance local food systems. Also, a recently-completed North Central SARE grant on "Video Lessons in Sustainable Agriculture for High School Students" developed 20 short videos where high school students interview farmers on various sustainable farming practices, as well as local marketing and other aspects of alternative systems. <br /> <br /> Selected Presentations by members<br /> <br /> Feenstra, G. “Local and regional food systems: Opportunities for community engagement,” keynote speaker at the University of Arizona Food System Network Conference, Tucson, AZ, April 29, 2014 (200 attendees). [Obj 2]<br /> <br /> Feenstra, G. “Selling valuess-added produce in wholesale markets with your farm story,” moderator, speaker at the California Small Farm Conference, Rohnert Park, CA, March 12, 2014 (30 attendees). [Obj 1]<br /> <br /> Feenstra, G. “Procurement of local produce,” moderator, speaker at the Northern California Farm to School Conference, San Joaquin County, Stockton, CA, November 20, 2013 (10 attendees). [Obj 1]<br /> <br /> Feenstra, G. “Community-Based Regional Food Initiatives,” seminar presentation at University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, November 13, 2013 (150 attendees). [Obj 2]<br /> <br /> Gray, T. 2014. “Need for Multi-stakeholder Cooperatives,” Presentation. Annual meetings of the Eastern Sociological Society. Baltimore, Maryland, February 22. <br /> <br /> Gray, T. 2014. “Democratization and Multi-stakeholder Cooperatives,” Presentation. Annual meetings of the Agriculture, Food, and Human Values Society. Burlington, Vermont. June 18-22.<br /> <br /> Hardesty, S. “Cottage Foods and Other Value-added Products.” Organizer/moderator/speaker at the California Small Farm Conference, Rohnert Park, CA, March 11, 2014 (30 attendees). [Obj 1]<br /> <br /> Miller, M. “Farming and Climate Change”, presented at a public forum, Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters, Madison, WI, November 2013 [obj 3 &4]<br /> <br /> Miller, M. “The Economics and Culture of Local Food” presented at a public forum, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, November 2013 [obj 1 &2]<br /> <br /> Miller, M. “Regional Food for Regional Markets”, Midwest value-added conference, Wausau, WI, January 2014 [obj 1 &2]<br /> <br /> Miller, M. “Moving Local Food to Wholesale Markets: Lessons from Practitioners”, Local Food Summit, Milwaukee, WI, January 2014 [obj 1 &2]<br /> <br /> Miller, M. “Regional Food to Regional Markets”, Center for Logistics, Trade, and Transportation, Gulfport, MS, February 2014 [obj 1]<br /> <br /> Miller, M. “(Re)creating Regional Food Systems”, American Planning Association – Wisconsin Chapter, Madison, WI, June 2014 [obj 1 & 2]<br /> <br /> Miller, M. Research conference “Innovations in Sustainable Agriculture and Food Supply Chains”, University of Exeter, September 2014 [obj 1]<br /> <br /> Telligman, A., M.R. Worosz, and C. Bratcher. 2014. Beliefs Underlying Purchases of Local Beef. Paper presented at Equity, Democracy, and the Commons: Counter-Narratives for Rural Transformation, the annual meetings of the Rural Sociological Society, New Orleans, LA, 30 Jul – 03 Aug. [Obj 2]<br /> <br /> ?<br /> Walker, D. and M.R. Worosz. 2014. The Role of Chefs and Restaurant Owners in Alabama’s Local Foods Movement. Paper presented at Equity, Democracy, and the Commons: Counter-Narratives for Rural Transformation, the annual meetings of the Rural Sociological Society, New Orleans, LA, 30 Jul – 03 Aug. [Obj 1]<br /> <br /> Yifat, T. “Sustainability and Farmer Control in an Agrifood Value Chain: The Case of Organic Valley.” Presented in the Annual General Meeting of the Canadian Association for Food Studies, St. Catharines, ON, May 24–27, 2014.<br /> <br /> Yifat, T. “Can Alternative Agrifood Value Chains Lead the Market? : The Case of Organic Valley.” Presented in the ASFS/AFHVS Annual Conference, Burlington, VT, June 18-22, 2014.<br /> <br /> Yifat, T. “Social and Environmental Upgrading in a Producer-Driven Agrifood Value Chain: The Case of Organic Valley.” Presented in the Society for the Advancement of Socioeconomics Annual Conference. Chicago, IL, July 10-12, 2014.<br /> <br /> Yifat, T. “Environmental Entrepreneurship and the Possibility of Green Capitalism.” Presented in the Society for the Advancement of Socioeconomics Annual Conference, Chicago, IL, July 10-12, 2014.<br /> <br /> Posters<br /> <br /> Walker, D., Y. Hu, M.R. Worosz, N. Wilson, J. Zanzot, C. Bailey, C. Zizza. 2014. Access to Nutritious Foods in Macon County Alabama. Poster presented at Collaboration and Innovation Across the Food System, the annual joint meetings of the Association for the Study of Food and Society (ASFS) and the Agriculture, Food and Human Values Society (AFHVS), Burlington, VT, Jun 18-22.<br /> <br /> Yeomans, D., M.R. Worosz, Y. Hu, J. Zanzot, N. Wilson, C. Bailey and C. Zizza. 2013. Macon County Community Food Security Assessment. Poster presented at Women and Youth: Changing the Landscape of Agriculture, the 71st Professional Agricultural Workers Conference, Tuskegee University, Tuskegee, AL, 08 – 10 Dec.<br /> <br /> Conferences/Workshops Organized by members<br /> <br /> “Cottage Foods: California’s Cottage Food Law, Food Safety, Production, Marketing and Managing a Cottage Foods Business”. Organized by S. Hardesty. 6 2-day workshops from May-July, 2014 in Northern California. [Obj 1]<br /> <br /> “Organizing On-Farm Farmers Markets and Farm Dinners”. Organized and moderated by S. Hardesty at the California Small Farm Conference, Rohnert Park, CA, March 11, 2014 (50 attendees). [Obj 1]<br /> <br /> ?<br /> Workshop organized by M. Miller at the Eco-apple growers annual meeting, Madison, WI, December 2013 [obj 3]<br /> <br /> Milestones:<br /> <br /> Looking ahead, the acceptance of the proposed track session on AOTM at the 2015 AAEA meetings and the development and successful funding of the AFRI conference grant proposal on supply chain governance will be milestones.<br /> <br /> Indicators:<br /> <br /> The list of project members has grown with a few new members attending the 2014 meeting. <br />

