Response from LCSA
Response from the
Leopold Center for
Sustainable Agriculture
Marketing Food Systems
Initiative
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Enhancement Networks
and Partners
Practical Farmers of Iowa
• Young and
beginning farmers
is a growth area;
16 Regional Food
most farmers are
System Working
producing food.
Groups covering 83
counties in Iowa.
Support for various Iowa Food System Council
• Diverse group of
other working
individuals and
groups (grassorganizations
based livestock,
focused on finding
pork-niche,
common ground
energy,…).
and developing
Grant funding –
partnerships to
approximately
address food
$200K new funding
system issues.
per year (6-7 new
grants).
Iowa Innovation Council
Development of
• Food is one of their
resources
targeted economic
(Growers manual,
development areas.
Learning about
Local, etc.).
Current Networks and
Partners
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Sysco of Iowa –
working with
Primus and others
regarding GAPs
training and audits.
Hy-Vee – working
on GAPs training
and other barriers
for producers.
Luther College, ISU
Dining, UNI Dining,
and others –
working on
barriers for food to
institution.
Malcolm Price,
Independence, …
and others –
working on
barriers for farm to
school.
GROWN Locally –
working on GAPs
training, food hub
development,
producer manuals.
Resource
Conservation and
Development
(RC&D) districts.
Many of these have
local food
coordinators.
In total over 85
organizations and
individuals are
working on local
food projects
(Learning About
Local).