1. Strategic Actions for Building a Robust Food System
Chris Iberle Farm to School & Value Chains Specialist Washington State Department of Agriculture Regional Markets Program
agr.wa.gov/marketing/Regional/RegionalMarkets.aspx
USDA & WSDA represented

2. Agriculture in Clark County
1,929 farms on 74,758 acres
85 direct marketing farms in 2012
Market value of $50.9 million produced
Top products by sales: Milk, poultry, berries, nursery, hay, Christmas trees
86% of farms smaller than 50 acres in size
$700 million in purchases - in 2008
Clark County Agriculture: From local roots to future bounty 2016 & USDA Census of Agriculture 2012 Icons made by [author link] from

3. Agriculture in Clark County
Challenges
Opportunities
Challenges
There is a diversity of ag types and scale in Clark Co
For producers of the Top 5 products
Unstable commodity prices & trade A lot of the food produced in the county is not sold locally
Profitability is a challenge, as with all farming
Accessing new, maybe direct markets is hard, a shift
WSDA Regional Markets does hear from them
Issues affects all styles, diversified direct market farms included
Labor shortages
Aging farmer population & knowledge transfer
Loss of infrastructure, storage & processing
Access to affordable, productive land
Opportunities
88% increase in vegetable acreage from
Pastureland growth potential as cropland
Growing population is both: land pressure and growing market
High demand from consumers
Growing demand from craft food biz
Capture more of a premium dollar – higher prices than commodity
Growing market opportunities – how do we meet it?
Grow the local food economy, keep dollars and agriculture local
Food & Agriculture IS economic development (jobs, etc)
Preserve farmland
Increase food access
What’s the difference between these two photos?
Growing population: dual
PEOPLE – You and I make a difference
Food system is made up of people
all types, all kinds of farmers
It takes engaging all of us in the conversation
Developing the idea for the future
and making it happen
Clark County Agriculture: From local roots to future bounty 2016 Analysis of the Agricultural Economic Trends and Conditions in Clark County, Washington 2007 Second Mile Food Hub Producer Survey 2019 WSU Clark County Extension Envisioning a Food Hub for Southwest Washington 2018

4. Strategic Actions Supposed to talk about strategic interventions
So, what are some things producers need?
NOT exhaustive
Policy, land management and preservation, new farmer education, funding/financing
Increasing local production
Top overall need from Clark Co Community Needs Assessment Report
64% - food assistance
Supply chains & marketing (WSDA Regional Markets)
Need help accessing customers - Information
Connecting with buyers: restaurants, grocery
Tapping into local, direct markets
Marketing and sales
Access for farms to current direct marketing opportunities
Need help accessing customers – physical infrastructure
Delivery to customers, CSA, access points
Cooler space & freezer space
Value-added, diversifying & developing products
Meat processing

5. MEP Supply Chain Management
Customer Value Chain
What is a value chain?
Serve customer needs and work backwards
Traditional supply chain: develop a product, convince customers they need it
Leads to lots of problems
Including each partner exploiting lack of transparency
Information asymmetry
Waste, sustainability, customer disengagement
Value chain approach
How is value added for end customer?
Not simply in terms of price or $$
though that may be one outcome (customer willing to pay more)
Often more transparency and information is key strategy
Could be adding convenience, eco-friendly, higher quality, “cool”
Term is used to mean a lot of different things
MEP Supply Chain Management

6. Food values chain
can be confusing
Food value chain is one form of a value chain
Way to add value for the end customer is because of values
Farm viability, transparency, healthy food, sustainable
Satisfying a customer demand for a values-based supply chain
USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service and the Wallace Center at Winrock International

7. Food Values Value Chain
Might call it a Food Values Value Chain
What’s the point of this distinction?
Accomplished through partnerships and collaborative supply chains
Also an investment strategy and opportunity
Value chains help business and farms increase profits or market position
Working to support that, value chain strategies
Hope some of this info can build that momentum
Good to keep in mind that value can be added in ways other than values – convenience, price, volume, logistics, processing
Food hubs and farmer co-ops play a key role
Partnerships with other food businesses to add value, satisfy need
Processors, distributors
USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service and the Wallace Center at Winrock International

8. Strategic Actions Supposed to talk about strategic interventions
So, what are some things producers need?
NOT exhaustive
Policy, land management and preservation, new farmer education, funding/financing
Increasing local production
Top overall need from Clark Co Community Needs Assessment Report
64% - food assistance
Supply chains & marketing (part of WSDA Regional Markets’ focus)
Need help accessing customers - Information
Connecting with buyers: restaurants, grocery
Tapping into local, direct markets
Marketing and sales
Access for farms to current, rapidly growing direct marketing opportunities
Need help accessing customers – physical infrastructure
Delivery to customers, CSA, access points
Cooler space & freezer space
Value-added, diversifying & developing products
Meat processing