Publications

Peer reviewed publications<br /> <br /> Anderson, C., L. Brushett, T. Gray, and H. Renting. 2014. “Group Editorial: Working Together to Build Cooperative Food Systems,” Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development. Vol. 4, No. 3. Spring.<br /> <br /> Becot, F., Conner, D., Kolodinsky, J. and Mendez, V. (2014). Measuring the costs of production and pricing on diversified farms: Juggling decisions amidst uncertainties. Journal of the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers. 171-194.<br /> <br /> Becot, F., Conner, D., Nelson, A., Buckwalter, E. and Erickson, D. (2014). Institutional Demand for Locally-Grown Food in Vermont: Marketing Implications for Producers and Distributors. Journal of Food Distribution Research 45(2) 99-117.<br /> <br /> Conner, D., Sevoian, N. Heiss, S. and Berlin, L. (2014). The Diverse Values and Motivations of Vermont Farm to Institution Supply Chain Actors. Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics 27, 695-713.<br /> <br /> Feenstra, G. and D. Campbell. “Local and regional food systems.” In P.B. Thompson and D.M. Kaplan (Eds.), Encyclopedia of agricultural and food ethics [IN PRESS]. [Obj 2]<br /> <br /> Gray, T. 2014. “Commentary on Agricultural Cooperatives: “Tensions, Institutionalization, and the Need for Multi-stakeholder Cooperatives,” Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development. Vol. 4, No. 3. Spring.<br /> <br /> Hardesty, S., G. Feenstra, D. Visher, T. Lerman, D. Thilmany-McFadden, A. Bauman, T. Gillpatrick and G. Rainbolt. 2014. “Values-Based Supply Chains: Supporting Regional Food and Farms.” Economic Development Quarterly, 28:1,17-27. DOI:10.1177/0891242413507103. [Obj 1, 2]<br /> <br /> Heiss, S., Conner, D., Sevoian, N., & Berlin, L. (2014). Farm to Institution Programs: Organizing Practices that Enable and Constrain Vermont’s Alternative Food Supply Chains. Agriculture and Human Values. Published online July 23, 2014.<br /> <br /> King, R., M. Hand, G. DiGiacomo, K. Clancy, M. Gomez, S. Hardesty, L. Lev, E. McLaughlin and K. Park. In press. Growing Local: Case Studies in Local Food Supply Chains. University of Nebraska Press.<br /> <br /> LeBlanc, J., Conner, D., McRae, G. and Darby, H. (2014). Building Resilience in Nonprofit Food Hubs. Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development. 4(3) , 121-135.<br /> <br /> Miller, M. and J. Solin (in press). “The power of story for adaptive response – marshaling individual and collective initiative to create more resilient food systems” Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences [obj 4]<br /> <br /> Surls, R., G. Feenstra, S. Golden, R. Galt, S. Hardesty, N.C. Napawan and C. Wilen. 2014. “Gearing up to support urban farming in California: Preliminary results of a needs assessment.” Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems, DOI:10.1017/S1742170514000052. Pp. 1-10. [Obj 2]<br /> <br /> Book chapters<br /> <br /> Thomas, W., N. Wilson, and M.R. Worosz. 2014. “Democratization of the Food System: Interests in a Food Policy Council in Alabama.” Pg. 18-25 in Auburn Speaks: Food, edited by P. Curtis and J. Lamar. Auburn University, Auburn, AL (ISBN: 978-0-615-97504-7).<br /> <br /> Extension reports<br /> <br /> Day-Farnsworth, L, Miller, M. (2014). Networking across the supply chain: Transportation Innovations in Local and Regional Supply Chains. [Obj 1& 4] http://www.trb.org/Policy/Blurbs/170956.aspx<br /> <br /> Miller, M., Hirsch, R., Werts, P and T. Green (2014). Extending your business range and reaching new clients with low-cost communications. Crops and Soils Magazine 2014 47:28-30. doi:10.2134/cs2014-47-1-9 [Obj 1& 3]<br /> <br /> Proceedings<br /> <br /> Miller, M. (2014) Resilient regional supply chains for sustainably-grown food. Proceedings of the Center for Logistics, Transportation and Trade Symposium, Gulfport, MS, USA, February 27, 2014 [Obj 1]<br /> <br /> ?<br /> Theses/dissertations<br /> <br /> Leamy, Ryan. (2014). Diversification Activities of Vermont Dairy Farmers: A Study of Raw Milk And Local Beef Processing In The State. Masters Thesis, Department of Community Development and Applied Economics, University of Vermont.<br />

Impact Statements

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Report Information

Participants

Brief Summary of Minutes

Please see attached file for NC1198's 2014/2015 annual report.

Accomplishments

Publications

Impact Statements

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Report Information

Participants

J. Gordon Arbuckle, Jr., Iowa - Iowa State University (IOW), arbuckle@iastate.edu; Carmen Bain, Iowa - Iowa State University (IOW), cbain@iastate.edu; Christy A Brekken, OTHER-Oregon State University, Christy.Anderson.Brekken@oregonstate.edu; Lilian Brislen, OTHER-University of Kentucky, Lilian.Brislen@uky.edu; Larry L Burmeister, OTHER-Ohio University, burmeist@ohio.edu; Kate Clancy, OTHER-Independent Food Systems Consultant, klclancy@comcast.net; David S. Conner, Vermont - University of Vermont (VT), david.conner@uvm.edu; Kathryn De Master, California -Berkeley - University of California, Berkeley (CALB), kathryn.demaster@berkeley.edu; Michael D. Duffy, Iowa - Iowa State University (IOW), mduffy@iastate.edu; Rebecca D. Dunning, North Carolina – North Carolina State University, rddunnin@ncsu.edu; Lindsey Farnsworth, OTHER-University of Wisconsin-Madison, ldfarnsworth@wisc.edu; Gail W Feenstra, University of California-Davis (CALB), gwfeenstra@ucdavis.edu;
Jill Fitzsimmons, Massachusetts - University of Massachusetts (MAS), Resource Economics, jillian24@gmail.com; Charles A Francis, Nebraska - University of Nebraska (NEB), cfrancis2@unl.edu; Thomas W. Gray, USDA, thomas.gray@wdc.usda.gov; Lauren E Gwin, OTHER-Oregon State University, lauren.gwin@oregonstate.edu; Shermain Hardesty, University of California-Davis, shermain@primal.ucdavis.edu; Keith Harris, Kansas – Kansas State University, Agricultural Economics, kdharris@ksu.edu; Mary Hendrickson, Missouri-University of Missouri, Rural Sociology, Hendricksonm@missouri.edu; Clare Hinrichs, Pennsylvania - Pennsylvania State (PEN), Agricultural Economics, Sociology, and Education, chinrichs@psu.edu; Philip Howard, Michigan – Michigan State University, Community Sustainability, howardp@msu.edu; Jan Joannides, OTHER-University of Minnesota, joann001@umn.edu; Robert King, Minnesota - University of Minnesota (MIN), Applied Economics, rking@umn.edu; Fred Kirschenmann, Iowa - Iowa State University (IOW), Leopold Center, leopold1@iastate.edu; Elizabeth Kramer, Georgia – University of Georgia, Agriculture and Applied Economics, lkramer@uga.edu; William Lacy, California -Davis - University of California, Davis (CALB), Human and Community Development, wblacy@ucdavis.edu; Daniel A. Lass, Massachusetts - University of Massachusetts (MAS), Resource Economics, dan.lass@resecon.umass.edu; Larry S. Lev, Oregon Cooperative Extension (ORE), Agricultural and Resource Economics, larry.lev@oregonstate.edu; Michelle Miller, Wisconsin-University of Wisconsin, mmmille6@wisc.edu; Marcia Ostrom, Washington - Washington State University (WN.P), WA Co-op Extension / Ctr for Sus. Ag & Nat. Res., mrostrom@wsu.edu; Hikaru Peterson, Minnesota- University of Minnesota (MIN), hhp@umn.edu; Stacey Sobell, Oregon – OTHER, Ecotrust, ssobell@ecotrust.org; Keiko Tanaka, Kentucky - University of Kentucky (KY), Community and Leadership Development, ktanaka@uky.edu; Michelle R Worosz, Alabama - Auburn University (ALA), Ag Econ & Rural Sociology, michelle_worosz@auburn.edu; Zhaohui Wu, OTHER-Oregon State University , wuz@bus.oregonstate.edu; Tal Yifat, OTHER-University of Chicago, tal@uchicago.edu

