Iowa sees significant drop in farm to school sales in 2021. Farm to school sales from Iowa food hubs were cut in half in 2021, following the loss of state and federal funding. In 2020, seven food hubs sold food to 57 schools, compared to 26 schools, colleges and early-care sites in 2021, according to … Continue reading Farm to School Sales Decline without Incentives
by Craig Chase, FFED program manager At FFED, we get a lot of questions from both beginning and established farmers about alternative agricultural enterprises. These can range from hops to other horticultural crops to dairy goats to organic crops in general. The reason for farmers’ interest varies. Profitability from conventional corn and soybeans has been poor for … Continue reading Evaluating alternative farming enterprises
Looking for guidance on how to make sound financial and marketing decisions for your farm? Check out these six new or freshly updated publications from FFED program manager and agricultural economist Craig Chase. Download them all as free PDFs below from the ISU Extension Store. Using Whole-Farm and Enterprise Records to Make Decisions (FFED 33) … Continue reading Six new publications on analyzing farm finances
by Leigh Adcock, communications specialist It’s a job title that didn’t exist a decade ago. Now Iowa’s local food coordinators play a unique and crucial role in the development of robust local food systems statewide. Right now, about 10 coordinators serve 75 of Iowa’s 99 counties. Some work for extension. Others report to local governments … Continue reading Building capacity with Iowa’s local food coordinators