Finding Food in Farm Country Ken Meter Crossroads Resource Center (Minneapolis) “From the Ground Up” Springfield, Minnesota April 8, 2004

Crossroads’ approach: Better answers when local residents engaged Professionals serve resident needs

Crossroads’ approach: Start by measuring local assets THEN ask what is missing Build local capacities & assets

Crossroads’ approach: Having good numbers matters Negotiate with strength using solid data

What do we learn if we take the view of the whole community? Usually, farm analysts measure: Specific crops or commodity programs Specific types of farm operations What do we learn if we take the view of the whole community?

Partners: Community Design Center & University of Minnesota “Finding Food in Farm Country” Southeast Minnesota Partners: Community Design Center & University of Minnesota

Southeast Minnesota’s Food & Farm Economy 303,000 residents $10 billion purchasing power each year 8,436 farm families 1.4 million farm animals

Southeast Minnesota’s Food & Farm Economy Stable farm community Lasting social bonds Leaders in conservation tillage Many small farms One of most diverse farm economies in U.S.

Southeast Minnesota’s Food & Farm Economy However… Houston, MN spent 2 years with no grocery store Fragile, small food businesses are springing up all over How to explain this?

Southeast Minnesota’s Food & Farm Economy Region’s farmers produce $866 million of food per year (1997) Spend $947 million to raise it Lose $80 million in production costs Yet…

Southeast Minnesota’s Food & Farm Economy Farm families require $129 million of other farm-related income to cover their costs This includes $42 million in federal supports

Losses in 12 of last 21 years!

Finding Food in Farm Country Moreover, as farmers struggle... The region’s consumers spend $500 million buying food each year Most bought from outside region

Finding Food in Farm Country In fact… The average food item in the U.S. travels 1,500 miles from farmer to consumer Over 60% of the cost of food is an energy cost

Potential wealth lost each year Finding Food in Farm Country All told, Southeast Minnesota... Loses $400 million raising food, & Loses $400 million buying food Potential wealth lost each year

Finding Food in Farm Country Total loss is: $800 million each year! Totals 92% of the value of all food raised in the region

Finding Food in Farm Country If local consumers bought only 15% of their food locally: $45 million of new farm income earned each year

Southeast Minnesota Farm Network 50 farms & processors work together Finding Food in Farm Country Impact of the study... Southeast Minnesota Farm Network 50 farms & processors work together Goal: $250,000 sales in 2004

Southeast Minnesota is not alone...

IOWA

IOWA

Meanwhile, in Hawaii...

Farm production expenses outpace sales since 1992

for all farms is $171 million Cumulative loss1992-2000 for all farms is $171 million

Farms gain little income from tourism:

UNITED STATES

UNITED STATES

(Source: USDA/ERS)

(Source: USDA/ERS)

$505 billion deficit, 1913-1999

Two 2003 studies project the US will become a net food importer by 2007

Food sales are concentrated 40% of groceries sold by 5 chains Wal-Mart & Sam’s Club are top 2 85% of food industries lack competitiveness

Consumption out of balance 50% of U.S. public school students qualify for free / reduced lunch 10% of households are “food insecure”

Consumption out of balance Over half of all adults overweight Half of elderly seeking medical care are undernourished

Supply & Demand out of balance Farm prices low due to high production & foreign competition Researchers focus on producing even more!

Health suffers Diet-related diseases cause half of all deaths in industrial world Change in diet could prevent 30% of cancer worldwide 5,000 deaths due to food poisoning each year in U.S. 30,000 coronary cases in US could be prevented by eating 1% less fat

Health suffers 76 million gastrointestinal illnesses treated each year in US (total population 281 million) Medical costs of obesity amount to $118 billion per year—25% of what all US consumers pay for food each year

Key shifts From consumers to co-investors Farming that builds wealth in communities Shared risk among clustered firms Farm policy supports rural communities instead of commodities Reduced energy use

Community-Based Food Systems: Map courtesy of www.FoodRoutes.org

Solid data matters! …Could Southwest Minnesota use a “Finding Food in Farm Country” study?

“Finding Food in Farm Country” kmeter@crcworks.org (612) 869-8664 http://www.crcworks.org/ff.pdf kmeter@crcworks.org (612) 869-8664

Food with the Farmers' Face on It Media guide covering community-based foods systems W. K. Kellogg Foundation http://www.wkkfweb.org/FSRDFullGuide.pdf

Food service & lodging income rises as farming & manufacturing income falls

Source: USDA in Willard Cochrane, The Development of American Agriculture

Source: ERS (Cochrane, p. 232)

Source: ERS (Cochrane, p. 232)

AERO Southeast Minnesota Food Network Food Alliance Red Tomato Six Iroquois Nations Buffalo Commons CISA Sunflower Fields Farm NYC Food Trust California Alliance with Family Farms Food Circles Oglala Aquifer Community Food Alliance ASAP Federation of Southern Coops Tohono O’odham