Brief Summary of Minutes

Brief summary of annual meeting:

Date: October 18-19, 2016

Location:  Campus Club in Memorial Union, University of Minnesota; 300 Washington Ave. SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455

In attendance:

Lily Brislen, Larry Burmeister, Kate Clancy, David Conner, Libby Christensen, Jill Fitzsimmons, Gail Feenstra, Lauren Gwin, Shermain Hardesty, Keith Harris, Clare Hinrichs, Jan Joannides, Rob King, Liz Kramer, Larry Lev, Kelly Maynard, Michelle Miller, Marcia Ostrom, Hikaru Peterson, Keiko Tanaka, Michelle Worosz (Kathryn DeMaster called in on Oct. 19)

General Project Discussion:

Individually and in smaller groups, technical committee members have had another year of productive work on project objectives. New and ongoing funded grant projects have furthered project work and members have played prominent roles organizing and presenting professional conference sessions related to project themes. Additionally, many members have been involved in research, teaching and outreach related to food and agriculture topics that align with or inform inquiry related to Ag of the Middle (AOTM). Attendance at the 2016 annual meeting was somewhat lower than in 2015; however 5-6 committee members who did not attend specifically contacted the committee chair to convey their ongoing commitment to participate in the project, despite their absence at the 2016 annual meeting due to scheduling conflicts or funding shortfalls.

The 2014 and 2015 meetings included considerable attention to the public face of the project through its Ag of the Middle website (http://agofthemiddle.org/) redesigned and hosted by the UW-Madison Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems (CIAS). The 2016 meeting focused more on sharing and distilling recent work by committee members (more below and in the meeting minutes) in order to use this information and related ideas in organizing preparation and writing of a multi-state project renewal proposal, initiated Fall 2016 and to be submitted for NCRA review in early 2017. As NC-1198 concludes in September 2017, development of the renewal project was an urgent priority. Given the strongly shared sense that the present project objectives, with some adjustments, remain timely and relevant, the group focused its renewal project discussions on how to build from NC-1198 accomplishments thus far and also incorporate new and emerging research and programmatic needs. Throughout, the group continued to discuss strategies for communicating more widely and more effectively about AOTM research and its policy implications to our varied professional audiences and partner organizations.

As is the regular practice of this group at its annual meeting, there was a telephone conference with the USDA AFRI Program Leader (Denis Ebodaghe), who administers the Small and Medium-Sized Farms priority area. On Day 1 of the meeting, Ebodaghe informed us that the total number of proposal submissions his program received in 2016 had declined and they were expecting to fund 6-7 projects. He provided advice and insight about targeting grant projects that aim at knowledge addressing small/medium size farm issues in contrast to concerns of other enterprises in the supply chain or communities themselves. He also informed us of continuities and possible changes in this program at USDA and others relevant to AOTM concerns.

The annual meeting included considerable time working in small groups to take stock of accomplishments related to the present NC-1198 objectives and to discuss how those objectives should be revised, amended and/or supplemented for a renewal multi-state project. Discussions of the small groups were then reported back to the full group and submitted to further full group discussion. Assignments and timetable for preparing the renewal project proposal were negotiated and finalized. On Day 2 of the meeting, the group continued this work and also had a telephone conference with Administrative Adviser, Joe Colletti (Iowa State University), to review the renewal project objectives developed over the course of the meeting and our plans for submission of the renewal project proposal.

