Local Foods
Michael Fields Agricultural Institute- East Troy, WI
Consumers appreciate that local foods are fresh, taste good and are produced in ways that can be discussed directly with farmers. Local markets also support farmers and keep money circulating within local communities. Michael Fields Agricultural Institute has been a strong advocate for USDA’s Farmers’ Market Promotion Program and is working for Farm to School legislation in the federal Child Nutrition Reauthorization that will be considered later in 2009. Local foods marketing goes beyond farmers’ markets, community supported agriculture, roadside stands and other direct marketing mechanisms; increasingly, consumers seek to purchase and farmers seek to sell local foods to restaurants, schools, hospitals and other institutions. However, there are some challenges to connecting local farmers with these markets – challenges that can be overcome with information, training, and creating models. The Michael Fields Agricultural Institute Policy Program works with policymakers in Wisconsin to find effective ways to promote local foods to grow the state’s economy.
For example, in 2007, Michael Fields Agricultural Institute’s Policy Program led the coalition that successfully passed legislation creating Wisconsin’s Buy Local, Buy Wisconsinprogram. This program helps overcome hurdles facing regional food systems such as market access, supply and distribution problems, geographic distance from major markets, and institutional purchasing barriers. It offers technical information on accessing local markets as well as competitive grants for projects seeking to connect Wisconsin producers with Wisconsin consumers. Michael Fields Agricultural Institute is working in Wisconsin’s biennial budget process for 2010 and 2011 to protect Buy Local, Buy Wisconsin’s funding.
Parents, doctors, school nutritionists, farmers and others recognize Farm to School programs as a way to serve fresher foods, increase fruit and vegetable intakes, fight obesity, and support local economies. Farm to School programs offer opportunities to instill good eating habits in children, reduce rising health care costs associated with obesity, and invest in local farmers and rural economies. Michael Fields Agricultural Institute coordinates policy for the Great Lakes region of the national Farm to School network and is working with Wisconsin stakeholders and policymakers to advance Farm to School legislation.
Farmers and ranchers often fail to command reasonable profits from the goods they produce with their hard work. Much of the price consumers pay for food, fiber, and other products originating from farmers and ranchers’ production is diverted from producers to pay the costs of production inputs like fertilizers and machinery and for post-farm-gate costs like transportation, processing, packaging, distributing, retailing. Value-added agriculture strategies seek to help farmers reclaim higher profits from their efforts through processing, production of high-value crops and livestock, mid-tier value chains, and other approaches.
Michael Fields Agricultural Institute worked in the 2008 Farm Bill to improve the Value-Added Producer Grant Program (VAPG), which aims to increase farmers’ share of the food and agricultural system profit. We continue to work with USDA to simplify and improve applications procedures and otherwise implement it optimally, and we advance its funding needs as an appropriations priority, seeking $30 million in Fiscal Year 2010.
In Wisconsin, we have sought to increase use of the VAPG program, collaborating with agencies in the state to train farmers and grant writers in how to apply to the program. In 2007 and 2008 Wisconsin received more VAPG grants than any other state in the nation.
Farmers’ Market Promotion Program
The USDA’s Farmers’ Market Promotion Program (FMPP) aims to increase and strengthen direct producer-to-consumer marketing channels. Through a competitive grants application process, FMPP funds marketing proposals for community-supported agriculture programs, farmers’ markets, roadside stands, agritourism activities, and other direct producer-to-consumer marketing strategies.
Eligible applicants include agricultural cooperatives, producer networks, producer associations, local governments, non-profit corporations, public benefit corporations, economic development corporations, regional farmers’ market authorities, and Tribal Governments.
Around $5 million in grants are expected to be awarded in 2009 and 2010. The minimum grant award will be $2,500 and the maximum $100,000. Funding will be available for 1-year or 2-year grants for work beginning in October, 2009. Matching funds are not required.
FMPP grant uses include “Improving Access to Relevant Marketing and Financial Information;” “Consumer-Based Education and Market Access;” and Innovative Approaches to Market Operations and Management.” Specific 2009 FMPP Priorities are electronic benefits transfers (EBT) assistance, training and education for new direct farm marketers, and professional development of those engaged in direct farm marketing.
The 2009 FMPP Call for Proposals was announced in mid-March, 2009.
Farmers’ Market Promotion Program Call for Proposal
READ MORE about FMPP
2009 Child Nutrition Reauthorization
On June 30, 2004, President Bush signed the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004 (CAN) into federal law (Public Law 108-265). The Act expands the availability of nutritious meals and snacks to more children in school, in outside school hours programs, and in child care; and improves the quality of food in schools by: National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs, Farmers Market Program, Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), and Summer Food Service Program (SFSP).
Every five years or so reauthorizes the federal Child Nutrition Programs, during which process they consider ways that current programs meet stated objectives, ways they can be improved and policies that may be needed to meet new objectives. Congress is expected to reauthorize the CNA during the second half of 2009. This will be the context in which Michael Fields Agricultural Institute and other partners working on Farm to School initiatives advance an agenda for federal F2S programming. This agenda includes funding (at least $10 million in mandatory funding - $50 million over the next 5 years - as well as $40 million annually in additional discretionary dollars) for a competitive F2S grants program, as well as higher reimbursement rates for school meals. Child Nutrition Reauthorization brings with it a special responsibility to answer these questions in order to ensure quality, healthy, safe meals are provided to children every school day.
READ MORE about CNR
The Buy Local, Buy Wisconsin (BLBW) program is Wisconsin’s first statewide program supporting local foods. BLBW was able to provide its first round of grants in fall 2008, and has already proven itself to be effective and needed. This program was created to help overcome hurdles facing regional food systems such as market access, supply and distribution problems, geographic distance from major markets, and institutional purchasing barriers. Buy Local, Buy Wisconsin offers technical information on accessing local markets as well as competitive grants for projects seeking to connect Wisconsin producers with Wisconsin consumers. READ MORE about BLBW