The Equitable Food Initiative

Please share widely with your friends and colleagues!

The Equitable Food Initiative is hiring a Senior Advisor to engage major actors in the food industry to join the EFI.

The Equitable Food Initiative (www.equitablefood.net) is a consortium of major food buyers, growers, farm worker groups and consumer advocates to ensure dignified livelihoods for farm workers; a trained workforce and safer, more sustainable food. The co-chairs of the coalition are Oxfam America and the United Farm Workers of America.

The position will engage major actors in the food industry, other organizations and the public with the goal of strengthening the EFI program as well as providing steering for the design of field-based training, certification and verification.

The position will be based on the West Coast. To apply, see Positions at Oxfam America.

Peter O’Driscoll
Project Director
EquiTABLE Food Initiative
www.equitablefood.net

202-777-2933 (desk)
617-407-8171 (cell)

PODriscoll@OxfamAmerica.org

 

Setting A Yield Goal for Hazelnut Breeding in the Upper Midwest

UW Extension recently released a new report “Setting A Yield Goal for Hazelnut Breeding in the Upper Midwest”. This report summarizes some of the work-to-date on an ambitious project to improve hazelnut germplasm, develop appropriate-scale nut processing equipment, and develop sustainable business models to support commercial hazelnut production in the Upper Midwest. University of Minnesota is the project lead, with partners at UW Extension, UW Stevens Point, UW-Madison Department of Horticulture and CIAS. The project is part of The Upper Midwest Hazelnut Development Initiative, a collaboration of researchers in Wisconsin and Minnesota working with early-adopter hazelnut growers to develop an Upper Midwest hazelnut industry.

Hazelnuts are native to the Driftless region, with considerable potential as a perennial, high-value, drought-tolerant, permaculture-friendly crop. Keep your eye on this project and tell us your interests and concerns with hazelnuts.

Eating Green: Coverage of the Locavore Movement

In Eating Green: Coverage of the Locavore Movement,  Extension researcher from Charleston, South Carolina reviewed media coverage regarding the role of farmers markets in local food consumption. Through a framing analysis of newspapers from eight different U.S. cities, the study revealed that four frames describe the coverage on the farmers markets and the buying local trend. These four frames are product awareness, economic support, quality counts, and price negotiation.

A Feasibility Template for Small, Multi-Species Meat Processing Plants

The Journal Of Extension has just published an article entitled A Feasibility Template for Small, Multi-Species Meat Processing Plants. The Kerr Center at Oklahoma State created a template to allow entrepreneurs to play out “what if” scenarios in developing a meat processing business for value-added meat products. The template allows users to define plant size and capacity, including the breakdown of processing activities by species and additional revenue opportunities.

“The spreadsheet template is designed to assist livestock producers and food business entrepreneurs who may be interested in owning or operating a meat processing plant. Most do not understand the factors that impact plant operations and ownership, nor do they have the skills or experience to make sound financial decisions for a plant. Plant owners must consider the impacts of balancing a variety of potential business activities under one roof: custom packing for multiple species (cattle, hogs, sheep, goats, bison, etc.), handling wild game (e.g., deer, elk and wild hogs), and possibly operating a retail shop.”

The article also suggests further reading on meat processing for entrepreneurs.

Dubuque hosts sustainable communities conference

Hosted by the City of Dubuque and Sustainable City Network, the 5th annual Growing Sustainable Communities Conference – Midwestern Region  was a one-day educational opportunity for municipal professionals, elected officials and business leaders who have a common interest in sustainability. The general conference held on Oct. 3, 2012 was preceded by several optional half-day workshops, mobile tours and a networking reception on Oct. 2.

Workshops covered four main tracks. I was surprised that food and agriculture was not included. Maybe next year we can add such a track! (Do any of you readers have a contact at Sustainable Cities?)

  • Energy & Resource Management – This track focuses on sustainable building practices, energy conservation and waste management.
  • Water – This track looks at the vital natural resource from rain to drain, from waterway to kitchen faucet and from wastewater to energy source.
  • Transportation and Mobility – This track features the latest trends in infrastructure, alternative fuels and reducing vehicle miles traveled.
  • Community Knowledge – This track looks at several examples of citizen and stakeholder engagement, education and team building.

Report “Bridging the Gap: Funding and Social Equity Across the Food System Supply Chain”

Brightseed posts some interesting articles on food systems. Most recently, they posted a short summary on capital investment in the food supply chain, a report from the Rockefeller Foundation. The full report is also available.

In looking over the site, I found much helpful material geared toward financing. For instance:

The Community Development Financial Institution’s “Financing Healthy Food Options” Resource Bank is now available online. This is a great resource for any CDFIs, other lenders, and investors interested in developing new or expanding existing healthy food finance initiatives.

The Resource Bank includes the “required reading” for all CDFIs interested in financing healthy food enterprises in their target communities. Training curriculum chapters include:

I found Brightseed through LinkedIn, through the Sustainable Foods Network. If you use this site, consider joining the group and connecting with Nessa @ Brightseed.

 

Innovation in aggregation at Northland

New Local Food Effort in Northern Wisconsin College
Northland College (Ashland) began a new local food initiative this fall. Local farmers bring food to a nearby coop, and after the product is aggregated, a weekly delivery is made to the college’s food service provider, Chartwells. So far, it’s going great! They sourced 15% local in September and expect to source more in October now that they have added several meat vendors. Student feedback has been positive, and many students are familiar with the farms where the food is grown. Fresh green beans are reportedly a new favorite. Northland serves between 500 and 600 meals per day. Read more in this Superior Telegram article.

Local Food Training for Institutions

Register Now!

Local Food Training for Institutions:

Greg Christian Takes On Your Menu and Budget

Thursday December 6, 2012, 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM

Dane County UW-Extension Building,  5201 Fen Oak Dr, Madison, WI

 

Don’t miss this! IFM and Greg Christian are teaming up to bring you this hands-on training. Greg is known nationally for his efforts to help food service operations use more sustainable practices and source local food. At this training, Greg will work with participating food service directors and chefs to help them learn how to incorporate more seasonal local food into their menus and budgets. Attendees are encouraged to bring purchase orders, receipts, menus, and recipes from November and December 2011 so Greg can help problem solve on the spot. Greg will also prepare several seasonal dishes appropriate for an institutional kitchen.

Registration: An agenda with a registration form is attached. You can also find these on the IFM website. Mail in your registration form with a check (or request an invoice) by November 19. Prices are $50 for non IFM Members, $35 for IFM members, and $25 for culinary students.

More About Greg Christian: Greg is the founder and CEO of Beyond Green. He is a chef, author, and consultant to food service operations with a focus on sustainability. He designed the sustainability strategy for the Field Museum’s food service. Most recently, he has been working with Bureau Valley School District 340 and Niles Township High School District 219 generating healthy food-sustainability strategies for their food service operations.

More About IFM: The Institutional Food Market Coalition (IFM) is a Dane County UW-Extension program that works to increase the sales of local Wisconsin food to institutions. We connect buyers with local food suppliers and offer educational opportunities to help them overcome obstacles to local sourcing. Read more on the IFM website.

Please share this invitation widely, and contact me with any questions. Hope you can make it!

Sincerely,

Laura Witzling
IFM Coordinator
Dane County UW-Extension
5201 Fen Oak Dr, Room 138
Madison, WI 53718
Phone: (608) 224-3710
Email: witzling@countyofdane.com

www.ifmwi.org

An EEO/AA employer, UW Extension provides equal opportunities and programming, including Title IX and ADA requirements.

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