Accomplishments

<p><strong>Accomplishments - October 2015 to September 2016:</strong></p><br /> <p><strong>Out</strong><strong>p</strong><strong>ut</strong><strong>s</strong>:</p><br /> <p><strong>Grants</strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">--</span></p><br /> <p>Listed here are the major grants, both new and ongoing, involving NC-1198 project members. Several members have also written and submitted other grant proposals with collaborators from outside NC-1198 on issues related to AOTM that are not listed here.</p><br /> <p><em>Grants</em><em> Submitted and Awards Received by members</em></p><br /> <p><strong>Dunning, R.</strong> (PI). Building University Market Opportunities for Small and Mid-Scale Farmers: Applied Research and Outreach to Strengthen Campus Community Local Food Systems. USDA/NIFA AFRI Small and Medium Size Farmer and Rancher Program Area. $469,771. 2016-2017.</p><br /> <p><strong>Dunning, R.</strong> (Co-PI). Creating Long-Term Solutions to Advance Farmer Profitability and Market Capacity for NC Pastured Meats. Golden Leaf Foundation. $151,405. 2016-2017.</p><br /> <p><strong>Dunning, R.</strong> (Co-PI). An Integrated Project to Enhance Food Security and Sustainability Through the Development and Evaluation of Supply Chains from Local Farmers (Grocery and Military Food Service Models). USDA NIFA/AFRI Food Security Challenge. $3,900,000 total, $777,777 appropriated for 2016. 2012-2017.</p><br /> <p><strong>Feenstra, G.W.</strong> &ldquo;Getting the Farm to the School,&rdquo; PI is John Young, Yolo County Ag Commissioner. SAREP is a subcontractor, responsible for evaluation. Grant is from USDA. SAREP award: $15,000 for 10/1/15 &ndash; 9/30/16. <em>[Obj 1]</em></p><br /> <p><strong>Feenstra, G.W.</strong> &ldquo;Nurturing Local Food Hubs to Connect Small Farms to Campuses to Develop Healthy and Sustainable Eating Options for K-to-University,&rdquo; from UC Global Food Initiative. Award: $78,098 for 10/1/15 &ndash; 12/30/16. <em>[Obj 1, 2]</em></p><br /> <p><strong>Fitzsimmons, J.</strong> &ldquo;Costs and Returns to New England Farmers in the Farm-to Institution Supply Chain.&rdquo; USDA-NESARE Graduate Student Grant. [09/13 to 12/15] $14,745. [<em>Obj 1,2,4</em>]</p><br /> <p><strong>Lass, Dan</strong>. Massachusetts Department of Revenue &ldquo;Using Ag Census Data to Estimate Agricultural Use Values.&rdquo; [07/15 to 10/16] $5,562.</p><br /> <p><strong>Lev</strong>, L., R. <strong>King</strong>, J. <strong>Joannides</strong>, G. <strong>Feenstra</strong>, S. <strong>Hardesty</strong>. &ldquo;Cultivating Specialty Food Industry Sales: New opportunities for small- and medium-sized farms.&rdquo; USDA-AFRI, Small &amp; Medium-Size Farms Priority area. 2015-2017. [Obj 1, 2]</p><br /> <p><strong>Peterson</strong>, H.H., G.W. <strong>Feenstra</strong>, M.R. <strong>Ostrom</strong>, K. <strong>Tanaka</strong>, and C. <strong>Anderson-Brekken</strong>. &ldquo;Impacts of Values-Based Supply Chains on Small and Medium-Sized Farms.&rdquo; 2015-2017. USDA-AFRI, Small &amp; Medium-Size Farms Priority area. 2015-2017. $499, 995. [Obj 1, 2, 3, 4]</p><br /> <p>Rocker, Sarah. Towards Resilience: The Value of Brokerage and Coordination in Local and Regional Food Value Chains. Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences, Doctoral Student Competitive Research Award. January 2016. $2500 [Obj 2, 4] [Adviser and project director: <strong>C. Hinrichs</strong>]</p><br /> <p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Ac</span></strong><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">t</span></strong><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">i</span></strong><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">vities</span></strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">:</span></p><br /> <p>Based on information shared at the annual meeting and subsequently submitted for this report, it is evident that technical committee members engage in a variety of activities individually, in NC-1198 working groups, and with other stakeholders that are helping to share and develop notions of Agriculture of the Middle and values-based supply chains, and assess their implementation in varied contexts. Highlighted activities in this report offer selected examples of policy-related work; teaching and training efforts; collaborations within and beyond NC-1198; and targeted professional conference sessions and presentations</p><br /> <p><strong>A. Activities of NC-1198 Policy Working Group.</strong></p><br /> <p>This working group, led by <strong>Kate Clancy, Christy Brekken, </strong>and<strong> Lauren Gwin,</strong> had two primary accomplishments in 2016: 1) preparing a policy primer and 2) conducting an internal NC-1198 policy survey.</p><br /> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Policy Primer</span>: Over the years, NC-1198 members have identified and articulated many issues facing Ag of the Middle producers and their supply chain partners. Technical committee members recognize that public policy plays a role in the issues, opportunities and impacts for the Ag of the Middle sector. Explicitly addressing policy issues and in deliberate ways can enrich our Ag of the Middle and supply chains research, and offers more outputs and impacts from our work. NC1198 members asked the Policy Working Group to provide guidance on how to address policy in their research and outreach.</p><br /> <p>In response to this need, the lead members of this working group wrote a short primer called, &ldquo;Why and How to Include Policy in Ag of the Middle Research.&rdquo; The primer will soon be posted on the Ag of the Middle website, for use by this group, but also others interested in this topic.</p><br /> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Policy Survey</span>: In late 2015, the NC-1198 Policy Working Group surveyed the full NC-1198 technical committee membership to learn whether and how they are including policy in their AOTM/VBSC research. The survey was sent out to 33 people on Nov. 11, 2015 with a reminder on Dec. 7, 2015. Nine people began the survey; six of them completed it.</p><br /> <p>All nine respondents indicated that they were asking questions in their research related to policy questions &amp; implications. Of the six who completed the survey, all but one were planning to report policy recommendations out of their research.</p><br /> <p>When asked what specific policies/policy arenas they were addressing in their research, respondents said:</p><br /> <ul><br /> <li>How public policies can help to address the changes necessary to mitigate climate change and ecological harm to natural resources (2 responses);</li><br /> <li>Policies that facilitate and/or impede the retail marketing (restaurant, grocery, farmers markets, farm sales, food hubs) of locally produced animal products;</li><br /> <li>Policies that support small and midscale farms, as well as the community economic impacts of food system-led interventions;</li><br /> <li>Policies that hinder or support AOTM, e.g., liability insurance.</li><br /> </ul><br /> <p>One respondent noted that while their research team was not actually asking about specific policies (e.g., in surveys and interviews), their research participants were bringing up specific policies of concern to them.