Subject: Farming at Risk Because of Growth
Date: Sunday, September 28, 1997 6:10 PM
This proposed project would research bringing in new rural
infrastructure or support services to help make farming
continue to be
viable.
Here are my questions:
1. Do you know of anyone that has done such a study? Or
anyone
researching the area of rural infrastructure and
agriculture support
businesses or industries?
In the 80's a book was published called Penturbia- trends
in urban sprawl
2. Do you know of books or journal articles that discuss
this subject?
University of Minn published a study on the impact of loss
of dairy farmers
to a community. Every dairy that goes out of business
another business
closes.
3. Do you know of any related experiences in other
areas--successful
or unsuccessful?
You may wish to explore ECO-Tourism,(pheasant hunting,
horse back riding, fishing, farm vacation, etc) CSA, B&B
farmer's market, Direct marketing, Coop
4. Please comment on the following ideas I've received
from others:
* Attract a county-based storage facility to our new
industrial park
(they're looking for high-tech businesses for the most
part) that would
process grains on the premises (eg, flour mill or oil
extracting
process).
In the Dakota's wheat farmers got together to form coop
for processing their wheat to pasta - vertical
intergration
Question: What about nuisance aspects (noise, dust,
trucks)? How
does one find out how large an agricultural base is needed
for such a
facility to be profitable? What is your infrastructure to
support different
types of businesses ie train, planes trucks, barges etc
Bison ranching has grown , as a result of packing
plant being built- several 100 in 200 mile area in the
Dakota's
* Attract farm equipment dealers with a diversified line
for both
farmers and suburban customers--lawn and garden,
snowmobiles).
Equipment dealers will sell snowshoes if they can make a
living at it
The key is to create demand- thru niche or value added
farming
The "science" of marketing (as decreed by Michael Porter in
the 70s/80s)
is that there are only three ways a business can choose to
compete:
1) offer a product at the lowest price, 2) differentiate
the product
and offer the best quality or features, or 3) target a
niche market.
Question: Will farm equipment dealers resist this because
they want
their farm equipment to be primary?
*Create a marketing group that could buy and sell blocks
of grain from
a number of farmers and lock in on better-priced markets.
Networking is equally important - Study Oceanspray as good
example of
a successful coop
Question: Will farmers buy into this? They tend to want
to be
independent and act on their own. We as farmers all wish to
be independent
reality the role of goverment is a faust's bargin at best.
If you accept goverment aid,
CRP they will dictate how and what you plant etc.
5. Do you have other suggestions for "farmers on the urban
edge"?
The big plus is that if you are on the edge you will have
access to
the market place LEARN TO DIRECT MARKET
Second being on the edge also means that RE taxes are
rising and are threating
your farm community nature. You need to address Taxation on
Land Use not
highest and best. Develop or work with Farm Conservation
groups for Conservation
Plan for farmers. Research Conservation Easements to buy
development rights
Teach farmers to write and live a business plan.
Inventory your resources natural and man-made.
Assess market access and delivery systems
What is the demographic Trends????
Contact
Center for Intergrated Ag Systems
agsytems@igc.apc.org
Coulee Regin Organic Produce Pool (CROPP) organic@mwt.net
MN Dept of Ag. Sustainable Ag Prg
prescott.bergh@state.mn.us
Wedge Community Co-Op wedge@mm.com
Wi OCIA wiocia.1@mwt.net
Midwest Organic Alliance moa7@aol.com
MN Institute for Sustainable Ag misamail@gold.tc.umn.edu
ATTRA askattra@ncatfyv.uark.edu
Il Chapter OCIA ociail@aol.com
Miffin St Community Co-op mifflin@macc.wisc.edu
Organic Farmers Marketing Assoc cvof@iquest.net
Wi Women's Sustainable Farming Network
dkaufman@discover-net.net
++++ ATTRA
Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas program
(ATTRA)
invites you to join us in celebrating our 10th Anniversary
by visiting
our new web site at http://www.attra.org
Founded in 1987, ATTRA is the national sustainable farming
information
center located at the University of Arkansas that links
farmers and
other agricultural professionals to information and
resources on
sustainable agriculture.
++++++
Center for Rural Affairs
PO Box 406
Walthill NE 68067-0406
voice: (402) 846-5428
FAX: (402) 846-5420
e-mail: hn1721@handsnet.org
+++++++
Jeana Myers, project director
Partners in Agriculture
PO Box 179
Durham, NC 27702
1800-672-5839
jeanamyers@aol.com
+++++++
Maria Magnelli van Hekken
Director Program Development
Farmers' Market Trust
mariavhm@aol.com
610-432-4884
610-439-2848 (fax)
++++++
Sally Jamir, Farmer Director, JFI
Janus Farms Institute sfj9@juno.com
will offer "Agriculture, Health and Social Unity",
it's fall small farm session, on Saturday, October 11 from
9 a.m.
to 5 p.m. at the Institute site, 1287 Stage Coach Road,
Siler City, NC,
(919) 742-4672.
++++++++
Here is an opportunity for re-grouping, organizing,
prioritizing, planning,
and re-invigorating creative spirit.....
.......with a family, on their farm, within a rural
community. Each
of those three wholes of society will be addressed, as well
as the
individual whole each of us brings and aspires to become.
GENERATING JOY, WEALTH & WISDOM
MAKING THE MOST OF THE RELATIONSHIPS, TIME AND DECISIONS OF
YOUR LIFE
October 23-24, 1997 - 9:30 AM to 5:00 PM
Canaan, Vermont
Presented By:
William S. Gibson, UVM Extension Specialist - Sustainable
Agriculture
University of Vermont Extension
RR 4, Box 2298
Montpelier, VT 05602-8927
ph: 802/223-2389 ext.16
fax: 802/223-6500
wgibson@sover.net
+++++++
Elizabeth Skinner
> Community Development and Applied Economics (CDAE)
> University of Vermont
> 4c Morrill Hall
> Burlington, VT 05405
> 802/656-1018
> eskinner@zoo.uvm.edu
++++++
Patrick Madden, PhD
President of the World Sustainable Agriculture Association
8554 Melrose Avenue
West Hollywood, CA 90069 USA
email: wsaa@compuserve.com
website: http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/wsaa
voice phone: 310-657-7202
fax: 310-657-3884
+++++
Henry A. Wallace Institute for
Alternative Agriculture
9200 Edmonston Road, #117
Greenbelt, MD 20770
(301) 441-8777
E-mail: hawiaa@access.digex.net
World Wide Web: http://www.hawiaa.org
REF:
AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION AND NUTRITION
September 1997 vi+214 pp.
Edited by William Lockeretz, Tufts University
This volume explores all facets of how the nutritional
value of
food is affected by the way it was produced. The
agriculture-
nutrition connection is interpreted broadly, covering not
just
biological and chemical aspects of nutrition and food
quality,
but also consumers' perceptions, marketing channels, and
economic considerations.