 Integrating land and people

 Knox County ~45,000 people 22 townships, seven villages, one city  Region (Central Ohio counties)  State? 2

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 86% of all land in the county The median size of farms is 58 acres (average 156)  13% of county total gross domestic product  20% of jobs are related to agriculture But 73% of farmers also work off the farm  What are some non-market values? Source: Planting the seeds of sustainable economic development: Knox County’s Local Food System. Social Responsibility Initiative Topical Report 09-04, August available from Kenyon’s Rural Life Center,

 Ecological influences Topography Soils Water  Production strategies Types of plants Dealing with soil Dealing with pests 5

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 Corn ($22.6 million)  Soybeans ($16.3 million)  Nursery, floriculture ($2.1 million)  Wheat ($1.4 million)  Fruits, tree nuts, berries ($1.2 million)  + diverse, seasonal vegetables (each accounting for <$1.million)

 Target Livestock People Other (e.g., fuel)  Location Local National International 11

 Livestock Dairy products ($11.2 million) Cattle & calves ($5.6 million) Hogs & pigs ($3.8 million) Sheep & goats (and products) – ($1.4 million)

 People  Directly to local consumers In 2007, 9.1% of farms had some direct sales (or, 91% of farms sold all products out of the county) Direct sales accounted for 0.7% of agricultural sales  Directly to retailers/institutions Difficult to calculate Generally, businesses prefer to deal with fewer (not more) suppliers Issues include seasonality, competition w/ gardens & other informal production

 National markets (contracts & futures)  International markets  Non-food purchases Chemical feedstock Fuel 14

 What are the considerations from the perspective of: Farmer Consumer Retailer (grocery, restaurant)  What are the top 5 questions/considerations? 15