</p><br /> <p>When asked what questions they are using in their research design, related to policy, respondents to our internal survey noted:</p><br /> <ol><br /> <li>How can we begin to anticipate the changes coming at us (depletion of natural resources, climate change, increased insurance costs) and begin to get a head start preparing for them?</li><br /> <li>Trying to understand farm profitability impacts of food system initiatives as well as broader rural wealth creation impacts of these initiatives.</li><br /> <li>Willingness to accept payment to provide ecosystem services.</li><br /> <li>One respondent described multiple policy-related lines of questioning:<br /> <ol><br /> <li>Conservation easements: Are there conservation easements on the property(ies)? If so, is it a working lands easement, or are agricultural uses retired too? Was CRP involved? Would you be interested in a conservation easement, why, and what would prevent you from accomplishing this?</li><br /> <li>Taxation: Where could you see the greatest opportunities for reducing your tax liabilities through policy?</li><br /> <li>Regulation in General: What regulations (local, county, state, federal) play large roles in your operation? Has this changed since you began farming or began selling to wholesale markets? Are you a CAFO? How do state and federal regulations affect you?</li><br /> <li>Water: What water rights do you have to your property(ies)? Would you want additional water rights and, if so, how would this change your operation? Have you tried to acquire additional water rights and, if so, how successful were you? What would be your perfect situation? Would you want more/less acreage? Different location? Different rights/zoning?</li><br /> <li>Insurance: What types of insurance do you carry for your operation? How easy was it to find insurers and/or meet insurance qualifications? (Diversified veg) Do you use RMS whole farm insurance? / (Certified organic) is there true parity now with RMS organic crop insurance?</li><br /> </ol><br /> </li><br /> </ol><br /> <p>One respondent explained that while none of their questions actually used the word &ldquo;policy,&rdquo; many (e.g., sourcing, enterprise selection) evoked responses that at times referred to policies. Based on what was learned about needs and opportunities through these two activities, the NC-1198 policy working group is designing a new set of activities to be incorporated into the NC-1198 renewal project.</p><br /> <p><strong>B. Related teaching and training activities by Committee Members.</strong></p><br /> <p>Increasingly, committee members are drawing on content and programmatic insights on value chain design and operation and mid-scale value chain environmental, social and economic impacts to enrich their classroom teaching and mentoring experiences. In Spring 2016, <strong>David Conner</strong> taught a graduate level class (CDAE/Food Systems 321, Economics of Sustainable Food Systems) at University of Vermont, which included significant discussion about &ldquo;Ag of the Middle&rdquo; and Food Value Chains. At NC State, <strong>Rebecca Dunning</strong> has led/managed a summer apprenticeship program that places undergraduate and graduate students, or recently graduated students, into paid 8-week apprenticeship positions within businesses and support organizations (non-profits, social enterprises, extension) across the food value chain. This work will add a position with a local government, with the mentor being the county Agricultural Economic Development Director, and another apprentice mentored by two Small Business Technology Development Center Directors housed at minority-serving universities in adjacent counties in the coming year. <strong>Dunning</strong> also leads/manages 4-5 MBA student teams at NC-State each year to consult with food value chain businesses. At Auburn University, <strong>Michelle Worosz</strong> has infused her teaching at both undergraduate and graduate levels, and in both traditional classroom and directed field experiences, with exploration of AOTM content and applications. <strong>Clare Hinrichs </strong>is developing a new upper-level undergraduate course (CED 442: Changing Food Systems) for Penn State University, that will include a module on AOTM themes and first be offered in Spring 2017 as a requirement in Penn State&rsquo;s proposed undergraduate Food Systems minor.</p><br /> <p><strong>C. Collaborations within and beyond NC-1198.</strong></p><br /> <p>As a consultant for the USDA-AFRI funded project &ldquo;Understanding Domestic Fair Trade for an Agriculture-of-the-Middle&rdquo; (UW-Madison, Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems, <strong>Michelle Miller</strong>, Michael Bell, and Brad Barham, P.I.&rsquo;s), <strong>Larry Burmeister</strong> has worked on a case study of Organic Valley&rsquo;s affiliation with the Domestic Fair Trade Association and how that relationship may be influencing labor relationships in Organic Valley&rsquo;s supply chain. He attended the annual meeting of the Domestic Fair Trade Association in December 2015 and will attend their annual meeting in November 2016 to continue exploration of how this organization works to promote fair trade principles in the US agrifood system. Ongoing research is exploring labor relations on OV dairy farms and supply chain transportation partners (trucking firms engaged in milk hauling to processors and distribution from processors to market outlets) in order to assess the impact of DFTA affiliation on labor practices in the OV supply chain.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><br /> <p><strong>Rebecca Jablonski</strong> is working with Jill Clark (Ohio State) to evaluate the work of the USDA's Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food Task Force, which has been instrumental in initiating and promoting various AOTM-aligned programs. They have finished a survey of current and past members of KYF2 and are now analyzing results.</p><br /> <p><strong>Michell Worosz</strong> is lead rural sociologist on a 5 year USDA-AFRI Food Security grant titled &ldquo;<em>A Systems Approach to Identifying and Filling Gaps in and Between Knowledge and Practice in Production and Distribution of Local and Regional Foods for a More Secure Food Supply Chain. </em>The interdisciplinary project brings together animal science, poultry science, agricultural economics and business, rural sociology and food science researchers from Auburn University and Tuskegee Institute to investigate multiple dimensions of food safety related to red meat values-based supply chains. Among other foci, <strong>Worosz</strong> and her students will examine consumer responses to food safety recalls and media representations of local beef.</p><br /> <p><strong>Jillian Fitzsimmons</strong> has been working as a member of the Metrics Project of Farm to Institution New England (FINE). FINE is a network of non-profit, public and private entities from across the six New England states that is working to foster better systems for institutional procurement of regionally produced foods.</p><br /> <p><strong>D. Targeted professional conference sessions and presentations.