Community Food Systems

Nebraska Sustainability Leadership Workshop

Jim CrandallNebraska Cooperative Development Center-

UNL

Nebraska Cooperative Development Center

The Nebraska Cooperative Development Center is Nebraska’s center for cooperative based business development. We provide education, training, and technical assistance to cooperatively owned business, be it a cooperative, an LLC, or other business structure.

Nebraska Cooperative Development Center

• Created in 1999 to help develop rural businesses that were cooperatively owned. NCDC has worked with over 60 cooperatively owned businesses since it’s inception. NCDC is now part of UNL, CARI, Ag Economics Dept.

• Worked with several value added agriculture companies, many of them involved in direct marketing their production to the consumer.

• Began working with Local Foods in early 2000. (AmeriCorps Members, Buy Nebraska, All Nebraska Meals, and more)

Trends• National trend to buy and consume locally

grown food– Know who your food comes from

– Perceived as safer

– Perceived as more nutritious

– Interest in sustaining local farmers

– Some view as food security issue

General Economies• US residents spend slightly less than 10% of their

household income on food

• Nebraska median household income is about $49,000.

• Approximately $4900 spent on food annually per household

• Hastings is about 25,000 population with an average household size of 2.7 persons

• $45,370,375 spent on food!!

General Economies• If local food producers could capture even 1%

of the Local food expenditures, it would amount to $453,700!!

• That $453,700 stays in the area on local farms

• That equates to 11 $40K jobs annually just from buying (1%) local foods

• Is it worth it for community leaders to help facilitate local food systems?

Local economies• Local grocers

• Local restaurants

• Farmers Markets

• Local organizations/businesses

• Examples…………….

Local Food Guide

New Buy Fresh Buy Local Areas

• Central Nebraska• South Central RC&D• Loup Basin RC&D• Prairie Land RC&D• Others?

Billene NemecCoordinator103 Miller HallLincoln, NE 68583472-7352bnemec2@unl.edu

Elaine Cranford103 Miller HallLincoln, NE 472-1746ecranford2@unl.edu

www.buylocalnebraska.org

Eating is an Agricultural Act-Wendell Berry

It’s a Political Act as Well-Michael Pollan

Sample Impacts

• More than 5400 pounds of ground beef sourced from local farms for 2 meals per month August-May.

• One cafeteria, some at East Campus Union, plus some catered meals

• The first year they sourced food from about 20 farmers/producers. Now they source from 68.

Food system without Bricks and Mortar

• On-line market

• Members of the cooperative are producers and consumers

• Delivery to central location twice/month seasonally, once/month out of season

• Volunteer labor to sort and package

We’re Not Doing it Alone

Food Related business development

• Family Farm and Rancher Meats Coop

• Farmers Choice• Farmstead First Dairy• Good Fresh Local, UNL

Dining Hall • GROW Nebraska• Heartland Nuts N More Coop• Mainbow Meats• Many Rivers Producers Coop

• Nebraska Food Cooperative

• Nebraska Sandhills Yellow Perch Coop

• Northstar Neighbors LLC

• Nutritech Ostrich LLC

• Small Farms Cooperative

• Wolf’s Den Grocery

Sustainable Communities• Sustainable Leadership

• Sustainable Businesses• Ash Hollow grocery store coop, Ainsworth Clothing Coop, Bloomfield Soy Products LLC, Blue River Ethanol

• BuyNebraska.org, CC Ag., Centerville Market LLC, Community Crops, Custer County Ag. Products,

• Daly Ranch Meats, Eddyville Steakhouse LLC, Ethanol Power Producers, Imperial, Ethnic Farmers Market project

• Family Farm and Rancher Meats Coop, Grain Value added processing, Blackwoods Hunting and Recreation

• Heartland Natural Fibers Coop, Heartland Nuts N More Coop, Hilltop Hay Coop, Husker Ag. Processing LLC

• KAAPA-Mexican grain project, Libby Creek Farm Alliance, Lindsay Grocery Store Coop,

• Longpine Business Incubator, Madrid Ethanol, NC+ Organic Seed, Nebraska Community Food Network

• Nebraska Farmers Market Association, Nebraska Sun Oil Coop, Nebraska Woody Florals Coop

• New Millennium Sheep Alliance, Niobrara Wood Products LLC, Nutritech Ostrich LLC, Oregon Trail Ethanol Coalition

• Panhandle Rural Health Coop, Panhandle Marketing Coop, Partners Hay Marketing cooperative,

• Prairie Farms Marketing Alliance, Producer Owned Woolen Mill, Regional Natural Meats Coop (multi-state)

• Roseland Distillers Grain Project, Rural Ranchers, SE Nebraska Alternative Crops (Arbor Trails Winery Cooperative)

• SE Nebraska Area Producers Coop, Seasonal Grass Dairy, South Central Biodiesel Project,

• St. James Market Place/Heartland Experience, Tele-health Coop, The Worm Firm, Unified Soy Processors LLC

• Valley Vegetable, Western Nebraska Grape Growers Assn., Wyo-Braska Bean Cooperative

Local Foods – Local Impacts

Jim CrandallAssociate Director

Nebraska Cooperative Development Center-UNLCooperative Business Development Specialist

11854 730 Rd.Holdrege, NE 68949

308-995-3889crandall3@unl.edu