</strong></p><br /> <p><strong>Marcia Ostrom</strong> and <strong>Kathryn DeMaster, </strong>with colleagues Markus Schermer (University of Innsbruck, Austria) and Egon Noe (University of Aarhus, Denmark) organized a set of four paper sessions held at the XIV World Congress of Rural Sociology (IRSA) in Toronto, August 10-14, 2016. The overall track was titled &ldquo;Assessing the Potential of Values-Based Food Chains for Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Livelihoods,&rdquo; with a total of 13 papers organized into four sessions focused on 1) conceptualizing values-based food chains, 2) VBSC governance and management, 3) contributions to sustainable development, and 4) balancing values with growth. American, European, Canadian and Japanese researchers presented in the sessions and a special issue of the <em>International Journal of Sociology of Agriculture and Food</em> is now in preparation, with <strong>Ostrom</strong> and <strong>DeMaster</strong> as co-editors with European partners.</p><br /> <p>Several NC-1198 members, including <strong>Dunning</strong>, <strong>Feenstra</strong> and <strong>Jablonski</strong>, gave papers or panel presentations related to broad AOTM themes at the late September 2016 annual meeting of the Food Distribution Research Society in New Orleans. This professional society&rsquo;s meetings have proven a very conducive environment for presenting NC-1198 work and for productive exchange with scholars and practitioners from around the country addressing related issues.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><br /> <p><strong><em>Selected Presentations by members </em></strong></p><br /> <p><strong>DeMaster, K. </strong>and<strong> M. Ostrom. </strong>&ldquo;Fostering Viable Values-Based Supply Chains within the &lsquo;Agriculture of the Middle.&rsquo;&rdquo; World Congress of Rural Sociology, Toronto, August 10-14, 2016.</p><br /> <p><strong>DeMaster, K.</strong> &ldquo;Why Does the Middle Matter? Fostering a Diversified U.S. Agriculture.&rdquo; Department of Environmental Studies Seminar Series, University of California, Santa Cruz, December 7, 2015.</p><br /> <p><strong>DeMaster, K.</strong>&nbsp;&ldquo;Implications of Corporate Concentration in US Agriculture.&rdquo; &nbsp;Global Environmental Theme House Lecture series, UC-Berkeley. November 16, 2015.&nbsp;</p><br /> <p><strong>DeMaster, K.</strong> &ldquo;History of the U.S. Farm Bill and Contemporary Agricultural Policy.&rdquo; Goldman School of Public Policy course: The Fight For Food Justice: Mass Movement or Consumer Culture? University of California, Berkeley, November 4, 2015. &nbsp;</p><br /> <p><strong>Dunning</strong><strong>, R</strong>., Edmonds, Lauffer, and&nbsp; Stout. 2016. &nbsp;&ldquo;Strategies for Supporting Value Chain Development between Small/mid-scale Growers and Large-scale Buyers.&rdquo; 7^th National Small Farm Conference: Creating and Sustaining Small Farmers and Ranchers.&rdquo; September 20-22, Virginia Beach, VA.&nbsp;</p><br /> <p>Givens and <strong>R. Dunning</strong>. 2016. &ldquo;Distributor vs. Direct: Farmers, Chefs, and Distributors in the Local Farm to Restaurant Supply Chain.&rdquo; Food Distribution Research Society, September 30-October 3, New Orleans, LA.</p><br /> <p><strong>Feenstra, G.W.</strong> &ldquo;Impacts of Values-based Supply Chains on Small and Medium-sized Farms,&rdquo; presentation at the Food Distribution Research Society conference, September 30-October 3, 2016, New Orleans, LA <em>(25 attendees). [Obj 1]</em></p><br /> <p><strong>Feenstra, G.W.</strong> &ldquo;Food policy councils as a strategy for pursuing sustainable community development,&rdquo; presentation at the Community Development Society meeting, July 26, Minneapolis, MN <em>(35 attendees).[Obj 4]</em></p><br /> <p><strong>Feenstra, G.W.</strong> &ldquo;Renewing a sustainable U.S. food system through an &ldquo;Agriculture of the Middle,&rdquo; presentation to the Extension Sustainability Summit 2016, April 5-7, 2016, Portland, OR <em>(50 attendees).[Obj 1,2]</em></p><br /> <p><strong>Feenstra, G.W.</strong> &ldquo;UC SAREP Food Hub Collaborative Learning Network,&rdquo; presentation to the 3^rd Biennial Food Hub Conference, March 31, 2016, Atlanta, GA <em>(10 attendees).[Obj 1,2]</em></p><br /> <p><strong>Feenstra, G.W.</strong> &ldquo;Community perspectives on the economic impact of local food systems in the Sacramento area,&rdquo; presentation to the California Food Policy Council, March 15, 2016, Sacramento, CA <em>(15 attendees). [Obj 1]</em></p><br /> <p><strong>Feenstra, G.W.</strong> &ldquo;Specialty food marketing opportunities for small farmers,&rdquo; presentation to the California Small Farm conference, March 8, 2016, Sacramento, CA <em>(50 attendees).[Obj 1]</em></p><br /> <p><strong>Feenstra, G.W.</strong> &ldquo;Farm to fork activities and their impact on communities,&rdquo; presentation to the statewide SNAP-Ed Conference, January 14, 2016, Sacramento, CA <em>(200 attendees).[Obj 1,2]</em></p><br /> <p><strong>Feenstra, G.W.</strong> &ldquo;Regional food systems: Bringing healthful food to schools and communities,&rdquo; keynote presentation to the Farm to Table Academy of the World Food Center&rsquo;s Institute for Food and Agricultural Literacy, October 3, 2015, UC Davis <em>(30 attendees). [Obj 1,2]</em></p><br /> <p><strong>Fitzsimmons, J.</strong> 2016. &ldquo;Model of Farmers&rsquo; Pro-Social Preferences in Marketing Choice: An Artefactual Field Experiment.&rdquo; AAEA Annual Meeting, Boston, MA.</p><br /> <p><strong>Fitzsimmons, J.</strong> 2016. &ldquo;New Dimensions of Market Power and Bargaining in the Agri-food Sector&rdquo;, Selected Paper Presentation, &ldquo;Model of Farmers&rsquo; Pro-Social Preferences in Marketing Choice.&rdquo; EAAE Seminar, Gaeta, Italy.</p><br /> <p><strong>Fitzsimmons, J.</strong> 2016. &ldquo;Federal Labor Law and Farm to Institution Sales in New England.&rdquo; Labor Law Workshop. Northeast Organic Farmers Association NH Winter Conference.</p><br /> <p><strong>Hardesty, S.</strong> Values-Based Supply Chains. Lecture at UC Davis course, Cooperative Business Enterprises (ARE 132), Davis, California. February 23, 2016. Objectives 1 &amp; 2.</p><br /> <p><strong>Hardesty, S</strong>. Specialty Food Market Opportunities. Workshop presentation with Gail Feenstra and Diane Madison at California Small Farm Conference, Sacramento, California. March 8, 2016. Objective 1.</p><br /> <p><strong>Hardesty, S.</strong> Can values-based supply chains create bargaining power for midscale agricultural producers? Presentation at European Association of Agricultural Economists. Seminar #153: New Dimensions of Market Power and Bargaining in the agri-food sector: organisations, policies and models. Gaeta, Italy. June 10, 2016. Objectives 1 &amp; 2.</p><br /> <p><strong>Lev, Larry</strong>. &ldquo;Food Systems and Sustainability.&rdquo; National Extension Summit on Sustainability. Portland, OR. April 2016.</p><br /> <p><strong>Lev, Larry</strong> and <strong>Robert P. King</strong>, &ldquo;Specialty Food Market Opportunities.&rdquo; Oregon Small Farm Conference. Corvallis, Oregon. March 2016.</p><br /> <p><strong>Ostrom, M</strong>., Kjeldsen C., Kummer, S., Milestad, R., and M. Schermer, "What&rsquo;s going into the box? An inquiry into the ecological and social embeddedness of EU and US box schemes."
 IV World Congress of Rural Sociology, Toronto, August 10-14, 2016.</p><br /> <p>Telligman, A. and <strong>M.R. Worosz</strong>. 2016<em>. Predicting Intentions to Purchase Local Beef.</em> Paper presented at Understanding Rural Social Class in an Era of Global Challenge, during the annual meetings of the Rural Sociological Society, Toronto, Canada, 07 &ndash; 10 Aug.</p><br /> <p><strong>Worosz, M.R</strong>. 2016. <em>Community, Sustainability, and the Challenges for both Large- and Small-Scale Production Systems.</em> Invited presentation for <strong>Sustainable Food Practice</strong> (SU 6143), Lipscomb University. Auburn University, AL, 24 Feb (25 participants).</p><br /> <p><strong>Worosz, M.R</strong>. 2015. <em>Community Food Security Assessment in Three Alabama Black Belt Counties</em>. Final presentations for Food, Agriculture and Society (RSOC 3190). Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, 02 Dec (21 participants).</p><br /> <p><strong>Worosz, M.R.</strong> 2015. <em>Poverty, Food Security, and the Young</em>. Keynote speaker for &ldquo;Turing Schools Around: Understanding and Addressing Poverty.&rdquo; Auburn University Educational Leadership Institute, Auburn High School, Auburn, AL, 07Nov (100 participants). [<em>obj 2, 4</em>]</p><br /> <p><em>Posters </em></p><br /> <p>Jennifer Sowerwine, Rachel Surls, Julia Van Soelen Kim, Michael Yang. 2016. &ldquo;Workshop on Wheels: Market tours for small, beginning and underserved farmers.&rdquo; Food Distribution Research Society conference, New Orleans, LA. <em>[Obj 1,2] </em>[<strong>Feenstra</strong>]</p><br /> <p><strong>Feenstra, Gail</strong>, Scott Cosca, Thomas Nelson, David Visher, Ruth Dahlquist-Willard, Ramiro Lobo, Jennifer Sowerwine, Rachel Surls, Julia Van Soelen Kim, Michael Yang. 2016. &ldquo;Workshop on Wheels: Market tours for small, beginning and underserved farmers.&rdquo; National Small Farm Conference, Virginia Beach, VA. <em>[Obj 1,2]</em></p><br /> <p><strong>Lev, Larry</strong>, <strong>Gail Feenstra</strong>, <strong>Shermain Hardesty</strong>, <strong>Rob King</strong> and <strong>Jan Joannides</strong>. 2016. &ldquo;Beyond Fresh and Direct: Specialty Food Market Opportunities for Small &amp; Medium-size Farmers.&rdquo; NIFA Project Directors&rsquo; meeting, Virginia Beach, VA [awarded one of top 4] <em>[Obj 1]</em></p><br /> <p><strong>Peterson, H</strong>, <strong>Gail Feenstra</strong>, <strong>Marcy Ostrom</strong>, and <strong>Keiko Tanaka</strong>. 2016. &ldquo;Impacts of Values-based Supply Chains on Small &amp; Medium-sized Farms.&rdquo; National Small Farm Conference, and NIFA Project Directors&rsquo; meeting, Virginia Beach, VA [awarded one of top 4]. <em>[Obj 1]</em></p><br /> <p><strong>Feenstra, Gail</strong>, Shosha Capps, Erin McGuire, Noli Taylor and Ali Zipparo. 2016. &ldquo;Grabbing the Golden Ring: Engaging policymakers with local constituents to strengthen farm to school.&rdquo; National Farm to Cafeteria Conference, Madison, WI. <em>[Obj 4]</em></p><br /> <p><strong>Feenstra, Gail</strong>, Scott Cosca, Thomas Nelson, David Visher, Ruth Dahlquist-Willard, Ramiro Lobo, Jennifer Sowerwine, Rachel Surls, Julia Van Soelen Kim, Michael Yang. 2015. &ldquo;Workshop on Wheels: Market tours for small, beginning and underserved farmers.&rdquo; Statewide Agriculture and Natural Resources conference, Sacramento, CA. <em>[Obj 1,2]</em></p><br /> <p>Weston M. Eaton, Morey Burnham, and <strong>Clare Hinrichs</strong>. <em>Bioenergy Experts and their Imagined Publics: Implications for Participation and Dialogue</em>. Poster presented at Penn State Energy Days (May 2016), Rural Sociological Society (August 2016) and World Congress of Rural Sociology (August 2016). [<em>Obj 3, 4</em>]</p><br /> <p><em>Conferences/Workshops organized by members </em></p><br /> <ul><br /> <li>(<strong>Feenstra</strong>) &ldquo;ANR Farm to School Tour.&rdquo; Helped to plan and implement this half day tour as part of the Healthy Families and Communities Initiative Conference, Davis, CA, September 27, 2016 <em>(48 attendees). [Obj 1,2]</em></li><br /> </ul><br /> <ul><br /> <li>(<strong>Feenstra</strong>) &ldquo;Farmer Education and Support Services Summit.&rdquo; Helped plan and implement this one-day convening, Sacramento, CA, September 9, 2016 <em>(55 attendees). [Obj 1, 2]</em></li><br /> </ul><br /> <ul><br /> <li>(<strong>Feenstra</strong>) &ldquo;Farm to School Roundtable with Congressman Garamendi.&rdquo; Helped plan and implement this policy roundtable with farm to school participants and Congressman Garamendi to discuss how to engage in farm to school policies. November, 24, 2015, UC Davis <em>(25 attendees)[Obj 4]</em></li><br /> </ul><br /> <ul><br /> <li>(<strong>Feenstra</strong>) &ldquo;Farmer Wholesale Tour to LA Distributors.&rdquo; Helped plan and implement this tour of LA farmers and food system participants to wholesale buyers in LA, December 9, 2016 <em>(38 attendees)[Obj 1, 2]</em></li><br /> </ul><br /> <ul><br /> <li>(<strong>Feenstra</strong>) &ldquo;Farmer Wholesale Tour to LA Distributors.&rdquo; Helped plan and implement this tour of San Diego farmers to wholesale buyers in LA, December 2, 2015 <em>(45 attendees)[Obj 1,2]</em><strong> <br /></strong></li><br /> </ul><br /> <p><strong>M</strong><strong>i</strong><strong>lestones:</strong></p><br /> <p>Major milestones of the past year included steady progress on planned research activities by the two USDA-AFRI funded projects undertaken by NC-1198 project members (the funding cycles for both these projects began in January 2015). These two projects are now yielding valuable empirical data on understudied questions about the nature and operations of specialty food businesses and about the intentions, practices and assessments of farmers participating in values based supply chains nationwide. Taken together, these projects address all four project objectives. The four paper sessions track on international perspectives on VBSCs at the World Congress of Rural Sociology in August 2016 constitutes another important milestone in the work of NC-1198.</p><br /> <p>Looking ahead, the publishing of the NC-1198 policy primer on the AOTM website and movement of further research results from the USDA-AFRI grant projects into conference presentations, peer-reviewed publications and outreach materials will be additional milestones. As possible, organizing a briefing workshop with Congressional staffers on research outcomes, along with policy implications, from NC-1198 may constitute another milestone, however the latter could occur in conjunction with the eventual renewal project.</p><br /> <p style="padding-left: 30px;"><em>Indicators<strong><br /></strong></em></p><br /> <p>The number of NC-1198 project members has been relatively stable, with some recent retirements from universities and agencies being offset by new participation from graduate students and early career professionals. Committee membership presents excellent geographic distribution from all regions of the U.S. and also demonstrates faculty participation across academic ranks, as well as consistent participation from NGO partners.</p><br /> <p>In the course of this project year, there has been widespread local and regional visibility in varied media for members&rsquo; work broadly related to NC-1198 objectives. For example, media attention included the following regarding <strong>David Conner&rsquo;s</strong> work at UVM:</p><br /> <p><em>Study: UVM Medical Center food buys help local farmers grow.</em> http://www.wcax.com/story/33409465/study-uvm-medical-center-food-buys-help-local-farmers-grow</p><br /> <p>http://www.uvm.edu/foodsystems/?Page=news&amp;storyID=23428&amp;category=food</p><br /> <p>&nbsp;</p><br /> <p>&nbsp;</p><br /> <p>&nbsp;</p><br /> <p>&nbsp;</p>

Publications

<p><strong>P</strong><strong>u</strong><strong>blications </strong></p><br /> <p><em><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Books</span></em></p><br /> <p><strong>Howard, Philip H</strong>. 2016.&nbsp;<em>Concentration and Power in the Food System: Who Controls What We Eat?</em>&nbsp;London: Bloomsbury Academic.&nbsp; [<em>Obj 1]</em></p><br /> <p><em><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Peer reviewed publications</span></em></p><br /> <p>Becot, F., <strong>Conner, D</strong>., Imrie, D. and Ettman, K. (2016). Assessing the Impacts of Local Hospital Food Procurement: Results from Vermont. <em>Journal of Foodservice Management and Education 10 </em>(1) 1-7<em>. </em>[<em>Obj 1]</em></p><br /> <p>Matts, C. <strong>Conner, D</strong>., Tyler, S. and Fisher, C. Hamm, M. (2016). Farmer perspectives of Farm to Institution in Michigan: 2012 survey results of vegetable farmers. <em>Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems 31 </em>(1) 60-71. [<em>Obj 1]</em></p><br /> <p>Calo, Adam and <strong>Kathryn De Master.</strong> 2016. &ldquo;Incubating Transitions? How Land Access Barriers Complicate the Path From Farmworker to Proprietor,&rdquo; <em>Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development</em> 6(2). DOI: <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.5304/jafscd.2016.062.018">http://dx.doi.org/10.5304/jafscd.2016.062.018</a> [<em>Obj 2</em>]</p><br /> <p><strong>Dunning, R</strong>. 2016. &ldquo;Collaboration and Commitment in a Regional Supermarket Supply Chain.&rdquo;&nbsp;<em>Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development, </em>6(4): 21-39. [<em>Obj 1</em>]</p><br /> <p>Rysin, O., and <strong>Dunning, R</strong>. 2016. &ldquo;Economic Viability of a Food Hub Business: Assessment of Annual Operational Expenses and Revenues.&rdquo; <em>Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development, </em>6(4): 7-20. [<em>Obj 1</em>]</p><br /> <p><strong>Feenstra, G</strong>. and <strong>Hardesty, S</strong>. 2016. Values-based supply chains as a strategy for supporting small and mid-scale producers in the United States. <em>Agriculture.</em> 6(3), 39. Doi: 10.3390/agriculture6030039. <a href="http://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/6/3/39/html">http://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/6/3/39/html</a>. <em>[Obj 1,2]</em></p><br /> <p><strong>Hinrichs, C.C.</strong> 2016. Fixing food with ideas of &ldquo;local&rdquo; and &ldquo;place.&rdquo; <em>Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences</em> 6: 759-764. [<em>Obj 2,3</em>}</p><br /> <p>Angelo, B., <strong>B.B.R. Jablonski</strong>, and D. Thilmany, McFadden (authors listed alphabetically). 2016. Meta-analysis of U.S. intermediated markets: Measuring what matters. <em>British Food Journal</em>. 118(5): 1-19. [<em>Obj 1</em>]</p><br /> <p><strong>Jablonski, B.B.R</strong>., T.M. Schmit, and D. Kay. 2016. Assessing the Economic Impacts of Food Hubs on Regional Economies: A Framework that Includes Opportunity Cost. <em>Agricultural and Resource Economics Review.</em> 45(1):143-172. [<em>Obj 1</em>]</p><br /> <p>Gupta, C. and<strong> B.B.R. Jablonski</strong>. 2016. The farm impacts of grocers&rsquo; &lsquo;local&rsquo; purchases: the case of Hawai&rsquo;i. <em>Journal of Food Distribution Research. </em>46(3). [Obj 1]</p><br /> <p>Schmit, T.M., <strong>B.B.R. Jablonski</strong>, and Y. Mansury. 2016. Assessing the economic impacts of &lsquo;local&rsquo; food system producers by scale: a case study from New York. <em>Economic Development Quarterly. </em>40(4): 316-328. [<em>Obj 2</em>]</p><br /> <p><strong>Jablonski, B.B.R</strong>, D. Thilmany McFadden, and A. Colpaart. 2016. Analyzing the role of community and individual factors in food insecurity: identifying diverse barriers within regions. <em>Journal of Community Health. </em>41: 910-923. [<em>Obj 2</em>]</p><br /> <p>Green, Benjamin, Richard Harper and <strong>Daniel Lass</strong>. &ldquo;Differing Nursery Production Systems Impact Cost of Planting Oak Species in the Urban Environment.&rdquo; <em>Hort Technology</em>, 25 (2015): 651-56. [<em>Obj 1, 3</em>]</p><br /> <p>Fleury, P.; <strong>Lev, L</strong>.; Brives, H.; Chazoule, C.; D&eacute;sol&eacute;, M.&nbsp; 2016. &ldquo;Developing Mid-Tier Supply Chains (France) and Values-Based Food Supply Chains (USA): A Comparison of Motivations, Achievements, Barriers and Limitations.&rdquo;&nbsp;<em>Agriculture</em>.&nbsp;<em>6</em>, 36. [<em>Obj 1, 2</em>]</p><br /> <p><strong>Miller, Michelle</strong> and Jeremy Solin. 2015. The power of story for motivating adaptive responses&mdash;marshaling individual and collective initiative to create more resilient and sustainable food systems. <em>Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences</em> 5: 671-684. [<em>Obj 4</em>]</p><br /> <p>Denny, R.C.H., <strong>M.R. Worosz</strong>, and N.L.W. Wilson. 2016. The importance of governance levels in alternative food networks: The case of red meat inspection rules. <em>Rural Sociology</em> (DOI: 10.1111/ruso.12103). [<em>Obj 2, 4</em>]</p><br /> <p><em><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Book chapters</span></em></p><br /> <p><strong>Jablonski, B.B.R.</strong> and T.M. Schmit. 2016. Food Hubs: Expanding Local Food to Urban Customers. In Dawson, J. and A. Morales eds. <em>Cities of Farmers: Urban Agricultural Practices and Processes</em>.&nbsp;Iowa City: University of Iowa Press. <em>[Obj 1]</em></p><br /> <p><em><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Extension reports and similar non-peer reviewed</span></em></p><br /> <ul><br /> <li><strong>Feenstra, G.</strong>, Engelskirchen G. Nelson, T. and Campbell, R. 2016. Preparing small, beginning and immigrant producers to capitalize on values-based wholesale marketing channels. Farm Credit report. UC Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program, UC Davis. <a href="http://asi.ucdavis.edu/programs/sarep/publications/food-and-society/farm-credit-report-wholesale-buyer-tours-feb2016.pdf">http://asi.ucdavis.edu/programs/sarep/publications/food-and-society/farm-credit-report-wholesale-buyer-tours-feb2016.pdf</a> <em>[Obj 1]</em></li><br /> <li><strong>Feenstra, G</strong>. 2016. Black pig meat company/ Zazu kitchen and farm. Profile for &ldquo;Beyond fresh and direct: Exploring specialty food marketing opportunities for small and medium-sized farms.&rdquo; UC Sustainable Agriculture Research &amp; Education Program, UC Davis. <a href="http://asi.ucdavis.edu/programs/sarep/publications/food-and-society/specialty-markets-black-pig-profile-2016.pdf">http://asi.ucdavis.edu/programs/sarep/publications/food-and-society/specialty-markets-black-pig-profile-2016.pdf</a> <em>[Obj 1, 2]</em></li><br /> <li><strong>Feenstra, G</strong>. (PI), Engelskirchen, G., and Nelson, T. 2015. &ldquo;Resources for Farmers on Breaking into Wholesale Markets&rdquo; (part of website). UC Sustainable Agriculture Research &amp; Education Program. <a href="http://asi.ucdavis.edu/programs/sarep/research-initiatives/fs/supply/breaking-into-selling-wholesale">http://asi.ucdavis.edu/programs/sarep/research-initiatives/fs/supply/breaking-into-selling-wholesale</a> <em>[Obj 1]</em></li><br /> <li><strong>Feenstra, G</strong>. and S. Capps. 2015. Final evaluation reports for Yolo County Farm to School Program. UC Sustainable Agriculture Research &amp; Education Program. Prepared for Yolo County Agricultural Commissioner&rsquo;s Office (Project PI). <a href="http://asi.ucdavis.edu/programs/sarep/publications/food-and-society/yolo-farm-to-school-evaluations-2016.pdf">http://asi.ucdavis.edu/programs/sarep/publications/food-and-society/yolo-farm-to-school-evaluations-2016.pdf</a> <em>[Obj 1,2]</em></li><br /> <li><strong>Fitzsimmons, J.A.,</strong> &ldquo;Federal Labor Laws and Farm to Institution Sales in New England: How to Make Sure Your Farm is in Compliance.&rdquo; UMass Extension Publication.</li><br /> <li><strong>Fitzsimmons, J.A</strong>., 2016. &ldquo;Non-Profit Brokers and Farm to Institution Sales in New England: Reduce Your Farm&rsquo;s Costs When Selling to Institutions.&rdquo; UMass Extension Publication.</li><br /> <li><strong>Fitzsimmons, J.A.,</strong> &ldquo;Value-Added Local Food and Farm to Institution Sales in New England: The Just Soup Case Study.&rdquo; UMass Extension Publication.</li><br /> <li><strong>Hardesty, S., Christensen, L.O</strong>., McGuire, E., <strong>Feenstra, G</strong>., Ingels, Ch. Muck, J., Boorinakis-Harper, J., Fake, C. and Oneto, S. 2016. Economic impact of local food producers in the Sacramento region. Final report to UC Agriculture and Natural Resources, UC Davis, Davis, CA, posted at: <a href="http://sfp.ucdavis.edu/files/238053.pdf">http://sfp.ucdavis.edu/files/238053.pdf</a> <em>[Obj 1]</em></li><br /> <li><strong>Jablonski, B.B.R.</strong>, T.M. Schmit, J. Minner, D. Kay, and J. Jensen. 2016. Defining the Rural Wealth Impacts of Regional Food Systems. <em>Research &amp; Policy Brief Series</em>. Cornell University&rsquo;s Community and Rural Development Institute. 75. [<em>Obj 2</em>]</li><br /> </ul><br /> <p><em><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Theses/dissertations</span></em></p><br /> <p>John Eshleman (May 2016). <em>Issues, Resources, Strategies: A Field-Level Analysis of National Agrifood Organizations</em>. Pennsylvania State University. Dissertation in Rural Sociology/Human Dimensions of Natural Resources &amp; Environment. (Adviser: <strong>C.</strong> <strong>Hinrichs</strong>)</p>

Impact Statements

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